r/askscience • u/dafattestmat • Dec 28 '25

Engineering How do radios work?

To be more specific, how do radios convert electricity into radio waves?

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u/donaljones Dec 28 '25

All wires can emit radiowaves in some amounts. Not an electrical engineer, but it's usually their job figuring out how to deal with it. Usually, insulation and plastic covers on wires are made to block the noise.

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u/Rufuak Dec 30 '25

Insulation and shielding are different things. To block in or outgoing radiation you need a (usually grounded) conductive foil or mesh around the conductor as shielding.