Author name: ICO Optics

Narrowband radio systems really rely on filters that sharply separate wanted signals from nearby interference. Some of the most effective […]

Local oscillators sit at the heart of most RF and communication systems, supplying the reference signal that handles frequency conversion

Low-frequency radio bands carry signals that can travel vast distances, but they also pick up a constant background hiss called

A transmission line does more than just carry a signal from one point to another. Its design, length, and how

Pulsars and fast radio bursts (FRBs) really push the boundaries of what modern astronomy can do. Pulsars send out regular

Coaxial cables do a pretty good job carrying signals, but let’s be real—no cable is perfect. As your signal travels

In RF systems, you have to tune the connection between the source, transmission line, and load to get efficient signal

RF shielding and grounding work together to protect electronic systems from unwanted interference and performance issues. By blocking or redirecting

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) can really mess up electronic and communication systems by injecting unwanted electromagnetic signals into sensitive circuits.

A Smith Chart isn’t just a circular graph, you know—it’s a fundamental tool in RF engineering for visualizing and solving

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) in radio design means your devices can work as they should, without causing or suffering from unwanted

Spread spectrum is a method in wireless communication that sends signals over a much wider bandwidth than needed. This approach

Forward Error Correction (FEC) plays a huge part in keeping data transmission reliable, even as signals make their way through

Quadrature sampling and I/Q demodulation sit at the heart of how modern communication systems capture, process, and make sense of

Wireless communication really depends on access to the radio spectrum, but honestly, a lot of it just sits there unused

Digital radio systems send information through the air using signals, but noise, interference, and other disruptions can mess with those

Software-Defined Radio (SDR) has really changed the way wireless communication systems are built and used by moving many functions from

Digital Signal Processing (DSP) sits at the heart of how today’s radio receivers function. Instead of relying solely on analog

Bandpass filtering sits at the heart of controlling which signals make it through an electronic system and which get blocked.

Packet radio lets digital data travel over radio waves in structured packets, not just in a continuous stream. It relies

QSL cards have been the go-to proof of a successful radio contact, whether it’s between amateur operators or shortwave listeners

If you’ve spent any time on the air, you know the High Frequency (HF) spectrum gives amateur radio operators all

HF digital modes have really changed amateur radio. They let people communicate reliably even when voice signals just don’t cut

Contesting and DXing add a real sense of adventure and competition to amateur radio. When you jump into contesting, you’re

Medium wave radio signals act pretty differently depending on the time of day and what’s going on in the atmosphere.

Longwave radio communication uses very low frequencies to send signals over long distances, sometimes reaching hundreds or even thousands of

MUF is the highest frequency that can support reliable ionospheric communication over a specific path, while LUF is the lowest

Shortwave broadcasting uses high-frequency radio waves that travel thousands of miles by bouncing off the ionosphere. With just one transmitter,

NVIS, or Near Vertical Incidence Skywave, is a high-frequency radio technique where you send signals almost straight up into the

Greyline propagation happens along that slim, shifting band where day meets night on Earth—the terminator. At dawn and dusk, the

Shortwave radio signals can cross continents, but they sure don’t behave the same way every month. Sunlight, temperature, and atmospheric

Solar radio emissions are bursts of radio waves from the Sun that can mess with technology on and around Earth.

High-frequency (HF) radio communication really leans on conditions in the upper atmosphere, and the Sun’s activity shapes those conditions a

Radio astronomy digs into the universe by picking up radio waves that celestial objects emit. Unlike visible light, these long

Microwave radio communication needs precise, low-loss transmission of high-frequency signals. At the core of these systems, you’ll often find the

FT8 lets amateur radio operators make reliable contacts even if signals are too weak to hear. It uses efficient encoding

CubeSats have really changed the way small-scale missions get to space. They offer a compact, affordable way to do things

Morse code, sent by continuous wave (CW) transmission, is still one of the most efficient and reliable ways to handle