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SSB-SC Modulation: Advantages and Disadvantages

This document discusses SSB-SC (Single Sideband Suppressed Carrier) modulation. It consists of two balance modulators, two bandpass filters, and two oscillators. The baseband signal and carrier are applied to the first balance modulator, producing upper and lower sidebands. A filter selects one sideband. Two oscillators are needed for frequency translation in two stages to achieve the necessary frequency stability and percentage change. SSB-SC requires less bandwidth than DSB-FC and provides power savings since only one sideband is transmitted. However, it is more complex to generate and receive and requires stable frequencies.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
58 views5 pages

SSB-SC Modulation: Advantages and Disadvantages

This document discusses SSB-SC (Single Sideband Suppressed Carrier) modulation. It consists of two balance modulators, two bandpass filters, and two oscillators. The baseband signal and carrier are applied to the first balance modulator, producing upper and lower sidebands. A filter selects one sideband. Two oscillators are needed for frequency translation in two stages to achieve the necessary frequency stability and percentage change. SSB-SC requires less bandwidth than DSB-FC and provides power savings since only one sideband is transmitted. However, it is more complex to generate and receive and requires stable frequencies.
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SSB-SC MODULATION:

FREQUENCY DISCRIMINATION METHOD:

It consists of two balance modulators, two bandpass filters, and two oscillators.

The baseband signals with the carrier are first applied to the balance modulator.
The output of the modulator will be two sidebands, named as the upper sideband
and the lower sideband. The next block after the balance modulator is
the bandpass filter. In SSBSC, the filter needs to select only one sideband. Any
one of the sidebands (upper or lower) is selected by the filter H1(f). In SSBSC, the
filter needs to select only one sideband. The filter's cut-off frequency should be
strong enough to separate the selected sideband from the other sideband. Its
separation frequency is given by:

Separation frequency = 2 (lowest frequency spectral component of the


baseband signal)

For example,

If lowest frequency spectral component = 400 Hz

Separation frequency = 2 x 400 = 800 Hz

The range of the human speech is from 300 Hz to 3000 Hz. The sideband filter is
selected to this range of frequency. Such restriction in SSB helps in conserving
bandwidth. The response outside this Passband range falls off sharply. The
maximum gap between the two channels is 4000 Hz.
The carrier, along with the signal, does not appear at the output of the balanced
modulator, i.e., it is suppressed. It can be further added in the case of SSBC (Single
Sideband with Carrier) transmission. A balanced modulator cannot effectively
balance both the baseband signal and the carrier signal. It also leads to variation
with time.

Here, two oscillators of carrier frequency 100k Hz and 10M Hz are used at the
balance modulator. If only one oscillator of 10M Hz carrier frequency is used, the
frequency change will be 0.006%, which is given by:

Separation frequency = 2 x lowest frequency component

= 2 x 300 Hz

= 600 Hz

The separation frequency of 600 Hz for 10M Hz oscillator result in the percentage
of 600 Hz/10M Hz

= 600/107 x 100

= 6 x 104 / 107%

= 0.006 %

Filters with such percentage are very difficult to construct. Hence, it is essential to
use two oscillators in the circuit. The first oscillator of carrier frequency 100k Hz is
selected.

The range of the USB (upper sideband) will be:

(Carrier frequency + lower limit) to (carrier frequency + upper limit)

= (100000 + 300) to (100000 + 3000)

= (100300) to (103000)

= 100.3k Hz to 103k Hz

The percentage at the output of the first balance modulator will be:
600 Hz/100k Hz

= 600/105 x 100

= 6 x 104 / 105 %

= 0.6%

The output of the first modulator is applied to the filter. Suppose the filter selects
the Upperband frequency of 100.3 kHz.

Separation frequency = 2 x lowest frequency component

= 2 x 100.3

= 200.6k Hz

The output of the filter is now applied to the second balance modulator. The
frequency change percentage now will be around 2%.

= 200.6k Hz/ 10M Hz x 100

= 2% (Approx)

In such cases, the frequency translation can be achieved in two stages. We are not
required to use more than two stages. The succeeding stages after the first stage
can use mixers instead of balance modulators if the baseband signal has the
spectral components of low frequency.

For example,

Suppose the second stage was mixer instead of the balance modulator. The output
of the balance modulator will be the lower and upper sidebands along with the
oscillator carrier frequency. The range will become (10M Hz + 100.3k Hz) to
(10M Hz + 103k Hz). The selected second filter needs to pass the upperband
frequency from the range. The frequency change will be around 1%, which is also
possible.
Transmission Bandwidth of SSB-SC
Since we are transmitting the frequencies only in the range (fc+ W) or ( fc – W), the
transmission bandwidth for the SSB-SC will be :

Bandwidth B = (fc+ W) – fc = W Hz

Or                 B= fc –  ( fc – W) =W Hz

This is exactly half the bandwidth of the DSB-SC modulated waves .

Advantages of SSB-SC Modulation Over


DSB-FC
 Less bandwidth requirements . This allow more number of signals to be
transmitted in the same frequency range .
 Lots of power saving . This is due to the transmission of only one sideband
component .

 At 100% modulation, the percent power saving is 83.33% .

 Reduced interference of noise . This is due to the reduced bandwidth . As


the bandwidth increases, the amount of noise added to the signal will
increase .

Disadvantages of SSB-SC Modulation


 The generation and reception of SSB signal is complicated  

 The SSB transmitter and receiver need to have an excellent frequency


stability . A slight change in frequency will hamper the quality of
transmitted and received signal . Therefore, SSB is not generally used for
the transmission of good quality music. It is used for speech transmission .

Application of SSB
 SSB transmission is used in the applications where the power saving and
low bandwidth requirements are important .

 The application areas are land and air mobile communication, telemetry,
military communications, navigation and amateur radio . Many of these
applications are point to point communication application .

Common questions

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The percentage change of frequency after modulation in SSB-SC influences filter design by requiring precise filter specifications to match the small shifts in frequency. A larger percentage change, such as the 2% in the second modulation stage, demands higher accuracy in filters to ensure sideband separation without considering significant overlaps. System stability is also impacted because any frequency drift or instability can lead to substantial signal degradation. Thus, accurately controlling the percentage frequency change is crucial to ensure the transmitted signal remains within defined bandwidth limits and maintains high quality .

The two-stage frequency translation process in SSB-SC modulation is used to incrementally adjust frequency to achieve desired modulation characteristics without overburdening any single stage. The first stage employs a lower carrier frequency to initially manage sideband separation, followed by a higher carrier frequency in the second stage, which optimizes system performance and stability. This approach helps ease the precision demands on filters and balances modulation across stages, reducing the percentage frequency changes necessary at any one stage and making the system more robust and easier to design and implement .

The reduced bandwidth requirement of SSB-SC modulation offers significant economic and operational advantages, such as enabling more efficient spectrum utilization by allowing more signals within the same frequency range. This efficiency leads to cost savings for telecommunications providers due to fewer infrastructure requirements for accommodating additional channels. Operationally, it also reduces power consumption since only a single sideband is transmitted, contributing to lower operational costs and increased battery life in mobile and portable communication devices .

Constructing filters with precise cut-off frequencies in SSB-SC modulation is challenging because they must sharply separate the chosen sideband from the unwanted one while maintaining frequency stability. Achieving such precision is technically demanding due to the small frequency changes relative to the carrier frequency. Using two oscillators, one with a 100k Hz carrier frequency and the other with 10M Hz, helps mitigate this by distributing the frequency shift across two stages, easing the filter's design requirements. This separation in stages allows for manageable adjustments and ensures the resulting transmission meets the necessary bandwidth and stability criteria .

The primary benefits of using SSB-SC modulation over DSB-FC include reduced bandwidth requirements and power savings. SSB-SC transmits only one sideband, halving the required bandwidth compared to DSB-SC, thus allowing a larger number of signals to be transmitted within the same frequency range. Furthermore, at 100% modulation, SSB-SC achieves a power saving of 83.33% because it transmits only one sideband. These benefits lead to more efficient use of the available spectrum and power resources, reducing interference from noise and allowing for more reliable communication, particularly in power-sensitive applications .

SSB-SC modulation is preferred in communication applications where power saving and low bandwidth are critical. Examples include land and air mobile communication, telemetry, military communications, navigation, and amateur radio. These applications often require point-to-point communication and benefit from the reduced power consumption and narrower bandwidth of SSB-SC, which enhances reliability and efficiency, particularly in environments where resources are constrained, or the equipment needs to be portable and power-efficient .

The frequency separation process in SSB-SC modulation involves using a frequency discrimination method with balanced modulators and bandpass filters. Initially, the baseband signals are mixed with a carrier in a balanced modulator, generating both upper and lower sidebands. A bandpass filter is then used to select only one of these sidebands, either upper or lower, while the other is suppressed. The filter must have a sharp cut-off frequency to effectively separate the wanted sideband, which is determined by multiplying the lowest frequency spectral component of the baseband signal by two. This effectively reduces the bandwidth needed since only one sideband is transmitted, which is crucial for conserving spectrum and power .

SSB-SC modulation is limited in transmitting complex audio signals, like high-quality music, due to the complexity of its generation and reception processes and the stringent frequency stability requirements. Slight frequency changes can significantly degrade signal quality, making it unsuitable for applications requiring precise audio fidelity. Furthermore, the inherent design complexity and sensitivity to frequency shifts make SSB-SC more challenging to manage, particularly over varied transmission conditions, leading to less reliable audio quality compared to other modulation schemes .

SSB-SC modulation is suitable for minimizing noise interference in telecommunication systems due to its reduced bandwidth requirement compared to other modulation techniques like DSB-FC. By transmitting only one sideband, SSB-SC effectively halves the bandwidth, resulting in less noise being picked up alongside the signal. This narrower bandwidth decreases the channel's susceptibility to external noise sources, enhancing signal clarity and reliability. However, achieving the reduced noise benefit is contingent upon precise modulation and frequency stability, which can be technically demanding .

Bandpass filter characteristics are critical to the performance and efficiency of SSB-SC modulation because they determine the precision with which sidebands are selected and unwanted frequencies are suppressed. The filter must have a sharp roll-off to clearly separate the desired sideband from the other, minimizing potential interference and maximizing spectral efficiency. Additionally, the filter's stability and accuracy directly influence the modulation system's ability to maintain signal integrity and reduce unwanted side effects such as noise, thereby optimizing overall transmission efficiency and effectiveness .

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