GROUND RADIO COMMUNICATION

Ground radio communication forms one of the most cost effective and reliable solutions for secure long range communication. This communication saves lot of resources when compared to telephone or mobile communication. The wireless ground radio communication equipment comes is extensively used by the military as well by other government agencies in emergency situations.

The Ground Radio Communication equipment essentially consists of a transmitter and a receiver. When one module is capable of doing both the functions, it is called transceiver. Besides this it needs a power source as well as good quality compatible antennae to enable radio waves to be transmitted and received.

Different radio products are available as per the usage. They come in the form of manpacks, telephone internet connects, transceivers, crosspatch, modems, and antennas that are used for long range ground communication.
Various Frequency Ranges Used In Ground Radio Communication.
Ground Radio Communication uses different bands of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

These are primarily three types:

 HF or the High Frequency – This has a range of 3 to 30 MHz
 VHF or very high frequency – with a range between 30 MHz to 300 MHz and
 Ultra High Frequency with ranges 300 MHz to 3000MHz (3 GHz)


HF Radio Waves

Traditionally, the radio sets using HF range of frequencies are preferred because of their superior range that uses the ionosphere and can often reach vast distances across the continents often 3000 km and more. The standard commercial AM (amplitude modulated) radio uses this which is why we get transmissions from all over the world. It has inherent weakness of sound quality not being very good but with modern transceivers this has been overcome to a large extent. The Equipment is robust and comparatively cheaper.


VHF Radio Waves


VHF radio waves are "Frequency Modulated" and lie in what is called the “FM band”. This range can carry huge amount of information, hence they are also used in television broadcasts. However, FM signals are “line of sight” in nature hence having a limited use over larger distances. The quality of receptions also deteriorates in areas that have
hills and high rise buildings.


UHF Radio Waves


UHF radio waves are also called microwave frequencies. They are used for many modern gadgets like mobile phones, televisions, wireless networking, satellite radio and GPS.


UHF radio waves are capable of carrying a data rate higher than VHF thus contain more information. UHF signals can also penetrate obstacles such as buildings and clouds; UHF radio waves can therefore propagate longer distances often upto 100 miles without distortion. They also have lesser power requirements for transmission.


Advantages of HF Type Ground Radio Communications

 Cost Effectiveness - Communication made using long range HF radio sets is the cheapest as it needs lesser infrastructure
 Range: They have a range of over 3000 km.
 Infrastructure: The ground radio communication using HF frequencies requires lesser infrastructures than any other mode of communication including the satellite communication.
 Security: Ground Radio Communication using HF is more secure than other methods, which is why the army uses it. Also, various types of encryption can be done easily to data transmitting end.
 Maintenance Cost: Ground radio devices require low infrastructure, hence their maintenance cost is marginal when compared to satellite communication system.


The type of radio sets to be used depends upon the range that it is required to cover, as well as the quality of sound and the need for security of data. With modern advances in Ground Radio Communication systems it is possible to have very light, mobile units of transceivers using smaller, more compatible Antennas and are a very effective and secure means of communications.