IT2311

Communication Systems
Basics of Communication Systems (Frenzel, 2022)
In its simplest form, communication is exchanging any type of message between a sender and receiver. It
can be a plain conversation between friends about their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, either in person (verbal)
or by using communication channels such as smartphones, computers, or telephones. The process of
communication can also be nonverbal (body language), print, and electronic processes.
In electronics, “communication systems” refers to communication that uses a transmitter, communication
channel, and receiver. The message is called information, or an intelligence signal, in the form of an electronic
signal.
Transmitter
The first step in sending a message is to convert it into an electronic form suitable for transmission.
Common examples include the following:
• A microphone is used to convert the sound to an electronic audio signal for voice messages.
• For TV, a camera converts light information in the scene to a video signal.
• In computer systems, the message is typed on a keyboard and converted to binary codes stored
in memory or transmitted serially.
• Physical characteristics such as temperature, pressure, and light intensity use transducers to
convert them into electronic signals.

Communication Channel
It is the medium wherein an electronic signal is sent from one point to another.
Several types of communication channels include:
• Electrical Conductor – a material that conducts electricity and allows the flow of charge such
metals and metal alloys. The channel can be as simple as a pair of wires that carry a voice signal
from a microphone to a headset.

• Optical Media can be a fiber-optic cable or light pipe that carries the message on a light wave.
These are used today to carry long-distance calls and all Internet communications.

• Free Space: The resulting system is known as radio when free space is the channel. Radio is the
term applied to any wireless communication from point to point.

• Others: Other communication channels are used in special communication systems such as
sonar; water is used as the medium. Passive sonar “listens” for underwater sounds with sensitive
hydrophones. In contrast, active sonars use an echo-reflecting technique for determining how far
away objects underwater are and in what direction they are moving.
Receiver
It is a set of electronic components and circuits that accept transmitted messages from the channel and
translate them back, which humans understand.
A receiver contains the following:
• Amplifiers – produce an increased version of the input signal.
• Oscillators – produce a continuous, repeated, and alternating waveform without input.
• Mixers – combine two or more electronic signals into one or two output signals.
• Tuned Circuits – or resonant circuits, combine an inductor and capacitor to make a circuit
responsive to a frequency.
• Filters – a circuit capable of amplifying specific frequencies while attenuating others.

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Block Diagram of Communication Systems

This diagram consists of five (5) blocks that represent elements used in the system that go in this order:
Information Source, Transmitter, Channel, Receiver, and Destination.

The process starts with the information source wherein the message originates, whether in the form of
words, codes, symbols, or sound signals, and goes through a transmitter, a channel, and a receiver, and ends
with the destination block, which is the final stage that receives the message signal and processes it to
understand the information.

Figure 1. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill.

Overview of the History of Communication Systems (Frenzel, 2022)

Electronic communication has undergone various innovations, developments, and changes throughout time.
From the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1976 to the rise of Apple’s iPhone in 2007,
here are some milestones in electronic communication's history.

Year Invention/Event People/Country Involved

1837 The invention of the telegraph (patented in 1844) Samuel Morse
1876 The invention of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell
1887 The discovery of radio waves Heinrich Hertz
1901 The first transatlantic radio contact made Guglielmo Marconi
1906 The invention of amplitude modulation Reginald Fessenden
1920 The first radio broadcast KDKA Pittsburgh
1923 The invention and demonstration of the television Vladimir Zworykin
1939 The first use of two-way radios (walkie-talkies) United States
1948 The invention of the transistor Bell Laboratories
1958-1969 The invention of the integrated circuit Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce
1975 The first personal computers United States
1982-1990 The development and the first use of the Internet Tim Burners-Lee
1995 The deployment of Global Positioning System (GPS) United States
1996-2001 The first smartphones by BlackBerry, Nokia, and Palm Worldwide
1997 The first wireless local area networks (LANs) United States
2004-2006 The rise of social media United States
2007 The development of Apple’s iPhone United States
2009 The first fourth-generation LTE cellular networks Worldwide
2019 The beginning of 5G cellular service Uruguay
Table 1. Electronic communication milestones

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Categories of Electronic Communication (Frenzel, 2022)

Electronic communications are categorized as whether they are one-way or two-way transmissions and
analog or digital signals.
Simplex Communication
One-way or simplex communication is considered the simplest way electronic communication is conducted.
The information is transmitted from one device to another, but the receiver cannot send any information back
to the transmitting device, such as TV broadcasting and remote control.

Satellite TV Broadcasting Remote Control

Figure 2. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of Figure 3. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of
electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill. electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill.

A simplex can be a downlink or an uplink. In Figure 2, the satellite transmits the television programming to
the home antenna and the television set. The TV does not talk back, so this is a simplex downlink. Once the
satellite gets its programming material from a ground-based TV station that transmits to the satellite, a simplex
uplink is used. Still, no two-way communication takes place as the up and down links are separated
connections.

In Figure 3, the control link to the drone is simple. But duplex transmission occurs if the drone’s camera
transmits video back to the operator.
Duplex Communication
A duplex communication can be a full duplex or a half-duplex. Full duplex communication is two-way,
wherein people communicating can talk and listen simultaneously, such as using a telephone in Figure 4, or
with devices, can send and receive signals simultaneously.
Full Duplex Half Duplex

Figure 4. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of Figure 5. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of
electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill. electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill.

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A half-duplex communication is still a two-way communication, but the direction alternates, and the
communicating parties take turns transmitting and receiving, such as the transceiver in Figure 5. Most military,
fire, aircraft, and marine radio transmissions also utilize half-duplex communications. Another example is a
walkie-talkie.
Analog Signal
It is a continuously varying voltage or current. Typical analog signals include the following: a) sine wave
“tone,” b) voice, and c) TV signal.

Figure 6. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill.

A sine wave is a single-frequency analog signal. At the same time, voice and video voltages are analog
signals that vary based on sound or light variations similar to the information being transmitted. Physical
characteristics such as temperature, pressure, or light level produce analog signals when detected by a
sensor.
Digital Signal
Digital signals do not change continuously but vary in discrete increments compared to analog signals.
Examples include telegraph (Morse code), continuous-wave (CW) code, and serial binary code.
Telegraph (Morse code)
It uses Morse code, a system for short (dots) and long (dashes) signals to represent letters and numbers.

Here are important reminders to note in the Morse code table in Table 2.
• The length of a dot is one unit, while a dash is equivalent to three units.
• The space between parts of the same letter is one unit.
• The space between letters is three units.
• The space between words is seven units.

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Table 2. Morse code.

Conversion to Telegraph using Morse Code

Figure 7. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill.

Figure 7 shows the telegraph signal of the capital letter R using its Morse code value, • — • wherein:
• Short Mark represents the dot.
• Long Mark represents the dash.
• Space represents the space between the unit.

Continuous-Wave (CW) Code

Also known as radio telegraphy, a sine wave signal is turned off and on for short or long durations to
represent the dots and dashes.
Conversion to CW Signal

Figure 8. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill

Figure 8 shows the continuous-wave signal of the capital letter R, wherein:

• The Morse code value of the letter/number should be obtained first.
• A short sine wave duration represents a dot.
• A long sine wave duration represents a dash.

Binary Codes and ASCII

Binary codes represent numbers, letters, or special symbols in computers transferred serially through a wire,
radio, or optical medium. The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, or ASCII, is the most
commonly used digital communication code. See Table 3 for the binary and ASCII values.
Conversion to Binary Code Signal using ASCII

Figure 9. Retrieved from Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of electronic communication systems: Fifth edition. McGraw Hill

Figure 9 shows the conversion of the capital letter V to a binary code signal, wherein:
• The binary value of the letter/number should be obtained first.
• 1s are placed concerning the given height/amplitude.
• 0s are placed concerning the starting voltage.

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Binary and ASCII Code Values

Table 2. ASCII and binary codes

References:
Electronic Post (2020). Block diagram of communication systems [Web Article]. Retrieved on July 3, 2023, from
https://electronicspost.com/block-diagram-of-communication-system-with-detailed-explanation/
Frenzel, L. (2022). Principles of electronic communication systems: 5th ed. McGraw Hill.
Torrieri, D. (2022). Principles of spread-spectrum communication systems: 5th ed. Springer.

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