CHAPTER 3

Amplitude
Modulation
3.1 INTRODUCTION TO MODULATION
❑The analog signal to be transmitted is denoted by m(t)
▪ m(t) assumed to be a lowpass signal of bandwidth W
▪ M(f) = 0, for |f| > W
▪ The power content of this signal is denoted by

1 T /2
Pm = lim 
2
m(t ) dt
T → T −T / 2

❑The message signal m(t) is transmitted through the

communication channel by impressing it on a carrier
signal of the form
c(t ) = Ac cos(2f c t + c )

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 INTRODUCTION TO MODULATION Cont…
Ac Carrier amplitude
fc Carrier frequency
c Carrier phase - The value of c depends on the choice of
the time origin
we assume that the time origin is chosen such that c = 0
❑ We say that the message signal m(t) modulates the carrier
signal c(t) in either amplitude, frequency, or phase if after
modulation, the amplitude, frequency, or phase of the
signal become functions of the message signal
❑ Modulation converts the message signal m(t) from
lowpass to bandpass, in the neighborhood of the carrier
frequency fc.
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 3.2 AMPLITUDE MODULATION (AM)
❑ In amplitude modulation, the message signal m(t) is
impressed on the amplitude of the carrier signal
c(t) = Accos(2fct)
▪ This results in a sinusoidal signal whose amplitude is a function
of the message signal m(t)
▪ There are different methods of amplitude modulating the carrier
signal by m(t). Each method results in different spectral
characteristics for the transmitted signal
▪ The different methods are
(a) Double sideband, suppressed-carrier AM (DSB-SC AM)
(b) Conventional double-sideband AM (DSB AM)
(c) Single-sideband AM (SSB AM)
(d) Vestigial-sideband AM (VSB AM)
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3.2.1 Double-Sideband Suppressed-Carrier AM
❑ A double-sideband, suppressed-carrier (DSB-SC) AM signal is
obtained by multiplying the message signal m(t) with the carrier
signal c(t) = Accos(2fct)

❑ DSB-SC Amplitude-modulated signal is

u (t ) = m(t )c(t ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f c t )

▪ An example of the message signal m(t), the carrier c(t), and the
modulated signal u (t) are shown in Figure 3.1
▪ This figure shows that a relatively slowly varying message signal m(t)
is changed into a rapidly varying modulated signal u(t), and due to its
rapid changes with time, it contains higher frequency components
▪ At the same time, the modulated signal retains the main characteristics
of the message signal; therefore, it can be used to retrieve the message
signal at the receiver
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Figure 3.1 An example of message, carrier, and DSB-SC
modulated signals

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 DSB-SC AM Waveform

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 Phase reversal at zero crossing

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 Phase reversal at zero crossing

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Spectrum of DSB-SC AM Signal
❑ DSB-SC Amplitude-modulated signal is

u (t ) = m(t )c(t ) = Ac m(t ) cos(2 f c t )

❑ Spectrum of u(t) is it’s Fourier Transform
U(f) =FT{u(t)}= FT{m(t) Ac cos (2πfct)}
= FT{m(t)} * FT{Ac cos (2πfct)}
=M(f) * 0.5 Ac [ δ( f - fc ) + δ( f + fc ) ]
U(f) = 0.5 Ac [ M ( f - fc ) + M( f + fc ) ]
Where M ( f ) is spectrum of m(t) and * is convolution integral
❑ Spectrum of the modulated signal u(t) is
Ac
U ( f ) = [ M ( f − f c ) + M ( f + f c )]
2
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Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal Cont….

Figure 3.2 Magnitude and phase spectra of the message signal m(t) and
the DSB-AM modulated signal u(t)
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 Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal Cont….

❑ Figure 3.2 illustrates the magnitude and phase spectra for M ( f)

and U ( f )
❑ The magnitude of the spectrum of the message signal m(t) has been
translated or shifted in frequency by an amount fc
❑ The bandwidth occupancy, of the amplitude-modulated signal is
2W, whereas the bandwidth of the message signal m(t) is W
❑ The channel bandwidth required to transmit the modulated signal
u(t) is Bc = 2W
❑ The frequency content of the modulated signal u(t) in the
frequency band | f | > fc is called the upper sideband of U(f)
❑ The frequency content in the frequency band | f | < fc is called the
lower sideband of U(f)

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 Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal Cont….

❑ It is important to note that either one of the sidebands of U(f)

contains all the frequencies that are in M ( f )
▪ The frequency content of U( f ) for f > fc corresponds to the frequency
content of M ( f ) for f > 0
▪ The frequency content of U(f) for f < - fc corresponds to the frequency
content of M ( f ) for f < 0
▪ Hence, the upper sideband of U ( f ) contains all the frequencies in
M ( f ) . A similar statement applies to the lower sideband of U ( f )

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 Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal Cont….

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 Spectrum of the DSB-SC AM Signal Cont….

❑The other characteristic of the modulated signal u(t) is

that it does not contain a carrier component
▪ As long as m(t) does not have any DC component, there is no
impulse in U (f) at f = fc
▪ That is, all the transmitted power is contained in the modulating
(message) signal m(t)
❖For this reason, u(t) is called a suppressed-carrier signal
❖Therefore, u(t) is a DSB-SC AM signal.

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 Power Content of DSB-SC Signals
❑The power content of the DSB-SC signal
1 T /2 2
Pu = lim  u (t ) dt
T → T −T / 2

1 T /2 2 2
= lim  Ac m (t ) cos 2 ( 2 f c t ) dt
T →  T −T / 2

Ac2
m (t ) 1 + cos(4 f c t )dt
1 T /2 2
= lim 
2 T → T −T / 2

Ac2
 Pm
2
▪ Pm indicates the power in the message signal m(t) given by

1 T /2
Pm = lim
T → T 
−T / 2
m 2 (t ) dt

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 Power Content of DSB-SC Signals Cont….
▪ The last step follows from the fact that
m2(t) is a slowly varying signal and when
multiplied by cos(4fct), which is a high
frequency sinusoid, the result is a high-
frequency sinusoid with a slowly varying
envelope, as shown in Figure 3.5
▪ Since the envelope is slowly varying, the Figure 3.5 Plot of m2(t)cos(4fct).
positive and the negative halves of each
cycle have almost the same amplitude
(Figure 3.6)
▪ Hence, when they are integrated, they
cancel each other
▪ Thus, the overall integral of
m2(t)cos(4fct) is almost zero

Figure 3.6 This figure shows why the

second term in Power Equation is zero.

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Example 3.2.1: Suppose that the modulating signal m (t) is a
sinusoid of the form m(t) = a cos 2πfmt fm << fc.
(a) Determine the DSB-SC AM signal and its upper and lower
sidebands.
(b) determine the power in the modulated signal and the power in
each of the sidebands.
Solution The DSB-SC AM is expressed in the time domain as

Taking the Fourier transform on both sides

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Figure 3.3 The (magnitude) spectrum of a DSB-SC AM signal for (a) a sinusoidal
message signal and (b) its lower and (c) upper sidebands.

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The lower sideband of u (t) is the signal

Finally, the upper sideband of u (t) is the signal

(b) The message signal m(t) = a cos 2πfmt and power in m(t) is
and

Because of the symmetry of the sidebands, the powers in the upper

and lower sidebands, Pus and P1s, are equal and given by
Pus=Pls=Pu/2 or

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Example 3.2.2: Let the message signal be m(t) = sinc(104t). Determine the DSB-
SC-modulated signal and its bandwidth when the carrier is a sinusoid with a
frequency of 1 MHz.
Solution: The carrier is c(t) =cos(2π106t) and m(t) = sinc(104t).
DSB-SC AM signal is u(t)= c(t) m(t) = cos(2π106t) sinc(104t).
To obtain the bandwidth of the modulated signal, we first need to have the
bandwidth of the message signal.
a f
We know that a sin c (2 W t ) ⎯→
⎯
FT

2W
 2W
--------(1)

Hence M (f) = FT{sinc(104t)} = 10-4 IT ( 10-4 f) ---------(2)

|M(f)|
Comparing equation 1 and 2 we have
2W=10000 and hence band width of the message is
W =5000 Hz
Band width of the modulated signal u(t) is -5000 5000

Bu=2W =10000 Hz
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