MADANAPALLE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

(UGC-Autonomous)
(Approved by AICTE &Affiliated to JNTUA, Anantapur)
ANGALLU, MADANAPALLE-517325
DEPARTMENT OF CSE

III B.TECH-I SEM - ASSIGNMENT -1

Name

M.VINAY KUMAR____________________________________

Reg. No

14691A04L2___________

Month/Year

Branch

ECE________

Section

SEP22ND, 2016

ECE-D___________

Faculty In-Charge:__UshaRani Madam____________________________

1. Explain the working of a Superheterodyne receiver.

Sol:
- radio block diagram for a complete superheterodyne receiver
showing the functions of the individual blocks and the complete
radio receiver.

Having looked at the concepts behind the superheterodyne receiver it is helpful

to look at a block diagram of a basic superhet. The superheterodyne block
diagram is relatively straightforward and builds on the basic functional block
used to convert the incoming frequency down to a fixed intermediate frequency
stage.
While there may be some simplified versions for a superheterodyne block
diagram, each receiver will be different as a result of the differing requirements
for each receiver. However the basic principles are the same, and many
superheterodyne block diagrams are very similar.

Basic superheterodyne block diagram and functionality

The basic block diagram of a basic superhet receiver is shown below. This
details the most basic form of the receiver and serves to illustrate the basic
blocks and their function.

Block diagram of a basic superheterodyne radio receiver

The way in which the receiver works can be seen by following the signal as is
passes through the receiver.
Front end amplifier and tuning block: Signals enter the front end
circuitry from the antenna. This circuit block performs two main
functions:

o Tuning: Broadband tuning is applied to the RF stage. The purpose

of this is to reject the signals on the image frequency and accept
those on the wanted frequency. It must also be able to track the
local oscillator so that as the receiver is tuned, so the RF tuning
remains on the required frequency. Typically the selectivity
provided at this stage is not high. Its main purpose is to reject
signals on the image frequency which is at a frequency equal to
twice that of the IF away from the wanted frequency. As the tuning
within this block provides all the rejection for the image response,
it must be at a sufficiently sharp to reduce the image to an
acceptable level. However the RF tuning may also help in
preventing strong off-channel signals from entering the receiver
and overloading elements of the receiver, in particular the mixer or
possibly even the RF amplifier.
o Amplification: In terms of amplification, the level is carefully
chosen so that it does not overload the mixer when strong signals
are present, but enables the signals to be amplified sufficiently to
ensure a good signal to noise ratio is achieved. The amplifier must
also be a low noise design. Any noise introduced in this block will
be amplified later in the receiver.
Mixer / frequency translator block: The tuned and amplified signal then
enters one port of the mixer. The local oscillator signal enters the other
port. The performance of the mixer is crucial to many elements of the
overall receiver performance. It should eb as linear as possible. If not,
then spurious signals will be generated and these may appear as 'phantom'
received signals.
Local oscillator: The local oscillator may consist of a variable
frequency oscillator that can be tuned by altering the setting on a variable
capacitor. Alternatively it may be a frequency synthesizer that will enable
greater levels of stability and setting accuracy.
Intermediate frequency amplifier, IF block : Once the signals leave the
mixer they enter the IF stages. These stages contain most of the
amplification in the receiver as well as the filtering that enables signals on
one frequency to be separated from those on the next. Filters may consist
simply of LC tuned transformers providing inter-stage coupling, or they

may be much higher performance ceramic or even crystal filters,

dependent upon what is required.
Detector / demodulator stage: Once the signals have passed through the
IF stages of the superheterodyne receiver, they need to be demodulated.
Different demodulators are required for different types of transmission,
and as a result some receivers may have a variety of demodulators that
can be switched in to accommodate the different types of transmission
that are to be encountered. Different demodulators used may include:

o AM diode detector: This is the most basic form of detector and

this circuit block would simple consist of a diode and possibly a
small capacitor to remove any remaining RF. The detector is cheap
and its performance is adequate, requiring a sufficient voltage to
overcome the diode forward drop. It is also not particularly linear,
and finally it is subject to the effects of selective fading that can be
apparent, especially on the HF bands.
o Synchronous AM detector: This form of AM detector block is
used in where improved performance is needed. It mixes the
incoming AM signal with another on the same frequency as the
carrier. This second signal can be developed by passing the whole
signal through a squaring amplifier. The advantages of the
synchronous AM detector are that it provides a far more linear
demodulation performance and it is far less subject to the problems
of selective fading.
o SSB product detector: The SSB product detector block consists of
a mixer and a local oscillator, often termed a beat frequency
oscillator, BFO or carrier insertion oscillator, CIO. This form of
detector is used for Morse code transmissions where the BFO is
used to create an audible tone in line with the on-off keying of the
transmitted carrier. Without this the carrier without modulation is
difficult to detect. For SSB, the CIO re-inserts the carrier to make
the modulation comprehensible.
o Basic FM detector: As an FM signal carries no amplitude
variations a demodulator block that senses frequency variations is
required. It should also be insensitive to amplitude variations as
these could add extra noise. Simple FM detectors such as the

Foster Seeley or ratio detectors can be made from discrete

components although they do require the use of transformers.
o PLL FM detector: A phase locked loop can be used to make a
very good FM demodulator. The incoming FM signal can be fed
into the reference input, and the VCO drive voltage used to provide
the detected audio output.
o Quadrature FM detector: This form of FM detector block is
widely used within ICs. IT is simple to implement and provides a
good linear output.
Audio amplifier: The output from the demodulator is the recovered
audio. This is passed into the audio stages where they are amplified and
presented to the headphones or loudspeaker

Further developments for superheterodyne

block diagram
The diagram above shows a very basic version of the superhet or
superheterodyne receiver. Many sets these days are far more complicated. Some
superhet radios have more than one frequency conversion, and other areas of
additional circuitry to provide the required levels of performance. However the
basic superheterodyne concept remains the same, using the idea of mixing the
incoming signal with a locally generated oscillation to convert the signals to a
new frequency. ..........

Double Superheterodyne Radio Receiver

- the double superheterodyne radio receiver concept and topology and how the
double superhet enables high levels of receiver performance to be achieved.
Although the basic idea for the superhet or superheterodyne radio receiver
works very well, to ensure the optimum performance under a number of
situations, an extension of the principle, known as the double superhet, or
double superheteroyne radio receiver may be used.
The double superheterodyne radio receiver improves the performance in a
number of areas including stability (although synthesizers have largely

overcome this problem), image rejection and adjacent channel filter

performance.
The double superheterodyne radio receiver is still widely used, especially at
high frequencies where factors such as image rejection and filter performance
are important.

Reason for using double superheterodyne radio

receiver
When choosing the intermediate frequency for a superheterodyne radio receiver
there is a trade-off to be made between the advantages of using a low frequency
IF or a high frequency one:
High frequency IF: The use of a high frequency IF means that the
difference between the wanted frequency and the unwanted image is
much greater and it is easier to achieve high levels of performance
because the front end filtering is able to provide high levels of rejection.
Low frequency IF: The advantage of choosing a lower frequency IF is
that the filters that provide the adjacent channel rejection are lower in
frequency. The use of a low frequency IF enables the performance to be
high, while keeping the cost low.
Accordingly there are two conflicting requirements which cannot be easily
satisfied using a single intermediate frequency. The solution is to use a double
conversion superheterodyne topology to provide a means of satisfying both
requirements

Basic double superheterodyne receiver concept

The basic concept behind the double superheterodyne radio receiver is the use
of a high intermediate frequency to achieve the high levels of image rejection
that are required, and a further low intermediate frequency to provide the levels
of performance required for the adjacent channel selectivity.
Typically the receiver will convert the incoming signal down to a relatively high
first intermediate frequency (IF) stage. This enables the high levels of image
rejection to be achieved. As the image frequency lies at a frequency twice that
of the IF away from the main or wanted signal, the higher the IF, the further
away the image is and the easier it is to reject at the front end.

Basic double conversion superheterodyne receiver concept

Once the signal has passed through the first IF at the higher frequency, it is then
passed through a second mixer to convert it down to a lower intermediate
frequency where the narrow band filtering is accomplished so that the adjacent
channel signals can be removed. As the lower frequency, filters are cheaper and
the performance is often higher. (Although it must be said that filter technology
now allows effective filters to be made at much higher frequencies than was
previously possible.)

Double superheterodyne topologies

While the basic concept for the double superheterodyne radio receiver involving
two stages of frequency conversion may remain the same, there are a number of
different "styles" that can be adopted:
Fixed frequency first oscillator: This style of double conversion
superheterodyne receiver was popular before the days of frequency
synthesizers and other very stable local oscillators. To ensure the
frequency stability, a crystal oscillator was used to provide the local
oscillator for the first conversion. A bandpass filter would be used to
provide selectivity and allow a band of frequencies to be passed. The
second local oscillator would allow tuning over the range allowed by the
bandpass filter. When further coverage was required, the first, crystal
controlled oscillator, would need to be switched to the next crystal. In this
way continuous coverage could be obtained, albeit with a large number of
crystals.

Double conversion superheterodyne receiver with fixed frequency

first LO

Apart from providing high levels of image rejection, this concept gave
considerably improved levels of frequency stability for receivers of the
time. Nowadays frequency synthesizers mean that this topology is rarely
needed or used.
Tuned first oscillator: This is the most usual form of double conversion
superheterodyne receiver. The first conversion uses a variable frequency
oscillator which converts the signal to the first IF.

Double conversion superheterodyne receiver with variable frequency

first LO

Although little selectivity is generally provided in the first IF, often a

filter known as a roofing filter may be used to provide some adjacent
channel filtering. This prevents very strong adjacent channel signals from
overloading the later stages of the IF. However the main selectivity is still
provided in the lower frequency IF stages.
Whatever the style of double conversion superheterodyne receiver, the basic
concept of providing two frequency conversion stages applies.