TELEMETRY

Dr. H.K. Verma

Distinguished Professor
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
School of Engineering and Technology
SHARDA UNIVERSITY
Greater Noida, India
website: profhkverma.info

1. What is Telemetry?
The term telemetry is derived from the two Greek terms: tele and metron, which mean
remote or far off and measure, respectively. Accordingly, telemetry is the measurement
of remote (or far-off) variables or quantities. In general, a physical variable or quantity under
measurement, whether local or remote, is called a measurand.
2. Where and Why is Telemetry Required?
Use of telemetry techniques becomes essential under two situations, or in other words for
two cases, given below, where the conventional measurement or local measurement techniques
cannot work:
(a) Distant location of the measurand: Telemetry uses electrical communication for
transmitting electrical signal representing the value of the measurand from the location of
the measurand to the location of the user.
(b) Inaccessibility of the measurand: In such a situation, the electrical output of the
transducer (or sensor) sensing the measurand, or that of the associated signal conditioner,
cannot be accessed by conventional method of connecting wires. Therefore, the electrical
output is converted to a radio wave, which is then transmitted to the users location. This
type of telemetry is called Radio Telemetry. If this radio telemetry is meant for covering
only a short distance as the user is not physically far off from the measurand, then it is
called Short Range Radio Telemetry.
3. Elements of Telemetry System
Block schematic of a basic telemetry system is given below. Location of the physical
variable or measurand (from where the information, that is, the value of the measurand is sent) is
called the Sending End of the telemetry system while the location of the user or the end device
(where the information is received and used) becomes the Receiving End of the telemetry
system.

Purpose and function(s) of each of building-block or element of the telemetry system shown
in the figure are briefly described below:
(a) Transducer or Sensor: Converts the physical variable to be telemetered (that is, the
measurand) into an electrical quantity. This quantity in most cases is either an electrical
parameter (variable resistance, inductance or capacitance) or an electrical signal (voltage
or current).
(b) Signal Conditioner-1: Converts the electrical output (which may or may not be a signal,
as explained above) of the transducer (or sensor) into an electrical signal compatible with
the next element, i.e. the transmitter. The incompatibility could be either in the form
(such as parameter versus signal, voltage versus current, analog versus digital, etc) or in
the magnitude of the signal (that is, it is too weak to be used by the next element).
(c) Transmitter: Its purpose is to transmit the information signal (a signal containing
information, i.e. a signal which is a function of the value of the measurand) coming from
the signal conditioner-1 using a suitable carrier signal to the receiving end. It may
perform one or more of the following functions:
(i)

Modulation: Modulation of a carrier signal by the information signal.

(ii)

Amplification: As and if required for the purpose of transmission.

(iii)

Signal Conversion: As and if required for the purpose of transmission. For

example, voltage to current conversion, or analog to digital conversion, or
electrical signal to radio wave conversion, or electrical signal to optical beam
conversion, depending on the nature of the carrier signal and the signal
transmission medium.
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(iv)

Multiplexing: If more than one physical variables need to be telemetered

simultaneously from the same location, then either frequency-division
multiplexing (FDM) or time-division multiplexing (TDM) is used.

(d) Signal Transmission Medium: It is the medium or link that connects the sending or
transmitting end to the receiving end, over which the transmitter can transmit its output
signal to the receiver.
(e) Receiver: Its purpose is to receive the signal(s) coming from the transmitter (located at
the sending end of the telemetry system) via the signal transmission medium and recover
the information from the same. It may perform one or more of the following functions:
(i)

Amplification: Amplification of the received signal as and if required for the

purpose of further processing.

(ii)

Demodulation: Demodulation of the received signal to recover information signal.

The demodulation process has to be complementary of the modulation performed
by the transmitter.

(iii)

Reverse Signal Conversion: This conversion is generally the reverse of

conversion performed by the transmitter. Thus the receiver is required to perform
current to voltage conversion, or digital to analog conversion, or radio wave to
electrical signal conversion, or optical beam to electrical signal conversion,
depending on the nature of the carrier signal and the signal transmission medium.

(iv)

De-multiplexing: It refers to the process of segregating or separating various

information signals so that they can be delivered to their respective end devices.
The process in the receiver has to be essentially the reverse of the multiplexing
carried out by the transmitter.

(f) Signal Conditioner-2: Processes the receiver output as necessary to make it suitable to
drive the given end device.
(g) End Device: The element is so called because it appears at the end of the system.
Depending on the purpose of the telemetry in the given situation, the end device may be
performing one of the following functions:
(i)

Analog Indication: Analog indication of the value of the measurand through the
deflection of a pointer on a scale. The device used is very often a permanent
magnet moving coil (PMMC) meter.

(ii)

Digital Display: Digital display of the value of the measurand on LEDs, LCD,
monitor screen etc.

(iii)

Digital Storage: Storage of the digital value of the measurand in electronic or

optical storage device for a later use.

(iv)

Data Processing: The digital values of the mesurand may be given to a data
processor, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor or computer, for
analysis etc.

(v)

Closed-Loop Control: The analog or digital output of the signal conditioner-2,

representing the value of the measurand, may be fed to an automatic controller as
the feedback signal.

4. Subsystems of Telemetry System

The schematic of basic telemetry system shown and discussed above indicates that it is
comprised basically of two subsystems:
(a) Measurement Subsystem: It comprises the transducer (or sensor), signal conditioner and
the end device, like any conventional measurement system.
(b) Communication Subsystem: It comprises the transmitter and receiver along with the
transmission medium linking the two, like any communication system.
5. Types of Signal Transmission Media
The signal transmission medium can be one of the following types:
5.1 Copper Wires
A pair of copper wires (or conductors) provides a closed-circuit path for the
electrical signal from the transmitter to the receiver of the telemetry system.

flow of an

5.2 Radio Link

The space between transmitting and receiving antennas of the transmitter and receiver,
respectively, provides a radio link between the two ends of the telemetry system by allowing the
propagation of radio waves (high frequency electromagnetic waves) generated by the
transmitting antenna through it.
5.3 Optical-Fibre Link
An optical fibre, acting as a waveguide for the optical beam (in infra-red wavelength band)
generated by the transmitter, delivers the same to the receiver. It acts as an optical-signal
transmission link between the transmitter and receiver of the telemetry system.

6. Telemetry Classification Based on Signal Transmission Medium

Telemetry methods and systems are sometimes classified on the basis of the signal
transmission medium used. Accordingly, the following nomenclature is used:
6.1 Wire-Link Telemetry or Wire Telemetry
It uses a pair of copper wires (or conductors) as the signal transmission medium or link
between the sending and receiving ends.
6.2 Radio Telemetry or Wireless Telemetry
It uses a radio link between the transmitting and receiving ends. Very often, references are
made to the following two special types of radio telemetry:
(i)

Short-Range Radio Telemetry: When radio link is used for the reason that the sensor
output cannot be taken through wires whereas the distance involved is so short that
even conventional methods of measurement could have been used, then this type of
radio telemetry is called short range radio telemetry.

(ii)

Satellite-Radio Telemetry: When satellite radio communication is used for linking

widely spaced transmitter and receiver of a radio telemetry system, it is referred to as
satellite-radio telemetry.

6.3 Optical-Fibre Telemetry or Fibre-Optic Telemetry

It uses optical fibre as the signal transmission medium or link between the transmitting and
receiving ends.
Details of wire-link and radio-link telemetry systems are given in the next two sections.
7. Wire-Link or Wire Telemetry System
A basic wire-link or wire telemetry system, block schematic of which is shown below, should
be seen as a specific case of the basic telemetry system with the following specifics:
(a) The signal transmission medium here is a pair of copper wires.
(b) The transmitter comprises an audio-frequency (AF) AC modulator or pulse modulator, as
per the needs of the application, and an amplifier to strengthen the modulated carrier
signal before sending it on the copper wire-pair. Multiplexer is not included as the only a
basic (single-channel) telemetry system is being considered.

(c) Like the transmitter, the receiver also has only two elements, viz. an amplifier to carry
out necessary amplification of the attenuated signal received through wire-pair and a
demodulator to recover the information signal from the modulated carrier signal.

Block schematic of a wire-link telemetry system

8. Radio or Wireless Telemetry System
Block schematic of a basic radio telemetry system is shown below. This can also be treated
as a specific case of the basic telemetry system as under:
(a) The signal transmission medium here is a radio link, comprising a transmitting antenna
(TA), a receiving antenna (RA) and the space between the two used for propagation of
radio wave from TA to RA.
(b) The transmitter comprises a RF modulator (AM or FM type, depending on the
performance, bandwidth and cost considerations) and an amplifier.
(c) The receiver comprises an amplifier and a demodulator (AM or FM type as required to
match the type of the modulator).

Short-Range Radio Telemetry System

The schematic given above is in principle valid for a basic short-range telemetry system also.
The transmitter power may be very small as the range is very short, typically a few metres or a
few tens of metres. The choice of radio frequency will be guided by the cost consideration and
local requirements.

9. Necessity of Modulation in Telemetry

The information signal (that contains the value of the measurand) is very often not suitable
for transmission from the transmitter to the receiver and is, therefore, used to modulate a carrier
signal compatible with the given transmission medium. The modulated carrier, which now
contains the information, is transmitted by the transmitter to the receiver.
In all, following are the reasons for using modulation in telemetry:
(a) To achieve compatibility with the given transmission medium:
A carrier signal compatible with the given transmission medium is selected for
modulation. Following are some examples:

An audio-frequency carrier signal is used with AC copper wire links.

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A radio-frequency carrier is used with radio links.

An optical-beam is used as the carrier for optical fibre links.

(b) To improve signal-to-noise ratio:

A proper choice of the type of modulation and the type and frequency of the carrier signal
can improve SNR considerably thus improve the fidelity of the communication subsystem of the telemetry system.
(c) To achieve multiplexing:
Different carrier frequencies are used for modulation by different information signals for
frequency division multiplexing (FDM).
In most telemetry systems, a single-stage modulation is employed to take care of the above
requirements. But there are two exceptions as under:
(i) In very simple situations of short range wire telemetry, the information signal itself can
be transmitted and no modulation would, therefore, be required.
(ii) In some complex situations, two or even three stages of modulation are employed for
better performance of the communication subsystem of the telemetry system.
10. Modulation Methods and Telemetry Classification Based on Modulation Method
In regard to the modulation, there are three possibilities and accordingly there are three
categories of telemetry systems as follows:
10.1 DC Telemetry Systems
These telemetry systems use no modulation. The information signal which varies very slowly
and is considered as a DC signal is transmitted as such.
There are two telemetry systems in this category:
1. Direct voltage telemetry system
2. Direct current telemetry system
10.2 AC Telemetry Systems
These telemetry systems use an AC carrier, which is modulated using one of the AC
modulation techniques.
There are two telemetry systems in this category:
1. Amplitude modulation (AM) telemetry system
2. Frequency modulation (FM) telemetry system

10.3 Pulse Telemetry Systems

These telemetry systems use a pulse carrier, which is modulated using one of the pulse
modulation techniques.
There are five telemetry systems in this category:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) telemetry system

Pulse width modulation (PWM) telemetry system
Pulse phase modulation (PPM) telemetry system
Pulse frequency modulation (PFM) telemetry system
Pulse code modulation (PCM) telemetry system

11. Telemetry Classification Based on Type of Information Signal

Telemetry methods and systems are very often also classified on the basis of the type of the
information signal, which can be either analog or digital. Accordingly the telemetry system is
called analog or digital telemetry system. It may be noted that in all the telemetry systems listed
in the last section, the input to the transmitter is an analog signal, with only one exception, viz.
PCM telemetry system. Accordingly, the above telemetry systems can be re-classified under two
categories as follows:
11.1 Analog Telemetry Systems
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Direct voltage telemetry system

Direct current telemetry system
Amplitude modulation (AM) telemetry system
Frequency modulation (FM) telemetry system
Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) telemetry system
Pulse width modulation (PWM) telemetry system
Pulse phase modulation (PPM) telemetry system
Pulse frequency modulation (PFM) telemetry system

11.2 Digital Telemetry System

Or
Pulse code modulation (PCM) telemetry system
12. Single- and Multi-Channel Telemetry Systems
A telemetry system may be a single-channel or a multi-channel telemetry system depending
on the number of physical variables (measurands) telemetered by it. One of the following
methods of multiplexing is used in a telemetry system of multi-channel type in order to send
signals of all the channels on a single transmission link:
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(a) Time Division Muliplexing (TDM): It can be used with all types of signal transmission
links.
(b) Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM): It can be used with copper wire links and radio
links only.
13. Some Examples of Telemetry Systems
The following telemetry systems, which are widely used and will also serve as good
examples to illustrate the basic principles introduced above, are described in detail in the
remaining sections:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

Direct-current telemetry system

Frequency modulation (FM) telemetry system
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) telemetry system
Pulse-code modulation (PCM) or digital telemetry system

14. Direct-Current Telemetry System

Principle: Transmission signal for this telemetry system is a direct current (DC current) signal
and the signal transmission medium is essentially a copper wire line. The most commonly used
current signal is 4-20mA, but sometimes other ranges like 0-20mA or 0-10mA are also used in
industry.
Sending-End Scheme: As shown in the figure below, a transducer (sensor) converts the input
physical variable (measurand) to an electrical quantity, which is either an electrical parameter or
an electrical signal. This output is processed by appropriate electronic circuits (signal conditioner
unit) to yield a voltage signal, say 0-2V or 0-10V, which in most cases is linearly proportional to
the value of the measurand. Subsequently, a voltage-to-current converter converts this dc voltage
signal to a current signal of 4-20 mA, 0-20 mA or 0-10 mA range, and transmitted as Idc1 (as
indicated in the figure below) on a pair of copper wires.or transmission on a copper-wire link.

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Receiving-End Scheme: To maintain simplicity of the system, the end device at the receiving
end is a permanent-magnet moving-coil (PMMC) milli-ampere meter. PMMC meters have two
important advantages of high sensitivity and linearity of scale. The meter measures the line
current at the receiving end, Idc2. Its scale is calibrated in terms of the measurand (M), so that the
user can read the value of M directly.
Transmission Error: As illustrated in the above figure, the line current at the receiving end, Idc2,
is given by
Idc2 = Idc1 Ileakage
where Idc1 is the line current at the sending end and Ileakage is the small current leaking from one
wire of the line to the other wire or to the ground due to a finite value of insulation resistance.
This reduction in the line current from Idc1 to Idc2 due to leakage can be accounted for in the
calibration of the complete telemetry system. However, the leakage current changes with the
ambient temperature and thus calibration remains valid only for the temperature at which the
calibration was carried out. Any variations in the temperature would, therefore, lead to a
telemetry error (specifically the transmission error part). To control or minimize this error, one
has to minimize the leakage current and the variations in the temperature to which the wire line
is subjected.
Therefore, the following measures can be taken to minimize transmission error in the
direct current telemetry system:
(a) The insulation resistance between the wires of the line and that between each wire and
earth should be maximum so as to minimize the leakage.
(b) The telemetry system should be used for short distances only, because the value of Ileakage
is the product of the leakage current per unit length of the given wire cable and its total
length.
(c) Only an underground cable, as against open wires, should be used as the former is not
directly exposed to the variations in ambient temperature.
Merits/ Advantages: The merits of direct current telemetry system are
1. Simplicity of the system and its components
2. Low cost of the system as there are no specialized components
3. The line current is much more than the leakage current and, therefore, the latter has
insignificant effect on the accuracy of measurement.
4. The live-zero system, like the popular 4-20mA signal system, can readily
differentiate between a zero input (i.e. zero value of the measurand) and an open or
short circuit in the line.

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Demerits/ Disadvantages: The only demerit or limitation of this telemetry system is that it can
be used only for short distances because (a) the error due to leakage can become substantial if the
length of the wire line is large, and (b) the cost of the line increases directly with its length.
Application: Because of the above merits and limitation, this type of telemetry system is very
popular for in-plant telemetry where the distances are generally short.
15. FM Telemetry System
Principle: Transmission signal for this telemetry system is a frequency-modulated AC signal.
Generally a RF sinusoidal signal is used as the carrier and a radio link as the transmission
medium.
Sending-End Scheme: FM telemetry has been largely used for short range radio telemetry and a
simple telemetry system of this type is shown in the figure below. It can be best understood with
reference to the basic telemetry system given in the first Section. A transducer converts the given
physical variable (measurand) into an electrical output, which is conditioned/ processed by an
appropriate signal conditioner to yield a dc voltage proportional to the value of the measurand,
M. This voltage signal is used for the frequency modulation of a radio-frequency (RF) carrier.
The frequency-modulated radio-frequency (FM-RF) signal is applied to a transmitting antenna.
Amplification after modulation is generally not required as a small transmitter power is sufficient
for sort-range radio transmission.

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Receiving-End Scheme: The receiver selects the desired signal by employing a band-pass filter.
This signal, being a FM-RF signal, is demodulated using a frequency demodulator thereby
recovering the information signal. Signal conditioner-2 conditions/ processes the information
signal to make it compatible to the given end device. The end device thus gets the intended
information, that is, the value of the measurand.
Merits/ Advantages: The merits of FM telemetry system are as under:
1. Most important advantage is that it can be used conveniently wherever it is difficult or
impossible to access the sensor output with wire leads.
2. The system and its components are quite simple.
3. The system is inexpensive as only ordinary/ standard components are used.
4. As the information (value of M) resides in the frequency, and not the amplitude of the
transmission signal, no telemetry error results from the attenuation or variations in the
attenuation of this signal during its propagation.
5. It can be easily extended to a multi-channel telemetry system using frequency division
multiplexing (FDM), in which case each channel uses a carrier of different radio
frequency.
Demerits/ Disadvantages
1. In outdoor telemetry applications, its performance can be problematic in bad weathers
2. It can become expensive when used with long range-range transmissions in
commercial radio frequency band.
Application
1. FM telemetry suits both single-channel and multi-channel applications.
2. It can be used equally well with wire and wireless links. However, if the link available
is wireless (i.e. radio), then FM telemetry is generally the simplest option.
3. Because of the afore-stated merits, almost all short-range radio telemetry systems used
in practice are FM telemetry systems.

16. PWM Telemetry System

Principle: Transmission signal for PWM telemetry (also known as PDM telemetry) takes the
form of width-modulated (or duration-modulated) pulses.
Sending-End Scheme: A single-channel PWM telemetry system is shown in the figure below. It
can be seen that the physical variable or measurand M is applied to an appropriate transducer, the
output of which is processed suitably by the signal conditioner to produce a dc voltage, Vdc,
proportional to M. This voltage is applied to a pulse-width modulator to produce PWM signal,
which is transmitted to the receiving end after necessary amplification and/or conversion of the
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signal by the transmitter. The nature of signal conversion will depend on the signal transmission
medium as explained earlier.
Receiving-End Scheme: The receiver recovers the PWM signal from the received signal, which
is applied to a pulse shaper to make the amplitude of these pulses constant (independent of the
attenuation suffered during transmission) and their edges sharp. These perfectly-shaped widthmodulated pulses are then input to a low-pass filter as shown in the block schematic. The filter
produces a d.c. voltage, Vdc, proportional to the pulse width of the input pulses, and thus
proportional to M. This d.c. voltage is read on a PMMC voltmeter serving as the end device at
the receiving end. The voltmeter is calibrated in term of the value of the measurand M, so that
the user can read the value of M directly on this voltmeter.

Merits/ Advantages:
1. The main advantage of PWM telemetry system as compared to direct voltage and PAM
telemetry systems is that as the information (value of M) resides in the width and not in
the amplitude of the pulses, theoretically no telemetry error can result from the
attenuation or the variations in attenuation of the signal during transmission.
2. As compared to the PCM telemetry system, the PWM telemetry system is cheaper because
it does not need the expensive components like ADC and sample-and-hold circuit.

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Application
1. PWM telemetry suits more to wire-line links than to radio or optical-fibre links.
2. Single-channel PWM telemetry systems are not popular because of their complexity and
high cost.
17. PCM/Digital Telemetry System
Principle: The transmission signal in PCM telemetry system takes the form of a coded sequence
of binary pulses. Thus the information represented by the transmitted pulses is digital. None of
the attributes of these pulses, like amplitude, width or phase, is analogous to the information.
Sending-End Scheme: Block schematic of a single-channel PCM telemetry system is shown in
the figure below. The physical variable or measurand M is applied to an appropriate transducer,
the output of which is processed suitably by the signal conditioner to produce a dc voltage, Vdc,
proportional (analogous) to M. This analog voltage is sampled at regular intervals (or sampling
frequency) and converted to its equivalent digital value by an analog to digital converter (ADC).
Generally a successive-approximation type ADC is used in this type of application and its
resolution ranges from 8 to 16 bits. As the analog voltage follows the time-variations in the value
of the measurand, its value changes continuously. Any change in the analog input to the ADC of
successive-approximation type, while A-to-D conversion is going on, can cause serious error in
the output of the ADC. The problem is overcome by using a sample-and-hold circuit (S/H
circuit), rather than a simple sampling circuit, before the ADC as shown in the block schematic.
The ADC is followed by the following circuits in that order:
Parity/CRC Bits Adder: The data transmission can be either asynchronous or synchronous. In
case of asynchronous transmission, this circuit adds a parity bit to each character, that is, n-bit
data output of the ADC. In case of synchronous transmission, the circuit adds a certain number
of cyclic-redundancy-check bits (CRC bits) at the end of the data bits.
PCM Encoder: It encodes the augmented data (comprising data bits and parity/CRC bits) into a
series of coded pulses using a certain PCM code.
Transmitter: The transmitter has two functions to perform:
(a) To add synchronization information: In case of asynchronous transmission, it adds start
and stop pulses before and after each data character. In case of synchronous transmission,
it adds a synchronization bit pattern before the entire data block.
(b) To transmit: The transmitter converts the coded voltage pulses into a transmission signal
to suit the given transmission medium and the desired range of transmission.
Receiving-End Scheme: The receiver synchronizes its own operation with the transmitter by
using the start and stop pulses (for asynchronous transmission) or the synchronization bit pattern
(for synchronous transmission). It extracts the PCM signal from the signal received from the
sending end. A PCM decoder decodes the serial coded pulses back into augmented data. This
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data is passed on to an error detector, which verifies the correctness of the data from the parity or
CRC bits. In case an error is detected, the information is passed on to the error control system for
suitable action. If no error is found, then the data bits alone are passed on to the end devices. The
receiver sends necessary information to these end devices so that they can synchronize
themselves with the transmitter and receiver.

Merits/ Advantages: As compared to analog telemetry systems in general, the digital or PCM
telemetry system has the following advantages:
1. Like all digital systems in general, the digital telemetry system has high immunity to
noise.
2. Like digital communication systems, the digital telemetry uses error control techniques
as a standard feature thereby ensuring that the data reaching the end devices is error free.
Demerits/ Disadvantages: The only disadvantage of digital telemetry, when compared with
analog telemetry systems, for very simple or ordinary applications not demanding high
accuracies, may be its higher cost.
Application: Because of the above advantages, PCM telemetry systems are now generally
preferred over analog telemetry systems.
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