User:Flyingsalmon67/sandbox

The Transceiver is a device that is able to receive information over a medium and also send out information over the medium. The most common example of this is RF (Radio Frequency) Technology but is by no way limited to this method of transmission. A Transceiver is different from a Receiver or a Transmitter because it combines both of these because it combines the two devices into one unit. This allows for greater flexibility and use from one consolidated device; it was now much easier to exchange information/talk over the radio or whatever system the transceiver was hooked into. With the simplification of two different devices also comes advancements and updates to the technology, transceivers have become so much smaller today than they were originally. By the same token the capabilities in data transmission as far as quality, size and distance got better also. The basic RF Transceiver is integrated deep into society today as Cell Phones would be unable to function without it. Evidently, the list does not stop there, any device that communicates with another is very likely to have a transceiver built in to give it those capabilities. This goes for basically all wireless devices but also wired devices as a lot of technology today with wired connections will use a transceiver to interface with the internet for example. Modern ethernet technology is a good example of this. The range of applications for transceivers is very broad as well as the methods they use to communicate. As mentioned earlier, RF is a very common example but transmission can also be accomplished over satellite, wired connections/optical fiber systems. Satellite systems like GPS or satellite phones will use a system that basically operates like any wireless transceiver but do vary in design due to the requirements of the devices as they need to be able to competently send an uplink while also receiving a downlink. Transceivers in optical cable systems work under the same principles as wireless transceivers but simply hook into a different medium to transmit on. Just like how a transceiver in a radio will hook up to the Radio’s antenna, in a wired scenario the transceiver hooks into the wired connection.

Moving to RF technology we see the many different uses and the extremely dependent role transceivers play in wireless devices. From smart watches to CB radios, transceivers of many different sizes are in use. Although, wireless communication devices may need a transceiver to operate correctly but some function drastically different than others due to the advancement of technology. Typically seen in much older styles of devices like HAM or CB radios are analog transceivers that broadcast with Frequency modulation which simply put is the traditional radio wave signal that has been around for Decades. This more traditional technology is much simpler when compared to its digital equivalents but also operates quite reliably. This simplicity helps out price point in manufacturing and has proven reliable time and time again, the technology is used less today but still finds great use in the CB and HAM communities as well as many emergency communication systems. But with many developments to technology since the invention of the transceiver, many wireless devices today operate on digital transmissions. Instead of the traditional wave style Digital Transceivers can transmit “1’s” and “0’s” over radio waves just like any other wireless transceiver but with much greater detail. Because the binary system can be interpreted as a code, the type of data that can be transferred is opened up. Just looking at a Digital two-way radio we can see that the transmissions sent can also carry additional information to encode the transmission, this is common in the Radios of Police and Fire departments. The digital transmission is also a lot clearer as its different method allows for much clearer data. But since the binary system is used for Digital transceivers, they are no different than a computer and the data transferred can now be extremely complicated, even to the extent of sending video. As the transmission and receptions aspects have been improved over the years, these capabilities have only been improved.

The Transceiver is something that is integral to almost all wireless devices, however there is one very common system that does not use them at all. This is the FM radio in your car or house, these radios use receivers to pick up analog radio wave signals and can interpret them thus giving you music as you drive. But these receivers cannot send any signal, that is the job of the Transmitter of each respective radio station. This makes the system rather unique and really isolates what is put out on air, it should also be noted that many stations nowadays have brought in digital signals that only improve the quality and are quite effective with radios that are capable of receiving these signals. With so many options and possibilities for information to be sent out into the air there has to be some form of regulation. For the U.S. the FCC takes this responsibility. In the case of a radio station they go as far as to monitor the content transmitted but also control the frequency, they work and other specificities that the radio station has to operate by. On personal devices, you do not notice the impact of the FCC as much but in manufacturing every transceiver has to meet certain standards and capabilities and not exceed them, this can get very specific and depends on the application. The same is present in the amateur radio world as users are required to have a license and talk on specific channels. This also goes for emergency services that use radios, they are assigned a specific channel to operate on and no one else but them is allowed to speak. The range of impact the FCC has on the radio world is huge but really boils down to monitoring who and what is on the air along with the kind of deceive they are using. Transceivers can be modified by their users or even manufactures and cause them to transceiver on frequencies that would not be able to before, depending on the scenario this could be a problem and therefore is the reason the FCC monitors these devices not only in production but also use.

Sources:

·    Rutledge, D. (1999). The electronics of radio. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press.

·    Radio transceiver—An overview | sciencedirect topics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 29, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/radio-transceiver

·    Reinhart, R. C. K. (2004). Reconfigurable transceiver and software-defined radio architecture and technology evaluated for NASA space communications. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050215177

·    Govinfo. (n.d.). Retrieved February 29, 2020, from https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2010-title47-vol1/CFR-2010-title47-vol1-sec2-926

·    Haring, K. (2007). Ham radio's technical culture (Inside technology). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.