Radio Receiver Technology: Continuously Leaping Forward Until Today's Time

| Saturday, July 9, 2011
By Lewis Gil


Radio receivers function through detecting, demodulating and amplifying transmitted received trough electronic circuits. The signals received through the electronic circuits are then transformed into different forms that can be understood and used by users such as sound, pictures, digital data, measurement values, navigational positions, etc. Audio and high fidelity audio receivers, satellite television receivers, and crystal radio receivers or radio sets are just come of the different types of receivers that are found in the market today.

An AV receiver is a type of receiver which uses an amplifier, a preamp/processor, and an FM/AM tuner. Along with audio and high fidelity audio receivers, this type of receiver is the most commonly used type especially by home stereo listeners and audio and home theatre system enthusiasts. The increased need in better audio is brought about by the increasing number of high definition television and home theatre systems found in the market. On the other hand, there are also the satellite television receivers which can be considered as the most widely used radio receiver in the world today. This type of radio receivers is used to receive television programming from communication satellite found din the outer space. Given the fact that almost all homes in the world have at least one television set at home, it is no wonder that this type are the most popular and widely used.

Used in the reception of modulated AM/FM signals, crystal radio receivers or radio sets as they are commonly known are considered as the simplest type of radio receiver. The first example of this radio sets are the transistor radios popular during the early 1900's. These days, AM and FM radios are being integrated as parts of more common music and sound sources which includes cassette players, DVD/CD players, MP3 CD, USB key players. Other popular types of radio receivers include the communications receivers, specialized-used receivers, measuring receivers, and scanners. All these types of radio receivers are commonly used fro the purpose of entertainment. However, it is also important to note, that besides entertainment, these are also being used as tools fro business as well as security purposes.

The discovery of radio receivers was attributed first to the discovery of electromagnetic waves by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1850's. Electromagnetic waves were then demonstrated by Heinrich Hertz in 1887 by using a spark gap equipment to transmit and receive radio waves. However, it was Alexander Stepanovich Popov who designed the world's first radio receiver first seen at the All Russia Exhibition in 1896. His experiment demonstrated how a wireless device can detect an electromagnetic signal flowing through the air and can convert this into usable form-which is the same concept that brought us now the cellphone.

In today's generation, the technology for radio receivers is still moving forward. From the discovery of electromagnetic waves to the discovery of transistors and radio sets, receiver technology had been advancing gradually yet regularly. Digital signal processing which is performed by converting the signal to a digital stream that is manipulated mathematically is now widespread. Also, a number of other functions usually performed by an analogue intermediate frequency stage can now be processed through software.

Radio receivers have indeed been a great leap in the field of science and technology. With these receivers, communication and entertainment have been made easier for consumers. From transistors, radio sets, television sets and today, cellphones, radio receivers have been a vital part in the search for ways on how to improve every individual's day-to-day living.




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