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Amplitude Modulation

Amplitude modulation varies the amplitude of a carrier wave using an audio signal. This creates sidebands above and below the carrier frequency that contain the audio information. AM can be demodulated using a simple diode detector circuit to extract the audio signal from the modulated carrier. While AM is simple to implement, it is not power or bandwidth efficient and is susceptible to noise, though it remains widely used due to its low cost.

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66 views

Amplitude Modulation

Amplitude modulation varies the amplitude of a carrier wave using an audio signal. This creates sidebands above and below the carrier frequency that contain the audio information. AM can be demodulated using a simple diode detector circuit to extract the audio signal from the modulated carrier. While AM is simple to implement, it is not power or bandwidth efficient and is susceptible to noise, though it remains widely used due to its low cost.

Uploaded by

idatscribd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AMPLITUDE MODULATION

Amplitude modulation of a sine or cosine carrier results in a variation of the carrier amplitude
that is proportional to the amplitude of the modulating signal.

(a) Carrier wave. (b) Sinusoidal modulating signal. (c) Amplitude-modulated


signal

Frequency Representation of AM Wave

Modulation is achieved by multiplying the carrier and the modulator. This gives you a
frequency spectrum composed of the carrier frequency (fc) and two sidebands: the carrier minus the
modulator (fm), and the carrier plus the modulator. Each sideband contains the information for both
frequencies, so either one can be selected using a bandpass filter, and then "demodulated" - the high
frequency carrier is filtered out, leaving the modulator.

In the time domain (amplitude versus time), the amplitude modulation of one sinusoidal carrier
by another sinusoid resembles Figure (a). The mathematical expression for this complex wave shows
that it is the sum of three sinusoids of different frequencies.
(a) Time domain display of an amplitude– modulated carrier.

(b) Frequency domain (spectrum analyzer) display of an amplitude- modulated carrier.

One of these sinusoids has the same frequency and amplitude as the unmodulated carrier. The
second sinusoid is at a frequency equal to the sum of the carrier frequency and the modulation
frequency; this component is the upper sideband. The third sinusoid is at a frequency equal to the
carrier frequency minus the modulation frequency; this component is the lower sideband. The two
sideband components have equal amplitudes, which are proportional to the amplitude of the modulating
signal. Figure (b) shows the carrier and sideband components of the amplitude- modulated wave of
Figure (a) as they appear in the frequency domain (amplitude versus frequency).

The carrier signal is represented by vc(t) = Vc sin(wct)

The modulating signal is represented by vm(t) = Vm sin(wmt)


Modulation index, m = Vm/Vc

Amplitude of the amplitude modulated voltage A = Vc+vm

= Vc + Vm sin(wmt)

= Vc + mVc sin(wmt)

= Vc (1+ m sin(wmt))

AM Concepts

The instantaneous voltage of the AM wave is

v = A sinθ

= A sin wct

= Vc[1 + m sin(wmt)] sin(wct)

=Vc sin(wct) + Vc m/2 (cos((wc-wm)t)) + Vc m/2 (cos((wc+wm)t))


Representation of AM Wave

A measure of the amount of modulation is m, the degree of modulation. This is usually


expressed as a percentage called the percent modulation. In the time domain, the degree of modulation
for sinusoidal modulation is calculated as follows, using variables shown in Figure

Calculation of degree of amplitude modulation from time domain display

Since the modulation is symmetrical,

and

From this it is easy to show that

for sinusoidal modulation.


When the carrier and the modulator are multiplied together, the output is is a waveform where
the carrier wave is multiplied by the modulation index, m. The relative amplitudes of the modulating
signal and the carrier signal determine what the modulation index will be.

Power relations in the AM Wave

The modulated wave contains more power than the carrier had before modulation took place.
Since the amplitude of the sideband depends on the modulation index m, it is anticipated that the total
power in the modulated wave depend on the modulation index also.

The total power in the modulated wave will be

Pt = V2carr/R + V2LSB/R + V2USB/R (rms)


The unmodulated carrier power is given by
Pc = V2carr/R = (Vc/√2)2 / R
PLSB = PUSB = V2SB/R = ((m Vc/2)/√2)2 / R = m2 Pc/4
Pt/Pc = 1+ m2/2
Amplitude demodulation

Amplitude modulation, AM, is one of the most straightforward ways of modulating a radio
signal or carrier. The process of demodulation, where the audio signal is removed from the radio carrier
in the receiver is also quite simple as well. The easiest method of achieving amplitude demodulation is
to use a simple diode detector. This consists of just a handful of components:- a diode, resistor and a
capacitor.

AM Diode Detector

In this circuit, the diode rectifies the signal, allowing only half of the alternating waveform
through. The capacitor is used to store the charge and provide a smoothed output from the detector, and
also to remove any unwanted radio frequency components. The resistor is used to enable the capacitor
to discharge. If it were not there and no other load was present, then the charge on the capacitor would
not leak away, and the circuit would reach a peak and remain there.

Advantages of Amplitude Modulation, AM

There are several advantages of amplitude modulation, and some of these reasons have meant
that it is still in widespread use today:

• It is simple to implement

• it can be demodulated using a circuit consisting of very few components

• AM receivers are very cheap as no specialized components are needed.


Disadvantages of amplitude modulation

Amplitude modulation is a very basic form of modulation, and although its simplicity is one of
its major advantages, other more sophisticated systems provide a number of advantages. Accordingly it
is worth looking at some of the disadvantages of amplitude modulation.

• It is not efficient in terms of its power usage

• It is not efficient in terms of its use of bandwidth, requiring a bandwidth equal to twice that of
the highest audio frequency

• It is prone to high levels of noise because most noise is amplitude based and obviously AM
detectors are sensitive to it.

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