Radio frequency

Electromagnetic frequencies ranging from 3 kHz to 300 GHz

This article is about the generic oscillation. For the radiation, see radio wave. For the spectrum, see radio spectrum. For the electronics, see radio-frequency engineering.

"RF" redirects here. For other uses, see RF (disambiguation).

Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency[1] range from around 20 kHz to around 300 GHz. This is roughly between the upper limit of audio frequencies that humans can hear (though these are not electromagnetic) and the lower limit of infrared frequencies, and also encompasses the microwave range. These are the frequencies at which energy from an oscillating current can radiate off a conductor into space as radio waves, so they are used in radio technology, among other uses. Different sources specify different upper and lower bounds for the frequency range.

## Electric current

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Electric currents that oscillate at radio frequencies (RF currents) have special properties not shared by direct current or lower audio frequency alternating current, such as the 50 or 60 Hz current used in electrical power distribution.

* Energy from RF currents in conductors can radiate into space as electromagnetic waves (radio waves).[2] This is the basis of radio technology.
* RF current does not penetrate deeply into electrical conductors but tends to flow along their surfaces; this is known as the skin effect.
* RF currents applied to the body often do not cause the painful sensation and muscular contraction of electric shock that lower frequency currents produce.[3][4] This is because the current changes direction too quickly to trigger depolarization of nerve membranes. However, this does not mean RF currents are harmless; they can cause internal injury as well as serious superficial burns called RF burns.
* RF current can ionize air, creating a conductive path through it. This property is exploited by "high frequency" units used in electric arc welding, which use currents at higher frequencies than power distribution uses.
* Another property is the ability to appear to flow through paths that contain insulating material, like the dielectric insulator of a capacitor. This is because capacitive reactance in a circuit decreases with increasing frequency.
* In contrast, RF current can be blocked by a coil of wire, or even a single turn or bend in a wire. This is because the inductive reactance of a circuit increases with increasing frequency.
* When conducted by an ordinary electric cable, RF current has a tendency to reflect from discontinuities in the cable, such as connectors, and travel back down the cable toward the source, causing a condition called standing waves. RF current may be carried efficiently over transmission lines such as coaxial cables.

## Frequency bands

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Main article: Radio spectrum

The radio spectrum of frequencies is divided into bands with conventional names designated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU):

Frequency
range | Wavelength
range | ITU designation | IEEE bands[5]

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Full name  | Abbreviation[6]
Below 3 Hz  | >105 km |  |  | —
3–30 Hz  | 105–104 km | Extremely low frequency | ELF | —
30–300 Hz  | 104–103 km | Super low frequency | SLF | —
300–3000 Hz  | 103–100 km | Ultra low frequency | ULF | —
3–30 kHz  | 100–10 km | Very low frequency | VLF | —
30–300 kHz  | 10–1 km | Low frequency | LF | —
300 kHz – 3 MHz  | 1 km – 100 m | Medium frequency | MF | —
3–30 MHz  | 100–10 m | High frequency | HF | HF
30–300 MHz  | 10–1 m | Very high frequency | VHF | VHF
300 MHz – 3 GHz  | 1 m – 100 mm | Ultra high frequency | UHF | UHF, L, S
3–30 GHz  | 100–10 mm | Super high frequency | SHF | S, C, X, Ku, K, Ka
30–300 GHz  | 10–1 mm | Extremely high frequency | EHF | Ka, V, W, mm
300 GHz – 3 THz  | 1 mm – 0.1 mm | Tremendously high frequency | THF | —
Radio Spectrum Allocations in Canada | International Telecommunication Union ITU

Frequencies of 1 GHz and above are conventionally called microwave,[7] while frequencies of 30 GHz and above are designated millimeter wave. More detailed band designations are given by the standard IEEE letter- band frequency designations[5] and the EU/NATO frequency designations.[8]

## Applications

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See also: Radio § Applications, and Radio spectrum § Applications

### Communications

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Radio frequencies are used in communication devices such as transmitters, receivers, computers, televisions, and mobile phones, to name a few.[1] Radio frequencies are also applied in carrier current systems including telephony and control circuits. The MOS integrated circuit is the technology behind the current proliferation of radio frequency wireless telecommunications devices such as cellphones.

### Medicine

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Main article: Medical applications of radio frequency

Medical applications of radio frequency (RF) energy, in the form of electromagnetic waves (radio waves) or electrical currents, have existed for over 125 years,[9] and now include diathermy, hyperthermy treatment of cancer, electrosurgery scalpels used to cut and cauterize in operations, and radiofrequency ablation.[10] Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio frequency fields to generate images of the human body.[11]

## Measurement

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Test apparatus for radio frequencies can include standard instruments at the lower end of the range, but at higher frequencies, the test equipment becomes more specialized.[12][citation needed] [13]

## Mechanical oscillations

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While RF usually refers to electrical oscillations, mechanical RF systems are not uncommon: see mechanical filter and RF MEMS.

## See also

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* Amplitude modulation (AM)
* Bandwidth (signal processing)
* Electromagnetic interference
* Electromagnetic radiation
* Electromagnetic spectrum
* EMF measurement
* Frequency allocation
* Frequency modulation (FM)
* Plastic welding
* Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy
* Radio astronomy
* Spectrum management

## References

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1. ^ a b Jessica Scarpati. "What is radio frequency (RF, rf)?". SearchNetworking. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
2. ^ Service, United States Flight Standards (1976). Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics: Airframe Handbook. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service. p. 520.
3. ^ Curtis, Thomas Stanley (1916). High Frequency Apparatus: Its construction and practical application. US: Everyday Mechanics Company. pp. 6. "electric shock pain."
4. ^ Mieny, C.J. (2005). Principles of Surgical Patient Care (2nd ed.). New Africa Books. p. 136\. ISBN 9781869280055.
5. ^ a b IEEE Std 521-2002 Standard Letter Designations for Radar-Frequency Bands, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2002. (Convenience copy at National Academies Press.)
6. ^ Jeffrey S. Beasley; Gary M. Miller (2008). Modern Electronic Communication (9th ed.). pp. 4–5\. ISBN 978-0132251136.
7. ^ Kumar, Sanjay; Shukla, Saurabh (2014). Concepts and Applications of Microwave Engineering. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. p. 3\. ISBN 978-8120349353.
8. ^ Leonid A. Belov; Sergey M. Smolskiy; Victor N. Kochemasov (2012). Handbook of RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave Components. Artech House. pp. 27–28\. ISBN 978-1-60807-209-5.
9. ^ Ruey J. Sung & Michael R. Lauer (2000). Fundamental approaches to the management of cardiac arrhythmias. Springer. p. 153\. ISBN 978-0-7923-6559-4. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05.
10. ^ Melvin A. Shiffman; Sid J. Mirrafati; Samuel M. Lam; Chelso G. Cueteaux (2007). Simplified Facial Rejuvenation. Springer. p. 157\. ISBN 978-3-540-71096-7.
11. ^ Bethge, K. (2004-04-27). Medical Applications of Nuclear Physics. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540208051. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01.
12. ^ "RF Radio Frequency Signal Generator » Electronics Notes". www.electronics-notes.com. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
13. ^ Siamack Ghadimi (2021), Measure a DUT's input power using a directional coupler and power sensor, EDN

## External links

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* Analog, RF and EMC Considerations in Printed Wiring Board (PWB) Design
* Definition of frequency bands (VLF, ELF ... etc.) IK1QFK Home Page (vlf.it)
* Radio, light, and sound waves, conversion between wavelength and frequency Archived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
* RF Terms Glossary Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine

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Radio spectrum (ITU)

ELF
3 Hz/100 Mm
30 Hz/10 Mm

SLF
30 Hz/10 Mm
300 Hz/1 Mm

ULF
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3 kHz/100 km

VLF
3 kHz/100 km
30 kHz/10 km

30 kHz/10 km
300 kHz/1 km

300 kHz/1 km
3 MHz/100 m

3 MHz/100 m
30 MHz/10 m

VHF
30 MHz/10 m
300 MHz/1 m

UHF
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3 GHz/100 mm

SHF
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30 GHz/10 mm

EHF
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300 GHz/1 mm

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3 THz/0.1 mm

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