Republic of the Philippines

Tarlac State University

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Department of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering
Tarlac City

A353 – FUNDAMENTALS OF
ELECTRONIC
COMMUNICATIONS

Prepared by:

Idris Jeffrey M. Manguera

June 2020
Fundamentals of Electronic Communications Chapter 1: Introduction to Communications Systems

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Define an electronic communication system.
2. Identify the basic elements and parameters of an electronic communication system.
3. Describe the different modes of transmission of electronic communications.

Activities

List down the differences between face-to-face verbal communication and virtual
communication through electronic means.

Processing

Communication is defined as the basic process of exchanging information. Most humans

communicate through spoken word but a considerable amount of communication is nonverbal.
Consequently, the two major barriers in human communication are language and distance.

Timeline of Milestones in Human and Electronic Communications

Year Milestone
1830 Professor Joseph Henry transmitted the first practical signal.
1837 Samuel F.B. Morse invented the telegraph.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson invented the telephone.
1887 Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves.
Guglielmo Marconi demonstrated wireless radio wave propagation.
1901 Guglielmo Marconi accomplished the first transatlantic transmission of radio signals.
1903 John Fleming invented the two-electrode vacuum-tube rectifier.
1906 Lee De Forest invented the triode vacuum tube.
1923 Vladimir Zworykin invented and demonstrated television.
1948 William Shockley, Walter Brattain and John Bardeen invented the transistor.
1959 The integrated circuit was invented.
1965 The first commercial communications satellite was launched.
1983 The cellular telephone network was first introduced in the United States.

Abstraction

Electronic Communications Systems

Electronic Communications refer to the transmission, reception and processing of

information using electronic circuits. The basic elements of a communication system include the
transmitter, the communications channel or medium, and the receiver.

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Fundamentals of Electronic Communications Chapter 1: Introduction to Communications Systems

Sources of Information
• Sources of information may come from an analog source of from a digital source so that
intelligence signals may either be in analog or digital. Analog signals continuously change with
respect to time and has infinite amplitude values. Digital signals are discrete with amplitudes
of finite value.

Transmitter
• The transmitter is a collection of electronic devices or circuits designed to convert the
information into a signal suitable for transmission over a given communications medium.
• The components of a transmitter are the amplifier, modulator, oscillator and antenna.

Communications Channel or Medium

• The communications channel provides the means of transporting signals between a
transmitter and a receiver. The two general types of communications media are guided
(wired) and unguided (wireless). Examples of guided media are coaxial cable, fiber optic cable
and waveguide.
• Although the medium supports the transmission of information, it also attenuates it and
causes the received signal to appear much lower in amplitude. Considerable amplification of
the signal is required for successful communication.

Receiver
• Receiver is a collection of electronic devices or circuits that accept the transmitted message
from the channel and convert them into a form understandable to humans.
• The components of a receiver are the amplifier demodulator and audio output device.

Limitations of Communications Systems

The two limitations in the electronic communication systems are noise and bandwidth.
• Noise is any unwanted form of energy that tends to interfere with the proper and easy
reception and reproduction desired signals.
• Bandwidth is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum occupied by a signal. It is also
the frequency range over which an information signal is transmitted or over which a
receiver or other electronic circuit operates. Specifically, the bandwidth is the difference
between the upper and the lower frequency limit.
𝐵𝑊 = 𝑓!""#$ &'(') − 𝑓&*+#$ &'(')

Information Capacity
• A measure of how much source information can be carried through the system in a given
period of time.

Hartley’s Law
• States that the information capacity is directly proportional to bandwidth and transmission
time
𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 ∝ 𝐵𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ ∝ 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

Modes of Transmission
Electronic Communications may be transmitted either one-way or two-way. One-way
transmission is called simplex or broadcasting. Two-way communication is called duplex. In half-
duplex transmission, only one of two parties can transmit at a time. In a full-duplex transmission,
both parties may transmit and receive simultaneously.

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Fundamentals of Electronic Communications Chapter 1: Introduction to Communications Systems

• Simplex (SX)

Examples: AM and FM Broadcasting, TV Broadcasting, Cable Television, Wireless Remote

Control, Paging Services, Navigation and Direction-finding Services

• Half-duplex (HDX)

Examples: Two-way radio, Amateur Radio, Citizen’s Band Radio, Radar, Sonar

• Full-duplex (FDX)

Examples: Telephones, Data Communications, Local Area Networks

• Full/full duplex (F/FDX) transmits and receives simultaneously but not necessarily between
the same two stations.

Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic frequency spectrum refers to the entire range of usable frequencies.
It extends from a few Hz to cosmic rays.

Frequency
• Frequency is the number of times a periodic/repetitive signal goes through its complete cycle
per second. The international unit of frequency is Hertz (Hz).

Wavelength, l
• Wavelength is the length that one cycle of an electromagnetic wave occupies in space. The
length of a wave depends on the frequency of the wave and the velocity of light.
Mathematically,
𝑐
𝜆=𝑘
𝑓
Where: k = Velocity factor (equal to 1 in free space)
c = speed of light in free space, 3x108 m/s
f = Frequency, Hz
• At high frequencies, the wavelength is too short and is usually expressed as Angstrom
1
1 Å (𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑚) = 𝜇𝑚
1000

International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Band Designations

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Fundamentals of Electronic Communications Chapter 1: Introduction to Communications Systems

Reading Assignment

To further enhance knowledge on electronic communications and applications of the ITU Band
Designations, you may read the first chapter of the book by Wayne L. Tomasi, Electronic
Communications – Fundamentals through Advanced, 5th ed.

Assessment Tasks

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Light frequency below 400 microns is
a. infrared
b. visible light
c. ultra-violet
d. none of the above
2. In a given bandwidth, more channels are available for signals in the range of
a. VHF
b. SHF
c. EHF
d. UHF
3. Equipment that represents the signal in the frequency domain is the
a. oscilloscope
b. spectrum analyzer
c. laparoscope
d. function generator
4. A complete communication system should include:
a. a transmitter, a receiver and a spectrum analyzer
b. a multiplexer, a demultiplexer and a channel
c. a transmitter and receiver
d. a transmitter, a receiver and a channel
5. The bandwidth required for a modulated carrier depends on
a. the signal-to-noise ratio
b. the baseband frequency range
c. the carrier frequency
d. none of the above
6. The baseband bandwidth for a voice-grade (telephone) signal is
a. at least 5 kHz
b. 20 Hz to 15,000 Hz

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Fundamentals of Electronic Communications Chapter 1: Introduction to Communications Systems

c. Approximately 3 kHz
d. none of the above
7. A simultaneous two-way communication is called
a. simplex
b. full-full duplex
c. full duplex
d. half duplex
8. Recovering the originally transmitted signal is called
a. modulation
b. demodulation
c. multiplexing
d. diplexing
9. Short waves fall under
a. ELF
b. MF
c. VHF
d. HF
10. Microwaves start at
a. UHF
b. MF
c. VHF
d. SHF

References:

1. Tomasi W. Electronic Communications Systems – Fundamentals through Advanced

5th Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall
2. Roddy J., Coolen E., Electronic Communications 5th Edition, New Jersey, Prentice
Hall
3. Frenzel L., Principles of Electronic Communication Systems, New York, Mc Graw
Hill

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