Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai

Dubai Men’s Campus

ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

A. Objective:
The objectives of this exercise are:
 To examine a message signal, a carrier signal and an AM modulated waveform in time domain.
 To measure the modulation index of an AM signal.
 To examine a message signal, a carrier signal and an AM modulated waveform in frequency domain.

B. Introduction:

1. Modulation
To communicate over long distance, we can send a radio frequency (RF) signal between two antennas, one at
the transmitting end and the other at the receiver. Frequencies used by AM transmissions are typically
between 200kHz and 25MHz. A typical radio frequency of say, 1MHz is much higher than the audio
frequencies present in the human voice.

We appear to have two incompatible requirements. A radio system uses frequencies like 1MHz to transmit
over long distance, but we wish to send typical voice frequencies of between 300Hz and 3.4kHz which are
quite impossible to transmit by radio signals. This problem can be overcome by using a process called
“modulation”.

A radio system can easily send high frequency signals between a transmitter and a receiver but this, on its
own, conveys no information. Now, if we were to alter the high frequency signals (in amplitude or frequency or
phase or any combination of them) in correspondence with the variation of the amplitude of the message
signal, we could use it to send information.

Modulation is a process where a “carrier wave” is systematically altered (in amplitude or frequency or phase or
any combination of them) in correspondence with the variation of a modulating signal, the message signal. The
resulting modulated signal will carry the message information in its amplitude or frequency or phase or any
combination of them.
2. Amplitude Modulation (AM)
In Amplitude Modulation, the carrier signal

Carrier

is modulated in amplitude by the message signal m(t) to

produce the modulated AM waveform:

Figure 1: Amplitude Modulation (AM) principle

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

3. Depth of modulation
Let us consider the following signals:

Carrier: Sc ( t )= A c cos ⁡(ω c t )

Modulating signal: m ( t )=mcos ⁡(ω m t )

Modulated signal: S AM ( t )= A c [ 1+m cos ( ω m t ) ] cos ⁡(ω c t)

The amount by which the amplitude of the carrier wave increases or decreases depends on the amplitude of

the information signal and is called the modulation index.

A max − A c A max − A min A max − A min A−B

m= = = =
Ac 2 Ac A max + Amin A+ B
Percentage of modulation
i) Undermodulation, m < 1

Figure 2: m<1
Under this modulation condition, a simple noncoherent demodulation technique such as envelope detector
can be used to recover the original message signal without distortion.
ii) Overmodulation, m > 1
2.5

1.5

0.5

-0.5

-1

-1.5

-2

-2.5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Figure 1: m > 1

Under this modulation condition, noncoherent demodulation will not be able to recover the original
message signal without distortion.

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION
When the message signal is constantly changing, as in a voice or music signal, the frequency of the
modulating envelope and the percentage of modulation are constantly changing. This constant change
makes it practically impossible to determine the modulation index from the waveform displayed on an
oscilloscope.
A solution to the above problem is to set the oscilloscope display to X-Y mode. In this method, the X input
is Channel 1 (the message signal) and the Y input is Channel 2 (the modulated signal).

A B

Figure 2 : XY mode oscilloscope display

A−B
The modulation index is given by: m=
A+ B
d) Frequency spectrum

AM carrier upper
lower Ac
modulation sideband sideband
m2Ac
m1Ac m3Ac m2Ac/2 m2Ac/2
m3Ac/2 m1Ac/2 m1Ac/2 m3Ac/2
f
0 f1 f2 f3 fc-f2 fc fc+f2
fc-f3 fc-f1 fc+f1 fc+f3

Figure 3 : amplitude of spectral components of AM signal (1-sided plot)

The amplitude spectrum of the following signal m(t)

m ( t )=m1 cos ( ωm t ) + m2 cos ( ωm t ) + m3 cos ( ωm t )

1 2 3

and the corresponding AM signal are shown in Error: Reference source not found.

Note that each modulating frequency component produces its own upper and lower side frequencies
around the carrier frequency. All the upper side frequencies are grouped together and referred to as the
upper sideband (USB) and all the lower side frequencies form the lower sideband (LSB).

If the frequency range of the message signal is from 0 to f3, then, the bandwidth of the message signal,
BW m(t )=f 3. The corresponding AM modulated signal will occupy a frequency range from f c −f 3 to f c + f 3
and the bandwidth of the corresponding AM modulated signal is given by:
BW m(t )=(f ¿ ¿ c + f 3)−(f ¿ ¿ c −f 3 )=2 BW m(t ) ¿ ¿.
C. Equipment / Components / Resources :
i) Multisim

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION
D. Procedure:
D1. Message Signal, Carrier Signal, and AM Signal
i) Use Simulink to build a model for AM modulator base on the second equation below. The message
signal is a single tone with 500Hz frequency.

S AM ( t )= A c [ 1+m cos ( ω m t ) ] cos ( ωc t )

S AM ( t )= [ Ac + Am cos ( ω m t ) ] cos ⁡(ω c t)

ii) Choose the carrier frequency to be 10 KHz and the message frequency to be 0.5kHz. Choose the
amplitude of the carrier to be Ac=10V.
iii) Capture the AM modulated signal using an oscilloscope (Channel A).

iv) Connect the message signal to (Channel B) of the oscilloscope and use dual mode to visualize both
AM and message signals. Compare the envelope of the AM signal to the message signal.

The envelope of an AM wave is shaped similarly to the message of a baseband signal. Modulation is
an explanation. When the carrier, upper sideband, and lower sideband of an AM wave are merged in a
single impedance and examined on a time versus amplitude plot, the envelope is said to follow the
contour of the message signal.

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION
v) Vary Amplitude of the message to have different modulation indices. Display three types of waveforms:
under-modulation, 100% modulation, and over-modulation

D2. Modulation Index and Percentage of Modulation

i) While the AM signal is connected to channel A and the message signal is connected to channel B, use
thedual mode display as in the previous step.
ii) Measure the vertical height, A and B (in Volts) from the peaks and valleys respectively. Calculate the
modulation index and the percentage of modulation.

Fm= 1.101 khz with 453.840 mVolt

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

Fc= 1000 kHz with 1.991 Volt

Modulation index: (1.991-453.840x10^-3)/ (1.991+453.840x10^-3)=0.6287

62.87%

iii) Set the oscilloscope to XY mode (called A/B or B/A on Mutism oscilloscope)
Measure A and B, and calculate the modulation index. Compare your results to the one obtained in the
previous step.

Modulation index: (1.845-(349.916x10^-3))/ (1.845+(349.916x10^-3))=0.6811

68.11 %, the value varies a bit, but it is close

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

D3. Frequency Spectrum

i) Connect the AM signal to a spectrum Analyzer.
ii) Set the span to 2kHz, the central frequency to 10kHz (same as the carrier), the start frequency to 9kHz
and the end frequency to 11kHz.
iii) Capture the spectrum of the AM signal.
iv) Vary the amplitude of the massage and observe the variation on the spectrum.

The spectrum analyzer then displayed the following when I adjusted the FM frequency to 200 hz:

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION
E . Conclusion Questions:
1. Describe the characteristics of the message signal, the carrier signal and the AM modulated signal you
have used in the experiment. Hint: Take pictures of the signals you observe during the experiment to
illustrate your description.
Message signal has a low frequency signal and bandwidth, it is closer to the imaging axis in a spectrum, and it
can only travel short distances, whereas carry signal has a high frequency, is used for modulation, and
contains no information, and AM modulated signal can travel long distances and has a high frequency, and it
contains information in its side bands.

This picture depicts a carrier frequency and voltage that is significantly greater than the message frequency.

This picture depicts a message frequency and voltage that is significantly lower than the carrier frequency.

This demonstrates the description and properties of carrier and message signals.

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

2. Calculate the modulation index (step D2), the change the carrier signal parameter(s) to achieve 100% and
0%, modulation indexes.

Modulation index: (1.991-453.840x10^-3)/ (1.991+453.840x10^-3)=0.6287

62.87 %
To get 100% modulation we need
Amplitude of carrier and message to be the same (Ac=Am)
Amax=Ac+Am
Amin=Ac-Am
 Example: M=(Amax-Amin/Amax+Amin)
 Ac=Am, Amin=Ac-Am=0
 M=Amax/Amax
To get 0 percent modulation, 0% percent modulation mean that the carrier is not modulated, so in order to
achieve 0% modulation we need to remove any modulation.

3. Compare the amplitude spectra obtained from measurements with theoretical amplitude spectra. Comment
on the differences.

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

 Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai
Dubai Men’s Campus
ELE 3203– Communication Systems
Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION

4. Summarise your learning from section D.

How to compute the modulation index, as well as analyze and visualize the frequency spectrum amplitudes of the LSB,
USB, and carrier signal.

Lab 3: AMPLITUDE MODULATION