EE 401

Communication Systems

Lecture # 6
AM Modulation/ Demodulation
Overview
The Objectives of Today’s Lecture

• Amplitude modulation / demodulation

Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Amplitude Modulation

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Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Amplitude Modulation (AM)

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Modulation Index

-Too low a level of modulation

and the modulation does not
utilize the carrier efficiently

- too high and the carrier can

become over modulated
causing sidebands to extend out
beyond the allowed bandwidth
causing interference to other
users.

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Modulation Index

Case 1: 50% modulation Case 2: 100% modulation

When the modulation index reaches 1.0, i.e. a modulation depth of 100%, the
carrier level falls to zero and rise to twice its non-modulated level.

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Modulation Index
Case 3: Over modulation

Any increase of the modulation index above 1.0, i.e. 100% modulation depth causes
over-modulation.
The carrier experiences 180° phase reversals where the carrier level would try to go
below the zero point.
These phase reversals give rise to additional sidebands resulting from the phase
reversals (phase modulation) that extend out, in theory to infinity. This can cause
serious interference to other users if not filtered.

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Modulation Index

Carrier wave has amplitude of 1

without modulation.

Case 1: 50% will increase its amplitude

to 1.5 (1+0.5=1.5)

Case 2: 100% will increase its amplitude

to 2.0 (1+1=2)

Case 3: 150% will increase its amplitude

to 2.5 (1+1.5=2.5)

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Example

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Sideband & Carrier Power

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Sideband & Carrier Power

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Example

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Generation of AM Signals
The AM signals can be generated similarly by using DSB-SC modulators.
Here the modulating signal is [A+m(t)] instead of m(t) but as we don’t need to
suppress the carrier in AM, then its modulator will be simple as compared to DSB-SC.
So, by using only diode instead of DSB-SC would be enough to deal generate the AM
signal.

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Demodulation of AM signal

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Rectifier based Demodulation

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Rectifier based Demodulation

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Rectifier based Demodulation

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