What device is needed to view and examine various radio waves, similar to how a oscilloscope enables one to view electrical signals?

Question

What device is needed to view and examine various radio waves, similar to how a oscilloscope enables one to view electrical signals?

Answer 1

You are very unspecific, especially with the frequency range.



Based on your vague question, my answer is a "spectrum analyzer".

Answer 2

Some Oscilloscopes are capable of very high frequencies as high as 100 GHz, but they cost a ~million dollars. Spectrum analyzers are the classic radio frequency  measurement tool. But modern scopes include the FFT function which means they can function as Spectrum analyzers. A modern scope is also a computer with video out, USB ports, LAN ports etc. Larger scopes have hard drives and run Windows or other OS. To work with radio signals, you need a solid foundation is Fourier transforms and other college math. Modern radio modulation systems include phase and amplitude, time division and CDMA.   See https://www.electronicdesign.com/communications/understanding-modern-digital-modulation-techniques



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_radio



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-division_multiple_access

Answer 3

You cannot view the radio waves themselves. You can view the electrical energy they inpart into an antenna with an Oscilloscope, a Spectrum Analyzer or both.

Answer 4

An oscilloscope will do the trick - in a pinch. However, since the electromagnetic spectrum is usually pretty crowded, it's usually easier to gather the information you're after through a spectrum analyzer.

Of course, for any higher level infornation (depending which radio waves you want to look at), actual recievers and protocol analyzers will have to come into play - if you want to check out e.g. Bluetooth transmissions, an oscilloscope will only tell you that there's something there, a spectrum analyzer may let you guess that it's bluetooth, a receiver will be able to gather the data from the the radio stream, but only a protocol analyzer will let you check what's actually transmitted (unless it's encrypted, then things start to become interesting and - e.g. for Bluetooth - you'll also need access to one of the participating systems to read out the encryption key).

Answer 5

Your eyeballs can view and examine radio waves.



"A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 380 to 740 nanometers. In terms of frequency, this corresponds to a band in the vicinity of 430–770 THz." - Wiki

Answer 6

SCOPE IS THE ONLY DEVICE TO DO THIS TASK.

Answer 7

The spectrum analyzer uses a scope for its display. The more expensive ones will also examine a unique narrow band that allows identification of the frequency, distortion, pulse width, modulation index, signal strength with relative signal strength, not to mention all interference.

Answer 8

The oscilloscope will do that. You have to have one that measures milli or micro volts rather than volts.

Answer 9

A spectrum analyzer will show you what frequencies are in the signal, at what strength.  You don't really want to look at the waveforms, but there are oscilloscopes now that will go up to RF frequencies.

Answer 10

A television.  Get an old CRT TV for more fun.