Amplitude Modulation Fundamentals
3-1 AM Concepts
in AM, the information signal varies the amplitude of the carrier sine wave. The instantaneous value of
the carrier amplitude changes in accordance with the amplitude and frequency variations of the
modulating signal.
In general, the amplitude of the modulating signal should be
less than the amplitude of the carrier. When the amplitude of
the modulating signal is greater than the amplitude of the
carrier, distortion will occur.
The circuit used for producing AM is called a modulator.
3-2 Modulation Index and Percentage of Modulation
the relationship between the amplitude of the modulating signal and the amplitude of the carrier signal
is important. This relationship, known as the modulation index m (also called the modulating factor or
coefficient, or the degree of modulation), is the ratio
Distortion caused by
Multiplying the modulation index by 100 gives the percentage of modulation. overmodulation also
Overmodulation and Distortion produces adjacent channel
interference.
Fig. 3-4. Here a sine wave information signal is modulating a sine
wave carrier, but the modulating voltage is much greater than the
carrier voltage, resulting in a condition called overmodulation.
The modulation index should be a number between 0 and
1. If the amplitude of the modulating voltage is higher
than the carrier voltage, m will be greater than 1, causing
distortion of the modulated waveform. If the distortion is
great enough, the intelligence signal becomes unintelligible.
Distortion of voice transmissions produces garbled, harsh,
or unnatural sounds in the speaker. Distortion of video
signals produces a scrambled and inaccurate picture on a TV
screen.
3-3 Sidebands and the Frequency Domain
Whenever a carrier is modulated by an information signal, new signals at different frequencies are generated as part of
the process. These new frequencies, which are called side frequencies, or sidebands, occur in the frequency spectrum
directly above and directly below the carrier frequency.
Sideband Calculations
Double-Sideband Suppressed Carrier (DSSC or DSB) signal.
Double-sideband suppressed carrier signals are generated by a
circuit called a balanced modulator.
Despite the fact that elimination of the carrier in DSB AM saves considerable power, DSB is not
widely used because the signal is difficult to demodulate (recover) at the receiver. One important
application for DSB, however, is the transmission of the color information in a TV signal.
single- sideband suppressed carrier (SSSC or SSB) signal.
SSB signals offer four major benefits.
1. The primary benefit of an SSB signal is that the spectrum space it occupies is only one-half that of AM and DSB signals.
This greatly conserves spectrum space and allows more signals to be transmitted in the same frequency range.
2. All the power previously devoted to the carrier and the other sideband can be channeled into the single sideband,
producing a stronger signal that should carry farther and be more reliably received at greater distances. Alternatively, SSB
transmitters can be made smaller and lighter than an equivalent AM or DSB transmitter because less circuitry and power
are used.
3. Because SSB signals occupy a narrower bandwidth, the amount of noise in the signal is reduced.
4. There is less selective fading of an SSB signal over long distances. An AM signal is really multiple signals, at least a carrier
and two sidebands. These are on different frequencies, so they are affected in slightly different ways by the ionosphere and
upper atmosphere, which have a great influence on radio signals of less than about 50 MHz. The carrier and sidebands may
arrive at the receiver at slightly different times, causing a phase shift that can, in turn, cause them to add in such a way as to
cancel one another rather than add up to the original AM signal. Such cancellation, or selective fading, is not a problem with
SSB since only one sideband is being transmitted.
- The main disadvantage of DSB and SSB signals is that they are harder to recover, or demodulate,
at the receiver. Demodulation depends upon the carrier being present. If the carrier is not
present, then it must be regenerated at the receiver and reinserted into the signal.
When SSB is used for voice transmission, the reinserted carrier can be made variable in
frequency so that it can be adjusted manually while listening to recover an intelligible
signal. This is not possible with some kinds of data signals.
To solve this problem, a low-level carrier signal is sometimes transmitted along with
the two sidebands in DSB or a single sideband in SSB.
Such a low-level carrier is referred to as a pilot carrier.
- In SSB, the transmitter output is expressed in terms of peak envelope power (PEP),
the maximum power produced on voice amplitude peaks.
