Wireless

Radio frequency characteristics

Frequency
The frequency at which electromagnetic waves cycle is also measured in hertz.
Frequency is the number of times a specified event occurs within a specified time interval.
A standard measurement of frequency is hertz (Hz), which was named after the German
physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz.
An event that occurs once in 1 second has a frequency of 1 Hz.
1 hertz (Hz) = 1 cycle per second
1 kilohertz (KHz) = 1,000 cycles per second
1 megahertz (MHz) = 1,000,000 (million) cycles per second
1 gigahertz (GHz) = 1,000,000,000 (billion) cycles per second
Amplitude
Property of an RF signal is the amplitude, which can be characterized simply as the
signal’s strength, or power.
Amplitude can be defined as the maximum displacement of a continuous wave.

Phase
Phase is not a property of just one RF signal but instead involves the relationship
between two or more signals that share the same frequency.
The phase involves the relationship between the position of the amplitude crests and
troughs of two waveforms.
Phase can be measured in distance, time, or degrees.
Radio frequency behaviors
 Wave propagation

Absorption

If a signal does not bounce off an object, move

around an object, or pass through an object,
then 100 percent absorption has occurred.
Most materials will absorb some amount of an
RF signal to varying degrees.
Reflection
One of the most important RF propagation behaviors to be aware of is reflection.
When a wave hits a smooth object that is larger than the wave itself, depending on
the media the wave may bounce in another direction.
This behavior is categorized as reflection.
Scattering
Scattering can most easily be described as multiple reflections.
These multiple reflections occur when the electromagnetic signal’s wavelength is larger
than pieces of whatever medium the signal is reflecting from or passing through.
Refraction
A straightforward definition of refraction is the bending of an RF signal as it
passes through a medium with a different density, thus causing the direction of
the wave to change.
RF refraction most commonly occurs as a result of atmospheric conditions.
The three most common causes of refraction are water vapor, changes in air
temperature, and changes in air pressure.
Diffraction
Another RF propagation behavior exists that also bends the RF signal; it is called
diffraction.
Diffraction is the bending of an RF signal around an object (whereas refraction, as you
recall, is the bending of a signal as it passes through a medium).
Diffraction is the bending and the spreading of an RF signal when it encounters an
obstruction.
Loss (attenuation)
Loss, also known as attenuation, is best described as the decrease of amplitude or
signal strength.
A signal may lose strength when transmitted on a wire or in the air.
On the wired portion of the communications (RF cable), the AC electrical signal
will lose strength
because of the electrical impedance of coaxial cabling and other components
such as connectors.
Free space path loss
Free space path loss (FSPL) is the loss of signal strength caused by the natural
broadening of the waves, often referred to as beam divergence.
RF signal energy spreads over larger areas as the signal travels farther away from an
antenna, and as a result, the strength of the signal attenuates.
Multipath
Multipath is a propagation phenomenon that results in two or more paths of a signal
arriving at a receiving antenna at the same time or within nanoseconds of each other.
Gain (amplification)
Gain, also known as amplification, can best be described as the increase of amplitude,
or signal strength.
The two types of gain are known as active gain and passive gain. A signal’s
amplitude can be boosted by the use of external devices.
Active gain is usually caused by the transceiver or the use of an amplifier on the wire
that connects the transceiver to the antenna.
Passive gain is accomplished by focusing the RF signal with the use of an antenna.
Typical Material Absorption and Reflection