CHAPTER 3

ANALOG BANDPASS SIGNAL

TRANSMISSION

3.1 Basic Elements of a Communication System

Communication systems may be described by the block diagram shown in Fig. 3.1.
Regardless of the particular application, all communication systems involve three
main subsystems: the transmitter, the transmission channel, and the receiver. Each
pat plays a particular role in signal transmission, as follows.

1. Transmitter
The transmitter processes the input signal to produce a transmitted signal suited
to the characteristics of the transmission channel. Signal processing for trans-
mission almost always involves modulation.

2. Transmission Channel
The transmission channel is the electrical medium that bridges the distance from
source to destination. It may be a pair of wires, a coaxial cable, a radio wave, or
a laser beam. Every channel introduces some amount of transmission loss or at-
tenuation, so the signal power progressively decreases with increasing distance.
Communication Engineering I, First Edition. 29
By Osama A. Alkishriwo Copyright c 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
30 ANALOG BANDPASS SIGNAL TRANSMISSION

3. Receiver
The receiver operates on the output signal from the channel in preparation for
delivery to the transducer at the destination. Receiver operations include ampli-
fication to compensate for transmission loss, and demodulation to reverse the
signal processing performed at the transmitter. Filtering is another important
function at the receiver

Figure 3.1 Elements of a Communication Systems

3.2 Modulation

If the channel is lowpass in nature, the lowpass signal waveform may be transmitted
over the channel without modulation. Such signal transmission referred to as base-
band communication as explained in the previous chapter. The majority of practical
channels have bandpass characteristics and modulation is necessary for translating
the lowpass signal spectrum to match the bandpass channel characteristics. So, how
can we define the modulation?
Modulation is defined as the process by which some characteristics (i.e. ampli-
tude, frequency, or phase) of a carrier are varied in accordance with a modulating
wave. In this process, the baseband signal (modulated wave) is used to modify some
parameter of a high–frequency carrier signal.
A carrier is a sinusoid of high frequency, and one of its parameters–such as am-
plitude, frequency, or phase is varied in proportion to the baseband signal m(t).

3.2.1 Need for Modulation

Before we start a quantitative discussion and analysis of modulation systems, let

us look at the advantages of using modulated signals for information transmission.
We have already mentioned that modulation is required to match the signal to the
channel. However, this match involves several important aspects that deserve further
amplification.

1. Modulation for Ease of Radiation

If the communication channel consists of free space, then antennas are needed
 MODULATION 31

to radiate and receive the signals. Efficient electromagnetic radiation requires

antennas whose dimensions are the same order of magnitude as the wavelength
of the signal being radiated. Many signals, including audio signals, have fre-
quency components down to 100 Hz or lower. For these signals, antennas
some 300 km long will be necessary if the signal is radiated directly. If modu-
lation is used to impress the message signal on a high frequency carrier, say at
100 M Hz, then antennas need be no more than a meter or so across.
2. Modulation for Multiplexing
If more than one signal utilizes a single channel, modulation may be used to
translate different signals to different spectral locations thus enabling the re-
ceiver to select the desired signal. Applications of multiplexing include data
telemetry, FM stereophonic broadcasting, and long distance telephone.
3. Modulation to Overcome Equipment Limitations
The performance of signal processing devices such as filters and amplifiers, and
the ease with which these devices can be built depend on the signal location
in the frequency domain and on the ratio of the highest to lowest signal fre-
quencies. Modulation can be used for translating the signal to a location in the
frequency domain where design requirements are easily met. Modulation can
also be used to convert a “wideband signal” (a signal for which the ratio of
highest to lowest signal frequencies is large) to a “narrow band” signal.
4. Modulation for Frequency Assignment
Modulation allows several radio or television stations to broadcast simultane-
ously at different carrier frequencies and allows different receivers to be “tuned”
to select different stations.
5. Modulation to Reduce Noise and Interference
The effect of noise and interference cannot be completely eliminated in a com-
munication system. However, it is possible to minimize their effects by using
certain types of modulation schemes. These schemes generally require a trans-
mission bandwidth much larger than the bandwidth of the message signal. Thus
bandwidth is traded for noise reduction– an important aspect of communication
system design.

3.2.2 Frequency Translation

A signal may be translated to a new spectral range by multiplying the signal with an
auxiliary sinusoidal signal. To illustrate the process, let us consider initially that the
signal is sinusoidal in waveform and given by
vm (t) = Am cos(2πfm t)
Am
ej2πfm t + e−j2πfm t


= (3.1)
2
in which Am is the constant amplitude and fm is the frequency. The two sided
spectral amplitude pattern of this signal is shown in Fig. 3.2(a). The pattern consists
32 ANALOG BANDPASS SIGNAL TRANSMISSION

of two lines, each of amplitude Am /2, located at f = fm and at f = −fm . Consider

next the result of the multiplication of vm (t) with an auxiliary sinusoidal signal

vc (t) = Ac cos(2πfc t)
Ac
ej2πfc t + e−j2πfc t


= (3.2)
2
in which Ac is the constant amplitude and fc is the frequency. Using the trigonomet-
ric identity cos(α) cos(β) = 12 cos(α + β) + 12 cos(α − β), we have for the product
vm (t)vc (t)
Am Ac
vm (t)vc (t) = [cos((ωc + ωm )t) + cos((ωc − ωm )t)] (3.3)
2
Am Ac h i
= ej(ωc +ωm )t + e−j(ωc +ωm )t + ej(ωc −ωm )t + e−j(ωc −ωm )t
4
The new spectral amplitude pattern is shown in Fig. 3.2(b). Observe that the two
original spectral lines have been translated, both in the positive–frequency direction
by amount fc and also in the negative–frequency direction by the same amount.
There are now four spectral components resulting in two sinusoidal waveforms, one
of frequency fc +fm and the other of frequency fc −fm . Note that while the product
signal has four spectral components each of amplitude Am Ac /4, there are only two
frequencies, and the amplitude of each sinusoidal component is Am Ac /2.

Figure 3.2 (a) Spectral pattern of the waveform Am cos(ωm t), (b) Spectral pattern of the
product waveform Am Ac cos(wm t) cos(wc t).

Finally, we consider in Fig. 3.3 the situation in which the signal to be translated
may not be represented as a superposition of a number of sinusoidal components at
sharply defined frequencies. Such would be the case if the signal were of finite en-
ergy and nonperiodic. In this case the signal is represented in the frequency domain
in terms of its Fourier transform, that is, in terms of its spectral density. Thus let
the signal m(t) be bandlimited to the frequency range 0 to fM . Its Fourier trans-
form is M (jω) = F {m(t)}. The magnitude |M (jω)| is shown in Fig. 3.3(a).
The transform M (jω) is symmetrical about f = 0 since we assume that m(t) is
a real signal. The spectral density of the signal which results when m(t) is multi-
plied by cos(ωc t) is shown in Fig. 3.3(b). Alternatively, we may easily verify that if
M (jω) = F {m(t)}, then
 PROBLEMS 33

F {m(t) vc (t)} = F {m(t) Ac cos(2πfc t)}

Ac
= [M (jω + jωc ) + M (jω − jωc )] (3.4)
2

Figure 3.3 (a) The spectral density |M (jω)| of a nonperiodic signal m(t), (b) The spectral
density of m(t) cos(ωc t).

PROBLEMS
3.1 Two signals x1 (t) and x2 (t) having Fourier transforms X1 (f ) and X2 (f )
shown in Fig. 3.4 are combined to form

y(t) = x1 (t) + 2x2 (t) cos(2πfc t), fc = 20 kHz

Figure 3.4

Find the bandwidth of the signal y(t).

3.2 The signals

x1 (t) = 2 cos(ω1 t) + cos(2ω1 t)

x2 (t) = cos(ω2 t) + 2 cos(2ω2 t)

are multiplied. Plot the resultant amplitude-frequency characteristic, assuming that

ω2 > 2ω1 . Repeat for ω2 = 2ω1 .