Module 2

Amplitude Modulation …
At the end of this unit, student will know the following:

• Representation of an AM wave
• Components of an AM wave
• Power relations in AM wave
• AM generation-grid modulated class C amplifier
• DSBSC,SSB generation
• Carrier suppression
• Balanced modulator, phase shift method, III method
• Vestigeal sideband transmission
• AM demodulation-envelope detection, coherent detection.
• AM Receivers-superheterodyne receiver
• Text books:
• Electronic communication systems-George Kennedy
 Need for modulation :

• Audio frequencies are not transmittable directly by conventional

antennas

• Impractical antenna heights required.

E.g. Sound signals from different sources occupy same range

of frequencies(20-20000Hz), hence interference of signals occur.
Modulation reduces interference

• Also overcomes poor radiation at low frequencies.

Modulation defined

• The process, or result of the process, of varying a characteristic of a carrier, in

accordance with an information-bearing signal.
Modulation
• Analog
• Digital
• pulse
Analog modulation methods
• Amplitude modulation
• Angle modulation
 AM
• Double-sideband modulation (DSB)

• Double-sideband modulation with carrier (DSB-WC) (used on

the AM radio broadcasting band)

• Double-sideband suppressed-carrier transmission (DSB-SC)

• Double-sideband reduced carrier transmission (DSB-RC)

• Single-sideband modulation (SSB, or SSB-AM),

• SSB with carrier (SSB-WC)

• SSB suppressed carrier modulation (SSB-SC)

 Vestigial sideband modulation (VSB, or VSB-AM)

 Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)

• Angle modulation

• Frequency modulation (FM) (here the frequency of the

carrier signal is varied in accordance to the instantaneous
amplitude of the modulating signal)

• Phase modulation (PM)

 Digital modulation techniques

• PSK (phase-shift keying), a finite number of phases are used.

• FSK (frequency-shift keying), a finite number of frequencies are used.

• ASK (amplitude-shift keying), a finite number of amplitudes are used.

• QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation), a finite number of at least

two phases, and at least two amplitudes are used.
 Pulse modulation
Analog-over-analog methods:

• Pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM)

• Pulse-width modulation (PWM)

• Pulse-position modulation (PPM)

Analog-over-digital methods:

• Pulse-code modulation (PCM)

• Differential PCM (DPCM)

• Adaptive DPCM (ADPCM)

• Delta modulation (DM or Δ-modulation)

• Sigma-delta modulation (∑Δ)

• Continuously variable slope delta modulation (CVSDM), also called Adaptive-delta modulation (ADM)

• Pulse-density modulation (PDM)

• Analog Modulation…….
• Amplitude modulation (AM)
AM generation
• AM expression

• Power calculation

• Current calculation

• Modulation index

• Spectrum

• Problems
Amplitude modulation

• The amplitude of a carrier signal is made proportional to the instantaneous

amplitude of the modulating voltage
• Carrier and modulating voltage representations:
vc = Vc sin  c t
vm  Vm sin  m t
Frequency spectrum of the AM wave/Components of am AM wave

• Frequencies present in an AM wave:

carrier frequency and the first pair of sideband frequencies

Mathematical representation of the frequency components in the AM wave.

Modulation index:

The above ratio is called modulation index or percentage modulation and lies
between 0 and 1.

Equation for the amplitude of the AM wave:

The instantaneous voltage of the resultant AM wave is:

Thus the equation of the AM wave has three

components- the first term is the unmodulated
carrier, second and third terms represent the lower
and upper side bands (LSB and USB).Bandwidth
required for amplitude modulation is twice the
frequency of the modulating signal
Frequency spectrum of AM wave

• AM is shown as consisting of three discrete frequencies.

• The central carrier frequency has the highest amplitude

• The other two have amplitudes equal to each other, can never exceed half the carrier
amplitude
Representation of AM – Time domain
Representation of AM contd..

• Refer to diagram in previous slide:

• Top envelope:

Bottom envelope:

Modulated wave extends between these two envelopes

and has a repetition rate equal to the unmodulated
carrier frequency.
 Modulation Index

• Modulation index can be derived in terms of V max and V min.

Power relations in AM wave

• The modulated wave contains extra energy in the two sidebands.

• Since amplitude of sidebands depend on the modulation index, it is anticipated that total
power will also depend on the modulation index.
 Vc
mVc/
mVc/2 2

• Total power in the modulated wave is

The first term is the unmodulated carrier power

 Substituting these in the equation for Pt,

Maximum power in an AM is Pt=1.5 Pc.

This is the maximum power amplifiers must be able to

handle without distortion
Current relations:
AM
Modulation index -variation
Modulation Index variation- AM
AM Generation
The following two modulators generate AM wave.
• Square law modulator
• Switching modulator
 Square Law Modulator
Block diagram of the square law modulator
Let the modulating and carrier signals be denoted
as m(t) and Ac cos(2πfct) respectively.

These two signals are applied as inputs to the summer

(adder) block. This summer block produces an output,
which is the addition of the modulating and the carrier
signal.
The total input to the device is,

output
Switching Modulator
Switching Modulator

Switching modulator is similar to the square law modulator.

The only difference is that

• in the square law modulator, the diode is operated in a non-linear mode,

• whereas, in the switching modulator, the diode has to operate as an ideal switch.
Power saving -?
• AM Demodulation
• Envelope
• Square law