EEE 309 Communication Systems I

Semester: Jan 2022

Suzit Hasan Nayem

Lecturer
Department of EEE, BUET

Email: suzit@eee.buet.ac.bd
Office: ECE 915(C), ECE Building
 Part 03:
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
Family
❑ Double-sideband (DSB) modulation
➢ Double-sideband with carrier (DSB-WC) / AM
➢ Double-sideband suppressed-carrier (DSB-SC)
➢ Double-sideband reduced carrier (DSB-RC)
❑ Single-sideband (SSB) modulation
➢ SSB with carrier (SSB-WC)
➢ SSB suppressed carrier (SSB-SC)
❑ Vestigial sideband (VSB) modulation
❑ Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)

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 Part 03-1
Double-sideband with Carrier
(DSB-WC/AM)

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 DSB-WC / AM (1)
The Carrier Signal: c(t ) = Ac cos c t = Ac cos 2f c t , fc = Carrier frequency (Hz)

The baseband message (modulating) signal: m(t )

The AM signal:  AM (t ) = Ac + m(t )cos ct = Ac cos ct + m(t ) cos c t
(Carrier) (Modulated carrier)

 m(t )
= Ac 1 +  cos c t = Ac 1 + ka m(t )cos c t = 1 + ka m(t )c (t )
 Ac 

❑ Thus, we transmit an unmodulated carrier in addition to the modulated carrier

❑ Ka = 1/Ac: Amplitude sensitivity of the modulator

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 AM (2): Frequency Domain
❑ The baseband message (modulating) signal:

LSB USB

- 2πB 0 2πB
❑ Amplitude spectrum of AM signal:
 AM ( f ) = c  ( f − f c ) +  ( f + f c )  + M ( f − f c ) + M ( f + f c ) 
A 1
2 2
Or,  AM (w ) = Ac  (w − wc ) +  (w + wc )  + M (w − wc ) + M (w + wc ) 
1
2
Carrier
Carrier

USB LSB LSB USB

-(ωc +2πB) -ωc -(ωc -2πB) ωc -2πB ωc ωc +2πB

❑ Message bandwidth: B Hz
❑ Bandwidth of AM signal: BAM = 2B, Hz 5
 AM (3)
❑ Envelope of the modulated carrier: e(t) = [Ac + m(t)]
❑ Thus, the carrier component oscillates between the envelope |Ac + m(t)| and its
negative image –|Ac + m(t)|

Envelope detection
can be used

Envelope detection
can’t be used

❑ The envelope is an accurate representation of the message, provided - 180o Phase

reversal
a. fc >> B, B is the message bandwidth
b. Ac + m(t) > = 0, for all t
➢ Condition a relates to avoid the overlap of the frequency spectrum components
➢ Condition b ensures that the message can be recovered from the envelope
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 AM (4): Modulation Index, μ
emax − emin emax = Maximum of e(t) = AC + m(t)|max
Modulation Index: =
emax + emin emin = Minimum of e(t) = AC + m(t)|min

mp
Case I: m(t) with zero offset =
(i.e., m(t)|max = mp = - m(t)|min): Ac

m(t ) |max − m(t ) |min

Case II: m(t) with non-zero offset (rare =
case) (i.e., m(t)|max ≠ - m(t)|min): 2 AC + m(t ) |max + m(t ) |min

For envelope detection: Ac + m(t)|min ≥ 0

Case I Ac – mp ≥ 0 => 0 ≤ μ ≤ 1
For Case II?
❑ μ < 1: Undermodulation => Envelope detection possible
❑ μ = 1: 100% modulation => Envelope detection possible An example of over modulation
❑ μ > 1: Overmodulation => Envelope detection creates distortion 7
 AM (5): Example
Example for Single Tone Modulation
Let, m(t ) = Am cos mt

Then,  AM (t ) = Ac 1 +  cos mt cos ct

50% modulation 100% modulation

➢ Amplitude spectrum (try yourself – very simple!!)

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 AM (6): Sideband and Carrier Power
Transmitted signal:  AM (t ) = Ac cos c t + m(t ) cos c t
Ac2
Carrier Power: PC = Sideband power:
2

❑ Power efficiency /
Modulation efficiency:

Special Case: Single Tone Modulation m(t ) = Am cos mt

Ac 
 AM (t ) = Ac cos ct + cos(c + m )t + cos(c − m )t 
2
Ac2  2 Ac2  2 Ac2  2
USB power: PUSB = LSB power: PLSB = Total sideband power: PS =
8 8 4
Then This ratio increases monotonically from 0 to 1/3 as μ increases from 0 to 1

❑ Under the best condition (μ=1):

Thus, for tone modulation, under the best conditions (for envelope detection), only one-
third of the power is used for carrying message, which is even lower (less than 25% or worse)
under practical conditions
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 AM (7): Modulation by Multi-Tone Signals
General Case: Modulation by Multi-Tone Signals

Message signal: m(t ) = A1 cos 1t + A2 cos 2t + A3 cos 3t + ... + An cos n t
AM signal:  AM (t ) = AC cos C t + A1 cos 1t + A2 cos 2t + A3 cos 3t + ... + An cos n t cos C t
= AC 1 + 1 cos 1t + 2 cos 2t + 3 cos 3t + ... + n cos n t cos C t

( ) Ac2 2
2 Ac
Total sideband power: PS =  +  +  + ... + 
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
n = T
4 4
 T2 
Total transmitted power: PT = PC + PS = 1 +  Pc

 2 
where T2 = 12 +  22 + 32 + ... +  n2

Overall (equivalent) modulation index: T = 12 +  22 + 32 + ... +  n2

emax − emin
Note 1: = and T = 12 +  22 + 32 + ... +  n2 may not be equal
emax + emin
Note 2: T  1 does not guarantee the prevention of overmodulation (does not ensure envelope detection)
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 Generation of AM Signal
Switching Modulator:

Input: Ac cosωct + m(t)

Condition: Ac >> m(t): Thus the switching action of the diode is controlled by {Ac cosωct }

➢ This switching action results in a multiplication of [Ac cosωct + m(t)] by w(t)

Thus,

and vcc ' (t )

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 Demodulation of AM Signals (1)
1. Rectifier Demodulator:
(for μ ≤ 1)

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 Demodulation of AM Signals (2)
2. Envelope Detector:
(for μ ≤ 1)

❑ For proper operation, the discharge time constant RC

must be chosen properly
❑ Difference between the rectifier detector and the envelope detector? (Think first and consult with the text books)
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 Demodulation of AM Signals (3)
3. Synchronous/ Coherent / Homodyne Detector:
(no restriction on μ)
p (t ) d (t )
 AM (t ) LPF &
DC blocking

cos c t
p (t ) =  AM (t ) cos c t = Ac + m(t )cos2 c t
After LPF and DC blocking:
=
1
Ac + m(t )(1 + cos 2ct ) d (t ) = C m(t ) C: constant
2
= c + m(t ) + Ac + m(t )cos 2c t
A 1 1
2 2 2

❑ Phase and frequency of the local carrier have to be same as those of the carrier:
Synchronization required between transmitter and receiver
❑ More complex and expensive than an envelop detector
❑ Rectifier detector is effectively a coherent detector
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 AM: Summary
❑ Wasteful of transmitted power: power efficiency
very low
❑ Wasteful of channel bandwidth: twice of the
message bandwidth
❑ Easy to be affected by noise
❑ Simpler modulator and demodulator can be used
❑ Less expensive modulator and demodulator can be
used

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