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Quick Summary

A transmission line in electronics is a circuit designed to send energy or signals over a distance. These lines guide information-bearing electromagnetic waves using conductors, such as wires or cables.12

Key aspects of transmission lines include:

  • Function: They transmit electrical energy or signals from a source to a destination.12
  • Types: Common examples include pairs of wires, coaxial cables, and waveguides. Early telegraph systems used single-wire lines with earth ground as a return path.12
  • Losses: Electrical resistance in conductors causes some energy to be lost as heat, leading to signal attenuation. This loss increases with distance. To combat this, repeaters may be used for long distances, and impedance matching is employed to reduce signal reflections.234
  • Applications: While largely replaced by fiber optics for long-distance communication, twisted pair and coaxial cables are still used for shorter applications like local subscriber loops and cable television connections. Radio technology also uses transmission lines to carry radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna with minimal loss.45
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