EE 331: Principles of Communication
Tutorial 6: Noise in Continuous-Wave Modulation Systems
Tutorial Questions
Problem 1:
A DSB-SC modulated signal is transmitted over a noisy channel, with the power spectral den-
sity of the noise being as shown in Fig. 1. The message bandwidth is 4 kHz and the carrier
frequency is 200 kHz. Assuming that the average power of the modulated wave is 10 watts,
determine the output signal-to-noise ratio of the receiver.
Figure 1: PSD of noise.
Problem 2:
Let a message signal m(t) be transmitted using single-sideband modulation. The power spectral
density of m(t) is (
a |f
W
|
, |f | ≤ W
SM (f ) =
0, otherwise
where a and W are constants. White Gaussian noise of zero mean and power spectral density
N0 /2 is added to the SSB modulated wave at the receiver input. Find an expression for the
output signal-to-noise ratio of the receiver.
Problem 3:
An unmodulated carrier of amplitude Ac and frequency fc and band-limited white noise are
summed and then passed through an ideal envelope detector. Assume the noise spectral density
to be of height N0 /2 and bandwidth 2W, centered about the carrier frequency fc . Determine
the output signal-to-noise ratio for the case when the carrier-to-noise ratio is high.
1
Problem 4:
The received signal r(t) = s(t) + n(t) in a communication system is passed through an ideal
LPF with bandwidth W and unity gain. The signal component s(t) has a power-spectral density
P0
Ps (f ) =
1 + (f /B)2
where B is the 3-dB bandwidth. The noise component n(t) has a power-spectral density N0 /2
for all frequencies. Determine the SNR as a function of the ratio W/B.
Problem 5:
In an analog communication system, demodulation gain is defined as the ratio of the SNR at
the output of the demodulator to the SNR at the output of the noise-limiting filter at the receiver
front end. Find expressions for the demodulation gain in each of the following cases:
1. DSB
2. Conventional AM with a modulation index of µ. What is the largest possible demodula-
tion gain in this case?
3. FM with modulation index β