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AMPLITUDE MODULATION
• The process of changing the amplitude of a
relatively high frequency carrier signal in
AMPLITUDE MODULATION proportion with the instantaneous value of the
TRANSMISSION modulating signal
• A relatively expensive, low-quality form of
ECE141 modulation that is used for commercial
Principles of Communications broadcasting of both audio and video signals
• Used for two-way mobile radio communications,
such as citizens band (CB) radio

AMPLITUDE MODULATION AMPLITUDE MODULATION

• AM Modulators AM
– Nonlinear devices with two inputs and one output ENVELOPE
– One input is a single, high-frequency carrier signal
of constant amplitude and the second input is
comprised of relatively low-frequency information
signals that may be a single frequency or a
complex waveform made up of many frequencies

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AMPLITUDE MODULATION Example

• AM Frequency Spectrum and Bandwidth
Frequency spectrum of an AM DSBFC wave
• For an AM DSBFC modulator with a carrier
frequency fc = 100 kHz and a maximum
modulating signal frequency fm(max) = 5 kHz,
determine:
– Frequency limits
– Bandwidth
– Upper and lower side frequencies produced when
the modulating signal is a single-frequency 3-kHz
tone

AMPLITUDE MODULATION AMPLITUDE MODULATION

• Phasor Representation of an Amplitude-
Modulated Wave
• Coefficient of Modulation
– The amount of amplitude change present in an
AM waveform
• Percent Modulation
– The coefficient of modulated stated as a
percentage
– Gives a percentage change in the amplitude of the
output wave when the carrier is acted on by a
modulating signal

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AMPLITUDE MODULATION AMPLITUDE MODULATION

• Modulation Coefficient

Where:
m – modulation coefficient
Em – peak change in the amplitude of the output waveform voltage
Ec – peak amplitude of the unmodulated carrier voltage

Modulation coefficient, Em and Ec

AMPLITUDE
Example
MODULATION
Percent modulation of • For the AM waveform shown
an AM DSBFC envelope – Peak amplitude of the
upper and lower side
frequencies
– Peak amplitude of the
unmodulated carrier
50% modulated wave
– Peak change in the
amplitude of the
envelope
– Coefficient of modulation
– Percent modulation
100% modulated wave

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AMPLITUDE MODULATION
• AM Voltage Distribution
AMPLITUDE MODULATION
• AM Power Distribution
– Power of unmodulated carrier
– Upper and lower side band powers
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Example
• One input to a conventional AM modulator is a
500-kHz carrier with an amplitude of 20 Vp. The
second input is a 10-kHz modulating signal that is
of sufficient amplitude to cause a change in the
output wave of ±7.5 Vp. Determine
– Upper and lower side frequencies
– Modulation coefficient and percent modulation
– Peak amplitude of the modulated carrier and the
upper and lower side frequency voltages
– Maximum and minimum amplitudes of the envelope
AMPLITUDE MODULATION
• AM Power Distribution
– Total power in an amplitude wave
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AMPLITUDE MODULATION Example

• AM Power Distribution • For an AM DSBFC wave with a peak
unmodulated carrier voltage Vc = 10 Vp, a load
resistance RL = 10Ω, and a modulation
coefficient m = 1, determine:
– Powers of the carrier and the upper and lower
sidebands
– Total sideband power
– Total power of the modulated wave

AMPLITUDE MODULATION AMPLITUDE MODULATION

• AM Current Distribution • Modulation by a Complex Information Signal

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AM MODULATING CIRCUITS
• The location in a transmitter where
modulation occurs determines whether the
circuit is a low- or high-level transmitters
– Low-Level Modulation
• The modulation takes place prior to the output element
of the final stage of the transmitter
• Advantage is that less modulating signal power is
required to achieve a high percentage of modulation
• Disadvantage is that in high-power applications when
all the amplifiers that follow the modulator stage must
be linear amplifiers
AM TRANSMITTERS
• LOW LEVEL TRANSMITTERS
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AM MODULATING CIRCUITS
– High-Level Modulation
• The modulation takes place in the final element of the
final stage where the carrier signal is at its maximum
amplitude and requires much higher amplitude
modulating signal to achieve reasonable percent
modulation
• The final modulating signal amplifier must supply all
the sideband power which could be as much as 33% of
the total transmit power
AM TRANSMITTERS
• LOW LEVEL TRANSMITTERS
– Signal Source
• Acoustical transducer (mic, magnetic tape, CDs etc)
– Preamplifier
• Sensitive class A linear voltage amplifier with high input
impedance
• Use to raise the amplitude of the source signal to a
usable level while producing minimum nonlinear
distortion and adding as little thermal noise as possible
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AM TRANSMITTERS
• LOW LEVEL TRANSMITTERS
– Modulating Signal Driver
• Linear amplifier that simply amplifies the information signal
to an adequate level to sufficiently drive the modulator
– RF Carrier Oscillator
• Can be RC or LC (Hartley, Colpitts or Clapp)
– Buffer Amplifier
• Low-gain, high-input impedance linear amplifier
• It isolates the oscillator from the high-power amplifier
• Provides relatively constant load to the oscillator
AM TRANSMITTERS
• LOW LEVEL TRANSMITTERS
– Modulator
• Either emitter or collector modulator
– Intermediate and Final Power Amplifiers
• Either linear class A or class B push-pull modulators
• Required to maintain symmetry in the AM envelope
– Antenna Coupling Network
• Matches the output impedance of the final power
amplifier to the transmission line and antenna

AM TRANSMITTERS AM TRANSMITTERS
• HIGH LEVEL TRANSMITTERS • HIGH LEVEL TRANSMITTERS
– The modulating signal is process the same with
low-level transmitter except for the addition of a
power amplifier
– The power of the modulating signal must be
considerably higher than is necessary with low-
level transmitter
– The RF carriers undergoes additional power
amplification prior to the modulator stage and the
final power amplifier is also the modulator

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AM TRANSMITTERS CARRIER SHIFT

• HIGH LEVEL TRANSMITTERS
– The modulator has three primary functions:
• Provides the circuitry necessary for modulation to
occur
• It is the final power amplifier (Class C)
• It is a frequency up-converter
– It simple translates the low-frequency intelligence signals to
radio-frequency signal that can be efficiently radiated from an
antenna and propagated through free-space
• Sometimes called upward or downward
modulation
• A form of amplitude distortion introduced
when the positive and negative alternations in
the AM modulated signal are not equal
• Can either be negative or positive
• An indication of the average voltage of an AM
modulated signal

CARRIER SHIFT CARRIER SHIFT

Positive carrier shift Negative carrier shift

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AM ENVELOPS PRODUCED BY AM ENVELOPS PRODUCED BY

COMPLEX NONSINUSOIDAL SIGNALS COMPLEX NONSINUSOIDAL SIGNALS

Rectangular Wave Modulation

Triangular Wave Modulation

AM ENVELOPS PRODUCED BY QUADRATURE AMPLITUDE

COMPLEX NONSINUSOIDAL SIGNALS MODULATION
• A form of amplitude modulation where signals
from two separate information sources
modulate the same carrier frequency at the
same time without interfering with each other
• The information sources modulate the same
carrier after it has been separated into two
carrier signals that are 90° out of phase with
each other

Voice Modulation

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QUADRATURE AMPLITUDE
MODULATION
• Also called phase-division multiplexing and was
one of the modulation techniques considered for
stereo broadcasting of AM signals
• Modulation scheme used for encoding color
signals in analog television broadcasting system
• Used almost exclusively for digital modulation of
analog carriers in data modems to convey data
through the public telephone network
• Used for digital satellite communications

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