Transmitter

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For biologic transmitters, see transmitter substance.
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Commercial FM broadcastingtransmitter at radio station WDET-FM, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA. It
broadcasts at 101.9 MHz with a radiated power of 48 kW.


A radio transmitter is usually part of a radio communication system which uses electromagnetic waves (radio waves)
to transport information (in this case sound) over a distance.
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic
device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates
a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this
alternating current, the antenna radiates radio waves. In addition to their use in broadcasting,
transmitters are necessary component parts of many electronic devices that communicate by radio,
such as cell phones, wireless computer networks,Bluetooth enabled devices, garage door
openers, two-way radios in aircraft, ships, and spacecraft, radar sets, and navigational beacons. The
term transmitter is usually limited to equipment that generates radio waves
for communication purposes; orradiolocation, such as radar and navigational transmitters.
Generators of radio waves for heating or industrial purposes, such asmicrowave
ovens or diathermy equipment, are not usually called transmitters even though they often have
similar circuits.
The term is popularly used more specifically to refer to a broadcast transmitter, a transmitter used
in broadcasting, as in FM radio transmitter or television transmitter. This usage usually includes both
the transmitter proper, the antenna, and often the building it is housed in.
An unrelated use of the term is in industrial process control, where a "transmitter" is
a telemetry device which converts measurements from a sensor into a signal, and sends it, usually
via wires, to be received by some display or control device located a distance away.
Contents
[hide]
1 Description
2 Legal restrictions
3 How it works
4 History
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Description[edit]
A transmitter can be a separate piece of electronic equipment, or an electrical circuit within another
electronic device. A transmitter andreceiver combined in one unit is called a transceiver. The term
transmitter is often abbreviated "XMTR" or "TX" in technical documents. The purpose of most
transmitters is radio communication of information over a distance. The information is provided to the
transmitter in the form of an electronic signal, such as an audio (sound) signal from a microphone,
a video (TV) signal from a video camera, or inwireless networking devices a digital signal from a
computer. The transmitter combines the information signal to be carried with the radio frequency
signal which generates the radio waves, which is often called the carrier. This process is
called modulation. The information can be added to the carrier in several different ways, in different
types of transmitter. In an amplitude modulation (AM) transmitter, the information is added to the
radio signal by varying its amplitude. In a frequency modulation (FM) transmitter, it is added by
varying the radio signal's frequency slightly. Many other types of modulation are used.
The antenna may be enclosed inside the case or attached to the outside of the transmitter, as in
portable devices such as cell phones, walkie-talkies, and garage door openers. In more powerful
transmitters, the antenna may be located on top of a building or on a separate tower, and connected
to the transmitter by a feed line, that is a transmission line.
Radio transmitters

Continental 816R-5B 35 kilowatt FM transmitter, belonging to American FM radio station KWNR broadcasting on 95.5
MHz in Las Vegas.

Modern amateur radio transceiver, the ICOM IC-746PRO. It can transmit on the amateur bands from 1.8 MHz to 144
MHz with an output power of 100 W.

A CB radio transceiver, a two way radio transmitting on 27 MHz with a power of 4 watts, that can be operated without
a license