QUESTION:

Compare the Passband and Baseband Digital Transmission Schemes Give a detailed
background

information

including,

similarities

& weaknesses, suitable applications for each scheme etc.

and

differences,

strengths

Background
Signals mostly exist in analog form so it has to be converted to digital form for transmission
which is robust to channel noise and interference, more secure, cheap, easy to detect and correct
errors and also easy to regenerate. Hence, we deal with digital transmission that involves transfer
of digital bit stream (data) over communication channel. In this transmission we have two
techniques which are:
i)

Baseband Digital Transmission.

This is the type of digital data transmission that uses discrete pulses without modulation

by passing the data through a baseband channel. It has frequency spectrum that is concentrated
around 0 Hz.
ii)

Passband Digital Transmission

This is the type of digital transmission whereby data is modulated onto a carrier with a

fixed frequency and the modulated signal is transmitted over a band-pass channel.
SIMILARITIES
i)
ii)

Both can be used for wired and wireless transmission.

Both can be used for short distance transmission.

DIFFERENCES
NO BASEBAND
1.
It does not require modulators and

PASSBAND
Modulators and demodulators are important parts in

2
3.

demodulators
No need of carrier frequency
Spectrum has nonzero values around the

transmission
In modulation process carrier signal is used
Spectrum has nonzero values around the carrier

origin and zero elsewhere

Limited to wired communication

frequency and zero elsewhere

Communication may be through wire or Air

5
Suitable for short distance transmission
STRENGTHS
BASEBAND TRANSMISSION

medium
Suitable for long distance transmission

PASSBAND TRANSMISSION

i. Requires cheap/low cost components

i. Useful for long distance transmission

ii. It reduces crosstalk and radio frequency

ii. Has high immune to noise and interference

interference as it operates at low frequency where

cable attenuation is low
ii. It requires low bandwidth of transmission

WEAKNESSES
BASEBAND
Cannot operate for long range transmission
Highly affected by noise and interference

PASSBAND
It requires large bandwidth of transmission
Has high attenuation as signals frequency
increases
Requires expensive components.

APPLICATIONS
BASEBAND
-File transfer using USB/coaxial cable from pc to pc,

PASSBAND
-In long range Television and satellite

pc to mobile, camera to TV
-In short range wired CCTV communication
-Voice communication(0-4kHz) e.g. Microphone to

transmission
-Used in color filtering
-Used in electrocardiograph i.e. to display the

speaker
-Used in short distance wired telephone

rate of heartbeat
-Used in long range wired/wireless telephone

communication e.g. Integration Video Telephone

communication

Systems(IVS)