radio waves can travel through

You can tune a radio to a specific wavelength—or frequency—and listen to your favorite music. The radio "receives" these electromagnetic radio waves and converts them to mechanical vibrations in the speaker to create the sound waves you can hear.

So, if radio waves can’t penetrate the ionosphere, what else will hinder them? Let’s look at what radio waves consist of, and then we’ll talk about their ability or otherwise to pass through certain materials.

Line of sight: This refers to radio waves that travel in a straight line from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna. It does not necessarily require a cleared sight path; at lower frequencies radio waves can pass through buildings, foliage and other obstructions.

Lower frequency (between 30 and 3,000 kHz) vertically polarized radio waves can travel as surface waves following the contour of the Earth; this is called ground wave propagation. In this mode the radio wave propagates by interacting with the conductive surface of the Earth.

Radio-wave communications signals travel through the air in a straight line, reflect off of clouds or layers of the ionosphere, or are relayed by satellites in space. They are used in standard broadcast radio and television , shortwave radio , navigation and air-traffic control , cellular telephony , and even remote-controlled toys.

Radio waves can penetrate nonconducting materials, such as wood, bricks, and concrete, fairly well. They cannot pass through electrical conductors, such as water or metals. Above ν = 40 MHz, radio waves from deep space can penetrate Earth’s atmosphere.

While radio waves may have longer wavelengths, they are still capable of carrying important information across vast distances. They can travel through the atmosphere, bounce off surfaces, and even penetrate buildings, making them an ideal choice for long-range communication.

Propagation: Radio waves can propagate through different media, such as air, water, and solids. They can also travel long distances through the Earth’s atmosphere or free space, depending on the frequency and the conditions of the medium.

Larger wavelength waves can travel farther because they can travel well through solid objects. FM radio waves on the other hand do not travel well through solid objects. This is the reason FM stations sometimes fade in and out when driving in mountainous areas.

Radio technology, transmission and detection of communication signals consisting of electromagnetic waves that travel through the air in a straight line or by reflection from the ionosphere or from a communications satellite.