Unit IV: Radio wave communication (9 hours)

Radio wave propagation – ground and sky waves. Skip distance and skip zone. Cathode
ray tube (CRT) – action of CRT – applications of CRT. *Radar – basic principle– range
of a radar - Basic elements of a communication system – *Radio broadcasting –
Transmission and reception – modulation – amplitude modulation– Frequency
modulation (FM) -advantages of frequency modulation – Demodulation – Satellite
communication.

RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION

The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is the range of all types of EM radiation.

Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes – the visible light that comes from a
lamp in your house and the radio waves that come from a radio station are two types of
electromagnetic radiation.

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the
electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies of 300 gigahertz and below. At 300 GHz,
the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm; at 30 Hz the corresponding wavelength is 10,000
kilometers.

Or
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation. A radio wave has a much longer
wavelength than visible light. Humans use radio waves extensively for communications. This
radio tower has both rectangular and circular antennas to transmit and receive radio frequency
energy.
Radio waves propagation can be classified depending upon the frequencies as

 Ground waves propagation

 Skywave propagation
 Free space propagation

Ground wave Propagation

Ground wave propagation is a type of radio propagation which is also known as a surface
wave. These waves propagate over the earth's surface in low and medium frequencies.

Ground waves are mainly used for transmission between the surface of the earth and the
ionosphere. These are made up of the number of constituent waves. Low frequencies of the
electromagnetic spectrum were used. The collection of these radiations along the surface of the
earth is known as ground wave propagation.

Advantages of Ground Wave Propagation

 These waves have the tendency to bend around the corners or obstructions during
propagation which makes them more efficient and also, these are not affected by the
change in atmospheric conditions.

Disadvantages of Ground Wave Propagation

 High-frequency waves cannot be transmitted as the energy losses are more because of the
energy absorption in the earth’s atmosphere.
 These are used to cover short ranges and also involves attenuation of waves as they
interact with the eddy currents produced by the surface of the earth.

Applications Ground Wave Propagation

 These can be used for one-way communication from the military to submerged
submarines as they penetrate to a significant depth into seawater.
 AM, FM and television broadcasting can be done with the help of ground waves.

SKY wave propagation

Sky Wave propagation, commonly known as the skip, is a kind of radio wave
propagation. It is either the reflected or refracted back waves to the earth from the ionosphere,
which is an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere.
Medium and shortwave frequencies can be refracted back to earth which is beyond the horizon,
which makes them useful in the transcontinental transmission of the waves.

Skywave propagation applications:

 Satellite communications take place with the help of sky wave propagation as it is
dependent on the upper atmospheric conditions
  Mobile communications

Critical Frequency
Critical frequency is defined as the maximum frequency at which the total internal
reflection takes place from the ionosphere. The mathematical representation is given as:
Where,
Fc = 9 √Nmax
fc: critical frequency in Hz
Nmax: maximum electron density per m3

Skip Distance

Skip distance is the minimum distance between the earth's surface and the radio signal's
transmission point. Or the measurable distance on the surface of the Earth from transmitter to
receiver
A skip zone, also called a silent zone or zone of silence, is a region where a radio
transmission cannot be received. The zone is located between regions both closer and farther
from the transmitter where reception is possible.

Radar
The RADAR is an acronym derived from Radio Detection and Ranging. Radar is an
electromagnetic device for detecting the presence and location of objects.
Principle : Extremely short bursts of radio energy are transmitted, reflected off a target and then
returned as an echo.
The presence of the object, their range and direction are determined by the transmission and
return of electromagnetic energy.
The radar antenna transmits short burst pulses of energy to the target and echoes from this target
carry information about the position and quality of the illuminated object. The block diagram of
an elementary pulsed radar set is given above.

Radar consists of a transmitter and a receiver each connected to a directional antenna

through a Duplexer or Transmitter/Receiver switch. The transmitter sends out microwave power
through the antenna. The receiver collects as much energy as possible from the echoes reflected
in its direction by the target. In most of the radar systems the receiving antenna is same as the
transmitting antenna. The transmitter generates a short pulse and sends it to the antenna via
duplexer.As soon as a small fraction of the pulse is fed to the duplexer, it disconnects the
transmitter from the antenna and connects the receiver to it.
The transmitted pulse is reflected by the target and a portion of it
reachers the antenna. Now the duplexer connects the receiver to the antenna so that the returning
echoes can be processed. The processed pulses are fed to the necessary display devices which
gives the nature and position (range) of the target. In most radars, the antenna moves in a
predetermined pattern and this process is known as scanning.
Range of Radar:
The maximum range of a radar system depends in large part on the average power of its
transmitter and the physical size of its antenna. There are practical limits to each. As noted
before, some radar systems have an average power of roughly one megawatt.
Applications
RADARs are used in military, law enforcement, space exploration, remote sensing, aircraft
navigation, ship Navigation and air traffic controller.
Basic Elements of Communication System
The three essential components of a communication system are:
Transmitter:
The transmitter modulates the message signal. Modulation is the process of converting a signal
into a form suitable for transmission. A transmitter is a telecommunications electrical device that
generates radio waves so that data may be transferred or received through an antenna. The
transmitter may generate an alternating current of radio frequency, which is then applied to the
antenna, which radiates it as radio waves.
Channel:
A communication channel is a physical transmission channel in telecommunications and
computer networking. A channel is a device that delivers data from one or more senders (or
transmitters) to one or more receivers. Or in other words, the channel is what connects the output
of the transmitter to the receiver input.
Receiver:
The receiver does the demodulation. Demodulation is the process of recovering the correct
message signal. The received signal, which is picked up from the broadcast signal at the channel
output, is processed by the receiver to reproduce the original message signal in a recognizable
form for transmission. A radio receiver, also known as an FM receiver, is a device that receives
radio waves and converts the data carried by them into useable information.
The desired frequency waves are caught using an antenna.
 RADIO BROADCASTING
Radio broadcasting is a one- way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach
wide audience.
Components in radio Broadcasting
Information can be sent over a communication system from either a person or a machine. A
transmitter is positioned at one location and a receiver is located at another location, with the
channel serving as a medium between the two locations. It is the message signal that originates
from the source, and it is this signal that is fed into the transmitter.

The signals that are conveyed are referred to as transmitted signals. Transducers transform
nonelectrical signals into electrical signals when the message signal from the source of
information is nonelectrical.

The physical media that links the transmitter and receiver (whether wired or wireless) is the
channel. It is possible that the broadcast signal may be warped due to its imperfection, and that
some noise will be added to the transmitted signal as it propagates.

Information is the concept or message that is being given. It is also known as knowledge. The
message may consist of a single message or a series of messages. The message might take the
form of a symbol, a code, a sequence of words, or any other predetermined unit.

A transducer, modulator, amplifier, and transmitting antenna are all transmitter components in
radio transmission. Transducers are also known as transmitters.

 A transducer is an electronic device that transforms sound waves into electric signals.
 An audio modulator is a device that combines an electric audio signal and a high-frequency radio
wave.
 The modulated signal is amplified by the amplifier, which increases its power.
 With the help of an antenna, the signal is broadcast into the surrounding space.
 An in-depth examination of the components of the communication system

It is the responsibility of the communication channel to transport the modulated signal from the
transmitter to the receiver.

 Communication channel definition: A communication channel is sometimes referred to as a

transmission link or a medium of transmission.
 In radio communications, the phrase “channel” refers to the frequency band that has been
assigned to a particular broadcast or service.
Applications of Radio Communications:
 Broadcasting.
 Two-way voice communication.
 One-way voice communication.
 Data communication.
 Space communication.
 Radar.

Modulation
Modulation is the process of converting data into radio waves by adding information to an
electronic or optical carrier signal.
Types of Modulation
Amplitude modulation:
Amplitude modulation or just AM is one of the earliest modulation methods that is used
in transmitting information over the radio. This technique was devised in the 20th century at a
time when Landell de Moura and Reginald Fessenden were conducting experiments using a
radiotelephone in the 1900s. After successful attempts, the modulation technique was established
and used in electronic communication.
Amplitude modulation defines as a type of modulation where the amplitude of the carrier wave
is varied in some proportion with respect to the modulating data or the signal.
An electronic communication system converts our message (information) into an electronic
signal, and the electronic signal is carried out by carrier waves to the destination.

Modulation Index
Is the ratio of the Amplitude of modulating signal to the amplitude of the carrier wave.
Amplitude of modulating signal Amplitude of carrier wave

Advantages and Disadvantages of Amplitude Modulation

Advantages Disadvantages

Amplitude Modulation is easier to When it comes to power usage it is not

implement. efficient.

Demodulation can be done using It requires a very high bandwidth that is

few components and a circuit. equivalent to that of the highest audio
frequency.
The receiver used for AM is very Noise interference is highly noticeable.
cheap.

Applications of Amplitude Modulation

While amplitude modulation use has decreased over the years, it is still present and has several
applications in certain transmission areas. We will look at them below.

 Broadcast Transmissions: AM is used in broadcasting transmission over the short,

medium and long wavebands. Since AM is easy to demodulate, radio receivers for
amplitude modulation are therefore easier and cheaper to manufacture.
  Air-band radio: AM is used in the VHF transmissions for many airborne applications
such as ground-to-air radio communications or two-way radio links for ground staff
personnel.
 Single sideband: Amplitude modulation in this form is used for HF radio links or point-
to-point HF links. AM uses a lower bandwidth and provides more effective use of the
transmitted power.
 Quadrature amplitude modulation: AM is used extensively in transmitting data in
several ways, including short-range wireless links such as Wi-Fi to cellular
telecommunications and others.

Frequency Modulation (FM)

It is the process of changing the frequency of a carrier wave in accordance with
the audio frequency signal. It is known as frequency modulation.

The audio quality of AM transmission is poor. Amplitude-sensitive noise has to be

eliminated by removing amplitude variation. (I.e. a need to keep the amplitude of the
carrier constant). In FM, the overall amplitude of the FM wave remains constant at
all times. In FM, the total transmitted power remains constant.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Frequency Modulation

Advantages Disadvantages

Less interference and noise. Equipment cost is higher. Has a large bandwidth.

Power Consumption is less as compared More complicated receiver and transmitter

to AM.

Adjacent FM channels are separated by The antennas for FM systems should be kept close for better
guard bands. communication.
What is the advantage of frequency modulation over amplitude modulation?
FM was first introduced to reduce noise and increase radio reception quality because the
frequency of a radio wave is less susceptible to noise than the amplitude. FM radio broadcasts
have several times the bandwidth of AM signals to achieve this.

Amplitude Modulation vs Frequency Modulation

Amplitude Modulation (AM) Frequency Modulation (FM)

Frequency and phase remain the same Amplitude and phase remain the same

Can be transmitted over a long distance but has Better sound quality with higher bandwidth.
poor sound quality.

The frequency range varies between 535 to 1705 For FM it is from88 to 108 MHz mainly in the
kHz higher spectrum

Signal distortion can occur in AM Less instances of signal distortion

Consists of two sidebands An infinite number of sidebands

Circuit design is simple and less expensive Circuit design is intricate and more expensive

Easily susceptible to noise Less susceptible to noise

Demodulation:
Demodulation is the process of extracting the audio signal (message signal) from the
modulated wave (modulated signal).

The wireless signals consist of radiofrequency (high frequency) carrier waves modulated by
audio baseband frequency (low frequency). The diaphragm membrane of a telephone
receiver or a loudspeaker cannot vibrate with high frequency. Therefore, it is necessary to
separate the audio frequencies from the radio frequency carrier wave.

Satellite communication

Satellite communication is transporting information from one place to another using a

communication satellite in orbit around the Earth.