Woldia University

Institute of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Chapter Two
Amplitude Modulation and Demodulation

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Mulusew Yitbarek

January 16, 2021

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Outline

1 Introduction

2 Generation of AM waves

3 DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation

4 SSB Modulation and Demodulation

5 Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Generation of AM wave
Techniques to generate amplitude modulated wave can be
classified
Low level modulation
The modulation takes place at low power level prior to the output
element of the final stage of the transmitter
The modulated signal passes through series of linear amplifiers.
Low-level modulators generate AM with small signals
diode modulator, Transistor Modulator, Differential Amplifier
modulator.
High level modulation
The modulation takes place in the final element of the final stage
at high power levels.
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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Generation of AM wave
Complex design due-to the high power
Collector Modulator(highly efficient class C amplifiers )

Figure 1: Block diagram of a circuit to produce AM

Demodulation of AM wave
The function of AM detector or demodulator is to recover or
reproduce modulating signal or the original source
information/message signal from the modulated wave at the
receiver. 4 / 24
 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Demodulation of AM wave
Envelope Detector (Peak detector or Diode Detector)
The simplest and most widely used amplitude demodulator is
the diode detector shown in figure 2.
In order to recover m(t) from an AM wave s(t) with envelope
detector,

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Figure 2: Envelope detector (a), and corresponding waveforms (b)

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation

DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
Conventional AM have an inherent disadvantage that carrier power
constitutes two-third or more power of the total power
This is a major drawback because the carrier contains no
information
To overcome this shortcoming of AM we may suppress the carrier
component from the modulated wave resulting in DSB-SC
modulation
Thus by suppressing the carrier one will get a DSB-SC wave, which
is given by

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation

This modulated wave undergoes phase reversal whenever the

baseband signal m(t) crosses zero.

Therefore unlike AM, the envelope of DSB-SC wave is different

from the base band signal

The main advantage of DSB-SC over conventional AM is that it

has a higher power efficiency.

Its bandwidth is the same as that of the conventional AM.

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation

DSB-SC Modulators
The DSB-SC consists of simply the product of the baseband and
the carrier wave
A device performing the multiplication is called product modulator
This can be implemented using balanced or ring modulator
Balanced modulator (Ring Modulator)
A balanced modulator is a circuit that generates a DSB signal,
suppressing the carrier and leaving only the sum and difference
frequencies at the output.
One of the most popular and widely used balanced modulators is
the diode ring or lattice modulator
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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

SSB Modulation and Demodulation

Conventional AM and DSB-SC are wasteful of bandwidth because

they both require transmission bandwidth equal to twice the
message bandwidth.

As far as the transmission of information is concerned, only one

sideband is necessary.

It is possible to transmit only one of the side bands because the

lower side band and upper sideband carries the same information.

When only one sideband is transmitted, the modulation system is

referred to as single sideband system (SSB).

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

SSB Modulation and Demodulation

Advantages of SSB compared to conventional AM and DSB-SC
It conserves frequency spectrum since only one of the side
bands is transmitted.
It requires relatively low power as compared to conventional
AM.
Noise decrease since the BW has decreased by half.

The benefit of using SSB is therefore derived from the reduced

bandwidth requirement and the elimination of the high power
carrier wave.

The principal disadvantage of the SSB system is its cost and

complexity.
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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

SSB Modulation and Demodulation

SSB Modulators
The are two methods of generating SSBFrequency discrimination
method (filter method)Phase discrimination method

Frequency Discrimination Method (Filter Method)

An SSB modulator based on frequency discrimination consists

basically a ring modulator and a filter, which is designed to pass
the desired sideband of the DSB-SC wave.

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

SSB Modulation and Demodulation

Figure 3: An SSB transmitter using the filter method

The filter must have a pass band at the same frequency range as
the spectrum of the desired sideband 13 / 24
 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Demodulation of DSB-SC and SSB signals

Demodulation of DSB-SC and SSB signals (coherent detection)
To recover the baseband signal in a DSB or SSB AM, the carrier
that was suppressed at the modulator must be reinserted at the
receiver.
This is called coherent detection and it involves applying the
DSB/SSB wave, together with a locally generated sinusoidal
carrier wave to a balanced modulator as shown in Figure 4 below.
The balanced modulator is called a product detector because it is
used to recover the modulating signal
In this modulator, the carrier is suppressed, but the sum and
difference signals are generated.

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Demodulation of DSB-SC and SSB signals

The difference is, of course, the original modulating signal, while
the sum signals have no importance.
Since these frequencies are so far apart, the higher undesired
frequency components can be easily filtered out by a low-pass filter
that keeps the required baseband signal but suppresses everything
above it

Figure 4: Demodulation of DSB/SSB signal using product detector 15 / 24

 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Vestigial (VSB) AM

When the information signal contains significant components at

extremely low frequencies as in TV signals, the SSB modulation is
inappropriate in transmitting such baseband signals

This is due to the difficulty of isolating one side band as sideband

filters are only approximately realizable

VSB modulation is a compromise between SSB and DSB-SC

modulation techniques. inherits the advantages of DSB-SC and
SSB techniques avoiding their disadvantages at the small cost.

VSB signals are relatively easy to generate and at the same time
their bandwidth is only a little greater than that of SSB signals.

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Vestigial (VSB) AM
VSB modulation distinguishes itself from SSB modulation in two
practical respects:
Instead of completely removing a sideband, a trace or vestige
of that sideband is transmitted; hence, the name “vestigial
sideband.”
Instead of transmitting the other sideband in full, almost the
whole of this second band is also transmitted.

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Demodulation of VSB AMS

The demodulation of VSB consists of multiplying s(t) with a
locally generated sinusoid and then low-pass filtering the resulting
product signal v(t).
It is assumed that the local sinusoid in the coherent detector of
Figure 5 is in perfect synchronism with the carrier in the modulator
responsible for generating the VSB modulated wave.

Figure 5: Coherent detection of VSB AM

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

AM Transmitters

The transmitter is a part of communication system that accepts

the message signal to be transmitted and converts it into an RF
signal capable of being transmitted over long distances.
Every transmitter has three basic functions

First, the transmitter must generate a signal of the correct

frequency at a desired point in the spectrum.

Second, it must provide some form of modulation that causes the

information signal to modify the carrier signal.

Third, it must provide sufficient power amplification to ensure that

the signal level is high enough so that it will carry over the desired
distance
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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

AM Transmitters

An oscillator generates the final carrier frequency. In most

applications, this will be a crystal oscillator due to high frequency
stability of the crystal.

A buffer amplifier whose primary purpose is to isolate the oscillator

from the remaining power amplifier stages.

The driver amplifier is a class C amplifier designed to provide an

intermediate level of power amplification also purpose of this
circuit is to generate sufficient output power to drive the final
power amplifier stage.

The final power amplifier, also operates in class C at very high

power
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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Figure 6: An AM transmitter using high-level collector modulation

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

AM receiver
RF amplifier: the antenna picks up weak radio signal and feeds it
to the RF amplifier, also called a low-noise amplifier (LNA
Mixers and Local Oscillators: output of the RF amplifier is applied
to the input of the mixer, which may also receive an input from a
local oscillator.
IF Amplifiers: output of the mixer is amplified by one or more IF
amplifier stages, and most of the receiver gain is obtained in these
stages.
Demodulators: the highly amplified IF signal is applied to the
demodulator, or detector, which recovers the original modulating
information.
Automatic Gain Control (AGC): with AGC, the overall gain of the
receiver is automatically adjusted depending on the input signal 22 / 24
 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Figure 7: Block diagram of a superheterodyne receiver

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 Introduction
Generation of AM waves
DSB-SC Modulation and Demodulation
SSB Modulation and Demodulation
Modulation and Demodulation of VSB AM

Thank You

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