UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN

MINDANAO
PRINCIPLES OF
COMMUNICATION
GERALDO P. ULEP, PECE
Assistant Professor III
Faculty – Department of Electronics Engineering
College of Engineering and Information Technology
University of Southern Mindanao
WEEK 2 - 4
• Communication:
Communication is the process of conveying (or)
transferring messages from one point to another.
Generally it can be classified in to 2 types.
• Communication within the line of sight.
• Communication beyond the line of sight, point to
point.
Examples of Communication
Systems:
• Telephony, Telegraphy, radio broadcasting, RADAR,
mobile communication, computer communication
 Important events in development of communication systems
1838:Telegraph (Cooke and Wheatstone)
1871:Telephone “Caveat” Some believe Antonio Meucci (not A.G.
Bell) was the
inventor of the talking telegraph or telephone.
1900:Marconi sends wireless signal across Atlantic.
1920:Beginning of radio broadcasting.
1936:First public B/W TV broadcast.
1951:First public color TV broadcast.
1957:First earth satellite, Sputnik I.
1962:First communication satellite, Telstar I.
1966:Principles of fibre optic communications published (Kao and
Hockham).
1973:Birth of Internet.
 Important events in development of
communication systems
1979:First-generation cellular phone service.
1985:Fax machines gain popularity.
1990’s:HDTV, second-generation cellular
systems.
2000’s:Third-generation cellular systems, satellite
radio, “anytime, anywhere, multimedia
communications”.
2010’s:Online social networks, smart phones,
LTE, wireless sensor networks(WSNs)
 Basic Communication System:
Information
Transmitter Channel Receiver Destination
Source

Transmitting
Noise Receiving section
section

Communication medium
 Information Source:
• The transferring message originates in the
information source, There can be various
messages in the form of words, code, symbols,
sound signal. The function of Information source
is to produce the required message which has to
be transmitted.
 Transmitter
• A transmitter comprising electrical and electronic
components converts the message signal into a
suitable form for propagating over the
communication medium. This is achieved by the
process of modulation.
 The channel and the noise
• Channel is the medium through which the message
travels from the transmitter to the receiver. The
function of the channel is to provide physical
connection b/w transmitter and the receiver. The
channel can be coaxial cable, microwave links, radio
wave links, and an optical fiber. During the process of
transmission & reception the signal gets distorted
due to noise introduces in the system. Noise is an
unwanted signal which tends to interfere with the
required signal (message). Noise may interfere with
signal at any point in a communication system.
However a noise has its greatest effect on the signal
in the channel.
 Receiver
• The main function of the receiver is to reproduce
the message signal in electrical form from the
distorted received signal. This reproduction of the
original signal is accomplished by a process
known as demodulation (or) section.
 Destination:

• Destination in the final stage. Which is used to

convert an electrical message into its original
form.
 Types of communication
systems:
• Based on the types of modulation scheme used
and the nature of o/p of the information source
we can classify communication systems in to
three categories.
 Communication System

Analog Communication Hybrid Communication Digital Communication

Continuous wave modulation Pulse modulation

(carrier is continuous) (carrier is in pulse)

PAM (or)
PWM PPM
PCM

Amplitude Phase Frequency

modulation Modulation Modulation
 Noise:
• Noise is defined as any unwanted introduction of
energy tending to interfere with the proper reception
and reproduction of transmitted signals. Many
disturbances of an electrical nature produce noise in
receivers, modifying the signal I an unwanted
manner.
• Unpredictable noise varies randomly with time and,
as such, no control over the noise. The presence of
noise complicates the systems of communication. The
amount of noise power present in the received signal
decides the minimum power level of the desired
message signal at the transmitter.
 Sources of noise:
There are various sources of random noise.
They are classified in two
• External noise
• Internal noise
“External noise” is created outside
the circuit, classified into.

• Atmospheric Noise (or) Static Noise

• Extraterrestrial Noise
1. Solar Noise
2. Cosmic Noise
• Industrial Noise
 Atmospheric Noise (or) Static
Noise:
• Atmospheric noise are the results of spurious
radio waves which induce voltages in the
antenna. The majority of these radiowaves come
from natural sources of disturbance. They
represent atmospheric noise, generally called as
“static”. Static is caused by lightning discharges
in thunderstorms and other natural electric
disturbances occurring in the atmosphere.
 Extraterrestrial Noise

• Extraterrestrial noise is classified in to two

subgroups
1. Solar Noise
2. Cosmic Noise
1. Solar Noise:

• Solar noise is a constant noise radiation from the

sun, simply because it is a large body at a very
high temperature. It therefore radiates over a
very broad frequency spectrum which includes
the frequencies we use for communication
 2. Cosmic Noise:

• Stars are also have temperatures, they radiate RF

noise in the same manner as sun. The noise
received is called thermal noise and is distributed
fairly uniformly over the entire sky.
• We also receive noise from the center of our own
galaxy, from other galaxies and from other virtual
point sources such as “quasars” and “pulsars”.
The galactic noise is very intense but it comes
from sources which are only pts in the sky.
 Industrial Noise:
• Between the frequencies of “1 to 600” MHZ the
intensity of noise made by humans easily
outstrips that created by any other sources.
Internal or external to the receiver.
Noises from
# automobile and aircraft ignition
# Electric motors & switching equipment
# leakage form high-Voltage lines.
 “Internal Noise”:
• Internal noise created by any of the “active (or)
passive” devices found in receivers.
Internal noise is randomly distributed over the
entire radio spectrum. “Random noise power is
proportional to the bandwidth over which is
measured”
Internal noise is classified in to three types
1. Thermal Agitation noise
2. Shot noise
3. Transit-Time noise
 Thermal Agitation Noise
•
 Shot Noise:
• Thermal agitation is by means the only source of
noise in the receciver. The most important of all the
other sources is rhe “shot” effect, which leads to shot
noise in all “amplifying devices” virtually all active
devices.
• It is caused by random variations in the arrival of e’s
at the o/p electrode of an amplifying device and
appears as a randomly varying noise current
superimposed on the o/p. when amplified, it is
supposed to sound as though a shower of lead shot
were falling on a metal sheet. Hence, the name “shot
noise”.
 Transit-Time Noise:
• If the “time taken by an e” to travel from the
emitter to the collector of a transistor becomes
significant to the period of the signal being
amplifies, e at frequencies in the upper VHF range
and beyond, so called “transit-time” takes place.
The minute currents induced in the i/p of the
device by “random fluctuations” n the o/p
current become of great importance at such
frequency and create random noise.
 Electromagnetic spectrum
and typical applications
Frequency range (f) Wavelength range (x) EM spectrum Typical application
30-300 HZ 107-106 m Extremely lone frequency (ELF) Powerline communication
0.3-3 KHZ 106-105 m Voice frequency Face to face speech communication (intercom)
3-30 KHZ 105-104 m Very lone frequency Submarine communication
30-300 KHZ 104-103 m Lone frequency (LF) Marine communication
0.3-3 MHZ 103-102 m Medium frequency (MF) AM broadcasting
3-30 MHZ 102-101 m High frequency (HF) Landline telephony
30-300 MHZ 101-100 m Very high frequence (VHF) FM Broadcasting, TV
0.3-3 GHZ 100-10-1 m Ultra high frequency TV, cellular telephony
3-30 GHZ 10-1-10-2 m Super high frequency Microwave oven, radar
30-300 GHZ 10-2-10-3 m Extremelt high frequency Satellite communication, radar
0.3-3 THZ 0.1-1 mm Experimental For all new explorations
43-430 THZ 7-0.7 um Infrared LED, Lase, Tv Remote
430-750 THZ 0.7-0.4 um Very visible light Optical communication
750-3000 THZ 0.4-0.1 um UV- Medical appliances
>3000 THZ > 0.um Z-rays, Cosmic rays Medical appliances
Basic terminologies in
communication systems:
•
Message signal:
• The signal, which represents the actual information
to be transmitted (communicated) is known as
message signal.
 Carrier signal:
• The signal, which is used to carry the information
(message signal) for a longer distance is called carrier
signal, “carrier signal frequency should be greater
than message signal”
Modulation is the process by which some
“characteristics” of a carrier signal is carried in
accordance with “Instantaneous value” of a
modulationg signal or “message” signal.
• The resultant wave is called modulated wave. The
characteristics of a carrier signal may be
1. Amplitude
2. Frequency
3. Phase
Amplitude:

• Amplitude used to represent the strength of the

signal.
Frequency
Phase:

• The time delay between two signal is measured in

terms of phase difference.
Need for Modulation:

• Modulation is extremely necessary in

communication system due to the following
reasons.
•
• Operating range:
The energy of a wave depends upon its frequency. The
greater the frequency of the wave, the greater the energy
possessed by it.
As the audio signal frequencies are small therefore, these
cannot be transmitted over “large distances” if radiated
directly into space. The only practical solve is to “modulate”
& “high frequency carrier wave” with audio signal and
permit the transmission to occur at this “hihs frequency”.
(is carrier frequency)
• Wire communication:
One desirable feature of radio transmission is that it should
be carried with out wires. At audio frequencies, radiation is
not practicable because the effiency of radiation is poor.
However, efficient radiation of electrical energy is poor
possible at high frequencies (>20KHZ) for this reason,
modulation is always done in communication systems.
• Multiplaning:
If more than one signal uses a single channel than
modulation may be used to translate different signals to
different spectral location, thus enabling the receiver to
select the desired signal.
• To overcome equipment limitations:
Equipment is operated in some fined frequency range,
thus translating the frequency range of the processing
signal corresponding to this fined range of equipment.
The modulation can be used to accomplish this frequency
translation.
• Modulation to reduce noise and interferences:
The effect of noise and interference cannot be completeky
eliminated in a communication system, however it is
possible to minimize the effect by using certain types of
modulation schemes. These schemes generally require a ten
bandwidth longer than the b/w of message signal.
Definition of signal and its
representation:

•
•