Ain Shams University 3rd Year Communication

Faculty of Engineering Communication Systems (1)

Electronics & Comm. Eng. Dept. 2010-2011

Sheet (4)

1) Suppose that non-linear devices are available for the which the output current io and the input
voltage vi are related by:
𝑖𝑖𝑜𝑜 = 𝑎𝑎1 𝑣𝑣𝑖𝑖 + 𝑎𝑎3 𝑣𝑣𝑖𝑖3
where a1 and a3 are constants. Explain how these devices may be used to provide:
a) a product modulator b) an amplitude modulator

2) Figure 1 shows the circuit diagram of a square-law modulator. The signal applied to the nonlinear
device is relatively week, such that it can be represented by a square law:
𝑣𝑣2 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝑎𝑎1 𝑣𝑣1 (𝑡𝑡) + 𝑎𝑎2 𝑣𝑣12 (𝑡𝑡)
where a1 and a2 are constants, v1(t) is the input voltage, and v2(t) is the output voltage. The
input voltage is defined by:
𝑣𝑣1 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡) + 𝑚𝑚(𝑡𝑡)
where m(t) is a message signal and 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡) is the carrier wave.
a) Evaluate the output message v2(t).
b) Specify the frequency response that the tuned circuit in Figure 1 must satisfy in order to
generate an AM signal with fc as the carrier frequency.
c) What is the amplitude sensitivity of the AM signal?

Figure 1
3) Figure 2 shows the circuit diagram of a switching modulator. Assume that the carrier wave c(t)
applied to the diode is large in amplitude, so that the diode acts like an ideal switch: it presents
zero impedance when forward biased (i.e., c(t) > 0). We may thus approximate the transfer
characteristics of the diode-load resistor combination by a piecewise-linear characteristic defined
as:
𝑣𝑣 (𝑡𝑡), 𝑐𝑐(𝑡𝑡) > 0
𝑣𝑣2 (𝑡𝑡) = � 1
0, 𝑐𝑐(𝑡𝑡) < 0

1
 That is, the load voltage v2(t) varies periodically between the values v1(t) and zero at a rate
equal to the carrier frequency fc. Hence we may write:
𝑣𝑣2 (𝑡𝑡) ≈ [𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡) + 𝑚𝑚(𝑡𝑡)] ∗ 𝑔𝑔𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 (𝑡𝑡)
where 𝑔𝑔𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 (𝑡𝑡) is a periodic pulse train defined by:
∞
1 2 (−1)n −1
𝑔𝑔𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 (𝑡𝑡) = + � cos[2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡(2𝑛𝑛 − 1)]
2 𝜋𝜋 𝑛𝑛=1 2n−1

a) Find the AM wave component contained in the output voltage v2(t),

b) Specify the unwanted components in v2(t) that need to be removed by a band-pass filter of
suitable design.

Figure 2

4) Consider the AM signal

𝑠𝑠(𝑡𝑡) = 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 [1 + 𝜇𝜇 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑚𝑚 𝑡𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡)

produced by a sinusoidal modulating signal of frequency fm. Assume that the modulation factor is
μ = 2, and the carrier frequency fc is much greater than fm. The AM signal s(t) is applied to an
ideal envelop detector, producing the output v(t).
a) Determine the Fourier series representation of v(t).
b) What is the ratio of the second harmonic amplitude to fundamental amplitude of v(t)?

5) Figure 3 shows the circuit diagram of an envelope detector. It consists simply of a diode and
resistor-capacitor (RC) filter. On a positive half cycle of the input signal, the diode is forward-
biased and the capacitor C charges up rapidly to the peak value of the input signal. When the
input signal falls below this value, the diode becomes reverse-biased and the capacitor C
discharges slowly through the load resistor Rl. The discharging process continues until the next
positive half-cycle. The charging-discharging routine is continued.
a) Specify the condition that must be satisfied by the capacitor C for it to charge rapidly and
there by follow the input voltage up to the positive peak when the diode is conducting.

2
 b) Specify the condition which the load resistor Rl must satisfy so that the capacitor C
discharges slowly between positive peaks of the carrier wave, but not so long that the
capacitor voltage will not discharge at the maximum rate of change of the modulating wave.

Figure 3
6) Consider a square-law detector, using a nonlinear device whose transfer characteristics is defined
by

𝑣𝑣2 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝑎𝑎1 𝑣𝑣1 (𝑡𝑡) + 𝑎𝑎2 𝑣𝑣12 (𝑡𝑡)

where a1 and a2 are constants, v1(t) is the input voltage, and v2(t) is the output voltage. The
input consists of the AM wave:
𝑣𝑣1 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 [1 + 𝑘𝑘𝑎𝑎 𝑚𝑚(𝑡𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡)
a) Evaluate the output v2(t).
b) Find the conditions for which the message signal m(t) may be recovered from v2(t).

7) The AM signal:
𝑠𝑠(𝑡𝑡) = 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 [1 + 𝑘𝑘𝑎𝑎 𝑚𝑚(𝑡𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡)
is applied to the system shown in Figure 4. Assuming that |𝑘𝑘𝑎𝑎 𝑚𝑚(𝑡𝑡)| < 1 for all t and the message
m(t) is limited to the interval −𝑊𝑊 ≤ 𝑓𝑓 ≤ 𝑊𝑊 and that the carrier frequency 𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 > 2𝑊𝑊. Show that
m(t) can be obtained from the square-rooter output v3(t).

Figure 4
8) Consider a message signal m(t) with he spectrum shown in Figure 5. The message bandwidth
W=1Khz. This signal is applied to a product modulator, together with a carrier wave
𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡) producing the DSB-SC modulated signal s(t). The modulated signal is next
applied to a coherent detector. Assuming perfect synchronism between the carrier waves in the
modulator and detector, determine the spectrum of the detector output when:
a) The carrier frequency fc = 1.25 KHz.

3
 b) The carrier frequency fc = 0.75 KHz.

What is lowest carrier frequency for which each component of the modulated signal s(t) is
uniquely determined by m(t)?

Figure 5
9) A DSB-SC modulated signal is demodulated by applying it to a coherent detector.
a) Evaluate the effect of a frequency error Δf in the local carrier frequency of the detector,
measured with respect to the carrier frequency of the incoming DSB-SC signal.
b) For the case of a sinusoidal modulating wave, show that because of this frequency error, the
demodulated signal exhibits beats at the error frequency. Illustrate your answer with a sketch
of this demodulated signal.
10) A particular version of AM stereo uses quadrature multiplexing. Specifically, the carrier
𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡) is used to modulate the sum signal
𝑚𝑚1 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝑉𝑉𝑜𝑜 + 𝑚𝑚𝑙𝑙 (𝑡𝑡) + 𝑚𝑚𝑟𝑟 (𝑡𝑡)
where Vo is a DC offset included for the purpose of transmitting the carrier component, ml(t) is
the left-hand audio signal, and mr(t) is the right-hand audio signal. The quadrature carrier
𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 sin(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡) is used to modulate the difference signal
𝑚𝑚2 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝑚𝑚𝑙𝑙 (𝑡𝑡) − 𝑚𝑚𝑟𝑟 (𝑡𝑡)
a) Show that an envelope detector may be used to recover the sum 𝑚𝑚𝑙𝑙 (𝑡𝑡) + 𝑚𝑚𝑟𝑟 (𝑡𝑡) from the
quadrature-multiplexed signal. How would you minimize the signal distortion produced by
the envelope detector?
b) Show that a coherent detector can recover the difference 𝑚𝑚𝑙𝑙 (𝑡𝑡) − 𝑚𝑚𝑟𝑟 (𝑡𝑡).
c) How are the desired ml(t) and mr(t) finally obtained.
11) Figure 6 shows the block diagram of Weaver’s method for generating SSB modulated waves. The
message (modulating) signal m(t) is limited to the band 𝑓𝑓𝑎𝑎 ≤ |𝑓𝑓| ≤ 𝑓𝑓𝑏𝑏 . The auxillary carrier
applied to the first pair of product modulators has a frequency fo, which lies in the center of the
band, as shown by
𝑓𝑓𝑎𝑎 + 𝑓𝑓𝑏𝑏
𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑜 =
2
The low pass filters in the in-phase and quadrature channels are identical, each with cut-off equal
to (fb-fa)/2. The carrier applied to the second pair of product modulators has a frequency fc that is
greater that (fb-fa)/2. Sketch the spectra at the various points in the modulator of Figure 6, and
hence show that:

4
 a) For the lower side band, the contributions of the in-phase and quadrature channels are of
opposite polarity, and by adding them at the modulator output, the lower sideband is
suppressed.
b) For the upper sideband, the contributions of the in-phase and quadrature channels are of the
same polarity, and by adding them the upper sideband is transmitted.
c) How would you modify the modulator of Figure 6 so that only the lower sideband is
transmitted?

Figure 6
12) The single-tone modulating signal 𝑚𝑚(𝑡𝑡) = 𝐴𝐴𝑚𝑚 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑚𝑚 𝑡𝑡) is used to generate the VSB signal
1 1
𝑠𝑠(𝑡𝑡) = 𝑎𝑎𝐴𝐴𝑚𝑚 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋(𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 + 𝑓𝑓𝑚𝑚 )𝑡𝑡) + (1 − 𝑎𝑎)𝐴𝐴𝑚𝑚 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋(𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 − 𝑓𝑓𝑚𝑚 )𝑡𝑡)
2 2
where a is constant, less than unity, representing the attenuation of the upper side frequency.
a) Find the quadrature component of the WSB signal s(t).
b) The VSB signal, plus the carrier 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑐𝑐 𝑡𝑡), is passed through an envelope detector.
Determine the distortion produced by the quadrature component.
c) What is the value of the constant a for which the distortion reaches its worst possible
condition?

Best wishes
Dr. Hussein Abd El Aaty
Eng.Amr Alaa