Can Radio Waves Travel Underground?

It is a fact that almost all radio waves can travel underground. However, as the frequency increases, the ability to transfer a signal also decreases. According to Physics Help, at frequencies less than 100 kilohertz, it becomes challenging for radio waves to penetrate soil and rock. At frequencies greater than 1 gigahertz (GHz), penetration in soil may be possible but without any guarantees of signal strength.
Radio antennas usually search for radio waves using the principle of sparking. The signal from the radio antenna sparks a spark that travels in the opposite direction. If an underground feature exists on the ground surface, it can cause interference which can affect the reception of signals by radio antennas. Therefore, it is recommended to clear out underground obstacles when installing a new antenna.
The frequency of the radio waves can be designated by the letter “F”. The shortest wavelength in a radio signal is called the wavelength or wavelength. Different types of radiation have different wavelengths and therefore have different wavelengths of transmission. An example of this is microwaving, which has shorter wavelengths than infrared radiation.
Radio waves themselves are emitted by various sources such as power lines or lightning. There are devices that emit radio waves, such as security cameras or telephones. They emit radio waves for different purposes such as communication, radar, scanning, and tracking. Radio waves can be received by small antennas called radio telescopes.
There are two main ways in which radio waves travel: line of sight and through objects such as walls. In most cases, the distance between an object and the radio antenna determines if a signal will reach its intended destination. If it is not possible to transmit through an object using the line of sight, other techniques may need to be used to transmit the signals.
A common method to transmit through objects such as obstacles is to divide the signal into several waves. For example, an LCD monitor may have an extensive frequency range and might use television frequencies.
Therefore, it is important that all frequencies within that range are transmitted using different waves so that different antennas can receive the signal. Additionally, a single antenna may be able to receive signals from both directions simultaneously without interference or distortion. The main benefit of receiving multiple signals from various directions is increased capacity and better reception over time.
This post was written by Justin Tidd, Director at Becker Mining Communications! For over 15 years, Becker Communications has been the industry’s leader in Cave radio Communications and electrical mining communication systems. As they expanded into surface mining, railroads, and tunneling they added wireless communication systems, handheld radios, tagging and tracking systems, as well as gas monitoring.