Module -3

Bandwidth and Power Efficient AM

Systems

1
Types of modified AM systems
◼ DSBSC (Double Side Band Suppressed Carrier) modulation:
 In DSBC modulation, the modulated wave consists of only the upper and lower
side bands. Transmitted power is saved through the suppression of the carrier w
ave, but the channel bandwidth requirement is the same as before.
◼ SSBSC (Single Side Band Suppressed Carrier) modulation:
 The SSBSC modulated wave consists of only the upper side band or lower side
band. SSBSC is suited for transmission of voice signals. It is an optimum form
of modulation in that it requires the minimum transmission power and minimu
m channel band width.
 Disadvantage is increased cost and complexity.
◼ VSB (Vestigial Side Band) modulation:
 In VSB, one side band is completely passed and just a trace or vestige of the ot
her side band is retained. The required channel bandwidth is therefore in excess
of the message bandwidth by an amount equal to the width of the vestigial side
band.
 This method is suitable for the transmission of wide band signals.
Double-Sideband Suppressed-Carrier AM

◼ A double-sideband, suppressed-carrier (DSB-SC) AM signal is obtained

by multiplying the message signal m(t) with the carrier signal c(t) =
Accos(2fct)
◼ Amplitude-modulated signal
u (t ) = m(t )c(t ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f ct )
◼ An example of the message signal m(t), the carrier c(t), and the modulated signal
u (t) are shown in Figure
◼ This figure shows that a relatively slowly varying message signal m(t) is changed
into a rapidly varying modulated signal u(t), and due to its rapid changes with
time, it contains higher frequency components
◼ At the same time, the modulated signal retains the main characteristics of the
message signal; therefore, it can be used to retrieve the message signal at the
receiver

3
Double-Sideband Suppressed-Carrier AM
◼ An example of message, carrier, and DSB-SC modulated signals

4
Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal
◼ Spectrum of the modulated signal can be obtained by taking the FT of u(t)
A
U ( f ) = c [M ( f − f c ) + M ( f + f c )]
2
◼ Figure 3.2 illustrates the magnitude and phase spectra for M(f) and U(f)
◼ The magnitude of the spectrum of the message signal m(t) has been translated or
shifted in frequency by an amount fc
◼ The bandwidth occupancy, of the amplitude-modulated signal is 2W, whereas the
bandwidth of the message signal m(t) is W
◼ The channel bandwidth required to transmit the modulated signal u(t) is Bc = 2W

Magnitude and
phase spectra of the
message signal m(t)
and the DSB-AM
modulated signal
u(t)

5
Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal
◼ The frequency content of the modulated signal u(t) in the frequency band
| f | > fc is called the upper sideband of U(f)
◼ The frequency content in the frequency band | f | < fc is called the lower
sideband of U(f)
◼ It is important to note that either one of the sidebands of U(f) contains all
the frequencies that are in M(f)
◼ The frequency content of U(f) for f > fc corresponds to the frequency
content of M(f) for f > 0
◼ The frequency content of U(f) for f < - fc corresponds to the frequency
content of M(f) for f < 0
◼ Hence, the upper sideband of U(f) contains all the frequencies in M(f) . A
similar statement applies to the lower sideband of U(f)

6
Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal
◼ The other characteristic of the modulated signal u(t) is that it does not
contain a carrier component
◼ As long as m(t) does not have any DC component, there is no impulse in U (f) at f = fc
◼ That is, all the transmitted power is contained in the modulating (message) signal m(t)
 For this reason, u(t) is called a suppressed-carrier signal
 Therefore, u(t) is a DSB-SC AM signal.

7
 Power Content of DSB-SC Signals
◼ The power content of the DSB-SC signal
1 T /2 2 1 T /2 2 2
Pu = lim 
T → T −T / 2
u ( t ) dt = lim 
T → T −T / 2
Ac m (t ) cos2 (2f c t )dt

Ac2 Ac2
m (t )1 + cos(4f c t )dt 
1 T /2 2
2 T → T −T / 2
= lim Pm
2

◼ Pm indicates the power in the message signal m(t)

◼ The last step follows from the fact that m2(t) is a slowly
varying signal and when multiplied by cos(4fct), which is
a high frequency sinusoid, the result is a high-frequency Figure 3.5 Plot of m2(t)cos(4fct).
sinusoid with a slowly varying envelope, as shown in
Figure 3.5
◼ Since the envelope is slowly varying, the positive and the
negative halves of each cycle have almost the same
amplitude
◼ Hence, when they are integrated, they cancel each other
◼ Thus, the overall integral of m2(t)cos(4fct) is almost zero
(Figure 3.6)
◼ Since the result of the integral is divided by T, and T This figure shows why the second
becomes very large, the second term in Equation (3.2.1) is term in Equation (3.2.1) is zero.
zero 8
Balanced Modulator
◼ A relatively simple method for generating a DSB-SC AM signal
is to use two conventional-AM modulators arranged in the
configuration illustrated in Figure 3.25
◼ For example, we may use two square-law AM modulators as previously
described
◼ Care must be taken to select modulators with approximately identical
characteristics so that the carrier component cancels out at the summing
junction

Block diagram of a balanced

modulator.

9
Ring Modulator
◼ Another type of modulator for generating a DSB-SC AM signal is the ring
modulator illustrated in Figure 3.26
 The switching of the diodes is controlled by a square wave of frequency fc, denoted
as c(t), which is applied to the center taps of the two transformers
 When c(t) > 0, the top and bottom diodes conduct, while the two diodes in the cross-
arms are off
◼ In this case, the message signal m(t) is multiplied by +1
 When c(t) < 0, the diodes in the cross-arms of the ring conduct, while the other two
diodes are switched off
◼ In this case, the message signal m(t) is multiplied by -1.
 Consequently, the operation of the ring modulator may be described mathematically
as a multiplier of m(t) by the square-wave carrier c(t), i.e., vo (t ) = m(t )c(t )

Ring modulator for generating a

DSB-SC AM signal.

10
Ring Modulator
 Since c(t) is a periodic function, it is represented by the Fourier series:


(−1) n−1
cos2f ct (2n − 1)t 
4
c(t ) = 
 n=1 2n − 1
◼ The desired DSB-SC AM signal u(t) is obtained by passing vo(t) through a bandpass filter with the center
frequency f, and the bandwidth 2W
◼ The balanced modulator and the ring modulator systems, in effect, multiply the message
signal m(t) with the carrier to produce a DSB-SC AM signal
 The multiplication of m(t) with Accos(wct) is called a mixing operation
 Hence, a mixer is basically a balanced modulator
◼ The method shown in Figure 3.15 for generating an SSB signal requires two mixers
 Two balanced modulators, in addition to the Hilbert transformer
 On the other hand, the filter method illustrated in Figure 3.16 for generating an SSB signal
requires a single balanced modulator and a sideband filter

11
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
◼ Suppose that the DSB-SC AM signal u(t) is transmitted through an ideal channel (with no channel
distortion and no noise)
◼ Then the received signal is equal to the modulated signal,
r (t ) = u (t ) = m(t )c(t ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f ct )
◼ Suppose we demodulate the received signal by
1. Multiplying r(t) by a locally generated sinusoid cos(2fct + ), where  is the phase of the sinusoid
2. We pass the product signal through an ideal lowpass filter with the bandwidth W
 The multiplication of r(t) with cos(2fct + ) yields

r (t ) cos(2 f ct +  ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f c t ) cos(2 f ct +  )

1 1
= Ac m(t ) cos( ) + Ac m(t ) cos(4 f ct +  )
2 2
12
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
◼ The spectrum of the signal is illustrated in Figure 3.7
◼ Since the frequency content of the message signal m(t) is limited to W Hz, where W << fc, the lowpass
filter can be designed to eliminate the signal components centered at frequency ±2 fc and to pass the
signal components centered at frequency f = 0 without experiencing distortion
◼ An ideal lowpass filter that accomplishes this objective is also illustrated in Figure 3.7
 Consequently, the output of the ideal lowpass filter

1
yl (t ) = Ac m(t ) cos( )
2

Frequency-domain representation
of the DSB-SC AM demodulation.

13
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
◼ Note that m(t) is multiplied by cos()
◼ Therefore, the power in the demodulated signal is decreased by a factor of cos2.
◼ Thus, the desired signal is scaled in amplitude by a factor that depends on the phase  of the locally
generated sinusoid.
1. When   0, the amplitude of the desired signal is reduced by the factor cos().
2. If  = 45, the amplitude of the desired signal is reduced by 21/2 and the power is reduced by a factor of
two.
3. If  = 90, the desired signal component vanishes
◼ The preceding discussion demonstrates the need for a phase-coherent or synchronous demodulator for
recovering the message signal m(t) from the received signal
◼ That is, the phase  of the locally generated sinusoid should ideally be equal to 0 (the phase of the received-
carrier signal)

14
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
◼ A sinusoid that is phase-locked to the phase of the received carrier can be generated at the receiver in
one of two ways
 One method is to add a carrier component into the transmitted signal, as illustrated in Figure 3.8.
 We call such a carrier component "a pilot tone."

 Its amplitude Ap and its power Ap2 / 2 are selected to be significantly smaller than those of the modulated
signal u(t).
 Thus, the transmitted signal is a double-sideband, but it is no longer a suppressed carrier signal

Addition of a pilot
tone to a DSB-AM signal.

15
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
 At the receiver, a narrowband filter tuned to frequency fc, filters out the pilot signal component
 Its output is used to multiply the received signal, as shown in Figure 3.9
 We may show that the presence of the pilot signal results in a DC component in the
demodulated signal
 This must be subtracted out in order to recover m(t)

Use of a pilot
tone to demodulate a
DSB-AM signal.

16
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
◼ Adding a pilot tone to the transmitted signal has a disadvantage
◼ It requires that a certain portion of the transmitted signal power must be allocated to the
transmission of the pilot
◼ As an alternative, we may generate a phase-locked sinusoidal carrier
from the received signal r(t) without the need of a pilot signal
 This can be accomplished by the use of a phase-locked loop

17
Demodulation of DSBSC modulated wave by Coherent detection
Coherent detection
◼ It is assumed that the local oscillator signal is exactly coherent or synchronized, in bo
th frequency and phase, with the carrier wave c(t) used in the product modulator to g
enerate s(t).

◼ This method of demodulation is known as coherent detection or synchronous detectio

n.
Coherent detection
Coherent detection
Coherent detection
◼ From the spectrum, it is clear that the unwanted component (first term in the expressi
on) can be removed by the low-pass filter, provided that the cut-off frequency of the f
ilter is greater than W but less than 2fc-W.
◼ The filter output is given by

◼ The demodulated signal vo(t) is therefore proportional t

o m(t) when the phase error ɸ is constant.
Costas Receiver (Costas loop)
◼ Costas receiver is a synchronous receiver system, suitable for demodulating DSBSC
waves.
◼ It consists of two coherent detectors supplied with the same input signal, that is the in
coming DSBSC wave

◼ but with individual local oscillator signals that are in phase quadrature with respect to
each other as shown below.
Costas Receiver (Costas loop)
Costas Receiver (Costas loop)
Demodulation of DSB-SC AM Signals
◼ Method 1: PLL circuit using phase comparator
r 2 (t ) = Ac m 2 (t ) cos2 (2 f c t )
2
◼ Method 2:
1 2 2
= Ac m (t )[1 + cos(4 f c t )]
2

◼ After BPF of the cos(4fct ) component, a signal with frequency divided

by 2:1 is used.

26
Single-Sideband AM
 A DSB-SC AM signal required a channel bandwidth of Bc = 2W Hz for transmission, where W is
the bandwidth of the message signal
◼ However, the two sidebands are redundant
◼ We will demonstrate that the transmission of either sideband is sufficient to
reconstruct the message signal m(t) at the receiver
◼ Thus, we reduce the bandwidth of the transmitted signal to that of the baseband message signal m(t)
 In the appendix at the end of this chapter, we will demonstrate that a single-sideband (SSB) AM
signal is represented mathematically as

u (t ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f ct )  Ac mˆ (t ) sin( 2 f ct )

◼ where is the Hilbert transform of m(t) that was introduced in Section 2.6
◼
mˆ (determines
The plus or minus sign t) which sideband we obtain
 The plus sign indicates the lower sideband
 The minus sign indicates the upper sideband

27
DERIVATION OF THE EXPRESSION FOR
SSB-AM SIGNALS
◼ Let m(t) be a signal with the Fourier transform (spectrum) M(f)
◼ An upper single-sideband amplitude-modulated signal (USSB AM) is
obtained by eliminating the lower sideband of a DSB amplitude-modulated
signal
◼ Suppose we eliminate the lower sideband of the DSB AM signal, uDSB(t) =
2Acm(t)cos2fct, by passing it through a highpass filter whose transfer
function is given by
1, | f | f c
H( f ) = 
0, otherwise
◼ as shown in Figure 3.16.
 Obviously, H(f) can be written as
H ( f ) = u−1 ( f − f c ) + u−1 (− f − f c )
◼ where u-1(.) represents the unit-step function

28
DERIVATION OF THE EXPRESSION FOR SSB-AM
SIGNALS
◼ Therefore, the spectrum of the USSB-AM signal is given by
U u ( f ) = Ac M ( f − f c )u−1 ( f − f c ) + Ac M ( f + f c )u−1 (− f − f c )
U u ( f ) = Ac M ( f )u−1 ( f ) | f = f − fc + Ac M ( f )u−1 (− f ) | f = f + fc
 Taking the inverse Fourier transform of both sides of Equation (3A.1) and
using the modulation and convolution properties of the Fourier transform,
as shown in Example 2.3.14 and Equation (2.3.26), we obtain
uu (t ) = Ac m(t )  −1[u−1 ( f )]e j 2fct + Ac m(t )  −1[u−1 (− f )]e− j 2fct
 Next, we note that
1 j  1 j 
  (t ) +  = u−1 ( f ),   (t ) −  = u−1 (− f )
2 2t  2 2t 
◼ which follows from Equation (2.3.12) and the duality theorem of the Fourier
transform

29
DERIVATION OF THE EXPRESSION FOR SSB-AM
SIGNALS
◼ Substituting Equation (3A.3) in Equation (3A.2), we obtain
1 j  j 2f ct 1 j  − j 2f ct
uu (t ) = Ac m(t )    (t ) +  e + A m (t )    ( t ) −  e
2t  2t 
c
2 2
= c m(t ) + jmˆ (t )e j 2f ct + c m(t ) − jmˆ (t )e − j 2f ct
A A
2 2
◼ where we have used the identities
1
m(t ) * (t ) = m(t ) m(t ) * = mˆ (t )
t
◼ Using Euler's relations in Equation (3A.4), we obtain

uu (t ) = Ac m(t ) cos 2f ct − Ac mˆ (t ) sin 2f ct

 which is the time-domain representation of a USSB-AM signal.

30
DERIVATION OF THE EXPRESSION FOR SSB-AM
SIGNALS
◼ The expression for the LSSB-AM signal can be derived by noting that

uu (t ) + ul (t ) = u DSB (t )
◼ Therefore Ac m(t ) cos 2f ct − Ac mˆ (t ) sin 2f ct + ul (t ) = 2 Ac m(t ) cos 2f ct

u (t ) = A m(t ) cos 2f t + A mˆ (t ) sin 2f t

◼ Thus, the time-domainl representation
c
of
c
a SSB-AM
c
signal
c
can generally be
expressed as

uSSB (t ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f ct )  Ac mˆ (t ) sin( 2 f ct )

 where the minus sign corresponds to the USSB-AM signal, and the plus sign corresponds to the
LSSB-AM signal

31
Single-Sideband AM
◼ The SSB-AM signal u(t) may be
generated by using the system
configuration shown in Figure 3.15
 The method shown in Figure 3.15
employs a Hilbert-transform filter Generation of a lower
single-sideband AM signal.
◼ Another method, illustrated in
Figure 3.16, generates a DSB-SC
AM signal and then employs a
filter that selects either the upper
sideband or the lower sideband of
Generation of a single-sideband AM
the double-sideband AM signal signal by filtering one of the sidebands
of a DSB-SC AM signal.

32
Demodulation of SSB-AM Signals
◼ To recover the message signal m(t) in the received SSB-AM signal, we
require a phase-coherent or synchronous demodulator, as was the case
for DSB-SC AM signals
◼ For the USSB signal
r (t ) cos(2 f c t +  ) = u (t ) cos(2 f c t +  )
= 12 Ac m(t ) cos( ) + 12 Ac mˆ (t ) sin( ) + double frequency terms.
◼ By passing the product signal in Equation (3.2.12) through an ideal lowpass
filter, the double-frequency components are eliminated, leaving us with
yl (t ) = 12 Ac m(t ) cos( ) + 12 Ac mˆ (t ) sin( )
◼ Note that the phase offset not only reduces the amplitude of the desired signal
m(t) by cos, but it also results in an undesirable sideband signal due to the
presence of mˆ (t ) in yl(t)
◼ The latter component was not present in the demodulation of a DSBSC signal
◼ However, it is a factor that contributes to the distortion of the demodulated SSB
signal
33
Demodulation of SSB-AM Signals
◼ The transmission of a pilot tone at the carrier frequency is a very effective method for providing a phase-coherent
reference signal for performing synchronous demodulation at the receiver
◼ Thus, the undesirable sideband-signal component is eliminated
◼ However, this means that a portion of the transmitted power must be allocated to the transmission of the carrier
◼ The spectral efficiency of SSB AM makes this modulation method very attractive for use in voice
communications over telephone channels (wirelines and cables)
◼ In this application, a pilot tone is transmitted for synchronous demodulation and shared among several channels
◼ The filter method shown in Figure 3.16, which selects one of the two signal sidebands for transmission, is
particularly difficult to implement when the message signal m(t) has a large power concentrated in the vicinity of
f=0
◼ In such a case, the sideband filter must have an extremely sharp cutoff in the vicinity of the carrier in order to
reject the second sideband
◼ Such filter characteristics are very difficult to implement in practice

34
Demodulation of SSB-AM Signals
◼ Another method

e(t ) Envelope
r (t ) + y D (t )
Detector
K cos 2f c t
e(t ) = [ Ac m(t ) + K ] cos 2f c t  Ac mˆ (t ) sin 2f c t
Let a(t ) = Ac m(t ) + K and b(t ) = Ac mˆ (t )
b(t )
R(t ) = a 2 (t ) + b 2 (t ) ,  (t ) = tan −1
a(t )
e(t ) = R(t ) cos (t ) cos 2f c t  R(t ) sin (t ) sin 2f c t
= R(t ) cos(2f c t   (t ))
→ y D (t ) = R(t ) = ( Ac m(t ) + K ) 2 + ( Ac mˆ (t ))2
 Ac m(t ) + K , when K is large.
 Ac m(t ), remove DC component.

35
Vestigial-Sideband AM
◼ The stringent-frequency response requirements on the sideband filter in
an SSB-AM system can be relaxed by allowing vestige, which is a
portion of the unwanted sideband, to appear at the output of the
modulator
 Thus, we simplify the design of the sideband filter at the cost of a modest increase
in the channel bandwidth required to transmit the signal
 The resulting signal is called vestigial-sideband (VSB) AM
◼ This type of modulation is appropriate for signals that have a strong low-frequency component,
such as video signals
◼ That is why this type of modulation is used in standard TV broadcasting

36
Vestigial-Sideband AM
◼ To generate a VSB-AM signal, we begin by generating a DSB-SC
AM signal and passing it through a sideband filter with the
frequency response H( f ), as shown in Figure 3.17 In the time
domain, the VSB signal may be expressed as
u (t ) = [ Ac m(t ) cos 2f ct ]  h(t )
◼ where h(t) is the impulse response of the VSB filter
 In the frequency domain, the corresponding expression is
U ( f ) = M ( f − f c ) + M ( f + f c )H ( f )
Ac
2

Figure 3.17 Generation of vestigial-sideband AM signal.

Oh-Jin Kwon, EE dept., Sejong Univ., Seoul, Korea: [Link] 37

Vestigial-Sideband AM
◼ To determine the frequency-
response characteristics of the filter,
we will consider the demodulation
of the VSB signal u(t)
◼ We multiply u(t) by the carrier v(t )
component cos2fct and pass the
result through an ideal lowpass filter,
as shown in Figure 3.18
◼ Thus, the product signal is
v(t ) = u (t ) cos 2 f ct
◼ or equivalently,
Demodulation of VSB signal.
V ( f ) = U ( f − f c ) + U ( f + f c )
1
2

38
 Vestigial-Sideband AM
◼ If we substitute U( f ) from Equation (3.2.15) into Equation (3.2.16), we obtain
V( f ) =
Ac
M ( f − 2 fc ) + M ( f )H ( f − fc ) + Ac M ( f ) + M ( f + 2 fc )H ( f + fc )
4 4
 The lowpass filter rejects the double-frequency terms and passes only the
components in the frequency range | f|W
 Hence, the signal spectrum at the output of the ideal lowpass filter is
Vl ( f ) = c M ( f )H ( f − f c ) + H ( f + f c )
A
4
◼ The message signal at the output of the lowpass filter must be undistorted
 Hence, the VSB-filter characteristic must satisfy the condition H ( f − f c ) + H ( f + f c )
= constant | f | W

VSB-filter characteristics.

Oh-Jin Kwon, EE dept., Sejong Univ., Seoul, Korea: [Link] 39

Vestigial-Sideband AM
◼ We note that H(f) selects the upper sideband and a vestige of the lower sideband
◼ It has odd symmetry about the carrier frequency fc in the frequency range fc - fa < f < fc + fa, where fa is a
conveniently selected frequency that is some small fraction of W, i.e., fa << W
◼ Thus, we obtain an undistorted version of the transmitted signal
◼ Figure 3.20 illustrates the frequency response of a VSB filter that selects the lower sideband and a vestige of the
upper sideband
◼ In practice, the VSB filter is designed to have some specified phase characteristic
◼ To avoid distortion of the message signal, the VSB filter should have a linear phase over its passband fc - fa  | f |
 fc + W

Frequency response of the VSB

filter for selecting the lower
sideband of the message signals.

40
SIGNAL MULTIPLEXING
◼ When we use a message signal m(t) to modulate the amplitude of a sinusoidal
carrier, we translate the message signal by an amount equal to the carrier
frequency fc
◼ If we have two or more message signals to transmit simultaneously over the
communication channel, we can have each message signal modulate a carrier of a
different frequency, where the minimum separation between two adjacent carriers
is either 2W (for DSB AM) or W (for SSB AM), where W is the bandwidth of each
of the message signals
◼ Thus, the various message signals occupy separate frequency bands of the channel
and do not interfere with one another during transmission
◼ Combining separate message signals into a composite signal for
transmission over a common channel is called multiplexing
 There are two commonly used methods for signal multiplexing:
(1) Time-division multiplexing
 Time-division multiplexing is usually used to transmit digital information;
this will be described in a subsequent chapter.
(2) Frequency-division multiplexing
 Frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) may be used with either analog or
digital signal transmission
41
Frequency-Division Multiplexing
◼ In FDM, the message signals are separated in frequency, as
previously described
◼ A typical configuration of an FDM system is shown in Figure
This figure illustrates the frequency-division multiplexing of K message
signals at the transmitter and their demodulation at the receiver
◼ The lowpass filters at the transmitter ensure that the bandwidth of the
message signals is limited to W Hz
◼ Each signal modulates a separate carrier
◼ Hence, K modulators are required
◼ Then, the signals from the K modulators are summed and transmitted
over the channel
◼ For SSB and VSB modulation, the modulator outputs are filtered prior to
summing the modulated signals

42
Frequency-Division Multiplexing

Frequency-division multiplexing of multiple signals.

43
Frequency-Division Multiplexing
◼ At the receiver of an FDM system, the signals are usually separated by passing through a parallel bank
of bandpass filters
 There, each filter is tuned to one of the carrier frequencies and has a bandwidth that is wide enough to pass
the desired signal
 The output of each bandpass filter is demodulated, and each demodulated signal is fed to a lowpass filter that
passes the baseband message signal and eliminates the double-frequency components
◼ FDM is widely used in radio and telephone communications
 In telephone communications
◼ Each voice-message signal occupies a nominal bandwidth of 4 kHz
◼ The message signal is single-sideband modulated for bandwidth-efficient transmission
◼ In the first level of multiplexing, 12 signals are stacked in frequency, with a frequency separation of 4 kHz between
adjacent carriers
◼ Thus, a composite 48 kHz channel, called a group channel, transmits the 12 voice-band signals simultaneously
◼ In the next level of FDM, a number of group channels (typically five or six) are stacked together in frequency to form
a supergroup channel
◼ Then the composite signal is transmitted over the channel
◼ Higher-order multiplexing is obtained by combining several supergroup channels
◼ Thus, an FDM hierarchy is employed in telephone communication systems

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Quadrature-Carrier Multiplexing
◼ Another type of multiplexing allows us to transmit two message
signals on the same carrier frequency
◼ This type of multiplexing uses two quadrature carriers, Accos2fct and
Acsin2fct
◼ To elaborate, suppose that m1(t) and m2(t) are two separate message signals
to be transmitted over the channel
 The signal ml(t) amplitude modulates the carrier Accos2fct
 The signal m2(t) amplitude modulates the quadrature carrier Acsin2fct
 The two signals are added together and transmitted over the channel
◼ Hence, the transmitted signal is
u (t ) = Ac m1 (t ) cos(2 f ct ) + Ac m 2 (t ) sin( 2 f ct )

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Quadrature-Carrier Multiplexing

Quadrature-carrier multiplexing.

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 Quadrature-Carrier Multiplexing
u (t ) = Ac m1 (t ) cos(2 f ct ) + Ac m 2 (t ) sin( 2 f ct )
 Each message signal is transmitted by DSB-SC AM
 This type of signal multiplexing is called quadrature-carrier multiplexing
 Quadrature-carrier multiplexing results in a bandwidth-efficient communication
system that is comparable in bandwidth efficiency to SSB AM
◼ Figure 3.32 illustrates the modulation and demodulation of the quadrature-carrier
multiplexed signals
 As shown, a synchronous demodulator is required at the receiver to separate and
recover the quadrature-carrier modulated signals
◼ Demodulation of m1(t)
◼ is done by multiplying u(t) by cos2fct and then passing the result through a
lowpass filter
u (t ) cos(2 f ct ) = Ac m1 (t ) cos2 (2 f ct ) + Ac m 2 (t ) cos(2 f ct ) sin( 2 f ct )
Ac A A
= m1 (t ) + c m1 (t ) cos(4 f ct ) + c m 2 (t ) sin( 4 f ct )
2 2 2
◼ This signal has a lowpass component ml(t) and two high-frequency components
◼ The lowpass component can be separated using a lawpass filter
◼ To demodule m2(t), we can multiply u(t) by sin2fct and then pass the product
through a lowpass filter

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