MICROWAVE TRANSMISSION

Microwave transmission refers to the technology of transmitting information or energy by the use of radio waves whose wavelengths are conveniently measured in small numbers of centimetre; these are called microwaves. This part of the radio spectrum ranges across frequencies of roughly 1.0 gigahertz (GHz) to 30 GHz. These correspond to wavelengths from 30 centimeters down to 1.0 cm.

Microwaves are widely used for point-to-point communications because their small wavelength allows conveniently-sized antennas to direct them in narrow beams, which can be pointed directly at the receiving antenna

Microwave link

 A microwave link is a communications system that uses a beam of radio waves in the microwave frequency range to transmit video, audio, or data between two locations, which can be from just a few feet or meters to several miles or kilometers apart. Microwave links are commonly used by television broadcasters to transmit programmes across a country, for instance, or from an outside broadcast back to a studio.
Mobile units can be camera mounted, allowing cameras the freedom to move around without trailing cables. These are often seen on the touchlines of sports fields on Steadicam systems.

Properties of microwave links

• Involve line of sight (LOS) communication technology
• Affected greatly by environmental constraints, including rain fade
• Have very limited penetration capabilities through obstacles such as hills, buildings and trees
• Sensitive to high pollen count
  
• Signals can be degraded during Solar proton events

 

                                                                     Dozens of microwave dishes on the Heinrich-Hertz-Turm in Germany.

 

Uses of microwave links

• In communications between satellites and base stations
• As backbone carriers for cellular systems
• In short range indoor communications
• Telecommunications, in linking remote and regional telephone exchanges to larger (main) exchanges without the need for copper/optical fibre lines.