Module 6

Receivers in Communication System

 Functions of Receiver
• Carrier frequency tuning
• To select the desired signal

• Filtering
• To separate the desired signal

• Amplification
• To compensate the losses
 Receiver parameters
• Sensitivity
• To detect the weakest signal

• Selectivity
• To select the desired signal

• Fidelity
• To reproduce all the range of modulating signal
 Classification of AM receivers

• Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) receivers

• Super heterodyne receivers

 Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) receiver
• Oldest and simplest radio receiver

• It consists of three stages

• RF stage
• Detector stage
• Audio stage
Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) receiver
 Advantages of TRF receiver
• Low cost

• Simple design

• High sensitivity
 Disadvantages of TRF receiver
• Used only in single channel and low frequency applications
• Selectivity requires narrow bandwidth and narrow bandwidth at a high
radio frequency implies high Q or many filter sections
• An additional problem for the TRF receiver is tuning different
frequencies. All the tuned circuits need to tune together to the same
frequency or track very closely
• The bandwidth of a tuned circuit doesn’t remain constant and varies
with center frequency
• Instability due to large number of RF stages
• Gain is non-uniform over a wide range of frequencies
 AM super heterodyne receiver
• Special type of receiver that performs all the three functions of a
receiver
• Heterodyning – Process of mixing two signals having different
frequencies to produce a new frequency
• It consists of five sections
• RF section
• Mixer section
• IF section
• Detector section
• Amplifier section
AM super heterodyne receiver
Typical frequency parameters of AM and FM radio
receivers
 Working of AM super heterodyne receiver
• RF section is tuned to the carrier frequency of the incoming signal
• The combination of mixer and local oscillator performs the process of
heterodyning
• Converts the frequency of the incoming RF signal into predetermined
intermediate frequency
f IF  f LO  f RF
f IF  f LO  f RF
• The IF section provides selectivity and amplifies the signals
• An audio detector section is used to demodulate the signal
 Image frequency (If)
• An image frequency is an undesired input frequency equal to the
station frequency plus (or minus) twice the intermediate frequency
• The image frequency results in two stations being received at the same
time, thus producing interference
• If the local oscillator frequency is less than the desired reception
frequency, it is called low-side injection (fIF = fRF − fLO); if the local
oscillator is higher, then it is called high-side injection (fIF = fLO − fRF)
• If fLO is set to fRF + fIF, then an incoming radio signal at fLO + fIF will also
produce a heterodyne at fIF; the frequency fLO + fIF is called the image
frequency and must be rejected by the tuned circuits in the RF stage
f I  f RF  2 f IF , f LO  f RF , LSI
f I  f RF  2 f IF , f LO  f RF , HSI
Filtering process in super heterodyne receiver
 Image Frequency Rejection Ratio (IFRR)
• The image rejection ratio or image frequency rejection ratio is the ratio
of the intermediate-frequency (IF) signal level produced by the desired
input frequency to that produced by the image frequency

IRR  1   2Q 2

fi fc
 
fc fi
 Advantages of super heterodyne receiver
• High sensitivity and selectivity

• High adjacent channel rejection

• High gain

• Improved stability

• Uniform bandwidth
 Problem
• In a broadcast super heterodyne receiver having no RF amplifier, the
load Q of the antenna coupling circuit is 100. If the IF frequency is 455
KHz, determine
• The image frequency and its rejection ratio for tuning at 1.1 MHz
station
• The image frequency and its rejection ratio for tuning at 25 MHz station
 Problem
• Image frequency
f I  f RF  2 f IF  2010 KHz

• IRR fi fc
    1.28
fc fi

IRR  1   2Q 2  128
 Problem
• Image frequency
f I  f RF  2 f IF  25.91MHz

• IRR
fi fc
    0.0715
fc fi

IRR  1   2Q 2  5.22