Communications-1

Continuous Wave Applications

Kariman Mahmoud Youssef -
1170159

Submission Date: 29th December 2020

Submitted To: Dr Heba Mourad

List of Figures:

Figure 1: modem ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Figure 2: Cycle of modem and Computer ..................................................................................................... 4

Figure 3; Half-duplex modem ....................................................................................................................... 5

Figure 4: Full-duplex modem ....................................................................................................................... 6

Figure 5: 4-wire modem................................................................................................................................ 7

Figure 6: Synchronous Modem ..................................................................................................................... 7

Figure 7: Asynchronous modem ................................................................................................................... 8

Figure 8: Two Computers communicating over a telephone line ................................................................. 8

Figure 9: The Principle of Measurement with a CW radar ........................................................................... 9

Figure 10: Change of Frequency and Wavelength ...................................................................................... 10

Figure 11: Difference between AM and FM modulation............................................................................ 11

Figure 12: Working Principle of FMCW radar ........................................................................................... 11

Figure 13: CWFM Radar ............................................................................................................................ 12

2
Overview

This report is to discuss different Continuous Wave Applications. Here, I chose different
applications than the ones found in the lecture. As a matter of fact, we’ll discuss the TV
Broadcasting as an AM application, and the Frequency-modulated continuous wave radars
(FMCW radars) as an FM application.

AM Application
Computer Modems

A Modem is a word that’s combined of two different words which are “Modulator” and
“Demodulator”. To illustrate more, it stands for “modulator/demodulator”. It’s a device that
allows a computer to asynchronously transmit data over a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)
lines. Further, the analogue modem converts the digital signals of the computer into audible
analogue signals that can be carried as electrical impulses to hand it over to another computer or
device. Even though the computer stores the information in a digital form, still, when
transmitted, it’s transmitted in an analogue form. To illustrate the modulator changes the
information from the analogue form to the digital form at the transmitter’s side while the
demodulator does the inverse operation which is converting the data from the analogue form to
the digital form at the receiver’s side. Furthermore, this process of conversion of analogue
signals to digital signals is also known as digitization.

Figure 1: modem

3
Ready to Send Operation

The computer, which we can call a Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) from one side, sends a
certain signal called the Ready to Send (RTS) signal to the modem which can also be called the
Data Communication Equipment (DCE). When the modem receives this signals, it wakes up and
sends a Data Carrier Detect (DCD) signal that starts the network and then we have an established
connection.

The following figure shows an illustration of the cycle that happens between the computer and
the modem.

Figure 2: Cycle of modem and Computer

4
Actually, we can perform different types of modulation with the computer modems. These types
include:

 FSK – Frequency Shift Keying

 QPSK – Quadrature Phase Shift Keying

 QAM – Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

Also, there are other categorization of the types of modems that includes:
 Directional Capacity

 Half-Duplex Modem

A half-duplex modem can be used to send and receive from both ends, but not at
the same time. Also, if a carrier is found on the line by the modem, it gives an
indication of this carrier to the DTE with a control signal (packet).

Figure 3; Half-duplex modem

 Full-Duplex Modem

A full-duplex modem is used to send and receive data from both ends, and this
can be done at the same time with no restriction on the sender or the receiver.
This makes us have two carriers on the line (an incoming carrier and an outgoing
one).

5
 Figure 4: Full-duplex modem

 Connection of the Line

 2-wire modem

The two pairs of wires are used for both outgoing and incoming carriers. It is also
considered cheaper than the 4-wire modem technology. An example on the 2-wire
modem is the telephone.

There are two cases, if it’s a 2-wire modem and using the half-duplex protocol,
then using the same frequency for the incoming and outgoing carrier can be easily
implemented. On the other hand, if it’s a 2-wire modem and using the full-duplex
protocol, we must have two transmission channels; one at the transmitter’s side,
and another at the receiver’s side.

6
  4-wire modem

Here, we use one pair of the wires for the outgoing carrier, and the other pair in
used for the other (incoming) carrier. It can also be implemented using half-
duplex or full-duplex protocols. Even though the path of the transmission is
different for each pair, we might still use the same carrier frequency in both
directions.

Figure 5: 4-wire modem

 Transmission Mode

 Synchronous modem

A synchronous modem can handle a continuous stream of data bits, but it requires
a clock signal to operate where the data bits are always synchronized with the
clock signal. To illustrate, there are different clocks for different data bits
transmitted over the modem. As well as that, the DTE system can use its internal
clock to regulate the synchronization in the system.

Figure 6: Synchronous Modem

7
  Asynchronous modem

These types of modems handle the stream of bits by using start and stop bits
without using a clock. We can consider that it has an internal clock in the leading
edge of the starting pulse.

Figure 7: Asynchronous modem

The following figure shows how the signal is a digital signal as the output of the computer
(device) and is converted to an analogue signal to pass over the telephone line through the
modem, and at the receiver, the modem performs the inverse operation and converts the analogue
system to a digital one so as the computer would be able to deal with it.

Figure 8: Two Computers communicating over a telephone line

8
FM Application
Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave Radars (FMCWR)

Firstly, to understand the meaning of the word “RADAR”, we need to know its origin. It’s short
for RAdio Detection And Ranging, and it’s main function is to track and detect objects from
specific distances. The main idea of a radar system is based on transmitting signals at the speed
of light, and wait for their reflections as echoes. There are two types of radars: primary and
secondary. Our concern is the primary radar, as it works with high frequencies transmission of
signals towards the objects targeted. This type consists of two main categories which are the CW
Primary Radars and the Pulse Primary Radars. We’ll stick to the Continuous Wave (CW) in our
study here.

The CW radars works on transmitting signals continuously at a high-frequency range. Also, the
receiver receives those signals and deals with them continuously. We can measure the speed of
transmission waves using Doppler Effect. This effect is tolerated by observing the movements of
a source of wave relative to an observer. In the case of radars, the source of waves and the
observer are both the radar waves as we’ve seen earlier that the echo is considered the reflection
of the transmitted wave.

The following figure represents the principle of measurement with a continuous-wave radar.

Figure 9: The Principle of Measurement with a CW radar

9
The following figure shows the change of frequency and wavelength that are caused by the
motion of the source waves.

Figure 10: Change of Frequency and Wavelength

To illustrate, the FMCW radar is a technique to obtain a range of information by frequency

modulating a continuous wave. As an old example, radio altimeters used to use FMCW radars to
operate.

However, this technique is valid and useful for some reasons that include:
 The modulation is compatible with a variety of solid-state transmitters.
 The frequency measurement can be obtained digitally to obtain the range measurements
for the systems.
 The ability to control and obtain efficiently the use of the spectrum.
 The ease to change the range resolution, and the opportunity to achieve a high range of
resolutions by using Intermediate Frequency (IF) sections.

The Theory of FMCW Radars

FMCW radars is a type of radar systems which includes a stable frequency continuous-wave
radio energy is transmitted and then received from the reflection of objects. To be able to achieve
this, we use a homodyne receiver.

The following figure shows the difference between the Amplitude Modulation (AM) where the
variations on the modulated signals are in the amplitude, and the Frequency Modulation (FM)
that is used in the CW radar, where the amplitude is constant and the variations are in the
frequency.

10
 Figure 11: Difference between AM and FM modulation

How It Works

FMCW radars can change the operating frequency (or phase) so that it’s modulated in frequency.
It can change the operating frequency during measurement. When a signal is transmitted, it
increases or decreases the frequency periodically. Then, an echo signal is received, and the
change in frequency makes a delay delta t in time similar to that of the pulse radar technique.

The following figure represents the working principle of FMCW radar.

Figure 12: Working Principle of FMCW radar

11
Also, there are three common architectures to perform the receiver in the FMCW technology that
include: heterodyne (like the one we took in the lectures for the FM receiver), homodyne, and
image-reject. Each type of receiver has its advantages and disadvantages regarding the
complexity, cost, power dissipation, and external components.

The CWFM Radar can be represented by the following figure:

Figure 13: CWFM Radar

On one hand, at the transmitter side, the transmitter generates a continuous wave (CW) that has a
frequency f0, this signal is an unmodulated signal, and this wave is sent over by the antenna.
Some of the wave hits the target and reflects them. Then, the receiver receives the upcoming
signal from the reflection of the object. If the speed of the moving object is Vr with respect to the
radar, the echo signal received will have a frequency shifted around f0 by ±fd.

The received echo signal at a frequency f0 ± fd, enters the radar through the antenna. Then, the

heterodyne mixer at the receiver has a portion of the transmitted signal f0 to produce a Doppler
wave with frequency fd.

12
From the principle of CW radars, we see that the Doppler frequency shift can be used to
determine the presence of a moving target and its relative velocity. However, the range of the
target can’t be determined as in Pulse radars as there is no basis for time delay. So, we use FM.
That’s why we use the FM over the Pulse radars.

13
References

https://ecomputernotes.com/computernetworkingnotes/computer-network/explain-about-modem

http://www.telecomworld101.com/Intro2dcRev2/page90.html

https://networkencyclopedia.com/analog-modem/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous-
wave_radar#:~:text=Continuous%2Dwave%20radar%20(CW%20radar,received%20from%20any%20refl
ecting%20objects.

14