How does a radio transmitter work?

How does a radio transmitter work?

• Answer:

  Summary: A radio transmitter works by converting electricity into radio-frequency energy, which is then converted to electromagnetic waves. Block by block... The most important components of a radio transmitter are the Oscillator and the Antenna. The oscillator makes the radio-frequency energy; the antenna converts it to electromagnetic waves for the receiving station to use. I say these are the most important components because you can build a whole radio transmitter with nothing but an oscillator and an antenna. There aren't many applications for such a transmitter--it can be a beacon, or if you turn it on and off fast enough you can send Morse code with it--but it's enough to put RF in the air. The next important part is the Modulator. This is the thing that lets a radio station play music instead of just sending out radio waves--it causes the radio signal to change in a way a receiver can use. It can either change the intensity of the wave--amplitude modulation--or the frequency--frequency modulation. They also put Amplifiers on radio stations, because you need a lot of power to transmit music or speech, and the oscillators made today don't put out very much of it. If you're listening to your radio and the announcer says he's on the "50,000 Watt KLMN" the amplifier is what gives him all that power.