Pre-Test:

1. The theory of radio waves was originated by?

2. The person who sent the first radio signal across Atlantic ocean was?

3. The bandwidth required for a modulated carrier depends on?

4. Distortion is caused by?

5. The VHF band starts at ___________ MHz.

Assessment:

1. What characteristics of CB radio led to its great popularity?

in 1947, the American government set up the Citizens’ Band (CB) radio service. Initially it used
frequencies near 460 MHz, but i that respect it was ahead of its time, since equipment for the
UHF range wa prohibitively expensive. Frequencies in the 27-MHz band were allocated in
1958, and CB radio immediately became very popular. The service was shortrange, had no
connection to the PSTN, and offered users no privacy, but it was (and still is) cheap and easy to
set up. The popularity of CB radio has declined in recent years but it is still useful in
applications where its short range and lack of connectivity to the rest of the world are not
disadvantages. For example, it serves very well to disseminate information about traffic
problems on the highway.

2. Why are cellular radio systems more efficient in their use of spectrum than earlier systems?

3. Identify each of the following communication systems as simplex, half-duplex, or full-duplex.

(a) cordless telephone

(b) television broadcast

(c) intercom with push-to-talk bar

4. Suppose that a voice frequency of 400 Hz is transmitted using a transmitter operating at 800
MHz. Which of these is:

(a) the information frequency?

(b) the carrier frequency?

(c) the baseband frequency?

(d) the modulating frequency?

5. What is the meaning of the signal-to-noise ratio for a system, and why is it important?

The ratio of signal power to noise power is one of the most important specifications for any
communication system. Thermal noise is the most important type of noise in most wireless
systems.

6. What is the difference between the kelvin and Celsius temperature scales?

7. State whether the time or frequency domain would be more appropriate for each of the
following:

(a) a display of all UHF television channels

(b) measuring the peak voltage of a waveform

(c) measuring the bandwidth of a waveform

(d) determining the rise time of a signal

8. What is meant by the term frequency-division multiplexing?

The frequency domain is useful for the observation and understanding of both signals and
noise in communication systems.

frequency-division multiplexing - combining of several signals into one communication channel

by assigning each a different carrier frequency.

9. Why is thermal noise sometimes called white noise?

10. Give the frequency designation for each of the following systems:

(a) marine radio at 160 MHz

(b) cell phones at 800 MHz

(c) direct-to-home satellite television at 12 GHz

(d) CB radio at 27 Mhz

11. What is the basic makeup of a radio wave?

12. Describe the relationship between the types of fields that make up a radio wave. What is
the orientation of these field with respect to the transmission direction of the wave?

13. Why is impedance matching necessary in some antenna installations?

14. Why does spatial diversity minimize fading?