How to convert radio waves to electricity?

Answer 1

This is precisely what an antenna does. Changing electromagnetic fields induce current flow in any conductor. All that a radio receiver does is to select the signal at just one specific frequency (usually from a single transmitter), and extract the information encoded into that signal. It might be music, news, a picture, or data.

If all you want to do is extract energy from the fields and produce electricity, just connect a full-wave rectifier between the antenna and ground, and either filter it with a capacitor or use it to charge a battery.

You'll get much more bang for the buck if you ignore the radio waves and just use the much more intense electromagnetic radiation arriving from the sun in the form of light. Photovoltaic cells are quickly becoming more efficient and cheaper. Of course, they are useful only when sunlight is available.

Answer 2

There are two reasons why you will not be able to get useable power this way One Even though you are quite close to the tower, the power falls off quite rapidly as you move away from it. Even at 1400ft away it will already be too low to power anything substantial. Secondly, To pick up power from the tower you will need an antenna, maybe a yagi type. The antenna has an effective area which 'sees' the signal; think of it as an eye, the bigger the eye the more it sees. However, the power will be radiated by the tower goes in all directions and the 'eye' of the antenna only sees a small amount of it. To pick up substantial amounts of power, you'll need to build a very very very big antenna to increase the amount of radiation your antenna 'sees' . Microwave antennas on the other hand beam out in a specified direction and the power density can be quite high. you may obtain substantial amount by intercepting such a beam, but I would not advise anyone to do that. We all know what microwaves can do! Additional In the simplest case, the transmiter can be said to radiate 50KW in all directions, similar to a sphere. The surface area of the sphere that reaches your location (approx 500 m) = 4 x pi x r^2 = 4 x 3.142 x 50 x 50 =31420 m^2 This means that your 50kW is shared out by a surface area of 31420 msquared = 1.59 Watts/m^2. So, if your antenta can see 1 metre squared of this radiation AT MAXIMUM, it would only pick up 1.6Watts (and there are other factors to reduce this). It's an oversimplification of course, but it gives a ball park figure. Stll, you may be able to light a tourch bulb if you can tune in.

Answer 3

Electrical signals as in radar & radio etc.. are converted to radio waves for transmission.
When a receiver gets them it amplifies them and converts them back to electricity to power the speakers of the receiver or oscilloscope or whatever function they're to be used for.

Answer 4

This very simplified because I don't have all the specs at my disposal, but you can take the RF signals and capture them with any transceiver or amplified receiver tehn connect the output to a magnetic coupling and it would create a small electric field. You can amplify the field by amplifying the received RF electromagnetic radiation. It is all basically EM radiation to begin with. NASA is currently using radio waves to control and direct plasma fields in a project they plan on using for space travel in the near future.

Answer 5

waves and electricity are 2 different things

you probably want to induce and electric field. Radio waves are motions, while elctricity is electrons moving across a wire. To answer this question in detail would require knowledge of electricity, wave travel, wave medium, etc.

it's probable, but not practical, you could generate using heat and steam etc. but why would you?

Answer 6

That's relatively simple. First you need an antenna, the bigger the better. Then you connect that antenna to an ultra fast small signal dioge. Then you put a capacitor between the other contact of the diode and ground. The capacitor will then be charged by the em energy the antenna receives.

Answer 7

Radio waves are invisible light!!!

Answer 8

Let me know if you find the answer to that one, 'cause you'd be rich if you could do that.