1

ANALOG MODULATION
AMPLITUDE MODULATION
By
Engr. Jose Espino

2
Definitions
Communication the transmission of
intelligence between 2 or more points.
This refers to the sending, receiving &
processing of intelligence by electronic
means.
Intelligence refers to data, information or
message that is to be transmitted.
3
Communication System Block
Diagram



Transmitter device that processes the input signal to
produced a transmitted signal suited to the
characteristics of the transmission channel.
Channel electrical medium that bridges the distance from
source to destination.
Receiver operates on the output signal from the channel
in preparation for delivery to the transducer at the
destination.
transmitter
channel Receiver
4
WHAT IS ANALOG
MODULATION?
z Modulation process of varying one of the properties of
the wave in proportion to another wave. This is
performed at the transmitter to achieve efficient and
reliable information transmission.
z Analog modulation consists of two parts
y Analog message- a signal that causes a variation of
some of the properties of the carrier.
y Carrier- unmodulated signal that suits a particular
application.
z Analog message is then impressed upon the amplitude,
frequency or phase of the carrier
z We then say carrier is modulated by the message

5
Why need for modulation?
z Antenna size
example: at f=100MHz,/4=0.75m
at f=15KHz,/4=5Km
z Signal separation


6
Types of Modulation
z Amplitude Modulation (AM) when you vary the
amplitude of the carrier in proportion to the
information signal.
z Frequency Modulation (FM) when you vary
the frequency of the carrier in proportion to the
information signal.
z Phase Modulation (PM) when you vary the
phase of the carrier in proportion to the
information signal.
7
+
MODULATING
SIGNAL
Vmsinmt
CARRIER
VCsinct
8
AM Example


0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
AM
BASEBAND
carrier
message
9
AM expression
eAM = Vc sin ct
+ Vm/2 cos(c-m)t
Vm/2 cos(c+m)t Volts
10
11
zModulation index, m or
coefficient of modulation,
the ratio of the magnitudes of
the modulated signal & the
unmodulated carrier
m = V
m
/V
c
12
Modulation Index
z The quantity m is called modulation index
or modulation factor.
z Modulation index must be less or equal to
1
13
Finding Modulation Index
Vm V V
Vm V V
c peak
c peak
=
+ =
) min(
) max(
( ) | | ( ) t f t f m V
c m c
t t 2 sin 2 sin 1+
min max
min max
= index modulation
V V
V V
m
+

=
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
AM
BASEBAND
Vmax Vmin
14
What is m Here?

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
AM
BASEBAND
15
AM Percentage Modulation

Under modulated (<100%) 100% modulated
Envelope Detector
Can be used
Envelope Detector
Gives Distorted signal
Over Modulated (>100%)
Overmodulation as seen in the Reciever
16
17
A waveform is seen on an oscilloscope
screen. The max span is 1V,while the min
span is 0.1V. What is the modulation index?
Given: Vmax=1V & Vmin=0.1V
Required:m
Solution:







% 818 . 81 % 100 * 81818 . 0 %
81818 . 0
1 . 0 1
1 . 0 1
=
= index modulation
min max
min max
= =
=
+

=
m
m
V V
V V
m
18
AM Envelope
z Envelope is a baseband
signal and contains all the
information an AM signal
carries.
19
Requirements on the
Envelope
z To prevent overmodulation, the envelope
must always be positive,
100 > m
100 < m
overmodulation
20
Trapezoidal Patterns
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
AM
BASEBAND
21
Showing AM Spectrum
z Baseband


z AM
fm
upper sideband
lower sideband
f
c

fm
f
c
+fm
f
c
-fm f
c

AM bandwidth=2fm
22
AM Power
z The power of AM signal is split between
carrier and message
( ) | | ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
message
m c
c
m c
c
carrier
c c
c m c c c
c m c
t f f
mV
t f f
mV
t f V
t f t f mV t f V
t f t f m V
+ + =
+
= +
cos
2
cos
2
2
sin
2 sin 2 sin 2 sin
2 sin 2 sin 1
t
t t t
t t
23
Components of AM Power
z Carrier power=
z Upper sideband power=
z Lower sideband=

Total sideband power=
R
V
c
2
2
2 2
8
1
c
V m
2 2
8
1
c
V m
|
|
.
|

\
|
R
Vc m
4
2 2
24
Total AM Power
z Total AM power is the sum of carrier and
message power
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
(

+ = + =
2
1
2 2
1
2
2 2
m
Pc P
R
V m
P P P
T
c
sideband carrier T
25
Distribution of AM Power
z How much of the total power goes into
carrier and how much into message?


z Even under full modulation, only a third of
the transmitted power goes into the
message component

=
=
=
+
=
1 ,
3
1
0 , 0
2
2
2
m
m
m
m
P
P
total
sideband
26
Example of Power Allocation
z FCC power rating is based on average
carrier power. If a transmitted is rated at
5KW and is connected to a 50 ohm load,
find the total power and how it is split
between carrier and message
27
Answers...
z Carrier peak amplitude is given by


z Peak sideband(message) power is
volts 707 5000 50
2
1
2
= =
|
.
|

\
|
=
c c c
V V P
( )( ) W V m P
c s
2500 707 1
4
1
4
1
2
2 2
=
|
.
|

\
|
=
28
AM Power Efficiency
z Here is AM power distribution
y Carrier power=5000W
y Sideband power=2500W
y Total power=7500
y Efficiency=(sideband power)/total power=
(2500)/(7500)=1/3.
z Out of 3 watts of transmitted power, only 1
watt is going into the message

29
Examples:
z What is the total power when the carrier is
700W and modulation index is 0.5
z A transmitter radiates modulated signal power
measured at 1500W, while the unmodulated
value is 1000W.what is the modulation index?
What is the unmodulated value if the modulation
index is 0.85
z A 1250W carrier is modulated with a resulting
modulation index of 0.65. what is the sideband
power?
30
AM Current
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2 2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2 2
m
Ic
I
m
R Ic
R It
m
Pc
P
m
Pc P
R
V m
P P P
T
T
T
c
sideband carrier T
+ =
+ =
+ =
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
(

+ = + =
31
Examples:
z When a broadcast AM transmitter is 50%
modulated, the antenna current is 12A. What
will the current be when the modulation depth is
increased to 0.8?
z The antenna current of an AM broadcast
transmitter, modulated to a depth of 40% by an
audio signal is 15A. It increases to 20A as a
result of modulation with another audio signal.
What is the modulation index resulting from the
second signal?
32
AMPLITUDE MODULATION WITH
MULTIPLE SIGNALS
P
t
= P
c
(1 + m
t
2
/2)
where
m
t
= total modulation index



m
1
, m
2
, m
3
= modulation index of signal
having index 1,2,3 respectively

2 2 2
1 2 3
......
t
m m m m = + + +
33
Exercises
z A 100KHz carrier is simultaneously modulated with
300Hz, 800Hz, and 2KHz audio sine waves. What will
be the frequencies present at the output?
z A broadcast AM transmitter radiates 50KW of carrier
power. What will be the radiated power at 85%
modulation?
z When the modulation percentage is 75,an AM
transmitter produces 10KW. How much of this is carrier
power?
z A 360W carrier is simultaneously modulated by two
audio waves with modulation %s of 65 & 55,
respectively. What is the total sideband power radiated?

34
AM Signal Generation
z Switching modulator
vm
~
R
vc=V
c
sin
c
t
V2(t)=AM V1(t)
( )
( )
( ) ( )
( )

<
>
=
+ =
0 , 0
0 ,
2 sin 2 sin
1
2
1
t v
t v t v
t v
t f V t f V t v
c
c
c c
m
c
t t
35
How signal is modulated?


To produce a usable AM signal,
the carrier and intelligence must
be combine through a nonlinear
device

36
Nonlinear mixing
carrier AM WAVE
d
a
t
a
Nonlinear device
37
38
How to generate AM using tune
circuit ?
z It is necessary to apply the series of
current pulses to a tuned (resonant )
circuit
z Each pulse would initiate a damped
oscillation in the tuned circuit
z Initial amplitude is equal to the applied
current pulse


39
Flywheel Effect
The ability of a resonant circuit to
maintain oscillation at an essentially
constant frequency when fed with
short pulses of energy

40
41
Simple AM transmitter block
diagram
42
COMPONENTS OF AN AM
TRANSMITTER

z PREAMPLIFIER- a sensitive, class A, linear voltage
amplifier with high input impedance which raises
the amplitude of the source signal to a usable
level with minimum nonlinear distortion & little
thermal noise as possible
z RF CARRIER OSCILLATOR-commonly uses crystal-
controlled units to generate the carrier signal for
accuracy & stability
z BUFFER AMPLIFIER- a low-gain, high-input-
impedance linear amplifier which isolates the
oscillator from the high-power amplifiers
43
z MODULATOR- the circuit which
translates the information signal
to frequencies appropriate for
transmission
-nonlinear devices that
combine 2 input signals to
produce a modulated output
44
AM RECEIVER
To build up a receiver, one would
probably go through the
following processes
1. The signal form the antenna is
usually very small therefore,
amplification is necessary.

45
2. This amplifier should be tuned
to accept only the desired carrier
and sideband frequencies to avoid
interference from other stations
and to minimize the receive noise

46
3. A circuit to detect the intelligence
from the radio frequency is
required
47
4. Further amplification is
necessary to give it sufficient
power to drive a loudspeaker
48
Two major characteristics of any
receiver
1.sensitivity- ability to drive the output
transducer to an acceptable level
2.selectivity- ability to differentiate
between the desired signal and
unwanted signal

49
CONVENTIONAL AM RECEIVERS
TUNED RADIO-FREQUENCY (TRF)
RECEIVER

50
ADVANTAGE OF TRF RECEIVER
Simple in construction with a
relatively high sensitivity

51
DISADVANTAGES OF TRF
RECEIVER
1. inconsistent bandwidth when tuned over
a wide range of input frequencies
2. instability of the receiver due to the
large number of RF amplifiers tuned to
the same center frequency
3. non uniform gain over a wide frequency
range
4. insufficient adjacent-frequency rejection

52
Forms of Amplitude Modulation
1. A3E ( previously A3) DSBFC
2. R3E (previously A3A) Single sideband
Reduced carrier
3. H3E (previously A3H) Single sideband , full
carrier
4. J3E (previously A3J)Single sideband,
suppressed carrier
5. B8E (previously A3B) two independent SB
6. C3F (previously A5C) Vestigial sideband
7. Lincompex Linked compressor and
expander

53
Double Sideband
z Baseband


z AM
fm
upper sideband
lower sideband
f
c

fm
f
c
+fm
f
c
-fm f
c

AM bandwidth=2fm
carrier
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
AM
BASEBAND
54
DSB-SC Spectrum
z Spectrum is identical to before except for
the removal of the carrier(two impulses)
upper sideband
lower sideband
f
c

f
c
+fm
f
c
-fm f
c

55
Single sideband technique
(SSB)
A technique in which the carrier is
eliminated or highly suppressed, and one
of the two sidebands must be filtered out.

56
Single Sideband(SSB)
z The two sidebands are identical. Only one
is sufficient to carry all the message
information. Block either the upper or
lower sideband
Bandwidth=2fm Bandwidth=fm
57
SSB Generation
z One way to generate an SSB signal is
through selective filtering
DSB-AM
f
Ideal highpass filter
Leaks some of the lower sideband
58
Issues in Sideband
Suppresion
z Consider a tone modulated signal with
carrier frequency of 10MHz, and message
frequency of 30Hz. Want to make a SSB
signal out of it
60Hz
10MHz
carrier
10,000,030 Hz
59
Required Qs
z We are trying to separate a frequency of
10.000030 MHz from 9.999970 MHz at 10
MHz.
z The required Q is
Q=10MHz/60Hz=166,667. Too high
z Solution: Translate the signal down to
100KHz. There, Q=100KHz/60Hz=1666.
Achievable
60
SSB transmitter
z Take a 60Hz tone message.
Audio amp
Balanced
modulator
Highpass
filter
Balanced
modulator
Power amp
Conversion
oscillator
RF carrier
100 KHz 10 MHz
60Hz
99,940 Hz
100,060 Hz
9,899,940 Hz
10,100,060 Hz
100,060 Hz
200.120K
Passes the higher
term
61
Power Distribution in SSB
z If an SSB transmitter with total power of
10KW were to be replaced by a standard
AM signal with the same total power,
compare their respective carrier and
sideband powers
W P
P
P
letm
P m P m
P P
c
c
c
sidebands
c c
c T
67 . 6666
2
000 , 10
1
000 , 10
4 4
2 2
= + =
=
= + + =
62
Sideband Powers
z Subtracting carrier power from total power
leaves us with the sideband power

z The power in one sideband is half at
1,666.67W
P
sb
= P
T
P
c
=10, 000 6, 666.67 = 3, 333.33W
63
Comparisons
z A 10 KW AM transmitter ends up with
1,666 watts in each sideband
z A 10 KW SSB transmitter ends up with 10
KW per sideband. There is nowhere else
for the power to go
64
Commercial AM
z Here are some numbers
y Carrier frequencies: 540-1600 KHz
y Carrier spacing:10 KHz
y IF frequency:455 KHz
y IF bandwidth:6-10 KHz
y Audio bandwidth: 3-5KHz
65
SUPERHETERODYNE RECEIVER
A type of receiver which mixes 2
signals in a nonlinear device &
translates the desired signal to an
intermediate frequency before
extracting the original information

66
67
COMPONENT SECTIONS OF AN
AM SUPERHETERODYNE
RECEIVER
1. RF Section
2. Local Oscillator
3. Mixer / Converter
4. IF Section
5. Detector
6. Audio Amp
7. Speaker
8. AGC
68
1. RF SECTION
a wideband RF amplifier which is the first
stage of the receiver. Often called the
receiver front end; it is mechanically tied
to the local oscillator to ensure precise
tuning characteristics. It performs the
detection, bandlimiting, & amplification of
the received RF signals.
69
2. LOCAL OSCILLATOR
a variable oscillator which provides a
signal at a certain frequency which, when
combined with the received RF signal at
the mixer stage, produces a group of
frequencies which includes the
intermediate frequency

70
LOCAL OSCILLATOR
1. High-side injection tuning the local
oscillator frequency above the RF signal
by an amount equal to the intermediate
frequency
2. Low-side injection tuning the local
oscillator frequency below the RF signal
by an amount equal to the intermediate
frequency
71
3. MIXER/CONVERTER SECTION
a class C nonlinear device which comes
after the RF stage. It processes the
received RF signals, producing the sum,
difference, and original RF frequencies.
The difference frequency is equal to the
intermediate frequency & will serve as the
input to the succeeding stage
72
4. IF SECTION
a very narrow bandwidth class A device
which receives the down-converted RF
signal & filters the unwanted frequency
components to prevent them from being
demodulated with the original information
signal; this section produces an amplified
signal at the output & determines the
sensitivity & selectivity of the receiver
73
5. AM detection
Diode detector
one of the simplest and most
effective types of detectors, and one
with nearly an ideal nonlinear
resistance characteristics
74
z Important motivation for
using AM is the
possibility to use the
envelope detector that
y has a simple structure
(also cheap)
y needs no synchronization
(e.g. no auxiliary,
unmodulated
carrier input in receiver)
y no threshold effect (
SNR can be very small and
receiver still works)

75
8. AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL
a system in which the overall gain of a
radio receiver is varied automatically with
the changing strength of the received
signal to keep the output substantially
constant. It enables tuning to stations of
varying signal strengths without an
appreciable change in the volume of the
output signal, except when the change in
signal strength is enormous
76
fc=900KHz
fl.o.=1355KHz
fc=900KHz
Cross products & harmonics
IF=455KHz
77
Test Your Knowledge
1 A TRF receiver includes three stages: the
RF, ________, and audio amplifier.
a.IF b. detector
c.Trimmer d. mixer

78
2 The extent to which a receiver can
differentiate between the desired signal
and others is termed its ________.
a. Selectivity b. sensitivity
c. figure-of-merit d. gain

79
3 The main problem with the TRF design is
a. Lack of selectivity in receiving all AM
stations
b. Poor demodulation of an AM station
c. Frustration in tuning to receive more
than one station
d. Lack of sensitivity in receiving all AM
stations

80
4 The sensitivity of a receiver has to do with
its ability to
a. Withstand shock
b. Receive one station versus another
c. Receive weak stations
d. All the above
81
5 An AM signal having a carrier frequency of
940 kHz is to be mixed with a local
oscillator output signal in order to produce
an intermediate frequency of 455 kHz. At
what should the L.O. frequency be set?
a. 455 kHz b. 1395 kHz
c. 910 kHz d. 1850 kHz



82
6 A 7.0-Mhz carrier is modulated by a voice signal
that has three frequency components of 100 Hz,
200 Hz, and 300 Hz. What three frequencies
comprise the lower sideband?
a. 6.9997 Mhz, 6.9998 Mhz, and 6.9999 Mhz
b. 100 Hz, 200 Hz, and 300 Hz
c. 6.9999 Mhz, 7.0000 Mhz, and 7.0001 Mhz
d. 7.0001 Mhz, 7.0002 Mhz, and 7.0003 Mhz
83
7 The total output power of an AM
transmitter is measured to be 850 W.
What is the total output sideband power if
it has a percent modulation of 100%?
a. 425 W b. 850 W
c. 283.3 W d. 141.65 W


84
8 An AM waveform at maximum is 100 V p-
p and at minimum is 40 V p-p. The
modulation percentage is
a. 250% b. 40%
c. 25% d. 37.5%

85
9 A transmitter having a 900-W carrier
transmits 1188 W when modulated with a
single sinewave. If the carrier is
simultaneously modulated with another
sinewave at 60% modulation, calculate
the total transmitted power.
a. 1084 W b. 1170 W
c. 1350 W d. 1224 W
86

10 A carrier signal has _____.

A. constant peak amplitude
B. the information
C. frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz
D. a varying amplitude