9.3. ELEMENTS OF A COMMUNICATIONSYSTEM DO YOUKNOW?

In the most fundamental sense, communication involves the Electric power is provided to
transmission ofinformationfrom one point to another through homes from a group of
a succession of process as listed ahead: interconnected regional plants.
(i) The generation of a thought pattern or image in the This means that the 50 Hz
mind of an originator. frequency of all the generators
must be synchronized. Your power
(ii) The description of that image, with a certain measure
of precision, by a set of oral visual symbols. may arrive at your home via a loop
(ii) The encoding of these symbols in a formn that is hundreds of miles long rather than
suitable for transmission over aphysical medium of by the shortest distance.
interest.
(iv) The transmission of the encoded symbols to the desired destination.
(v) The decoding and reproduction of the original symbols.
(vi) The recreation of the original thought pattern or image, with a definable
quality, in the mind of a recipient. degradation in
Hence, as discussed above, the purpose of a communication system is to
bearing signal, from a source, located at one point, to a user or transmit an information
some distance away. Figure 9.16 shows the block destination, located at another point
which the different functional elements are diagram of a general communication system* in
communication system are information source, represented by blocks. The essential components of a
input transducer, transmitter,
channel, receiver and destination. communication
Information Input Trans
Source Transducer mitter Channel Output
Receiver
transducer
Sound picture Information
speech data etc. in electrical form Information in
Noise the original form
Fig. 9.16. Block diagram of a
It is also known as
communication system
elements of a communication
System.
 Now we shall discusa the Fundamentais of
Communication Engineering 429

1. Information Source functioning of theseblocks.

We know that a
message or communication system
information serves to communicate a
message or information. ThiS
messages in the originates
torm ol words,
in the
information source. general, there can be various
In
these messages, only the desiredgroup of words, code, symbols, sound signal etc.
message is However, out of
the function ofselected and conveyed or communicated.
In short, we can say that
which has to be transmitted. information source is to produce required message
2. Input Transducer
A Transducer is a device which
from the information source may or converts one form of energy into another
may not be electrical in nature. In a case form. The message
produced by the information source is not electrical in nature, an input when the message
it into a time-varying electrical signal. For transducer is used to convert
example, in case of radio-broadcasting, a microphone
converts the information or message which is in the form of sound waves into
signal. corresponding electrical
3. Transmitter
The function of the transmitter is to process the electrical signal from different aspects. For
example in radio broadcasting the electrical signal obtained from sound signal, is processed to
restrict its range of audio frequencies (upto 5 kHz in amplitude modulation radio broadcast) and is
often amplified. In wire telephony, no real processing is needed. However, in long-distance radio
communication or broadcast, signal amplification is necessary before modulation. Modulation is
the main function of the transmitter. In modulation, the message signal is superimposed upon the
processings
high-frequency carrier signal. In short, we can say that inside the transmitter, signalachieved. All
and modulation are
such as restriction of range of audio frequencies, amplification transmission of the signal through
ease the
these processings of the message signal are done just to
the channel*.
4. The Channel and the Noise
the block diagram of a communication system in figure 9.16, the term channel
With reference to to the receiver. In
message travels from the transmitterconnection
1

medium through which the between

means the
that the function of the channel is to provide a physical
Other words,we can say
the transmitter and the receiver. channels.
channels, namely point-to-point channels and broadcast Wire-lines
There are two types ofchannels are wire lines, microwave links and optical fibres.
transmission. In
Uxamples of point-to-point they are used for local telephone
electromagmetic waves and an electromagnetic wave in free
Operate by guided signal is radiated as
optical fiber isa low
links, the transmitted telephone transmission. An
vase of microwave long-distance communications.
Microwave links are used in Optical fibres are used in optical the
SPace.
well-controlled. guided optical medium. all provide a physical medium forterm
OSs, channels operate differently, they channels, the
Therefore, for these
though these three from one point to another point.
usnlssion of signals stations
where several receiving
capability channel is a
point-to-point is used. broadcast channels provide a example of a broadcast During the
hand. the transmitter. An
On the othersimultaneously from a single third of the earth's
surface.
eu De reached which covers about one
noise introduced in the system.
orbit, due to always
satellite in geostationary reception the signal gets distortedrequired signal. Noise signal is
transmission and interfere withthe computer
essof signal which tend to and control. The
Noise an unwanted communications,
computers,
Electronics are
*The three major fieldscommunications is the second largest.
of
segment is the largest,
random in character. Noise may interfere with signal at any point in a communication system.
However, the noise has its greatest effect on the signal in the channel.
5. Receiver
REMEMBER
The main function of the receiver is to reproduce the
messagesignal in electrical form from the distorted received ISDN(Integrated Services Digital
signal.This reproduction of the original signal is accomplished Network) is a technology for
by a process known as the demodulation or detection. transmitting more information
Demodulation is the reverse process of modulation carried over ordinary telephone lines.
out in transmitter.
6. Destination
Destination is the final stage which is used to convert an electrical message signal into its
original form. For example in radio broadcasting, the destinat:ion is a loudspeaker which works as
a transducer i.e. it converts the electrical signal in the form of original sound signal.