Amplitude and Wavelength
RF communication starts when radio waves are generated from an RF transmitter and sent
to a receiver at another location. RF waves are similar to the waves that you see in an ocean
or lake. Waves are made up of two main components: wavelength and amplitude (see Figure 1.1). Amplitude is the height, force, or power of the wave. If you were standing in the
ocean as the waves came to shore, you would feel the force of a larger wave much more than
you would a smaller wave. Antennas do the same thing, but with radio waves. Smaller
waves are not as noticeable as bigger waves. A bigger wave generates a much larger electrical signal in an antenna, making the signal received much more easily recognizable.
Wavelength is the distance between similar points on two back-to-back waves. When measuring a wave, the wavelength is typically measured from the peak of a wave to the peak of the
next wave. Amplitude and wavelength are both properties of waves.