10/3/2014

What is Modulation Techniques and Types with Applications

In our day-to-day life, we communicate with many people using various communication
techniques. We frequently use television, radio, internet, newspaper, mobile and so on as
source of different types of communication. Electronic communication comprises TV, radio,
internet, etc. Here, when we need to transmit signal from one location to another, then we need
to strengthen the signal. So, that the signal travels for long distances. This is called modulation
and this article gives an overview of modulation and types of modulation techniques.

Communication is the process of exchanging (two way communication) or passing (one way
communication) information from one person to another. The basic electronic communication
system consists of these components such as transmitter, receiver and communication
channel.

Communication System
A transmitter is a group of electronic circuits which is designed to convert the information into
a signal for transmission over a given communication medium.

A receiver is a group of electronic circuits which is designed to convert the signal back to the
original information.

The communication channel is the medium which is designed to transmit the electronic signal
from one place to another.

What is Modulation?
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What is Modulation Techniques and Types with Applications

Modulation is nothing but, carrier signal varies in accordance with the message signal.
Modulation technique is used to change the signal characteristics. Types of modulation
techniques are classified into two types such as

Modulation Techniques
Analog Modulation
Digital Modulation

Analog Modulation
In analog modulation, analog signal (sinusoidal signal) is used as a carrier signal that
modulates the message signal or data signal. The general function Sinusoidal waves is shown
in the figure below, in which, three parameters can be altered to get modulation they are
amplitude, frequency and phase, so the types of analog modulation are:

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Analog Modulation
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
Frequency Modulation (FM)
Phase Modulation (PM)

Amplitude Modulation
Amplitude modulation was developed beginning of the 20th century and it was the earliest
modulation technique used to transmit voice by radio. This type of modulation technique is used
in electronic communication. In this modulation, the amplitude of the carrier signal varies in
accordance with the message signal, and other factors like phase and frequency remain
constant.

The modulated signal is shown in the below figure, and its spectrum consists of the lower
frequency band, upper frequency band and carrier frequency components. This type of
modulation requires more power, greater bandwidth and filtering is very difficult. Amplitude
modulation is used in computer modems, VHF aircraft radio and portable two way radio

Frequency Modulation
In this type of modulation, frequency of the carrier signal varies in accordance with the
message signal, and other parameters like amplitude and phase remain constant. Frequency
modulation is used in different applications like radar, radio and telemetry, seismic prospecting
and monitoring newborns for seizures via EEG, etc.

This type of modulation is commonly used for broadcasting music and speech, magnetic tape
recording systems, two way radio systems and video transmission systems. When noise occurs
naturally in radio systems, frequency modulation with sufficient bandwidth provides an
advantage in cancelling the noise.

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What is Modulation Techniques and Types with Applications

Phase Modulation
In this type of modulation, phase of the carrier signal varies in accordance with the message
signal. When the phase of the signal is changed, then it affects the frequency. So, for this
reason this modulation is also coming under frequency modulation.

Generally, phase modulation is used for transmitting waves and is an essential part of many
digital transmission coding schemes that underlie a wide range of technologies like GSM, WiFi,
and satellite television. This type of modulation is used for signal generation in al synthesizers,
such as the Yamaha DX7 to implement FM synthesis.

Types of Analog Modulation

Therefore, Analog modulation includes AM, FM and PM and these are more sensitive to noise.
If noise enters into a system, it persists and gets carried till the end receiver. So, this drawback
can be overcome by the digital modulation technique.

Digital Modulation
For a better quality and efficient communication, digital modulation technique is employed. The
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What is Modulation Techniques and Types with Applications

main advantages of the digital modulation over analog modulation include available bandwidth ,
high noise immunity and permissible power. In digital modulation, a message signal is
converted from analog to digital message, and then modulated by using a carrier wave.

Digital Modulation
The carrier wave is switched on and off to create pulses such that the signal is modulated.
Similar to the analog, here the type of the digital modulation is decided by the variation of the
carrier wave parameters like amplitude, phase and frequency.

The most important digital modulation techniques are based on keying such as

Amplitude Shift Keying, Frequency Shift Keying, Phase Shift Keying, Differential Phase Shift
Keying, Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, Minimum Shift Keying, Gaussian Minimum Shift
Keying, OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing, etc., as shown in the figure.

In Amplitude shift keying, the amplitude of the carrier wave changes based on the message
signal or the base band signal, which is in digital format. It is sensitive to noise and used for
low-band requirements.

In frequency shift keying, the frequency of the carrier wave is varied for each symbol in the
digital data. It needs larger bandwidths as shown in the figure. Similarly, the phase shift keying
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changes the phase of the carrier for each symbol and it is less sensitive to noise.

Types of Digital Modulation

Communication Based Project Ideas

Communication based projects mainly covers a wide range of areas such as GSM, GPS,
Bluetooth, RFID, DTMF, Mobile, Ethernet, RF, XBEE, Networking, Data Acquisition and Smart
Card. Here is the list of communication based project ideas for engineering students is listed
below.

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Communication Based Project

Cell Phone Based DTMF Controlled Garage Door Opening System
Zigbee Technology Based Industrial Automation
Display of Dialed Telephone Numbers on Seven Segment Displays
Automatic Dialing to any Telephone Using I2C Protocol on Detecting Burglary
DTMF Based Load Control System
Cell Phone Controlled Robotic Vehicle
GSM Based Energy Meter Reading with Load Control
Railway Track Security System
GSM Based Wireless Electronic Notice Board
RFID Technology Based Device Control and Authentication system using PIC
Microcontroller
Theft Intimation of Vehicle Over SMS to Owner
GSM Based Energy Meter Reading With Load Control Using PIC Microcontroller
RF Controlled Robotic Vehicle With Laser Beam Arrangement
Automatic Bus Location Announcement System using Microcontroller and GPS
Pick N Place Robot With Soft Catching Gripper
Fire Fighting Robotic Vehicle
War Field Spying Robot with Night Vision Wireless Camera
Wireless Power Transfer
Speed Synchronization of Multiple Motors in Industries
RF based Unique Office Communication System
Touch Screen Based Home Automation System
RFID Security Access Control System
RFID Based Attendance System
RFID Based Passport Details
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Device Control and Authentication using RFID

Wireless Message Communication between Two Computers
XBEE Based Remote Monitoring of 3 Parameters on Transformer / Generator Health
XBEE Based Remote Monitoring of 3 Parameters on Transformer / Generator Health
with Voice Announcement and Wireless PC Interface
Remote AC Power Control by Android Application with LCD Display
Advanced Embedded System Based Remote Robot using RF
War Field Spying Robot with Night Vision Wireless Camera by Android Applications
Remote Induction Motor Control by Android Application with 7 Segment Display
Remote Operated Domestic Appliances Control by Android Application
Remote Password Operated Load Control by Android Applications
Density Based Auto Traffic Signal Control with Android Based Remote Override
Four Quadrant Operation of DC Motor Remotely Controlled by Android Applications.
Wireless Data Communication Project on Data Encryption and Decryption Using
Zigbee

These are the different types of modulation in communication system and communication
based projects. Therefore, the readers, can share their ideas, suggestions and comments in the
comment section below.

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