![]() There are numerous reports of Russian military units using unencrypted analogue radios, or “walkie talkies”, to communicate on the battlefield. In the current war, a shift towards traditional radio communications technology is not only being seen in the context of news broadcasts. Radio gaga? Four issues that will decide the future of audio Shortwave signals are more difficult to jam, generally requiring a network of large, high-power transmitters spread out across a country, operating on the same frequency. This makes it practical for almost anyone to attempt to jam and block access to mobile networks, using handheld jamming devices (which are generally illegal to own or use). This means that the network operators reduce signal power wherever possible. If the core network sites are damaged or lose power, the whole network will become unavailable.įurther, mobile phones and other digital radio technologies are designed to use low transmission power to make it more cost effective for mobile operators to re-use the same frequencies in different areas. If your local mast loses power, the network will go down in that area. Any of these could fail, or be deliberately targeted, taking down some or all of the network. Though mobile phones can be charged from power banks, solar panels or car chargers, they require a lot of infrastructure, like radio masts, power and fibre network connections. There are even wind-up or solar-powered shortwave radio receivers available. You can run a portable radio for days on batteries, and many cars have a shortwave-capable radio in them, which can run from the car battery. ![]() Shortwave radio receivers can also be very power efficient. If you’re visiting news sources on the web, it’s possible this can be traced and seen. ![]() Low frequency signals reach into buildings and basements better, even when transmitted from far away, which might be useful for people who are taking shelter. If you’ve ever experienced poor mobile phone signal in the centre of an old building, you’ve experienced the challenges of radio propagation. And since low frequencies are used, the signals propagate better through buildings and the environment. This means the BBC can broadcast from outside into a conflict zone without needing local physical infrastructure. Since it uses lower transmission frequencies, the signals can travel much further than TV or mobile phone signals – thousands of kilometres, rather than kilometres or tens of kilometres. There are a number of other technical reasons why shortwave radio can be very useful in crisis situations. Radio has a rich history as a weapon of the liberation struggle in southern Africa Internet-based services can also become overloaded, either as a result of high demand, or due to malicious attacks flooding a service with requests, aiming to make it unavailable. This bi-directional communication means that when you browse the internet, various entities like your internet provider are able to see that you visited certain websites. ![]() This makes it hard for an occupying force to find those listening to (perhaps banned) overseas media.Ĭonversely, when you browse the internet or use a mobile app, your device is requesting the content you wish to receive, and it’s being sent directly to your phone. When someone uses a shortwave radio receiver, there’s no lasting trace of them using it. It’s transmitted once, and anyone with a receiver can listen or watch. Like Freeview TV received over an aerial, traditional broadcast radio services don’t require you to transmit anything to be able to receive a service. Traditional broadcast TV and radio fundamentally differ from modern internet-based services. How to write to your MP if you're concerned about the crisis in Ukraine Shortwave radio is far simpler than modern digital TV or telecommunications services: receivers are widely available (or can be built from spare electrical parts), and it works across long distances. Shortwave radio is an old variant of what many people may remember as “AM” analogue radio, operating on low frequency radio waves to deliver audio services. But it makes sense for a number of practical reasons. In a world with near-ubiquitous adoption of mobile phones, the use of early 20th century radio technology might seem unusual.
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