pulsed radiofrequency pulsed radiofrequency pulsed radiofrequency is the technique whereby radio frequency (rf) oscillations are gated at a rate of pulses (cycles) per second (one cycle per second is known as a hertz (hz)). radio frequency energies occupy 1.0×104 hz to 3.0×1011 hz of the electromagnetic spectrum. radio frequency electromagnetic energy is routinely produced by rf electrical circuits connected to a transducer, usually an antenna. pulsed radio frequency waveforms the figure below shows an example of a generalized pulsed radio frequency waveform as seen with an oscilloscope with an antenna probe. in this example there are 1000 pulses per second (one kilohertz pulse rate) with a gated pulse width of 42 μs. the pulse packet frequency in this example is 27.125 mhz of rf energy. the duty cycle for a pulsed radio frequency is the percent time the rf packet is on, 4.2% for this example ( × 100). the pulse packet form can be a square, triangle, sawtooth or sine wave. in several applications of pulse radio frequency, such as radar, times between pulses can be modulated. the pulse packet frequency in this example is 27.125 mhz of rf energy. use in radar the best understood and applied use of pulse radio frequency electromagnetic energy is their use in radar. the uses of radar are diverse and applied to military, civilian and space exploration. radar is based on the reflection or scatter of pulsed radiofrequency waves emitted from a transmitter which are then detected by an antenna which then determines the range, speed, and direction of objects. in most uses the transmitter and detector are located at the same location. radio frequencies used with radar are from 3 mhz to 300 ghz depending on the type and application. therapeutic uses