DENT 3563

Telecommunication
Engineering

Chapter 1
Basic Principles of Communication System
(Part 1)
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Objective

Students should be able to:

 Explain communication model & transmission modes

 Explain the parameters with regards to
communication system
 Explain modulation and noise
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Chapter Outline

1. Introduction
2. Transmission Modes
3. Power Measurement
4. Modulation Techniques
5. Electromagnetic Frequency Spectrum
6. Bandwidth and Information Capacity
7. Noise Analysis
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Introduction
Basic Communication Model

Message Output
signal Communication Signal
Transmitter Channel Receiver

Noise and Flow of information between

interference transmitter and receiver
through a transmission
path/medium
 Detailed
5

Communication Model
Source
Sender Modulator Transmitter
input

CHANNEL/ Noise & interference +

TRANSMISSION MEDIUM
physical connection between
communicating parties

Reconstructed
Output Recipient Demodulator Receiver
Signal
 Detailed
6

Communication Model
Transform source signal to
suitable form for transmission

Source
Sender Modulator Transmitter
input

CHANNEL/ Noise & interference +

TRANSMISSION MEDIUM

Reconstructed
Output Recipient Demodulator Receiver
Signal
 Detailed
7

Communication Model
Introduce modulated signal
into channel

Source
Sender Modulator Transmitter
input

CHANNEL/ Noise & interference +

TRANSMISSION MEDIUM

Reconstructed
Output Recipient Demodulator Receiver
Signal
 Detailed
8

Communication Model
Source
Sender Modulator Transmitter
input

CHANNEL/ Noise & interference +

TRANSMISSION MEDIUM

Reconstructed
Output Recipient Demodulator Receiver
Signal
Detects the transmitted signal on
the channel and amplify the signal
 Detailed
9

Communication Model
Source
Sender Modulator Transmitter
input

CHANNEL/ Noise & interference +

TRANSMISSION MEDIUM

Reconstructed
Output Recipient Demodulator Receiver
Signal
Remove carrier signal & get back
the original signal
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Transmission Modes
Types of transmission
modes

Simplex System Half-Duplex System Full-Duplex System

• One direction • Both direction but one • Information carried
• Example: Radio & way at a time both ways at the
TV broadcasting • Example : Walkie-talkie, same time
Intercom • Information travel
independently
• Example : Telephone,
computer
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Transmission Modes

Half–Duplex Full–Duplex
Limited bandwidth, no. of wires Requires twice of half–duplex
or signal channels system usage

Users share the same

 Differences channels
between Half-DuplexUsers don’t have to take turns
and Full-Duplex
but at different time.

Not quite efficient Convenient and more efficient

as a communication system.
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Power Measurements

• Communication signals magnitude span a very wide

range
• Current, voltage or power
• Highest to lowest ratios
• Signals at receiving antenna may only be at few
nanowatt (nw), amplified through stages to tens of
watts
• Microphones produce signals of only few microvolts
(µV), but overall system output of several volts
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Power Measurements

• Possible to use values when measuring signals (various

points of communication system).
• But the drawbacks are:
• Drawing graphs require extremely long scale and difficult to read
• Too large or too small numbers (analyzing or calculating)
• Accidental zero or decimal points dropped at wrong positions
(causing errors)
• Hard to compare signals

• How to overcome this problem ?

• Use logarithmic scale, decibel (dB)
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Power Measurements

Decibel (dB)
• Originally defined as power ratio
• Voltage and current ratios can also be expressed in dB

“Decibel or dB is a transmission–measuring unit used to

express relative gains or losses of electronic devices and
circuits and for describing relationship between signals
and noise. Decibels compare one signal level to
another”
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Power Measurements

• The equation defining dB scale for power:

dB = 10 log (P1/P2) Eq. (1.1)

P1 = power level 1 (watts)

same units!
P2 = power level 2 (watts)

• When used in electronic circuit to measure power gain or loss, Eq.

(1.1) becomes:
Ap(dB) = 10 log (Pout/Pin) Eq. (1.2)

Ap(dB) = power gain (dB)

Pout = output power levels (watts)
Pin = input power levels (watts)
(Pout/Pin) = absolute power ratio(unitless)
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Power Measurements
Decibel
(dB)

Positive Negative Pout = Pin

(+’ve) (-’ve)

• Output power is • Output power is less • Absolute power

larger than input than input power gain is 1(0dB)
power • Power loss or • Unity power gain
• Power gain or attenuation
amplification
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Power Measurements

P = V2/R Joule’s first law

• The voltage gain in mathematical expression by substituting into

Eq. (1.2)
dB = 10 log (Vout2/Vin2)
Av(dB) = 20 log (Vout/Vin) Eq. (1.3)
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Power Measurements
• Decibel permits an enormous range of power ratios without
using excessively large or extremely small numbers.
Absolute Ratio Log10 [ratio] 10 log10 [ratio]
1 0 0 dB
1.26 0.1 1 dB
2 0.301 3 dB
4 0.602 6 dB
8 0.903 9 dB
10 1 10 dB
100 2 20 dB
1000 3 30 dB
10,000 4 40 dB
100,000 5 50 dB
1,000,000 6 60 dB
10,000,000 7 70
100,000,000 8 80
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Power Measurements
• Decibel permits an enormous range of power ratios without
using excessively large or extremely small numbers.
Absolute Ratio Log10 [ratio] 10 log10 [ratio]
0.79 -0.1 -1 dB
0.5 -0.301 -3 dB
0.1 -1 -10 dB
0.01 -2 -20 dB
0.001 -3 -30 dB
0.0001 -4 -40 dB
0.00001 -5 -50 dB
0.000001 -6 -60 dB
0.0000001 -7 -70 dB
0.00000001 -8 -80 dB
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Power Measurements
• A dBm (decibel relative to 1mW) is a unit of measurement used to
indicate the ratio of power level with respect to fixed reference
level.
• With dBm, the reference level is 1mW.
• The dBm expressed as :

dBm = 10 log (P/0.001 W) Eq. (1.4)

0.001 = reference power of 1mW

P = any power in watts
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Power Measurements

Example 1.1
a) Convert the absolute power ratio of 500 to a power gain in dB

b) Convert a power gain Ap = 45 dB to an absolute power ratio.

c) Convert a power level of 30 dBm to an absolute power.

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Power Measurements
Example 1.2
A four stage system comprised of two amplifiers and two filter. The
input power is 0.5 mW. The absolute power gains are Ap1 = 80, Ap2 =
20, Ap3 = 0.4 and Ap4 = 0.8. Determine the :
a) Input power in dBm

b) Output power in watts and dBm

c) Gain of each of the four stages

d) Overall gain in dB
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Modulation Techniques

• Information signals conveyed between Tx and Rx via medium

• But original signal not in suitable form for transmission
• Signal must be converted to appropriate form for transmission
• Impress original signal onto carrier signal (modulation)
• Received signal transformed back to original (demodulation)

Modulator Modulated
Signal
Low Frequency

High Frequency
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Modulation
• Modulation separate various signal

• Reduce interference

• General expression for time–varying sine wave voltage (high–

frequency carrier signal):

AM FM PM
v(t )  V sin( 2ft   ) v(t)
V
=
=
time–varying sine wave of voltage
peak amplitude (volts)
f = frequency (Hertz)
ASK FSK PSK θ = phase shift (radians)

QAM
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Modulation
• Signal representations:

Modulating signal Vm sin 2f mt 

Carrier signal Vc sin 2f ct 

Modulated wave Vam t 

• Output wave amplitude varies accordance to modulating signal

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Modulation Technique
Analogue information signal

• If carrier signal:
• amplitude varied -> amplitude modulation (AM)

• frequency varied -> frequency modulation (FM)

• phase varied -> phase modulation (PM)

Digital information signal

• If carrier signal:
• amplitude varied -> amplitude shift keying (ASK)

• frequency varied -> frequency shift keying (FSK)

• Phase varied -> phase shift keying (PSK)

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Modulation Technique
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Modulation Technique

• The carrier signal is modulated so that

its amplitude varies with the
changing amplitudes of the
modulating signal.
• The frequency and phase of the
carrier remain the same; only the
amplitude changes to follow
variations in the information
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Modulation Technique

• Frequency of the carrier signal is

modulated to follow the changing
voltage level (amplitude) of the
modulating signal.
• The peak amplitude and phase of the
carrier signal remain constant, but as the
amplitude of the information signal
changes, the frequency of the carrier
changes correspondingly
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Modulation Technique

• Phase of the carrier signal is modulated

to follow the changing voltage level
(amplitude) of the modulating signal.
• The peak amplitude and frequency of
the carrier signal remain constant, but as
the amplitude of the information signal
changes, the phase of the carrier
changes correspondingly
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Modulation Technique
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Modulation Technique

• The amplitude of the carrier signal is

varied to create signal elements.
• Both frequency and phase remain
constant while the amplitude
changes.
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Modulation Technique

• The frequency of the carrier signal is

varied to represent data.
• The frequency of the modulated
signal is constant for the duration of
one signal element, but changes for
the next signal element if the data
element changes
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Modulation Technique

• The phase of the carrier is varied to

represent two or more different signal
elements.
• Both peak amplitude and frequency
remain constant as the phase
changes
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Why need modulation?

There are two reasons why modulation is necessary in

electronic communications:

1. Extremely difficult to radiate low-frequency signals

from antenna in the form of electromagnetic energy

2. Information signals often occupy the same frequency

band
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Electromagnetic
Frequency Spectrum
• Communication between locations can be realized by :
• Converting information signal to electromagnetic energy

Distributed throughout almost

infinite frequency ranges

• Receiving station convert back to original form

• The useful electromagnetic frequency spectrum extends
from approximately 10kHz to several billions of Hertz.
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Electromagnetic
Frequency Spectrum
• The spectrum is
divided into
subsections/bands

• Each band have

different name
and boundary

• Radio frequency
(RF) spectrum
divided into
narrower bands
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Electromagnetic
Frequency Spectrum
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Electromagnetic
Frequency Spectrum
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Electromagnetic
Frequency Spectrum
ITU Band Designations
Band
Frequency Range Designations Applications
Number
2 30 Hz ~ 300 Hz ELF AC Power distribution, telemetry
3 0.3kHz ~ 3kHz VF Telephone
4 3 kHz ~ 30 kHz VLF Navigation, submarine comm.
5 30 kHz ~ 300 kHz LF Marine, aeronautical navigation
6 0.3 MHz ~ 3 MHz MF AM radio broadcasting
7 3 MHz ~ 30 MHz HF 2 – way radio, amateur radio, CB
8 30 MHz ~ 300 MHz VHF Mobile radio, TV/FM broadcasting
9 300 MHz ~ 3 GHz UHF TV, mobile phone, navigation system
10 3 GHz ~ 30 GHz SHF Microwave, satellite radio system

11 30 GHz ~ 300 GHz EHF Specialized applications (& expensive)

12 0.3 THz ~ 3 THz Infrared Light Astronomy, heat–seeking system

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Wavelength

• The length that one cycle of an electromagnetic wave

occupies in space
• Inversely proportional to the frequency of the wave and directly
proportional to the velocity of propagation

c
 Eq. (1.5)

f
λ = wavelength (m/cycle)
c = velocity of light (3 X 108 m/s)
f = frequency (Hz)
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Wavelength

Example 1.3
Determine the wavelength in meters for the following frequencies:

a) 5kHz

b) 120kHz

c) 8MHz