Radio

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A radio device is a radio station that is used for wireless communication and is operated with electrical energy.

Depending on the type of device, it is stationary ( station radios such as police radio control center , amateur radio station , etc.) or mobile ( cellular device , handheld radio or walkie-talkie , baby monitor , etc.). From today's perspective, many devices, in fixed stations as well as transportable, are designed as combined devices such as transceivers / transceivers .

BOS handheld radio with remote speaker microphone
Mobile radio device dnt Carat (CB radio)
Station radio ICOM IC-746 (amateur radio)

history

Until the 1930s, radios were only available as stationary devices. This applied to portable radios, for example ship radios or those built into aircraft. Even radio devices built into motor vehicles were so heavy and extensive with the necessary accessories such as the power supply unit that they cannot be regarded as mobile . Due mainly to technical innovation in the armaments industry , the radio devices were manufactured in ever smaller sizes . The modular construction and the advanced manufacturing technology of the radio tubes should be mentioned here . After the Second World War , a new technology came into play with the invention of the transistor in the late 1940s . With the rapid development of semiconductor technology , it was possible to manufacture mobile radio devices that had more and more new and significantly improved properties.

Device types

There are several types of equipment under the term radio equipment such as B. sender , receiver , transceiver (also called transceiver, the word is made up of the English words trans mitter and re ceiver ). But also measuring devices such as B. frequency meters or measuring transmitters belong here, as well as radar devices for radio location , today also GPS devices for worldwide position information accurate to the meter .

Differentiation from mobile phones ("cell phones")

Strictly speaking, mobile phones are also radio devices, since communication takes place via radio. But in contrast to cell phones, two-way radios can be used independently of certain cell phone frequencies (usually assigned to private cell phone network operators). With radio devices, the information is exchanged directly from device to device depending on the application and does not require any infrastructure ( cellular network ) or is structure- bound ( trunked radio ). They are therefore (unlike cell phones) predestined for use in countries and remote areas where there is no network infrastructure or where it is no longer available due to certain circumstances (war, earthquake, disaster).

Government regulations

Until the end of the Second World War , radio sovereignty lay with the Reich Ministry of Post and thus with the German Reich Post . After the war, radio sovereignty was initially exercised by the victorious Allied powers in the four zones of occupation. After the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, radio sovereignty for the three western zones was transferred to the Federal Ministry for Post and Telecommunications and thus to the Deutsche Bundespost . After privatization, this task continued to be carried out directly by the ministry and, after its dissolution, on January 1, 1998, was transferred to the Federal Office for Post and Telecommunications and its successor authorities, the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Post and the Federal Network Agency .

After the founding of the GDR, radio sovereignty there remained under state control of the Deutsche Post and the superior ministry. During the GDR era, radios had to be reported when crossing the border from west to east and were confiscated against receipt . Radio equipment (amateur radio) and C-network car telephones were not allowed to be used on the transit routes to and from West Berlin and had to be sealed for a fee for passage. In the queue in front of the border crossing points there was a border guard who kept an eye out for radio antennas on the car roofs.

For authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) the specifications of the BOS radio apply .

Depending on the type of radio service in question , transmission licenses are still required today for the operation of the transmitter of a radio station.

Radio operation while driving

The question of whether the use of a radio device by the driver is permitted while driving varies from country to country.

Germany

In Germany, the so-called mobile phone ban at the wheel also applies to the use of radio devices in motor vehicles. However, until June 30, 2020, a general exception for two-way radios still applies to this ban on vehicle drivers.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, the use of a radio device at the wheel is not permitted: Article 31 of the Swiss Road Traffic Act and Article 3 of the Traffic Regulations stipulate that the driver of the vehicle must turn his attention to the road and traffic and that he is not allowed to do anything while driving makes it difficult or impossible to operate the vehicle. Since this also applies to the operation of a radio device, sparking at the wheel is not permitted in Switzerland.

Austria

In Austria, the use of a radio device at the wheel is currently permitted.

Applications

Radios are available for a wide variety of applications. Anyone can use devices in the CB, SRD / LPD, Freenet and PMR areas, which can be operated free of charge and registration :

  • SRD / LPD devices have 69  channels , but only a few 100 m range, since only 10 milliwatts of transmission power. These devices are being phased out; In Germany, the development of these radios is no longer recommended by the Federal Network Agency .
  • Freenet devices have 6 channels, which are located in Germany in the frequency range 149.0250 MHz to 149.1125 MHz and are approved by the Federal Network Agency until December 31, 2015.
  • PMR devices with eight channels in the range around 446 MHz can be operated by anyone in almost all European countries without official registration. The achievable ranges depend heavily on the topology of the environment. They transmit with a maximum of 500 mW effectively radiated power (ERP). Only handheld radios are permitted.
  • DMR446 devices represent a further development of the well-known PMR radio and have up to 16 digital channels, which can be found in the frequency range from 446.103125 MHz to 446.196875 MHz in Germany, i.e. directly after the 8 analog channels of the PMR devices .
  • CB radios have up to 80 channels and - depending on the location, transmission power and antenna - a range of up to around 60 kilometers. However, with special propagation conditions several hundred to several thousand kilometers can be bridged. CB radios transmit with up to 4 watts in the FM (F3E) and AM (A3E) operating modes , as well as in SSB (J3E) with 12 watts envelope peak power .

Not usable for everyone:

Technical characteristics

While spoken language was converted into radio waves in analog form in the past and today, digital radio (e.g. TETRA or D-STAR ) is gaining increasing attention nowadays . The importance of digital radio is increasing due to the newer satellite radio , here security considerations play a role. The disadvantage is that simple communication is no longer possible if central system components fail. If no group call is implemented in the digital systems, the problem cannot be solved in the short term - other means of communication must be used.

Operating modes

Classic modes of operation are z. B. CW, telegraphy with Morse code (named after the American inventor Samuel Morse), the so-called telephony (voice transmission) and the transmission of data and texts, e.g. B. RTTY , to name just the most important. In addition, today, z. B. with the help of satellite technology, new global transmission methods applied. A much greater range is possible in both professional and amateur radio areas if radio devices are not supposed to keep direct contact with each other, but rather their signal is transmitted via relays. Handheld or mobile radio devices send their signal to relay stations that are installed in high locations. These send the received signal on so that recipients who cannot directly 'hear' the sending station can receive the transmission via the relay.

See also

literature

  • B. Schueler: Radiotelephone training for fire departments . 2nd Edition. G. Schueler, Celle 1998, ISBN 3-929137-10-0 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Radio  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Agent radio type 3 Mk.II (B2). In: German Spy Museum. Accessed June 7, 2020 (German).
  2. ↑ § 23 Para. 1a StVO
  3. ↑ § 52 Abs. 4 StVO
  4. ↑ https://www.blick.ch/auto/service/tcs-ratgeber/tcs-ratgeber-funken-beim-fahren-id46803.html
  5. ↑ Austrian rescue service ÖRD: radio device when driving a car?
  6. ↑ Ordinance to the Act on Amateur Radio, Appendix 1 (to Section 1 No. 6) , Terms of Use for the frequency ranges specified in the frequency usage plan for the amateur radio service and the amateur radio service via satellites. Retrieved February 14, 2011