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Experiment - 7
Objective: To demonstrate Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation technique
using GNU Radio and plot
(i) Original signal
(ii) ASK modulated signal
(iii) Demodulated signal
Components Required: GNU Radio Software
System Model:
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Theory:
1. Digital Input Signal (Square wave): It is typically depicted as a binary
sequence (0s and 1s).
2. Carrier Signal Generation: An oscillator revs up to generate the carrier
signal. This signal usually takes the form of a high-frequency sinusoidal
waveform, commonly known as the carrier wave. Its frequency surpasses
that of the input digital signal by a good margin.
3. Amplitude Modulation: In ASK modulation, the carrier signal's amplitude
dances to the tune of the input digital signal's amplitude levels. One
amplitude level typically corresponds to one binary digit (e.g., high
amplitude for '1' and low amplitude for '0'). This dance involves
multiplying the carrier signal by the modulating signal.
4. Transmission Medium: The modulated signal takes flight through a
physical medium such as a wire, optical fiber, or through the air (wireless
communication). The transmission medium's characteristics, including
attenuation, noise, and distortion, can sway the quality of the transmitted
signal.
5. Demodulation: Demodulation swoops in to reclaim the original digital
signal from the modulated carrier wave using a low-pass filter.
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Procedure:
1. Launch GNU Radio Companion on your system.
2. Create a New Flowgraph:
• Start by creating a new flowgraph by selecting "File" > "New Flowgraph"
from the menu bar.
3. Add Blocks:
• Drag and drop blocks from the left panel (Block Toolbar) to the main
canvas. For this modified ASK model, you'll need the following blocks:
• Signal Source: This block generates the digital signal to be modulated.
Configure it to produce binary data.
• Multiply: This block performs the multiplication of the digital signal with
the carrier wave.
• QT GUI Sink: This block visualizes the modulated signal.
• Low Pass Filter: This block filters out the high-frequency components,
leaving the modulated signal.
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4. Connect Blocks:
• Connect the output of the Signal Source block to the input of the
Multiply block. Connect the output of the Multiply block to the input of
the Low Pass Filter block.
5. Configure Blocks:
• Double-click on each block to configure its parameters:
• Configure the Signal Source block to generate binary data.
• Set the carrier frequency for the Multiply block to the desired value.
• Configure the Low Pass Filter block to have an appropriate cutoff
frequency to filter out the high-frequency components of the
modulated signal.
6. Run the Flowgraph:
• Save your flowgraph and click the "Execute" button in GNU Radio
Companion to run the flowgraph.
7. Visualize the Output:
• After running the flowgraph, the modulated signal will be filtered and
displayed in the time or frequency domain by the Low Pass Filter block.
Results and Discussion:
Input signal
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ASK modulated signal
Demodulated signal
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1. Ease of Implementation and Reliability:
• ASK modulation's simplicity makes it easy to implement and understand,
suitable for a wide range of applications.
• Its straightforward process involves varying the amplitude of the carrier
wave to represent digital bits, enhancing robustness against noise and
channel impairments.
2. Bandwidth Utilization:
• ASK modulation offers reasonable bandwidth efficiency by directly mapping
digital bits to different amplitude levels of the carrier wave.
• While not as bandwidth-efficient as some other modulation techniques,
ASK effectively utilizes available bandwidth by conveying digital data
through variations in amplitude.
3. Seamless Integration and Compatibility:
• ASK modulation can be easily integrated into existing communication
systems, ensuring compatibility with various transmission mediums and
modulation schemes.
• Its simplicity and versatility enable interoperability with different devices
and protocols, making it suitable for diverse communication scenarios.
Conclusion: We have successfully implemented the Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK)
modulation technique using GNU Radio and analyzed and verified the practical
results.
