3.

AMPLITUDE SHIFT KEYING (ASK)

1. OVERVIEW
Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) is a type of Amplitude Modulation which represents the binary data
in the form of variations in the amplitude of a signal.
Any modulated signal has a high frequency carrier. The binary signal when ASK modulated, gives
a zero value for Low input while it gives the carrier output for High input.
The following figure represents ASK modulated waveform along with its input.

Pic 1 ASK in a nutshell

To find the process of obtaining this ASK modulated wave, let us learn about the working of
the ASK modulator.
ASK MODULATOR

The ASK modulator block diagram comprises of the carrier signal generator, the binary sequence
from the message signal and the band-limited filter. Following is the block diagram of the ASK
Modulator.

The carrier generator, sends a

continuous high-frequency carrier.
The binary sequence from the message
signal makes the unipolar input to be
either High or Low. The high signal
closes the switch, allowing a carrier
wave. Hence, the output will be the
carrier signal at high input. When
there is low input, the switch opens,
allowing no voltage to appear. Hence,
Pic 2 ASK modulator the output will be low.
The band-limiting filter, shapes the pulse depending upon the amplitude and phase characteristics
of the band-limiting filter or the pulse-shaping filter.

ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS

I made a MATLAB file that consists of the source code written in the instruction. I named the file
ASK_calculation.m . The code asks us to input several parameter that going to affect the plot.
The parameters are Frequency of Sine Wave Carrier, Frequency of Periodic Binary
Pulse and the Amplitude of both Carrier and Binary Pulse

The following are plots that produced using variation on the frequency of sine wave carrier and
periodic binary

No Freq Freq Amplitude MATLAB Plot

Carrier Pulse of Both
1.

5 25 2

2.

10 25 2
No. Freq Freq Amplitude MATLAB PLOT
Carrier Pulse of both
3.

20 25 2

4.

30 25 2

5.

20 10 2
 No Freq Freq Amplitude MATLAB PLOT
Carrier Pulse of Both
6

10 20 2

10 30 2

The table above describe the effect that occurs in the modulated wave due to change in either
carrier frequency or binary phase frequency. The carrier signal is described in the top segment,
in form of sine wave, the information is formed from binary message pulses. Both of them is then
then multiplied so that the modulated signal—pictured in the bottom section—is basically carrier
signal cropped to zero in each time the binary signal hits zero. To understand this concept, shall
we look to this example taken from my first example of random number. The following picture
is a harsh approximation of how we could understand the Amplitude Shift Keying method.
 The picture in the left taken from
first example, with carrier
frequency of 5 and binary message is
equal to 25.

The blue lines are each time the

binary signal hits value of one, and
the whites are each time the binary
signal hits the zero.

Because of it’s characteristic of

multiplication, the negative ones are
not neglected and the modulated
value still equals to it’s respective
value due to multiplication to one.

And the when the binaries hits zero, it doesn’t care of whatever the value of the carrier signal.
So it’s value equals to zero.

The way it totally affected by the value of binary signal put a difference between ASK and it’s
predecessor, the good ol’ simple Amplitude Modulation. Because the amplitude modulation is
not bind by the rule that it’s value should consists of zero and one. The message or information
can freely uses any number. In short, ASK used for digital signal pulses modulation and AM is
used for analog signal modulation.

The parameter that affects the modulated signal are of course carrier and binary pulses
frequencies. Both of them decide how the modulated signal would look like. It depends on how
the ones and zeros in digital binaries intersects with the carrier signal respectively.