{"id":5421,"date":"2013-01-22T12:55:57","date_gmt":"2013-01-22T16:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=5421"},"modified":"2013-01-23T07:18:28","modified_gmt":"2013-01-23T11:18:28","slug":"toyota-is-developing-a-shortwave-driven-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/toyota-is-developing-a-shortwave-driven-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Toyota is developing a shortwave-driven car?!?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Photo:<\/a>

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons & Toyota)<\/p><\/div>\n

Though I’ve always believed that the shortwave spectrum is a\u00a0medium<\/em>–a conduit for international communications \u00a0not simply confined to analog audio broadcasts–I would have never guessed it would be used in an autonomous vehicle technology system. But check this out (and see update\/comments below, plus our follow-up post<\/a>):<\/p>\n

(Source: TPM<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Toyota and Audi turned heads earlier this month by\u00a0announcing<\/a>\u00a0that they were following in\u00a0Google\u2019s tracks<\/a>\u00a0and developing partially self-driving, or \u201cautonomous\u201d vehicle technology systems of their own.<\/p>\n

At that time, Toyota noted in\u00a0press materials<\/a>\u00a0that it has been testing one such semi-autonomous vehicle system \u2014 the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), which uses short wave radio signals to have cars communicate with other vehicles and surrounding infrastructure to avoid collisions \u2014 at a simulated city inside its Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Susono City, Japan.<\/p>\n

Toyota also\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that further \u201cresearch and development will continue at Toyota Research Institute, North America (TRiNA), in Ann Arbor, Mich.\u201d […]\u00a0Read the full article on TPM<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Update:<\/strong> Sean (@VA5LF) commented on Twitter, “wow, that sounds ill-advised. HF is no place for local area comms!”<\/em><\/p>\n

I wholeheartedly agree, Sean. The use of LED traffic lights alone bombards my car’s AM radio with Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). I can’t imagine my life depending on a technology that is so vulnerable to RFI. I would assume Toyota has a way to overcome this, else this info is simply incorrect\/inaccurate. I mean, imagine how geo storms or skip would effect local driving conditions. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Reader comments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

One commenter noted:<\/p>\n

“I didn’t know that VHF, UHF, or 5.9 GHz bands were considered short wave.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Then Mike sent a message with the following comment:<\/p>\n

I was just reading the posting about Toyota and self driving vehicles and the mention of “short wave radio signals”. I wonder if some how they meant “near field communication (NFC)”\u00a0 and it has been translated to short wave (near field – short distance) radio communication? NFC is a proven technology being used for payment systems etc.<\/p>\n

Just wondering aloud.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Indeed. I strongly suspect this journalist got their terminology a little skewed! Check out our follow-up post.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though I’ve always believed that the shortwave spectrum is a\u00a0medium–a conduit for international communications \u00a0not simply confined to analog audio broadcasts–I would have never guessed it would be used in an autonomous vehicle technology system. But check this out (and see update\/comments below, plus our follow-up post): (Source: TPM) Toyota and Audi turned heads earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[1619,1620,34,1618],"class_list":["post-5421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-autonomous-vehicle-technology-systems-shortwave","tag-driveless-cars-shortwave","tag-shortwave","tag-toyota"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-1pr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5435,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/short-wave-or-short-range\/","url_meta":{"origin":5421,"position":0},"title":"Short Wave or Short Range?","author":"Thomas","date":"January 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Readers Benn and Mike agree with others who've commented on the questionable accuracy of the article posted earlier today from Talking Points Memo. Most likely, Toyota's\u00a0autonomous vehicle technology system is not based on shortwave (or high frequency) technology. Benn writes: What may have happened is that Toyota's media people confused\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Examples of Dedicated Short Range Communications (Source: Technologijos)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/ETSI-ITS-300x219.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39039,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/bbcs-shortwave-service-to-kashmir-an-important-lifeline\/","url_meta":{"origin":5421,"position":1},"title":"BBC’s Shortwave Service to Kashmir: “an important lifeline”","author":"Thomas","date":"August 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: CNN Business) London (CNN Business) As a communications blackout continues in Kashmir, the BBC is using one of the only ways to reach listeners in the Indian-controlled state: shortwave radio. The BBC is extending its Hindi radio output by 30 minutes, launching a 15-minute daily program in Urdu, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Allied-2682-Dial-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Allied-2682-Dial-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Allied-2682-Dial-1024x678.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27315,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/dw-south-sudan-blocks-access-to-independent-websites\/","url_meta":{"origin":5421,"position":2},"title":"DW: South Sudan blocks access to independent websites","author":"Thomas","date":"July 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source:\u00a0Deutsche Welle) Internet and mobile phone users in South Sudan are not able to access the websites of at least four independent media outlets. The government has grown increasingly hostile to the media since civil war began in 2013. The South Sudanese government has blocked access to the websites of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SouthSudan-Block.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SouthSudan-Block.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SouthSudan-Block.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44333,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/can-you-help-john-identify-a-vintage-shortwave-radio-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":5421,"position":3},"title":"Can you help John identify a vintage shortwave radio book–?","author":"Thomas","date":"July 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John (KC8RZM), who writes: I wonder if anyone at SWLing can help me identify this book on shortwave listening from my childhood. It was an older book when I checked it out from the local library mid-1970s but what I remember specifically is that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62813,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/dan-tunes-into-tibet-hello-xizang-in-english\/","url_meta":{"origin":5421,"position":4},"title":"Dan Tunes into Tibet: \u201cHello Xizang\u201d in English","author":"Thomas","date":"May 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: Many years ago, I used to enjoy listening to distant stations that broadcast a regular English language program to Eastern North America (where I live). They would generally have a newscast and commentary, which was often followed by a daily\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Tibet-Map-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Tibet-Map-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Tibet-Map-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Tibet-Map-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Tibet-Map-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4362,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/radio-hargeisa-somalilands-new-shortwave-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":5421,"position":5},"title":"Radio Hargeisa: Somaliland’s new shortwave station","author":"Thomas","date":"September 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to Kim Elliott for the tip: (Source: Somaliland Sun) HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) \u2013 The installation of the new Radio Hargeisa transmitter is a success. This was revealed by Mr. Don Jensen who added that Listeners in Japan, India and Europe are beginning To hear Radio Hargeisa on a frequency of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Somali_map-262x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5421\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}