Block Diagram of a low-level AM transmitter

Antenna

RF carrier Buffer Ampli- Carrier Driver

oscilla-tor fier

Mod Bandp
ulato ass Linear Interme- Linear final power Band Coupling
r filter diate power amplifier pass network
amplifieramplifie

Prea Modul
mplifi ating
er signal
driver

Band
pass
Filter
Mo
dul
ati
ng Block Diagram of a high-level AM transmitter
sig
nal
sou
rce
 Modul
ating
signal
source

Bandp
Antenna
ass
filter

Prea
mpli Modul-ating Modulating signal
fier signal driver power amplifier
amplifier

AM
modulato
Bandpass Matching
r and
filter network
output
power
amplifier

Carrier
RF Buffer Carrier power
carrier amplifi driver amplifi
oscillat er er
or
 AM TRANSMITTERS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN LOW-LEVEL AND HIGH-LEVEL TRANSMITTER

LOW-LEVEL TRANSMITTER HIGH-LEVEL TRANSMITTER

Modulation Modulation takes place near the carrier oscillator.
It takes place prior to the collector of the output
transistor in transistorized transmitter, prior to the
drain of the output FET in a FET transmitter, or
prior to the plate of the output tube in a vacuum-
tube transmitter.
Amplification Linear Amplification
Power amplifier Class C amplifiers cannot be used because it
would cause an undesirable distortion of the
modulation envelope that contains the signal.
Power More power is required
Efficiency Less efficient because it has to be linear to
preserve modulation.
Modulation takes place at the final amplifier stage. It
takes place at the collector of the output transistor in
transistorized transmitter, at the drain of the output FET in
a FET transmitter, at the plate of the output tube in a
vacuum-tube transmitter.
Non-linear Amplification
The final stage must be operated class C so that
modulation could occur
Less power is required
More efficient because it uses a non-linear amplification.

DETAILS:

1. Low level

Here a small audio stage is used to modulate a low power stage; the output of this stage is then amplified using a linear RF amplifier.

 Advantages

The advantage of using a linear RF amplifier is that the smaller early stages can be modulated, which only requires a small audio
amplifier to drive the modulator.

 Disadvantages
 The great disadvantage of this system is that the amplifier chain is less efficient, because it has to be linear to preserve the
modulation. Hence class C amplifiers cannot be employed.

An approach which marries the advantages of low-level modulation with the efficiency of a Class C power amplifier chain is to arrange a
feedback system to compensate for the substantial distortion of the AM envelope. A simple detector at the transmitter output recovers the
audio signal, and this is used as negative feedback to the audio modulator stage. The overall chain then acts as a linear amplifier as far as
the actual modulation is concerned, though the RF amplifier itself still retains the Class C efficiency. This approach is widely used in
practical medium power transmitters, such as AM radiotelephones.

2. High level

 Advantages

One advantage of using class C amplifiers in a broadcast AM transmitter is that only the final stage needs to be modulated, and
that all the earlier stages can be driven at a constant level. These class C stages will be able to generate the drive for the final stage for
a smaller DC power input. However, in many designs in order to obtain better quality AM the penultimate RF stages will need to be
subject to modulation as well as the final stage.

 Disadvantages

A large audio amplifier will be needed for the modulation stage, at least equal to the power of the transmitter output itself.
Traditionally the modulation is applied using an audio transformer, and this can be bulky. Direct coupling from the audio amplifier is
also possible though this usually requires quite a high DC supply voltage, which is not suitable for mobile units.