CHAPTER 2

AMPLITUDE MODULATION
(AM)
2-2 AM Single Side Band
Communications
Review: conventional AM(DSB-
FC)
Frequency spectrum:

fc-fm fc+fm
fc

Bandwidth=2xfmmax
Total Power=Pcarrier +Pusb +Plsb
Two major Disadvantages/Drawbacks
of DSBFC
 Large power consumption, where
carrier power constitutes >2/3
transmitted power.{remember:carrier
does not contain any information}
 Large bandwidth utilized.

Thus, DSBFC is both power and

bandwidth inefficient
Double side band suppressed
carrier(DSB-SC)
 Frequency spectrum:

fc-fm fc+fm
fc

 Bandwidth:2 x fmmax
 Total Power= Pusb + Plsb
Single Side Band Full Carrier
(SSB-FC)
Frequency spectrum:

fc-fm fc+fm
fc

Bandwidth=fmmax
Total Power=Pcarrier +Pusb
Single Side band Suppress
Carrier (SSB-SC)
Frequency spectrum:

fc-fm fc+fm
fc

Bandwidth=fmmax
Total Power=+Pusb
 Comparison of time domain representation of three
common AM transmission systems:

Tomasi Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Electronic Communications Systems, 5e Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
 Example 1
For an AM DSBFC wave with a peak unmodulated
carrier voltage Vc = 10 Vp,frequency of 100kHz, a
load resistor of RL = 10 , frequency of modulating
signal of 10kHz and m = 1, determine the following

i) Powers of the carrier and the upper and lower sidebands.

ii) Total power of the modulated wave.

iii) Bandwidth of the transmitted wave.

iv) Draw the power and frequency spectrum.

Example 1..cont’d
 For the same given values, determine
questions (ii)-(iv) for a AM DSB-SC, AM
SSB-FC and AM SSB-SC systems.
Determine also the percentage of
power saved in each of the system
design.
Example 1..cont’d
 Solution for DSBFC;
i) 2
(V / 2 ) V (10) 2 2

P  c
  5W c

2 R 2 10
c
R
mP 2

P P 
usb
 1.25W
lsb
c

4
ii)
m m 2 2

P P 
t
P
c
P c c
4 4
1 1 2 2

 5  (5)  (5)  7.5W

4 4
iii) Bandwidth=2xfmmax=2(10kHz)=20kHz
Example 1..cont’d
 Solution:For DSB-SC

ii) P 
m
P
m 2 2

t
P c c Power  7.5W  2.5W
4 4 saved

1 2
1 2
 5W
 (5)  (5)  2.5W
4 4 5W
% Power  x100%
iii)Bandwidth=2xfmmax=2(10kHz)= 7.5W
saved

20kHz  66.67%
iv)

90kHz 110kHz
Example 1..cont’d
 Solution:For SSB-FC

ii) P P
m
P
2

t c
4
c
Powers aved
 7.5W  6.25W
1 2
 1.25W
 5  (5)  6.25W
4 1.25W
% Power  x100%
iii)Bandwidth=fmmax=10kHz
s aved
7.5W
 16.67%

iv)

fc-fm 100kHz 110kHz

Example 1..cont’d
 Solution:For SSB-sC

ii) P 
m
P
2

t
4
c
Powers aved
 7.5W  1.25W
1 2
 6.25W
 (5)  1.25W
4 6.25W
% Power  x100%
iii)Bandwidth=fmmax=10kHz
s aved
7.5W
 83.33%

iv)

fc-fm 110kHz
fc
Methods of Generating SSB
 2 methods,
i) Filtering method
 A filter removes the undesired sideband producing SSB.
 Quartz crystal filters are the most widely used sideband
filters since they are very selective and inexpensive.

ii) Phasing method

 A balanced modulator eliminates the carrier and

provides DSB.
 Filtering method Antenna
DSB SSB
Carrier
signal signal
oscillator
Balanced Sideband
modulator filter
Linear
amplifier
Filter
Microphone Audio
response
amplifier
curve

Lower Upper
sidebands sidebands
Phasing methods-using two
balance modulator
 Another way to produce SSB uses a
phase shift method to eliminate one
sideband.
 Two balanced modulators driven by
carriers and modulating signals 90º out
of phase produce DSB.
 Adding the two DSB signals together
results in one sideband being cancelled
out.
 Phasing method..cont’d
Am cos wmt A1(t)
Balanced
Modulator 1

Information signal Ac cos (wct + 90)

Output Signal, aot

Phase shifter
+

Carrier signal

Phase shifter Balanced

Modulator 2
A2(t)
Am cos (wmt - 90)
 Phasing method..cont’d
a (t )  a (t )  a (t )      (1)
0 1 2

a (t )  A cos( w t  90 ) * A cos w t
1 c c
0

m m

 A A cos( w t  90  w t )  A A cos( w t  90  w t )   (2)

1 0 0

c m c m c m c m
2
a (t )  A cos(w t ) * A cos(w t  90 )
2 c c m m
0

 A A cos(w t  90  w t )  A A cos(w t  90  w t )   (3)

1 0 0

c m c m c m c m
2
a (t )  (2)  (3)
0

 A A cos( w t  90  w t )
c m c
0

m
VESTIGIAL SIDEBAND (VSB)
 Also called asymmetric sideband system.
 Compromise between DSB & SSB.
 Easy to generate.
 Bandwidth is only ~ 25% greater than SSB
signals.
 Derived by filtering DSB, one pass band is
passed almost completely while just a trace
or vestige of the other sideband is included.
Cont’d…vsb
 AM wave is applied to a vestigial
sideband filter, producing a modulation
scheme – VSB + C
 Mainly used for television video
transmission.
Cont’d…vsb
 VSB Frequency Spectrum
VSB
Carrier

LSB MSB

fc
fc
Advantages/Benefits of SSB
 Power consumption
 Bandwidth conservation
 Selective fading
 Noise reduction
Disadvantages of SSB
 Complex receivers
 Tuning difficulties