ANGLE MODULATION

Modulation in which the instantaneous angle varies in proportion to the modulating waveform.
When used in an analog manner, it is referred to as either frequency modulation (FM) or phase
modulation (PM), depending upon whether the instantaneous frequency or instantaneous phase varies
with the modulation.

FREQUENCY MODULATION
The instantaneous frequency deviation of the modulated carrier with respect to the frequency of
the unmodulated carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating
signal.
PHASE MODULATION
The instantaneous phase deviation of the modulated carrier with respect to the phase of the
unmodulated carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating signal.
Theory
Assume we have a carrier at a frequency of 100MHz, called the resting frequency. If a
modulating signal is then applied, this will cause the carrier to shift (deviate) from its resting frequency
by a certain amount. If the amplitude is increased then the amount of deviation also increases. The rate
is proportional to frequency of the intelligence signal. If the signal is removed then the carrier
frequency shifts back to its resting frequency. This shift in frequency compared with the amplitude of
the modulating voltage is called the deviation ratio.
The deviation ratio is also called the deviation constant and it defines how much the carrier
frequency will change for a given input voltage level. The units are kHz/V .
Modulation index is expressed as:

where
m= modulation index,
Δfp= peak frequency deviation,
fm= frequency of the modulating signal, and
ΔΦp= peak phase deviation in radians.
 This expression tells us that the angular modulation index is really an indication of peak phase
deviation, even in the FM case. Also, note that the definitions for frequency and phase modulation do
not include the modulating frequency. In each case, the modulated property of the carrier, frequency or
phase, deviates in proportion to the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating signal, regardless of the
rate at which the amplitude changes.

Phase and frequency modulation of a sine- wave carrier by a sine-wave signal

However, the frequency of the modulating signal is important in FM. In the expression for the
modulating index, it is the ratio of peak frequency deviation to modulation frequency that equates to
phase. Comparing this basic equation with the two definitions of modulation, we find
(1) A carrier sine wave modulated with a single sine wave of constant frequency and amplitude
will have the same resultant signal properties (that is, the same spectral display) for frequency and
phase modulation. A distinction in this case can be made only by direct comparison of the signal with
the modulating wave, as shown in Figure.
 (2) Phase modulation can generally be converted into frequency modulation by choosing the
frequency response of the modulator so that its output voltage will be proportional to l/fm (integration
of the modulating signal). The reverse is also true if the modulator output voltage is proportional to fm
(differentiation of the modulating signal).
Mathematical representation of FM
The following equation can be used to represent FM

f = f c (1 + kVm cos ω t )

where
fc = the unmodulated carrier frequency
k = proportionality constant
Vmcos wt = instantaneous modulating voltage
It will be seen that the maximum deviation will occur when the cosine term is unity and hence we
obtain

f = f c (1 ± kVm )
maximum deviation

δ = kVm f c
It can be shown that the instantaneous value of the FM voltage is given by

 δ 
v = A sin  ω
 c t + sin ω t
m 

 fm 
The modulation index for FM is defined as

max frequency deviation δ

mf = =
modulating frequency fm

To solve for the frequency components of the FM requires the use of Bessel functions.
This solution may be shown to be given by
 v = A{J o ( m f ) sin ω c t
+ J1 ( m f )[sin (ω )t − sin (ω − ω )t ]
c +ω m c m

+ J ( m )[sin (ω + 2ω )t − sin (ω − 2ω )t ]
2 f c m c m

+ J ( m )[sin (ω + 3ω )t − sin (ω − 3ω )t ]
3 f c m c m

+ J4 ( m )[sin (ω + 4ω )t − sin (ω − 4ω )t ]...}

f c m c m

This equation indicates is that there are an infinite number of side- band pairs for an FM wave.
Each sideband pair is symmetrically located about the transmitter’s rest frequency, f C, and separated
from the rest frequency by integral multiples of the modulating frequency, n × fm, where n = 1, 2, 3, … .
The magnitude of the rest frequency and sideband pairs is dependent upon the index of modulation, mf,
and given by the Bessel- function coefficients, Jn(mf), where the subscript n of Jn is the order of the
sideband pair and mf is the modulation index. Note that Jn(mf) is all one term and not the product of
two numbers. Several examples might provide some insight to the meaning of Jn(mf):
• J0(1.0) represents the rest-frequency amplitude of an FM wave with an index of modulation
equal to 1.0.
• J1(2.5) is the amplitude of the first pair of sidebands for an FM wave with mf = 2.5.
• J7(mf) is the amplitude of the seventh pair of sidebands with an unknown index of modulation,
mf
There are several points that can be made about the Bessel functions plotted on the graph. For
small values of mf , the only Bessel functions with any significant amplitude are J 0(mf) and J1(mf) (the
rest frequency and the first sideband pair), while the amplitude of the higher-order (n > 1) side- band
pairs is very small. As mf increases, the amplitude of the rest freuency decreases and the amplitude of
the higher-order sidebands increases, which would seem to indicate an increasing signal bandwidth.
Further inspection of the graph indicates that as mf keeps increasing, the sideband pairs are essentially
zero amplitude until about mf = n, at which point they increase in amplitude to a maximum and then
decrease again. In all cases, as mf keeps increasing, each Bessel function appears to act like an
exponentially decay- ing sine wave. Therefore, the amplitudes of the higher-order sideband pairs
eventually approach zero.
An extremely interesting point is also observed about the Bessel-function amplitudes from the
graph. In all cases, including the rest frequency J0(mf), the amplitude of the Bessel function goes to zero
for numerous values of mf, meaning that the rest-frequency component of the FM wave can disappear.
This fact also holds for each pair of sidebands.
 A graph of the Bessel coefficients
The information from the graph is usually put into table form for integer or fractional values of mf.
• Unlike AM where there are only three frequencies, FM has an infinite number of sidebands .
• The J coefficients decrease with n but not in any simple form and represent the amplitude of a
particular sideband. The modulation index determines how many sideband components have
significant amplitudes .
• The sidebands at equal distances from fc have equal amplitudes .
• In AM increase depth of modulation increases sideband power and hence total transmitted
power. In FM total transmitted power remains constant, increase depth of modulation increases
bandwidth .
• The theoretical bandwidth required for FM transmission is infinite.
Bandwidth and Required Spectra
In practice, the spectrum of an FM signal is not infinite. The sideband amplitudes become
negligibly small beyond a certain frequency offset from the carrier, depending on the magnitude of m.
We can determine the bandwidth required for low distortion transmission by counting the number of
significant sidebands. (Significant sidebands usually means all those sidebands that have a voltage at
least 1 percent (-40 dB) of the voltage of the unmodulated carrier.)
The spectral behavior of an FM signal for different values of m. In Figure(1) we see the spectra
of a signal for m=0.2, 1, 5, and 10. The sinusoidal modulating signal has the constant frequency fm, so
the m is proportional to its amplitude.

(1) Amplitude-frequency spectrum of an FM signal (with sinusoidal modulating signal, fm , fixed

and amplitude varying).

In Figure (2) the amplitude of the modulating signal is held constant and m is varied by
changing the modulating frequency. Note that the individual spectral components are shown for m=5,
10, and 15. For m→∞, the components are not resolved, but the envelope is correct. Two important
facts emerge from Figures (1) & (2):
 Amplitude-frequency spectrum of an FM signal (with amplitude of Δf fixed and fm decreasing).

(1) For very low modulation indices (m less than 0.2), we get only one significant pair of
sidebands. The required transmission band- width in this case is twice fm, as for AM.
(2) For very high modulation indices (m more than 100), the transmission bandwidth is twice
Δfp. For values of m between these margins, we have to count the significant sidebands to determine
the transmission bandwidth.
 Bandwidth requirements vs. modulation index, m.
Advantages of frequency modulation, FM
FM is used for a number of reasons and there are several advantages of frequency modulation.
In view of this it is widely used in a number of areas to which it is ideally suited. Some of the
advantages of frequency modulation are noted below:

• Resilience to noise: One particular advantage of frequency modulation is its resilience to signal
level variations. The modulation is carried only as variations in frequency. This means that any
signal level variations will not affect the audio output, provided that the signal does not fall to a
level where the receiver cannot cope. As a result this makes FM ideal for mobile radio
communication applications including more general two-way radio communication or portable
applications where signal levels are likely to vary considerably. The other advantage of FM is
its resilience to noise and interference. It is for this reason that FM is used for high quality
broadcast transmissions.

• Easy to apply modulation at a low power stage of the transmitter: Another advantage of
frequency modulation is associated with the transmitters. It is possible to apply the modulation
to a low power stage of the transmitter, and it is not necessary to use a linear form of
amplification to increase the power level of the signal to its final value.

• It is possible to use efficient RF amplifiers with frequency modulated signals: It is possible to

use non-linear RF amplifiers to amplify FM signals in a transmitter and these are more efficient
than the linear ones required for signals with any amplitude variations (e.g. AM and SSB). This
 means that for a given power output, less battery power is required and this makes the use of
FM more viable for portable two-way radio applications.

PHASE MODULATION
For a modulating signal, vm(t),
the phase modulation,

and the frequency modulation ,

where Kp and Kf are constant (deviation sensitivity of phase and freq)

Phase modulation is the first integral of the frequency modulation.
Phase modulation,

For a modulating signal,

Phase modulation,

Frequency modulation,
 Suppose that the signal to be sent (called the modulating or message signal) is m(t) and the
carrier onto which the signal is to be modulated is

c(t) = Ac sin ( wct + Φc)

Annotated:

carrier(time) = (carrier amplitude)*sin(carrier frequency*time + phase shift)

This makes the modulated signal

y(t) = Ac sin ( wct + m(t) + Φc)

This shows how m(t) modulates the phase - the greater m(t) is at a point in time, the greater the
phase shift of the modulated signal at that point. It can also be viewed as a change of the frequency of
the carrier signal, and phase modulation can thus be considered a special case of FM in which the
carrier frequency modulation is given by the time derivative of the phase modulation.

The spectral behaviour of phase modulation is difficult to derive, but the mathematics reveals
that there are two regions of particular interest:

• For small amplitude signals, PM is similar to amplitude modulation (AM) and exhibits its
unfortunate doubling of baseband bandwidth and poor efficiency.
• For a single large sinusoidal signal, PM is similar to FM, and its bandwidth is approximately
2(h+1) fm
where fM = ωm / 2π and h is the modulation index

Modulation indices indicates by how much the modulated variable varies around its
unmodulated level. It relates to the variations in the phase of the carrier signal: h = Δθ

where Δθ is the peak phase deviation. Compare to the modulation index for frequency modulation.

Advantages:

• Only 1 frequency used

• Easy to detect loss of carrier

Disadvantages:

Complex circuitry that is required to generate and detect phase changes.

Angle Modulation

AM Vs FM systems

In both systems a carrier wave is modulated by an audio signal to produce a carrier and
sidebands. The technique can be applied to various communication systems eg telephony and
telegraphy

• In AM, the carrier amplitude is varied whereas in FM the carrier frequency is varied .

• AM produces two sets of sidebands and is said to be a narrowband system. FM produces a large
set of sidebands and is a broad band system.

• FM gives a better signal to noise ratio than AM under similar operating conditions .

• FM systems are more sophisticated and expensive than AM systems

FM Vs PM
• For FM – maximum freq deviation (change in the carrier freq) occurs during the maximum +ve
and –ve peaks of the modulating signal i.e freq deviation µ to the amplitude of the modulating
signal.
• For PM – maximum freq deviation occurs during zero crossings of the modulating signal i.e
freq deviation µ to the slope or first derivative of modulating signal.
• For FM and PM – rate of freq change is equal to the modulating signal freq.
• With PM, modulation index and peak phase deviation are directly proportional to the amplitude
of the modulating signal and unaffected by its frequency.
• With FM, both modulation index and freq deviation are directly proportional to the amplitude of
the modulating signal, and modulation index is inversely proportional to its freq.