science

Radio in a box

Radio in a box is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Radio in a box rather than just read about it. In short: Radio-in-a-box (RIAB) is a portable, economical broadcasting system containing a laptop, mixer, CD/Cassette player, digital audio recorder, microphones and equipment needed to establish a radio station in remote or disaster locations. History In 2005, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), with the assistance from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), began development o…

Key takeaways

Radio in a box belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Radio in a box to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Radio in a box from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Radio-in-a-box (RIAB) is a portable, economical broadcasting system containing a laptop, mixer, CD/Cassette player, digital audio recorder, microphones and equipment needed to establish a radio station in remote or disaster locations.

History In 2005, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), with the assistance from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), began development of an economical, compact, and easily transportable radio system that could be employed in remote areas or in response to disasters. In response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) developed a portable radio station in 20 ft shipping container. Due to the long transit time of shipping a container by ship, RNW developed a smaller, rapid response set that measures 80 cm X 70 cm X 70 cm and weighs approximately 15 kilograms.

RIAB capabilities RIAB systems differ in sizes. Some RIAB systems measure as small as 55 cm X 50 cm or as large as a twenty-foot shipping container. Once delivered to a designated site, RIAB systems may be operational within one hour. RIAB systems can be transported easily on airplanes or helicopters to reach remote areas or disaster areas to provide information to people on the ground. RIABs have a variety of transmitters that range in power from 30 watts to 1000 watts. RIAB systems may be static or mounted in a vehicle for mobile operations. Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) built a 30-watt radio-in-a-box system for approximately US$5000. The approximate annual cost of establishing and maintaining a RIAB in Afghanistan is $27,000.

Civilian application Radio-in-a-box systems have been employed in disaster areas where broadcasting infrastructure has been destroyed in order to provide those affected with much needed information. Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) delivered one RIAB system to Padang, Indonesia following the September 30, 2009 earthquake, one RIAB system to Haiti following the January 12, 2010 earthquake and two RIAB systems to Chile following the February 27, 2010 earthquake. Additional radio-in-a-box systems have been delivered to eight countries in Africa, Bhutan, India, Jamaica, and Tonga.

United States military employment in Afghanistan Radio is the dominant information tool to reach wide audiences in isolated, mountainous regions. The US military has deployed RIABs throughout Afghanistan in order to communicate with the residents. Due to a 70 percent illiteracy rate and lack of education in Afghanistan radio is a vital communications tool used to broadcast information where radio ownership exceeds 80 percent. The United States military operates approximately 100 RIABs and hire local Afghan DJs in Afghanistan to broadcast information and host call-in shows. The United States Army employed RIAB systems to broadcast anti-Taliban and anti-Al Qaeda messages and countered Taliban propaganda by pushing onto Taliban frequencies in Paktia Province. One advantage of employing RIAB systems is the ability to broadcast vital information immediately to a large audience in the event of a crisis. One Afghan DJ has 50,000 listeners. Nawa District Governor Abdul Manaf uses the local RIAB station to conduct weekly call-in shows and believes the RIAB system is one of his best communication tools to inform a large audience. In Afghanistan's Paktika province, which has a literacy rate of two percent, an estimated 92 percent of the residents listen to the radio every day. Radio programs transmitted using RIAB systems provide beneficial information to Afghan farmers in remote areas. In the isolated, mountainous Wazi Kwah district of Paktika Province, a RIAB system supplies the only source of outside news. Afghan National Army commanders use the RIAB to communicate to villagers and elders and provide thoughts to the community. Afghans trust messages from the United States military that explain important information such as what to do when a military convoy approaches and agriculture programs. For general news, Afghans prefer other outlets of information such as the BBC or VOA because RIAB systems are controlled by the US military. Special Operations first employed RIAB systems in Afghanistan in 2005 which improved their ability to supply information to and communicate with the local population in their areas of operation.

See also Voice of America Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Radio Netherlands Worldwide

References

External links

[1] The CPD Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. [2] The Harris AM/FM flyaway package. [3] Radio Station in a box for tsunami disaster

Illustrations

Radio in a box: Army Reservist with RIAB — Army Reservist with RIAB

Radio in a box: Army National Guardsmen operating a RIAB — Army National Guardsmen operating a RIAB

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Radio in a box

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Radio in a box claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Radio in a box before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Radio in a box ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Radio in a box

In research: Radio in a box appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Radio in a box in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Radio in a box is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Radio technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Radio in a box outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Radio in a box in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Radio in a box means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Radio in a box out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Radio in a box in simple terms?

Why does Radio in a box matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Radio in a box?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Radio in a box.