Amplitude Modulation

Digital

Analog
 Communication Components
 Input transducer: The device that converts a physical
signal from source to an electrical, mechanical or
electromagnetic signal more suitable for communicating
 Transmitter: The device that sends the transduced signal
 Transmission channel: The physical medium on which
the signal is carried
 Receiver: The device that recovers the transmitted signal
from the channel
 Output transducer: The device that converts the
received signal back into a useful quantity
 Communication
Baseband Carrier
without modulation with modulation

Baseband: information bearing signal (low freq.) - voice

(small B.W), Picture (large B.W), Data (variable B.W).
Carrier: high freq. signal - sine, cosine, etc.

Modulation: The process by which some characteristic of a

carrier wave is varied in accordance with an information-
bearing signal.
 Analog Modulation
• The purpose of a communication system is to transmit
information signals (baseband signals) through a
communication channel
• The term baseband is used to designate the band of
frequencies representing the original signal as delivered by the
input transducer
– For example, the voice signal from a microphone is a
baseband signal, and contains frequencies in the range of 0-
3000 Hz
 Cont.
• Since this baseband signal must be transmitted
through a communication channel such as air
using electromagnetic waves, an appropriate
procedure is needed to shift the range of
baseband frequencies to other frequency ranges
suitable for transmission, and a corresponding
shift back to the original frequency range after
reception. This is called the process of
modulation and demodulation
• Remember the radio spectrum:
 Radio Spectrum

AM Radio FM Radio/TV

•An AM radio system transmits electromagnetic waves with

frequencies of around a few hundred kHz (MF band).

•The FM radio system must operate with frequencies in the

range of 88-108 MHz (VHF band).
• Since the baseband signal contains frequencies in the audio
frequency range (3 kHz), some form of frequency-band
shifting must be employed for the radio system to operate
satisfactorily
• This process is accomplished by a device called a modulator
• The transmitter block in any communications system contains
the modulator device
• The receiver block in any communications system contains the
demodulator device
• The modulator modulates a carrier wave (the electromagnetic
wave) which has a frequency that is selected from an
appropriate band in the radio spectrum
– For example, the frequency of a carrier wave for FM can
be chosen from the VHF band of the radio spectrum
– For AM, the frequency of the carrier wave may be chosen
to be around a few hundred kHz (from the MF band of the
radio spectrum)
• The demodulator extracts the original baseband signal from
the received modulated signal
 Summarize
• Modulation is the process of impressing a low-frequency
information signal (baseband signal) onto a higher frequency
carrier signal
• Modulation is done to bring information signals up to the
Radio Frequency (or higher) signal
 Need of Modulation?
• Reduce the size of the antenna.
• Multiplexing: more than one signal transmit without
overlapping.
• Radiated power by antenna.
• Efficient use of bandwidth.
• Narrow bandwidth: low freq. signal will bend more w.r.t
earth.
 Modulation

Analog Digital Pulse

AM ASK PAM
FM FSK PPM
PM PSK PDM
PCM
DM
WBFM NBFM

AM
DSB-SC
SSB-SC
VSB
 Cont.
• When carrier is continuous then modulation process
is known as analog or digital (sinusoidal) modulation.
• When carrier is in pulse then modulation process is
known as pulse modulation.
 Modulation
• It is the process where shifting or translation
of low frequency components to high
frequency components takes place
Block Diagram of Communication

Source
Transducer Transmitter
Information
C
h
a
n
n
e
l
Source
Information Transducer Receiver
Analog Communications System
• Baseband • EM waves (modulated
signal
(electrical
signal)
• Tran signal)

• Inp smit
Modulator • Transmission Channel
ut ter
• EM waves (modulated
tra • Carri signal)

nsd
• Baseband
er signal
(electrical • Rec
uce • Ou
signal)
eive
Demodulator
r tpu r
t
tra
nsd
 Types of Amplitude Modulation
• AM (Amplitude Modulation)/DSB-FC
• DSB-SC (Double side band- suppress carrier)
• SSB-SC (Single side band- suppress carrier)
• VSB (Vestigial side band)
 Amplitude Modulation
• Amplitude Modulation is a process where the
amplitude of a carrier signal is altered according to
information in a message signal keeping frequency
and phase unchanged.
• The frequency of the carrier signal is usually much
greater than the highest frequency of the input
message signal.
 Amplitude Modulation (AM)
AM is formally defined as a process in which the
amplitude of the carrier wave c(t) is varied about a
mean value linearly with a message signal m(t).

Message Signal: m(t)

Sinusoidal Carrier: c(t)=Ac cos (2ᴨfct+φ)

AM Wave: s(t)= Ac m(t) cos (2ᴨfct+φ)

 Cont.
m(t) X BPF S(t)

Ac cos (2ᴨfct+φ) Modulation

S(t) LPF
X m(t)

Ac cos (2ᴨfct+φ) Demodulation

Basic Amplitude Modulation
Carrier wave

Baseband signal

Modulated wave

Amplitude varying-
frequency constant
 Modulation Index
• The ratio between the amplitudes between the
amplitudes of the modulating signal and carrier,
expressed by the equation:
m or μ = Am/Ac
• Overmodulation, m or μ >1
 Cont.
• Undermodulation, m or μ < 1

• Modulation m or μ = 1

0<μ<1
Modulation Index for Multiple Modulating
Frequencies
Two or more sine waves of different,
uncorrelated frequencies modulating a single
carrier is calculated by the equation:

2 2
m m  m   
1 2
 Generation of AM signal
• Generated by DSB-SC signal with modulating signal
A+m(t) using switching modulator.
b

+
m(t)
- Bandpass AM
Vo(t)
filter ωc generator
+

A cosωct -

b’
 Cont.
• Vbb’ = [A cosωct+m(t)]w(t)
= [A cosωct+m(t)][1/2+2/ᴨ(cosωct-
1/3cos3ωct+1/5 cosωct-…)]
= A/2 cosωct+2/ᴨ m(t)cosωct + other terms
AM Suppressed by BPF
 DSB-SC
Message m(t) and carrier cos ωct then
Modulated signal = m(t)cos ωct
m(t) M(ω)
then, m(t)cos ωct ½[M(ω + ωc) + M(ω - ωc)]

M(ω)

ω
-B 0 B
 Cont.

ω
ωc
- 0 ωc

USB 1/2 USB

LSB LSB
ω
-ωc-B -ωc -ωc+B 0 ωc-B ωc ωc+B

Sidebands
 Cont.
• If b/w of modulating signal m(t) is B Hz then b/w of
modulated signal is 2B Hz.

• Relationship b/w B and ωc:

If ωc ≥ 2ᴨB avoid overlap and if ωc < 2ᴨB
information loss occur during modulation process and
it is impossible to get back message signal from
modulated signal.
 SSB-SC
Baseband DSB
M(ω)

-2ᴨB 0 2ᴨB ω -ωC -ωC

0

USB

-ωC 0 ωC

-2ωC 0 2ωC
 VSB

DSB
M(ω)

-2ᴨB 2ᴨB

SSB
VSB
 Demodulation
• It is the process of extracting modulating signal from
modulated signal i.e retranslating of modulated signal
from higher spectrum to original spectrum. The
retranslation process is known as demodulation or
detection.
• It is the reverse process of modulation.
• The process of shifting spectrum from left and right
by same carrier used in modulation is called
synchronous/coherent/ homodyne detection.
 Demodulation of DSB-SC
m(t)cos2ωct ½[m(t)+m(t)cos2ωct]
1/2M(ω) + ¼[M(ω+2ωc)+M(ω-2ωc)]
1/2

1/4
1/4

-2ωc 0 2ωc
 AM with carrier
• Limitation of SC scheme
– Frequency and phase synchronism is required
– Sophisticated receiver must be required
• The alternative is to transmit a carrier
• In this scheme, the transmitter needs to
transmit much larger power
• The Tx signal can be given by
 Demodulation of AM signal
• Rectifier Detector:
[A+m(t)]cosωct [A+m(t)]
1/ᴨ [A+m(t)]

A+m(t) C
LPF R=1/ᴨ m(t)
cosωct
1/ᴨ m(t)
 Cont.
Diode Output:
V(t) = {[A+m(t)]cosωct}Gp(t)
= [A+m(t)]cosωct[1/2+2/ᴨ(cosωct-1/3 cos3ωct +1/5
cosωct-…)] higher frequencies term can be neglected
= [A+m(t)] cosωct x [1/2+2/ᴨ(cosωct)]
= A/2 cosωct+m(t)/2 cosωct + 2A/π cos2ωct + 2m(t)/π
cos2ωct [carrier frequency will not pass from LPF]
Output of LPF:
V1(t) = 1/π (A+m(t))
Output of Capacitor:
V2(t) = 1/π m(t)
 Envelope Detection concepts
ΦAM(t) = Acosωct + m(t)cosωct = [A+m(t)]cosωct
= ½[M(ω+ωc)+M(ω-ωc)]+ᴨA[δ(ω+ωc)+δ(ω-ωc)]

DSB-SC and AM signal is identical except

modulating signal is m(t) in DSB-SC and here
modulating signal is A+m(t). To sketch ΦAM(t) we
have two cases:
Case 1: A >>
A + m(t) ≥ 0 (non negative) for all t
 Cont.
• Case 2: A is not large to satisfy the above condition.

m(t)

A + m(t) > 0
A + m(t) not > 0

A A
 Cont.
Envelope Envelope
A +m(t) |A + m(t)|
 Cont.
• The condition for envelope detection of the AM
signal [A + m(t)] ≥ 0 for all t
• If m(t) ≥ 0 and A=0 also satisfy the above condition
• Let mp(t) be the peak amplitude of m(t)
m(t) ≥ - mp(t)
• This condition is equivalent to A ≥ mp(t)
• The min. carrier amplitude required for envelope
detection is mp(t)
Envelope Detector/Non-Coherent

Vc(t)

AM signal
 AM vs. FM
• AM requires a simple circuit, and is very easy to generate.
• It is simple to tune, and is used in almost all short wave
broadcasting.
• The area of coverage of AM is greater than FM (longer
wavelengths (lower frequencies) are utilized.
• However, it is quite inefficient, and is susceptible to static and
other forms of electrical noise.
• The main advantage of FM is its audio quality and immunity to
noise. Most forms of static and electrical noise are naturally AM,
and an FM receiver will not respond to AM signals.
• The audio quality of a FM signal increases as the frequency
deviation increases (deviation from the center frequency), which
is why FM broadcast stations use such large deviation.
• The main disadvantage of FM is the larger bandwidth it requires
 AM Transmitters
Transmitters that transmit AM signals are known as AM transmitters.
These transmitters are used in medium wave (MW) and short wave
(SW) frequency bands for AM broadcast. The MW band has
frequencies between 550 KHz and 1650 KHz, and the SW band has
frequencies ranging from 3 MHz to 30 MHz.
Two types of AM transmitters that are used based on their transmitting
powers are: High Level and Low Level.
High level transmitters use high level modulation, and low level
transmitters use low level modulation. The choice between the two
modulation schemes depends on the transmitting power of the AM
transmitter. In broadcast transmitters, where the transmitting power
may be of the order of kilowatts, high level modulation is
employed. In low power transmitters, where only a few watts of
transmitting power are required, low level modulation is used.
 High-Level Transmitter
• The basic difference between the two transmitters is the power
amplification of the carrier and modulating signals.
 Cont…
• In high-level transmission, the powers of the carrier and modulating
signals are amplified before applying them to the modulator stage.
• In low-level modulation, the powers of the two input signals of the
modulator stage are not amplified. The required transmitting power
is obtained from the last stage of the transmitter, the class C power
amplifier.
• The various sections are:
1. Carrier oscillator
2. Buffer amplifier
3. Frequency multiplier
4. Power amplifier
5. Audio chain
6. Modulated class C power amplifier
 Carrier Oscillator
• The carrier oscillator generates the carrier signal, which
lies in the RF range. The frequency of the carrier is always
very high. Because it is very difficult to generate high
frequencies with good frequency stability, the carrier
oscillator generates a sub multiple with the required carrier
frequency. This sub multiple frequency is multiplied by the
frequency multiplier stage to get the required carrier
frequency. Further, a crystal oscillator can be used in this
stage to generate a low frequency carrier with the best
frequency stability. The frequency multiplier stage then
increases the frequency of the carrier to its required value.
 Buffer Amplifier
• The purpose of the buffer amplifier is two fold. It first matches
the output impedance of the carrier oscillator with the input
impedance of the frequency multiplier, the next stage of the
carrier oscillator. It then isolates the carrier oscillator and
frequency multiplier. This is required so that the multiplier
does not draw a large current from the carrier oscillator. If this
occurs, the frequency of the carrier oscillator will not remain
stable.
 Frequency Multiplier
• The sub-multiple frequency of the carrier signal, generated by
the carrier oscillator , is now applied to the frequency
multiplier through the buffer amplifier. This stage is also
known as harmonic generator. The frequency multiplier
generates higher harmonics of carrier oscillator frequency. The
frequency multiplier is a tuned circuit that can be tuned to the
requisite carrier frequency that is to be transmitted.
 Power Amplifier
• The power of the carrier signal is then amplified in the power
amplifier stage. This is the basic requirement of a high-level
transmitter. A class C power amplifier gives high power
current pulses of the carrier signal at its output.
 Audio Chain
• The audio signal to be transmitted is obtained from the
microphone, as shown in figure. The audio driver amplifier
amplifies the voltage of this signal. This amplification is
necessary to drive the audio power amplifier. Next, a class A or
a class B power amplifier amplifies the power of the audio
signal.
 Modulated Class C Amplifier
• This is the output stage of the transmitter. The modulating
audio signal and the carrier signal, after power amplification,
are applied to this modulating stage. The modulation takes
place at this stage. The class C amplifier also amplifies the
power of the AM signal to the reacquired transmitting power.
This signal is finally passed to the antenna, which radiates the
signal into space of transmission.
 Low Level Transmitter
• It is similar to a high-level transmitter, except that the powers
of the carrier and audio signals are not amplified. These two
signals are directly applied to the modulated class C power
amplifier. Modulation takes place at the stage, and the power
of the modulated signal is amplified to the required
transmitting power level. The transmitting antenna then
transmits the signal.
Cont…
 AM Receivers
• AM radio receiver is a device which receives the desired AM
signal, amplifies it followed by demodulation to get back the
original modulating signal.
• Radio receivers are broadly of TWO types:
1. Depending on the application: AM, FM, COMM.,TV,
RADAR
2. Depending on the fundamental aspect/ principle
• Based on principle of operation, the TWO popular radio
receivers are
i. Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) Receiver
ii. Superheterodyne Receiver
Tuned Radio Frequency Receiver
 Cont…
• The TRF receiver is a simple “logical” receiver.
• Two or three RF amplifiers, all tuning together, were employed
to select and amplify the incoming frequency and
simultaneously to reject all others.
• After the signal was amplified to a suitable level, it was
demodulated (detected) and fed to the loud speaker after being
passed through the appropriate audio and power amplifying
stages.
• These are simple to design, align at broadcast frequencies, but
they presented difficulties at higher frequencies.
 Drawbacks
• It is difficult to achieve sufficient selectivity at high
frequencies.
• The bandwidth variation over the tuning range.
• INSTABLE --Tendency to oscillate at HF.
 Superheterodyne Receiver
• The AM super heterodyne receiver takes the amplitude
modulated wave as an input and produces the original audio
signal as an output.
• Selectivity is the ability of selecting a particular signal, while
rejecting the others.
• Sensitivity is the capacity of detecting RF signal and
demodulating it, while at the lowest power level.
Block Diagram of Superheterodyne Receiver
 RF Amplifier and Tuning
• The amplitude modulated wave received by the antenna is first
passed to the tuner circuit through a transformer. The tuner
circuit is nothing but a LC circuit, which is also called
as resonant or tank circuit. It selects the frequency, desired
by the AM receiver. It also tunes the local oscillator and the RF
filter at the same time.
 RF-IF Mixer
• The signal from the tuner output is sent to the RF-IF
converter, which acts as a mixer. It has a local oscillator,
which produces a constant frequency. The mixing process is
done here, having the received signal as one input and the
local oscillator frequency as the other input. The resultant
output is a mixture of two frequencies [(f1+f2),(f1−f2)]
produced by the mixer, which is called as the Intermediate
Frequency (IF).
• The production of IF helps in the demodulation of any station
signal having any carrier frequency. Hence, all signals are
translated to a fixed carrier frequency for adequate selectivity.
 IF Amplifier and Filter
• Intermediate frequency filter is a band pass filter,
which passes the desired frequency. It eliminates all
other unwanted frequency components present in it.
This is the advantage of IF filter, which allows only
IF frequency.
 Demodulator
• The received AM wave is now demodulated using
AM demodulator. This demodulator uses the envelope
detection process to receive the modulating signal.
 Audio Amplifier

• This is the power amplifier stage, which is used to

amplify the detected audio signal. The processed
signal is strengthened to be effective. This signal is
passed on to the loudspeaker to get the original sound
signal.
 Advantages
• No variation in bandwidth. The BW remains constant
over the entire operating range.
• High sensitivity and selectivity.
• High adjacent channel rejection.
 Characteristics of a Radio Receiver
• Sensitivity
• Selectivity
• Fidelity
• Adjacent Channel Selectivity (Double Spotting)
• Image Frequency
• Image Frequency Rejection Ratio
 Sensitivity
• The minimum RF signal level that can be detected at
the input of the receiver and produce a usable
demodulated information signal with a minimum
acceptable signal-to-noise ratio. Typical sensitivity for
commercial broadcast-band AM receiver is 50 μV.
 Selectivity
• Used to measure the ability of the receiver to accept a
given band of frequencies and reject all other
unwanted signal frequencies.
 Fidelity
• The receiver’s ability to reproduce all the modulating
frequencies of the original information.