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Elements of Communication system

Input
Message

Input
Transducer

Transmitter
noise

Output
Message

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Output
Transducer

Receiver

Channel
Transmission
medium

COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS BTB15103/04

S2`13
Topic 2

Amplitude Modulation
- DSBFC

Communication Technology Section

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Introduction
Amplitude Modulation is the simplest and earliest form of
transmitters
AM applications include broadcasting in medium- and highfrequency applications, CB (citizens band) radio, and aircraft
communications

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Amplitude Modulation (AM) - definition

Amplitude Modulation is the process of changing the

amplitude of a relatively high frequency carrier signal
in accordance with the amplitude of the modulating
signal (Information).

Basic Amplitude Modulation

X
(a) em

(b) ec

(c) 100% Amplitude modulation

Basic Amplitude Modulation

AM characteristic
AM is a nonlinear devices with two input signals:
o A single frequency: constant-amplitude carrier signal
o Information signal

Baseband /
Information signal

MODULATION

Modulated
signal

Carrier

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Types of AM
Various forms of Amplitude Modulation (AM):
Double Sideband
Full Carrier (DSBFC)
o contains USB, LSB and carrier

Suppressed carrier (DSBSC)

o contains only USB and LSB
o a circuit that produces DSBSC is balanced modulator

Single Sideband (SSB)

o Contains either LSB or USB
o Produce efficient system in term or power consumption and
bandwidth
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DSBFC (Full AM)

In amplitude modulation, the amplitude of the carrier varies proportional

to the instantaneous magnitude of modulating signal.
Assuming

Modulating signal : vm(t) = Em sin mt

Carrier signal : vc(t) = Ec sin ct
modulating
Signal

vm(t)

AMPLITUDE
MODULATION

Carrier wave

Modulated
Signal
vam (t) = (Ec + vm(t)) sin ct
Or
vam (t) = (Ec + Em sin mt) sin ct

vc (t)
(Ec + Em sin mt) = amplitude of the modulated wave
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DSBFC (Full AM)

Carrier signal

vc ( t ) E c sin(c t ) where c 2f c
Modulating signal

v m ( t ) E m sin m t
Vam

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DSBFC (Full AM)

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DSBFC (Full AM)

Vm ax Ec Em
or
Vm ax Ec (1 m)
m

Em
Ec

Vm in Ec Em
or
Vm in Ec (1 m)
so;
m

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Vm ax Vm in
Vm ax Vm in

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DSBFC (Full AM)

Carrier signal

vc ( t ) E c sin(c t ) where c 2f c

Modulating signal

v m ( t ) E m sin m t

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v m ( t ) E m sin m t and v c ( t ) E c sin c t

Therefore, the amDSBFC
v AM ( t ) E c v m t sin c t
Let:

signal can be expressed:

v AM ( t ) E c E m sin m t sin c t

Given the modulation index :

Em
Ec

amDSBFC can be deduced to: v A M ( t )

From trigo. identities:
Therefore:

E c 1 m sin m t sin c t

1
1
sin(A) sin(B) cosA B cosA B
2
2

v AM ( t ) E c sin c t mE c sin c t sin m t

mE c
mE c
E c sin c t
cos c m t
cos c m t
2
2
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DSBFC (Full AM)

Signal frequency spectrum; amDSBFC

v Am ( t ) E c (sin c t )
Carrier
component

mEc
mEc
cos(c m ) t
cos(c m ) t
2
2
Lower sideband
component

Upper sideband
component

So, with the modulating process, the original modulating signal is

transferred to a different frequency spectrum with a higher value
frequency.

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DSBFC (Full AM)

The frequency spectrum of AM waveform contains

3 parts:

A component at the carrier frequency, fc

An upper sideband (USB), whose highest frequency component is at
fc + fm
A lower sideband (LSB), whose highest frequency component is at fc fm
The bandwidth of the modulated waveform is twice the information
signal bandwidth.
# sideband is a component above and below centre frequency
# every sideband contains all the original message, but not the carrier

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DSBFC (Full AM)

Mathematically:

fusb = fc + fm
flsb = fc fm
Elsb = Eusb = (mEc)/2
fusb = frequency of the upper sideband
flsb = frequency of the lower sideband
Eusb = peak voltage of the upper sideband component
Elsb = peak voltage of the lower sideband component

DSBFC (Full AM)

DSBFC Frequency Spectrum:

With single frequency fm

B = Maximum freq. - minimum freq.

= ( fc + fm ) - ( fc fm )
= fc + fm - fc + fm
= 2fm

Ec

Ec
2

fc- fm

fc

Ec
2

fc+ fm

Ec Em

2
2

freq

2fm
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DSBFC (Full AM)

If fm consists of a range frequencies f1 to f2, the component of the
sidebands become:

Upper sideband (USB) range is from (fc+ f1) to (fc+ f2)

Lower sideband (LSB) range is from (fc- f2) to (fc- f1)
Baseband signal

Modulated signal

Amplitude,V

Amplitude,V
lower sideband

f1

freq

f2

fc-f2

fc-f1

upper sideband

fc+f1

fc+f2

freq

AM spectrum when the modulating signal is a baseband signal from frequency f1 to f2

Bandwidth for this case,

B = (fc+f2) - (fc-f2) = 2f2
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Example:
For example, if voice signal with the band of frequency of 0
4 kHz is transmitted using a carrier of 100 kHz, the modulated
signal consists of;
Carrier signal with frequency of 100 kHz
Upper side band with frequency of range of 100 104 kHz
Lower side band with frequency of range 96 100 kHz

The bandwidth is 104 96 = 8 kHz

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Modulation Index, m (Coefficient of Modulation)

m is merely defined as a parameter, which determines the
amount of modulation.
What is the degree of modulation required to establish a
desirable AM communication link?
Answer is to maintain m<1.0 (m<100%).

This is important for successful retrieval of the original

transmitted information at the receiver end.

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Modulation carrier and envelope detector

outputs for various values of m
The modulation index is given by :

Modulation indices range :

Em
m
Ec

0 m 1
m 1, ( Em Ec )

m 1, ( Em Ec )

m 1, ( Em Ec )

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Modulation carrier and envelope detector

outputs for various values of m
modulating signal

unmodulated signal

50% modulated wave

(m = 0.5)

100% modulated wave

(m = 1.0)
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 If the amplitude of the modulating signal is higher than

the carrier amplitude, which in turn implies the
modulation index, m1.0(100%). This will cause severe
distortion to the modulated signal.

The ideal condition for amplitude modulation (AM) is

when m = 1, which also means Em= Ec.
This will give rise to the generation of the maximum
message signal output at the receiver without distortion.

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 As most of the signals are complex and can be represented by

combination of various sine waves, m can be determined by;

m meff m12 m22 m32 ......

Thus, total power for this complex signal is;

PT Pc [1

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2
meff

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AM Power Distribution
PT Pc PLSB PUSB

Vc2rms
R

2
VLSB
rms

R
2

2
VUSB
rms

R
2

Ec mEc mEc

2
2 2 2 2

R
R
R
Ec2 m 2 Ec2 m 2 Ec2

2 R 8R
8R

PLSB PUSB

and
2

Therefore;

Therefore the relationship between the total

power transmitted, PT and the carrier signal
power, Pc is as follows:

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Ec2
Pc
2R

where

m 2 Ec2 m 2 Pc

8R
4

PSB PLSB PUSB

m 2 Pc m 2 Pc m 2 Pc

4
4
2

PT Pc PSB
m 2 Pc
Pc
2

m2
Pc 1
2

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The efficiency of the AM in term of power consumption is;

PSB
2
PT
m 2

Thus, at optimum operation (m = 100%), only 33% of power is used to carry

information. [The transmission efficiency with m = 1 is only 33.33% ].
Therefore we can conclude that the transmitted power signal is mostly
carrier power signal contributing of 66.67% from the total AM signal.
Whereas signal contains information in the LSB and USB transmitted is
33.33% from the total AM signal.

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PSB PLSB PUSB

m 2 Pc m 2 Pc

4
4
m 2 Pc

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Advantages and Disadvantages of AM

Advantages:
simple with proven reliability
low cost
Disadvantages:
wastage of power as most of the transmitted power are in the
carrier component which does not contain information. When
m=1, 2/3 of the power is wasted.
AM requires a bandwidth which is double to audio frequency.
Noisy.

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Example 1
For an AM DSBFC modulator with a carrier frequency fc = 100kHz and
maximum modulating signal frequency fm(max) = 5kHz, determine:
a) Frequency limits for the upper and lower sidebands
b) Bandwidth
c) Upper and lower side frequencies produced when the modulating
signal is a single-frequency 3kHz tone.
d) Draw the output frequency spectrum

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Example 2
For an AM modulator with carrier frequency of 150 kHz and a modulating signal frequency of
10kHz, determine the:
1.
Freq for the upper and lower sideband
2.
Bandwidth
3.
Sketch the output frequency spectrum
Solution:
The lower and upper side band frequency;

fLSB = fc fm = 150 kHz 10 kHz = 140 kHz

fUSB = fc + fm = 150 kHz + 10 kHz = 160 kHz

Bandwidth;
B = 2fm = 2 (10) kHz = 20 kHz
The output frequency spectrum is as shown:
Ec
(mEc)/2

140
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B = 20 kHz 150

(mEc)/2

160

f (kHz)

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Example 3
For an AM wave with a peak unmodulated carrier voltage Ec = 20 V, a load resistance
RL = 20ohm and a modulation index m = 0.2, determine the :
1.
Power contained in the carrier and the upper and lower sidebands
2.
Total sideband power
3.
Total power of the modulated power
Solution:
1.
The carrier power:
2
2
E
m2 E
m2 P
2
20
c
c
c
Pc

10W PLSB PUSB

2R
2 ( 20)
8R
4

2.

( 0.2) 2 (10)

0.1w

The total sideband:

m2P
( 0.2 ) 2 (10)
c
PSB

0 .2 w
2
2

3.

OR

PSB PUSB PLSB 0.1 0.1 0.2 w

The total power in the modulated wave:

PT P [1
c

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m2
2

] 10[1

( 0.2 ) 2

] 10.2W

OR PT Pc PSB 10 0.2 10.2 w

2
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