COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

BTB 35203
Topic 2
Amplitude Modulation
- DSBFC

Communication Technology Section

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Block diagram of Communication system
10/04/23 3
Introduction
 Amplitude Modulation is the simplest and earliest form
of transmitters

 AM applications include broadcasting in medium- and

high-frequency applications, CB (citizen’s band) radio,
and aircraft communications

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Amplitude Modulation (AM) - definition

“Amplitude Modulation is the process of

changing the amplitude of a relatively high
frequency carrier signal in accordance with the
amplitude of the modulating signal
(Information).”
Basic Amplitude Modulation

(a) em (b) ec

(c) 100% Amplitude modulation

Basic Amplitude Modulation
AM characteristic
 AM is a nonlinear devices with two input signals:
o A single frequency: constant-amplitude carrier signal
o Information signal

Baseband / Modulated
Information signal MODULATION signal

Carrier

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Types of AM
Various forms of Amplitude Modulation (AM):
 Double Sideband
 Full Carrier (DSBFC)
o contains USB, LSB and carrier
 Suppressed carrier (DSBSC)
o contains only USB and LSB
o a circuit that produces DSBSC is balanced modulator
 Single Sideband (SSB)
o Contains either LSB or USB
o Produce efficient system in term or power consumption
and bandwidth

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DSBFC (Full AM)
 In amplitude modulation, the amplitude of the carrier varies
proportional to the instantaneous magnitude of modulating signal.
 Assuming

 Modulating signal : vm(t) = Em sin mt

 Carrier signal : vc(t) = Ec sin ct
modulating Modulated
AMPLITUDE
Signal Signal
MODULATION
vm(t) vam (t) = (Ec + vm(t)) sin ct
Or
vam (t) = (Ec + Em sin mt) sin ct
Carrier wave
vc (t)
(Ec + Em sin mt) = amplitude of the modulated wave

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DSBFC (Full AM)
Carrier signal

Modulating signal
v m ( t )  E m sin m t

Vam

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DSBFC (Full AM)

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DSBFC (Full AM)

Vmax  Ec  Em
or
Vmax  Ec (1  m)
Em
m
Ec

Vmin  Ec  Em
or
Vmin  Ec (1  m)

so;
Vmax  Vmin
m
Vmax  Vmin

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DSBFC (Full AM)

Carrier signal
v c ( t )  E c sin(c t ) where c  2f c

Modulating signal

v m ( t )  E m sin m t

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 Let: v m ( t )  E m s in  m t and v c ( t )  E c s in  c t
Therefore, the amDSBFC v A M ( t )  E c  v m t sin  c t
signal can be expressed:
v A M ( t )  E c  E m sin  m t sin  c t
Given the modulation index : Em
m
Ec
amDSBFC can be deduced to: v A M ( t )  E c 1  m s in  m t s in  c t
1 1
From trigo. identities: sin(A ) sin(B)  cosA  B  cosA  B
Therefore: 2 2
v A M ( t )  E c sin  c t  mE c sin  c t sin  m t
mE c mE c
 E c sin  c t  cos  c   m t  cos  c   m t
2 2
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DSBFC (Full AM)
Signal frequency spectrum; amDSBFC

mE c mE c
v Am ( t )  E c (sin c t )  cos(c  m ) t  cos(c  m ) t
2 2

Carrier Lower sideband Upper sideband

component component component

So, with the modulating process, the original modulating signal is

transferred to a different frequency spectrum with a higher value
frequency.

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DSBFC (Full AM)
 The frequency spectrum of AM waveform contains
3 parts:
 A component at the carrier frequency, fc
 An upper sideband (USB), whose highest frequency
component is at fc + fm
 A lower sideband (LSB), whose highest frequency
component is at fc - fm
 The bandwidth of the modulated waveform is twice the
information signal bandwidth.

# sideband is a component above and below centre frequency

# every sideband contains all the original message, but not the carrier

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DSBFC (Full AM)
Mathematically:
fusb = fc + fm
flsb = fc – fm

Elsb = Eusb = (mEc)/2

fusb = frequency of the upper sideband

flsb = frequency of the lower sideband
Eusb = peak voltage of the upper sideband component
Elsb = peak voltage of the lower sideband component
DSBFC (Full AM)
DSBFC Frequency Spectrum:
With single frequency fm
B = Maximum freq. - minimum freq.
= ( fc + fm ) - ( fc – fm )
Ec = fc + fm - fc + fm
= 2fm
Ec Ec Ec E m
m m m 
2 2 2 2

freq
fc- fm fc fc+ fm
2fm

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DSBFC (Full AM)
If fm consists of a range frequencies f1 to f2, the component of the
sidebands become:
Upper sideband (USB) range is from (fc+ f1) to (fc+ f2)
Lower sideband (LSB) range is from (fc- f2) to (fc- f1)
Baseband signal Modulated signal
Amplitude,V
Amplitude,V

lower sideband upper sideband

freq freq
f1 f2 fc-f2 fc-f1 fc+f1 fc+f2

AM spectrum when the modulating signal is a baseband signal from frequency f 1 to f2

Bandwidth for this case,
B = (fc+f2) - (fc-f2) = 2f2

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Example:
 For example, if voice signal with the band of frequency
of 0 – 4 kHz is transmitted using a carrier of 100 kHz,
the modulated signal consists of;
 Carrier signal with frequency of 100 kHz
 Upper side band with frequency of range of 100 – 104
kHz
 Lower side band with frequency of range 96 – 100 kHz

 The bandwidth is 104 – 96 = 8 kHz

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Modulation Index, m (Coefficient of Modulation)

 m is merely defined as a parameter, which determines

the amount of modulation.

 What is the degree of modulation required to establish

a desirable AM communication link?
 Answer is to maintain m<1.0 (m<100%).

 This is important for successful retrieval of the original

transmitted information at the receiver end.

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Modulation carrier and envelope
detector outputs for various values of m
The modulation index is given by : Em
m
Ec
Modulation indices range : 0  m  1
m  1, ( Em  Ec )

m  1, ( Em  Ec )

m  1, ( Em  Ec )

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Modulation carrier and envelope
detector outputs for various values of m
modulating signal

unmodulated signal

50% modulated wave

(m = 0.5)

100% modulated wave

(m = 1.0)

24
  If the amplitude of the modulating signal is higher
than the carrier amplitude, which in turn implies the
modulation index, m1.0(100%). This will cause
severe distortion to the modulated signal.

 The ideal condition for amplitude modulation (AM) is

when m = 1, which also means Em= Ec.

 This will give rise to the generation of the maximum

message signal output at the receiver without
distortion.

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  As most of the signals are complex and can be
represented by combination of various sine waves, m
can be determined by;
m  meff  m12  m22  m32  ......

 Thus, total power for this complex signal is;

2
meff
PT  Pc [1  ]
2

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AM Power Distribution
PT  Pc  PLSB  PUSB where Ec2
Pc 
Vc2rms 2
VLSB 2
VUSB 2R
  rms
 rms
m 2 Ec2 m 2 Pc
R R R and PLSB  PUSB  
2 2 2 8R 4
 Ec   mEc   mEc 
      Therefore; PSB  PLSB  PUSB
2 2 2 2 2
    m 2 Pc m 2 Pc m 2 Pc
R R R   
4 4 2
Ec2 m 2 Ec2 m 2 Ec2
   PT  Pc  PSB
2 R 8R 8R
m 2 Pc
Therefore the relationship between the total  Pc 
power transmitted, PT and the carrier signal
2
power, Pc is as follows:  m2 
 Pc 1  
 2 

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 The efficiency of the AM in term of power consumption is;
2
PSB m
  2
PT m 2

Thus, at optimum operation (m = 100%), only 33% of power is used to carry

information. [The transmission efficiency with m = 1 is only 33.33% ].

Therefore we can conclude that the transmitted power signal is mostly

carrier power signal contributing of 66.67% from the total AM signal.

Whereas signal contains information in the LSB and USB transmitted is

33.33% from the total AM signal.

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 PSB  PLSB  PUSB
m 2 Pc m 2 Pc
 
4 4
m 2 Pc

2

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Advantages and Disadvantages of AM

 Advantages:
 simple with proven reliability

 low cost

 Disadvantages:
 wastage of power as most of the transmitted power are
in the carrier component which does not contain
information. When m=1, 2/3 of the power is wasted.
 AM requires a bandwidth which is double to audio
frequency.
 Noisy.

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Example 1
For an AM DSBFC modulator with a carrier frequency fc = 100kHz and
maximum modulating signal frequency fm(max) = 5kHz, determine:
a) Frequency limits for the upper and lower sidebands
b) Bandwidth
c) Upper and lower side frequencies produced when the modulating
signal is a single-frequency 3kHz tone.
d) Draw the output frequency spectrum

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Example 2
For an AM modulator with carrier frequency of 150 kHz and a modulating signal
frequency of 10kHz, determine the:
1. Freq for the upper and lower sideband
2. Bandwidth
3. Sketch the output frequency spectrum
Solution:
The lower and upper side band frequency;

fLSB = fc – fm = 150 kHz – 10 kHz = 140 kHz f USB = fc + fm = 150 kHz + 10 kHz = 160 kHz

Bandwidth;
B = 2fm = 2 (10) kHz = 20 kHz
The output frequency spectrum is as shown:
Ec
(mEc)/2 (mEc)/2

f (kHz)
140 B = 20 kHz 150 160

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Example 3
For an AM wave with a peak unmodulated carrier voltage Ec = 20 V, a load
resistance RL = 20ohm and a modulation index m = 0.2, determine the :
1. Power contained in the carrier and the upper and lower sidebands
2. Total sideband power
3. Total power of the modulated power
Solution:
1. The carrier power:

2. The total sideband:

m2P ( 0.2 ) 2 (10 ) PSB  PUSB  PLSB  0.1  0.1  0.2 w

c OR
PSB    0 .2 w
2 2
3. The total power in the modulated wave:

m2 ( 0.2 ) 2
PT  P [1  ]  10[1  ]  10.2W OR PT  Pc  PSB  10  0.2  10.2 w
c 2 2

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