Microwaves are radio waves that provide high-speed signal transmission. Another name for microwave transmission is "fixed wireless". This is the process of sending signals from one microwave station to another. Microwaves are good for transmitting information from one place to another because microwave energy is able to penetrate through smoke, light rain, haze, snow, and other elements that normally would inhibit transmission. Microwaves can also transmit data at rates thousands of times fatser than a basic dial up modem.
In order for microwave communications to take place, microwave stations must be in place. Microwave stations are land based refelctive dishes that consist of transceivers, antennas, and other equipment necessary for transmission to occur. The placement and location of microwave stations is vital. Microwaves use line of sight transmission. In order to avoid physical obstacles such as mountains or buildings, microwave stations are usually located on the tops of mountains, buildings, or towers.
Microwaves can be used to transmit power over long distances. However, in order for transmission to be successful, microwave stations must be installed in areas where line of sight transmission is possible. For instance microwave trasnmission is usually used in enviroments where physical transmission is nearly impossible. Wide open areas such as deserts or lakes are good locations where microwaves can thrive. Microwave transmission is also effective in order to communicate with a satellite. Today many organizations such as hospitals, universities, cable providers, and phone companies all use microwave transmission in order to transmit and receive data. Bluetooth technology also employs the use of microwave transmission. Microwaves have been a part of the communication industry since the late 1950s. Over time micorwaves and the technology associated with them have increased and expanded aiding and providing a variety of different uses especially in the world of information technology.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Communication
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/micro.html
Discovering Computers 2010 "Living in a Digital Age" pg.496
Images:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=microwave#ai:MC900071164|mt:0|
Screen shots of free images from microsoft.com. I own a copy of microsoft office. All three of these images are "free images". All three of these screenshots were taken by me personally in order to illustrate and help paint a mental picture of microwaves and microwave stations.
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