CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Definitions
Communications:
Transfer of Information from one place to another.
Should be efficient, reliable, and secured.
Communication system:
components/subsystems act together to accomplish information
transfer/exchange
Definitions (Cont’d)
Electronic communication system
transmission, reception and processing
of information between two or more
locations using electronic circuits.
Information source
analog/digital form
Think!
Have you ever pictured yourself
living in a world without any
communication system?
Need For Communication
Importance of communication:
exchange of information between
two parties separated in distances in
a more faster and reliable way.
Information, message
and signals
Information
The commodity produced by the source for
transfer to some user at the destination.
Message
The physical manifestation of information as
produced by the information source.
Signals
A physical embodiment of information –
voltage signal or current signal
Brief History in
Communication
Year Events
1844 Telegraph
1876 Telephone
1904 AM Radio
1923 Television
1936 FM Radio
1962 Satellite
1966 Optical links using laser and
fiber optics
1972 Cellular Telephone
1989 Internet
Development and
progress
Communications between human beings
Form of hand gestures and facial expressions
Verbal grunts and groans
Long distance communications
Smoke signals
Telegraph
Telephone
Cont’d…
Wireless radio signals
Triode vacuum tube
Commercial radio broadcasting
Analog vs. Digital
Analog
Continuous Variation
Assume the total range of frequencies/time
All information is transmitted
Digital
Takes samples:
non continuous stream of on/off pulses
Translates to 1’s and 0’s
Analog vs. Digital
Digital CS Analog Cs
Advantages: Disadvantages:
-Inexpensive -expensive
-Privacy preserved(data -No privacy preserved
encrypted) -Cannot merge different data
-Can merge different data -No error correction capability
-error correction
Advantages:
Disadvantages: -smaller bandwidth
-Larger bandwidth -synchronization problem is
-synchronization problem relatively easier.
is relatively difficult
Basic Requirements of
Communication System
Rate of information transfer:
how fast the information can be transferred
Purity of signal received:
whether the signal received is the same as
the signal being transmit
Simplicity of the system
the simpler the system, the better
Reliability
Elements of
Communication
System(CS)
Elements of CS(cont’d)
Information
The communication system exists to
convey a message.
Message comes from information source
Information forms - audio, video, text or
data
cont’d…
Transmitter:
Processes input signal to produce a transmitted
signal that suited the characteristic of
transmission channel.
E.g. modulation, coding, mixing, translate
Other functions performed - Amplification,
filtering, antenna
Message converted to into electrical signals by
transducers
E.g. speech waves are converted to voltage
variation by a microphone
Elements of CS(cont’d)
Channel (transmission media):
a medium that bridges the distance
from source to destination.
Eg:Atmosphere (free space), coaxial
cable, fiber optics, waveguide
signals undergoes degradation from
noise , interference and distortion
Elements of CS(cont’d)
Receiver:
to recover the message signal contained in the
received signal from the output of the channel, and
convert it to a form suitable for the output transducer.
E.g. mixing, demodulation, decoding
Other functions performed: Amplification, filtering.
Transducer converts the electrical signal at its input
into a form desired by the system used
Modulation
What is modulation?
a process of changing one or more properties of the
analog carrier in proportion to the information signal.
One of the characteristics of the carrier signal is
changed according to the variations of the
modulating signal.
AM – amplitude, E
FM – frequency , ω
PM - phase , θ
Modulation (cont’d)
Why modulation is needed?
To generate a modulated signal suited and
compatible to the characteristics of the
transmission channel.
For ease radiation and reduction of antenna
size
Reduction of noise and interference
Channel assignment
Increase transmission speed
Noise, interference and
distortion
Noise
unwanted signals that coincide with the desired
signals.
Two type of noise:internal and external noise.
Internal noise
Caused by internal devices/components in the
circuits.
External noise
noise that is generated outside the circuit.
E.g. atmospheric noise,solar noise, cosmic noise,
man made noise.
Noise, interference and
distortion (Cont’d)
Interference
Contamination by extraneous signals from
human sources.
E.g. from other transmitters, power lines and
machineries.
Occurs most often in radio systems whose
receiving antennas usually intercept several
signals at the same time
One type of noise.
Noise, interference and
distortion (Cont’d)
Distortion
Signals or waves perturbation caused by
imperfect response of the system to the
desired signal itself.
May be corrected or reduced with the
help of equalizers.
Limitations in
communication system
Technological problems
Includes equipment availability,
economic factors, federal regulations
and interaction with existing systems.
Problem solved in theory but perfect
solutions may not be practical.
Limitations in
communication system
(cont’d)
Physicals limitations
Bandwidth limitation
Measure of speed
The system ability to follow signal variations
depends on the transmission bandwidth.
Available bandwidth determines the
maximum signal speed.
Limitations in
communication system
(cont’d)
Noise limitation
Unavoidable.
The kinetic theory.
Noise relative to an information signal is
measured in terms of signal to noise ratio
(SNR).
Communication system
design
Compromise within:
Transmission time and power
SNR performance
Cost of equipments
Channel capacity
Bandwidth
FREQUENCY AND WAVELENGTH
Cycle - One complete occurrence of a
repeating wave (periodic signal) such as
one positive and one negative alternation
of a sine wave.
Frequency - the number of cycles of a
signal that occur in one second.
Period - the time distance between two
similar points on a periodic wave.
Wavelength - the distance traveled by an
electromagnetic (radio) wave during one
period.
PERIOD AND FREQUENCY
COMPARED
T = One period
time
One cycle Frequency = f = 1/T
Frequency and wavelength compared
+
T
0 time
f = 1/T
distance
CALCULATING WAVELENGTH
AND FREQUENCY
λ = 300/f
f = 300/λ
λ = wavelength in meters
f = frequency in MHz
30 Hz 107 m
ELF
300 Hz 106 m
VF
3 kHz 105 m
(f = 300/λ )
VLF
30 kHz 104 m
LF
300 kHz 103 m
MF
3 MHz 102 m
HF
Frequency
30 MHz 10 m
Wavelength
300 MHz 1m
(λ
3 GHz 10-1 m
FROM 30 HZ TO 300 GHZ
30 GHz 10-2 m
VHF UHF SHF EHF
= 300/f)
300 GHz 10-3 m
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
Millimeter
waves
10-4 m
LOW AND MEDIUM
FREQUENCIES
Extremely Low Frequencies - 30 to 300 Hz
Voice Frequencies - 300 to 3000 Hz
Very Low Frequencies - 3 kHz to 30 kHz
Low Frequencies - 30 kHz to 300 kHz
Medium Frequencies - 300 kHz to 3 MHz
HIGH FREQUENCIES
High Frequencies
- 3 MHz to 30 MHz
Very High Frequencies
- 30 MHz to 300 MHz
Ultra High Frequencies
- 300 MHz to 3 GHz
(1 GHz and above =
microwaves)
Super High Frequencies
- 3 GHz to 30 GHz
Extremely High Frequencies
- 30 GHz to 300 GHz
300 GHz 10-3 m
Millimeter
waves
10-4 m
10-5 m
Infrared
0.8 x 10-6 m
Visible
0.4 x 10-6 m
Ultraviolet
X-rays
Wavelength
Gamma rays
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC
SPECTRUM ABOVE 300 GHZ
Cosmic rays
OPTICAL FREQUENCIES
Infrared - 0.7 to 10 micron
Visible light - 0.4 to 0.8 micron
Ultraviolet - Shorter than 0.4 micron
Note: A micron is one millionth of a meter.
Light waves are measured and expressed
in wavelength rather than frequency.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATIONS
Channel Simplex:
TX RX One-way
Duplex:
Two-way
TX RX
Half duplex:
Channel(s) Alternate TX/RX
Full duplex:
RX TX Simultaneous
TX/RX
COMMUNICATIONS SIGNAL
VARIATIONS
Baseband - The original information
signal such as audio, video, or computer
data. Can be analog or digital.
Broadband - The baseband signal
modulates or modifies a carrier signal,
which is usually a sine wave at a
frequency much higher than the
baseband signal.
Various forms of
communication system
Broadcast: radio and television
Mobile communications
Fixed communication system- land
line
Data communication-internet
Frequency Spectrum
&Bandwidth
The frequency spectrum of a waveform consists of
all frequencies contained in the waveform and their
amplitudes plotted in the frequency domain.
The bandwidth of a frequency spectrum is the
range of of frequencies contained in the [Link]
is calculated by subtracting the lowest frequency
from the highest.
Frequency Spectrum
&Bandwidth
(cont’d)
Bandwidth of the information signal
equals to the difference between the
highest and lowest frequency
contained in the signal.
Similarly, bandwidth of
communication channel is the
difference between the highest and
lowest frequency that the channel
allow to pass through it
Power gain
Signal level gain
signal gain
In Engineering Problems, we have known the term
signal gain / mechanical advantage;
Examples are chain pulley block, cantilever, gear,
amplifier, transformer.
Voltage amplifier: Av= Vo/Vi.
Transistors current gain: β = ic/ib,
Chain pulley block: weight lifted/weight applied.
Transformer: secondary voltage/primary voltage
gear box: output torque/input torque.
Power gain
It is the ratio of output power over input power.
Ap = Po/Pi.
If the energy is consumed in doing a work, Power
gain is always ≤ 1.
Example is transformer, chain pulley block, gear
boxes etc have power gain less than one.
In amplifiers, the apparent power gain may be more
than one. The signal power is amplified. DC electric
power is transformed into signal power.
In signal gain:
The advantage or, signal gain may be >1
though the power gain is < 1.
At first instance, it appears that there is
no apparent relation between signal gain
and power gain.
It is because the friction of the load in
which the power is fed, is not accounted.
Power and voltage gain in
communication
In communication, due to known characteristic
impedance of the channel, the power and voltage
gains become explicit.
It is designated in terms of decibels, dB.
Power gain in dB = 10 log (Po/Pi) dB.
Voltage gain in dB = 20 log (Vo/Vi) dB.
Here if power gain < 1, voltage gain <1.
Power gain in dB =10 log (Po/Pi) dB.
Voltage gain in dB = 20 log (Vo/Vi) dB.
are absolute gains
power ratio P /P = 10,000 = 40 dB
o i
Voltage ratio Vo/Vi = 100 = 40 dB.
Term is power
See that Po/Pi = (Vo/Vi) 2
(Po/Pi) dB = 2(Vo/Vi)dB
Alternatively:
Power gain = 10 (gainindB/10)
Voltage gain = 10 (gainindB/20)
Examples:
A 64 dB gain means 106.4 = 2.5212x106
watts.
An attenuation by 0.01= 10 log(0.01)
= -20 dB
Examples:
Let there be two amplifiers in
cascade. Their gains are 13 dB Sum
and
10 dB respectively.
The overall gain is 13+10 = 23 dB.
In terms of ratio:
23 dB = 10(23/10)= 200
13 dB = 10(13/10)= 20 same
10 dB = 10(10/10)= 10
Again 20 x 10 = 200.
multiplication
Relative dB
It is convenient to express signals with some
reference such as
1mW power or,
1 µ V voltage level.
This permits input- and output- signals to be
expressed in terms of relative dB.
When referenced to 1mW, it is written dBm
When referenced to 1 µ V, it is written as dBµ V
Relative dB is not a gain
but is termed as gain wrt a
reference.
5 watts signal,
In relative dB; 10 log(5W/1mW) = 36.99
dBm
500 µ V signal:
In relative dB; 20 log(500 µ V /1 µ V )
= 53.98 dBµ V
