If you are asked what the functions of the radio are, what would you answer? Information dissemination and playing music might be some of your answers. These answers fall only into one of the different uses of the radio – for audio. You would be surprised to know the different uses of the radio. In the early times, the radio was used for sending telegraphic Morse code messages in the maritime. Perhaps the most memorable marine telegraphy use was in 1912 when RMS Titanic was sinking. Communications that time were between the ship and vessels in the vicinity, and to shore for survivor listing.
The best known function of the radio is audio. You may be familiar with the AM and FM radio. These two fall under the audio function of the radio. Amplitude modulation is used in AM radio where the transmitted signal amplitude is made proportional to the captured sound amplitude by the microphone. In this scenario, the frequency being transmitted is unchanged. Frequency modulation, on the other hand, is employed in the FM radio. The voice and music sent in this scenario is with higher fidelity. Because the frequency is being modulated and not the amplitude, the FM signal is not affected by static and interferences.
Other than audio, uses of the radio include telephony, navigation, video, radar, heating, and data. In telephony, cellular phones transmit signals to cell site through use of microwave radio or optic fiber. The use of radio could not be understated in the field of navigation. The oldest form of which is radio direction-finding. Television transmits pictures being displayed as AM and sounds being heard as AM or FM. For radar, objects at a distance could be detected by bouncing radio waves off them. The delay in echo will be able to determine the distance between the origin and the object. For the heating function, the common example for this would be the microwave oven. Radio waves are used by the appliance to heat food. Messages and information could be exchanged using radio waves, as seen in earlier times when they used Morse code. In summary, radio has many uses and it has been a vital part of history.