How the radio works?

Have you ever wondered how the radio works, this ingenious invention has transpired. For years due to its usefulness AND versatility, in this article we will explain it to you. What is the mechanism that is used so that you can tune in to your favorite music and enjoy the content that travels miles away or even through the network.

How does the radio work?

Radio is a remote sound transmission that is carried out through electromagnetic waves which are capable of reaching various places quickly and simultaneously by means of a receiving device.

There are various ways of transmitting sound: by radio am means amplitude modulation, FM means frequency modulation, there is also short wave, transmission, via satellite, among others.

The main difference between amplitude modulation and frequency modulation Is that the first one has a lower sound quality But it can travel great distances because the antenna of its Transmitter Tower is very high and it is usually located in the outskirts of the city is therefore radio waves in this case travel through the earth’s surface.

On the other hand, FM offers excellent sound quality, but the coverage range is less. Compared to the amplitude modulated because the stations of this frequency are always located in high places to avoid the physical obstacles that the waves can encounter during their journey to the radio. These are easily recognizable metal towers why do they usually have special metal screen at the top.

The sounds or radio signals are born at various points such as a microphone, equipment, sharing a computer, telephone, etc. The truth is that these sounds are mixed in the radio studio by means of a console and, from there, they are sent through a cable to a equipment known as an audio processor, which is responsible for processing the entire wave and giving it the necessary touches to improve sound quality.

The link transmitter is connected through a cable and transports the sound to the place where the transmitting antennas of the station are located, in this way the link transmitter compacts the sound in some way and transfers it in a means of transport so that can travel.

Across the distance in what we call frequency. The transmitting power antennas are in charge of modulating or in some way repackaging the sound and transmitting it to the public.

The frequency with which said sound is packaged is what we tune into our radios and what allows us to listen to the music that we like so much or enjoy our favorite programming.

Thus, there is a frequency for each station which is specific and assigned by the Ministry of Communications of the country in which said radio operates. However, all broadcasting frequencies are organized and legislated under special agreements.

Now you know how it is possible that the sound emitted from a radio broadcast studio can be reproduced on your playback equipment. It is a fairly complex but at the same time ingenious technical process that has taken several decades to perfect and is expected to continue to improve in the future.

However, due to the technological advances that are currently being implemented, it is clear that there are already new modalities that have somehow managed to displace the conventional radio that we all know. Even so, having a mass communication medium like this is a privilege that we must always value and strive for.

The radio is a useful and efficient resource to be informed, communicated and entertained that you can also take with you everywhere. We invite you to read other articles that are published on our blog about the radio.

Radio in Nigeria and its main stations

The Federal Radio Corporation in Nigeria was founded in 1933, when the country was in charge of the British colonial government. It is known as Radio Broadcasting Service or RDS and it allowed locals and foreigners to enjoy varied content from the British Broadcasting Corporation in public spaces equipped with loudspeakers for it.

In April 1950, the previously known RDS became the Nigerian Broadcasting Service and it was then that national radio stations such as Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, Ibadan and Kano began operating.

This service was reorganized by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on April 1, 1957 through an act of parliament, giving it the mission of operating as a public service, offering independent and impartial broadcasting.

By 1962 there were new radio stations such as Sokoto, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Zaria, Jos and Katsina in the northern part of the country, while Port Harcourt, Calabar and Onitsha were playing in the east, and Abeokuta, Warri and Ijebu-Ode in the west.

All of them functioned in a subsidiary manner to the regional stations, which means that they broadcast programs of local interest part of the day and the rest adhered to the programming of the regional station. On the other hand, national programs were broadcast on short and medium wave in Sogunle.

By the end of 1960, Parliament modified the NBC Ordinance to enable the sale of commercial advertisements and the first ones were broadcast in October of the following year. In 1962, regional and provincial broadcasters sold advertisements to local companies to obtain funds to support NBC stations in addition to what they received from the State.

It was imminent that the radio in Nigeria was making progress when the Federal Parliament approved the creation of the external shortwave service known as the Voice of Nigeria or VON during 1961 and its broadcasts began that same year from Lagos, with a reach of two hours a day in Africa. Occidental thanks to five additional transmitters.

With this service, Nigeria had reached the maximum of its capacity in radio material, but later, with the economic collaboration of the Ford Foundation and the technical help of the British Broadcasting Corporation, NBC started the National School Broadcasting Service, through which they broadcast educational lessons in primary and secondary schools, as well as training programming for the teachers’ college.

That is how NBC and the Broadcasting Corporation of Northern Nigeria (BCNN) merged in 1978 to give rise to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). Then, the medium wave transmitters that previously belonged to NBC were transferred to the individual state governments and, for their part, the states gave shortwave transmitters to the FRCN.

By 1996, VON was able to install three high-power transmitters in Ikorodu, making it possible to hear it around the world for the first time in Nigerian history.

The FRCN today

FRCN’s medium wave service, Radio Nigeria, consists of 25 radio stations that are distributed throughout the country and together with Voice of Nigeria is considered the largest radio network on the African continent.

The most recent known event is from 2007, when the FRCN introduced FM transmissions in certain parts of the country and expressed interest in modernizing short and medium wave transmitters in the future.

Through all the events that we have outlined in this briefing note, the remarkable progress that Nigerian radio has made from its inception to today has been evidenced and it is expected that it will continue to progress for the benefit of the citizens of this nation.

If you want to learn more about other radio stations in Nigeria, we invite you to read our new article dedicated to Kapital fm already available on the blog.

Brief history of radio

The beginnings of the history of radio date back to the 19th century, when Alessandro Volta invented the voltaic pile. From that moment on, the first telegraphs began to be built, which evolved with the contributions of Samuel Morse and the Morse code.

In the year 1876 the British scientist Graham Bell discovered that sounds could be heard through a wire. However, it was not until the 20th century that Fleming and Fessenden managed to transmit the human voice through the beginnings of radio.

Before the appearance of radio devices, an investigation of electromagnetic waves was carried out by James Maxwell, which were validated by Henry Hertz using a device with which he managed to create said waves in a valid process to detect them.

Despite this, it was Marconi who put his knowledge into practice so that sound signals were capable of propagating up to 20 km away, an incredible achievement for the time and officially the beginning of what we know today as radio.

The first station that was established as a regular radio service was identified with the acronym KDAK of Pittsburgh and its makeshift booth was installed in a Westinghouse garage.

In North America, the first radio broadcast was on Christmas Eve in 1906, but it was not until 1920 that commercial broadcasts became regular and entertainment programs were included in this medium.

About 5 years later there were at least a dozen radio missiles and the transmissions were usually made in the late afternoon until midnight.
In the 1920s and until the 1930s, they were considered the golden age of radio, a time when this means of communication reached its peak, especially in industrialized countries.

It was then that the moving coil loudspeaker was invented, which solved many of the inconveniences that there were until then to listen to the radio.
In 1927, the first car radios were created and promoted, especially the Philco transistor brand. From that moment on, the combination of music player and car radio was in progress until what we know today.

For their part, transistor radios also had their own evolution since 1948 with the North American company Bell, who created semiconductor devices capable of interrupting, attenuating or stopping the flow of an electronic current. This invention was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956 and it was the prototype of what would later be transistors.

Over time these radios became increasingly efficient, lightweight, inexpensive, and small until they began to be mass-produced during the 1960s and 1970s because they were so popular for listening to the news during the Cold War. This was the case until the 1980s, when they were replaced by more efficient technologies.

history of radio in Latin America

With regard to the history of radio in Latin America, it is valid to affirm that the Argentines were the first to manufacture radio equipment.

More specifically, the doctor Enrique Susini installed a 5-watt transmitter on the roof of the Coliseum theater to carry out what would be the first official radio transmission in this country, however, until August 27, 1920, it was when in Buenos Aires Argentina was able to officially broadcast the first radio programming aimed at the public through this medium and it was an opera by Richard Wagner.

Radio history timeline

  • 1873. Maxwell published his theory of electromagnetic waves.
  • 1888. Hertz creates the first detector and transmitter of electromagnetic waves.
  • 1895. Marconi invents the first wave receiver.
  • 1896. Popov invents the first electromagnetic antenna.
  • 1897. Tesla files the patent for the radio transmitter.
  • 1899 Marconi makes the first transmission from one country to another (England to France).
  • 1900. AM radio was invented.
  • 1901. Marconi and Fleming transmit the first wireless telegraph signal.
  • 1910. The first crystal radio is invented by Dunwoody and Whittier Picard.
  • 1914. The First World War begins and the radio is used to coordinate the troops.
  • 1920. The first regular and entertainment radio broadcasts appear.
  • 1933. FM radio is invented.
  • 1948. The transistor radio is invented.
  • 1963. The first satellite radio broadcast is made.
  • 1993. The first online radio station was created.

Kapital fm, radio station in Abuja Nigeria

Abuja is the capital of Nigeria and is located right in the center of the country, with an estimated population of 778,567 inhabitants who enjoy being informed, entertained and communicated through radio media such as the Kapital fm station.

About the city of Abuja

Abuja is known as the best planned city in all of Africa and represents the capital of Nigeria with an area of ​​approximately 7,315 km².

As in other countries of the world, in Nigeria the media have been enabled with the purpose of informing, entertaining and keeping its citizens informed. An example of this is Nigerian radio, in which the following stations stand out:

  • BBC Hausa.
  • Nigeria Info FM 99.3 Lagos.
  • resh 105.9 FM.
  • Lagos Talks 91.3 FM.
  • RFI Hausa.
  • Lagelu FM.
  • Freedom Radio 99.5 FM.
  • Yoruba FM.
  • Capital fm.

These are just some of the many radio stations that operate in the country and that today, thanks to advances in technology, are not only heard within their national limits but worldwide because many of them broadcast online through the Internet. .

In this opportunity we offer a brief review about one of the most prominent stations in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, we refer to Kapital fm, precisely.

Kapital fm radio station

The radio station Kapital fm was established as a national station in Buja that began operating in 1980 and since then has been an information, entertainment and communication medium at the service of the citizens of the capital.

Radio programming of this station

It offers varied programming that interests and entertains radio listeners who tune their transistor to 92.9 daily to enjoy them, these are some of the most outstanding programs of the station:

  • Abuja Today, a program dedicated to sharing current national and international news.
  • Searchlight, a radio program where news, music, sports and talks are shared with local citizens.
  • Abuja Express, offers varied content to listeners.
  • Gwagwalada Highpoint,
  • BKTShow.

Featured announcers of Kapital fm

The variety of content offered on the Kapital fm station would not be so acclaimed if it did not have the charismatic announcers who are in charge of them.

In this sense, it is opportune to mention in this review some of the pioneering broadcasters from Abuja who were in charge of the programs at the beginning of the Kapital fm station:

  • Isa Iya Pai.
  • Kandi Abidi.
  • Late Jubril Ubale.
  • Mohammed Power.
  • Poturia Hassan.

As you can see, they are prominent broadcasters with extensive experience in Nigeria. If you wish, you can get more information about them on the main social networks.

Kapital fm can also be heard online

Nigerian radio station Kapital fm broadcasts its programs globally through its official website radionigeria.gov.ng. Obviously, being a Nigerian radio station broadcasts its content in English.

Additional information about this radio station in Nigeria

We have already covered as much information as is available about Kapital fm, a prominent radio station in the Nigerian capital. Below, we offer some more specific information that may be useful to anyone who wants to know more about it:

Location: Abuja, Nigeria.
Genres: This station broadcasts music from around the world and public content in Nigeria.
Networks: Kapital fm is available in the Netherlands international directory.
Language: Being a Nigerian radio station, it broadcasts in English, although the musical content can be in different languages ​​depending on its origin.
Contact: In case you want to go personally to the studios of Kapital fm station, this is their address: FRCN National Headquaters, Radio House, Herbert Macaulay Way Area 10, PMB 452, Garki, Abuja (09) 8734228
Website: www.radionigeria.gov.ng/
Email: [email protected]

If you want more information about this station and other radio stations that broadcast their content in Nigeria, we invite you to read other articles that we have published and are already available on our blog.