Unit - 4 Introduction of Radio Transmitters
A radio transmitter is used at transmitting end of communication system, it includes all the
functionality that is needed to transmit a baseband signal over a long distance.
Classification of Radio Transmitters:
Radio transmitters may be classified according to the following methods
According to the type of modulation used.
According to the service involved.
According to the frequency range involved.
According to the type of modulation used:
• AM Transmitters: In it, the modulating signal amplitude modulates the carrier.
Applications: radio broadcast on long, medium and short waves, radio telephony on
short waves, radio telegraphy on short waves, TV picture broadcast on very short waves
or ultra short waves.
• FM Transmitters: In it, the message signal amplitude varies the frequency of
carrier. Applications: radio broadcast, TV sound broadcast, radio telephone
communication over short distances. (all in VHF and UHF range)
• Pulse modulation transmitters: In it, the message signal voltage alters some
characteristic of the pulses (width, position, amplitude, frequency).
According to the type of Service Involved:
Radio Broadcast Transmitters
• These transmitters are designed for transmitting speeches, talks, music, dramas etc. for
the information and recreation of people.
• The EM energy is radiated from the transmitting antenna that largest number of persons
may be able to receive the broadcast with the help of their radio receivers.
• These broadcast transmitters may be either AM or FM type.
• The A.M. transmitters operate on long, medium and short waves and radiate carrier
power as low as about 1 kilowatt and as high as 100 kW or more.
• The F.M. broadcast transmitters operate on very short waves or on ultra short waves
and radiate carrier power of the order of 100 kW or so.
Radio Telephone Transmitters
• The Tx are designed for transmitting telephone signals over long distance by radio
means.
• Telephone Tx uses special devices as volume compressors, privacy devices, peak
limiters etc.
• The transmitting antenna is designed for beaming the EM energy into a narrow beam
directed toward the distant receiving antenna. Smaller amount of power is thus required.
• Radio telephone transmitters may be either of AM type or of FM type.
• The AM telephone transmitters work on short wave, have output carrier power of
typically a few kilowatts and are used for point-to-point communication over long
distances.
• The FM transmitters work on ultra high frequencies, carry small power usually less
than 1 kW and are used for communication over short distances not exceeding about 30
kilometers or so.
TV Transmitters
• TV broadcast requires two transmitters one for transmission of picture and the other for
transmission of sound.
• Both operate in very high frequency or in ultra high frequency range.
• The picture transmitter is amplitude modulated by the picture signal occupying a band
of about 5.5 MHz. Vestigial sideband transmission is used i.e. one full sideband and
only a vestige or a part ( about 0.75MHz) of the othe sideband together with the carrier
are radiated from the transmitting aerial.
• The total bandwidth occupied by one television channel is about 7 MHz.
• The sound carrier is frequency modulated.
Transistor Topologies
The two basic topologies to generate and transmit amplitude modulated waves are
Low level modulation
High level modulation
Low Level Modulation: Here the generation of AM wave takes place in the initial stage of
amplification, i.e at a low power level. The generated AM signal is then amplified using number
of amplifier stages.
High Level Modulation: The modulation takes place in the final stage of amplification.
Therefore circuitry has to handle high power.
Master Oscillator: It generates oscillations of desired frequency with high consistency.
• The generated frequency is required to remain constant within close limits irrespective
of variations in supply voltage, temperature.
• The performance should not decay with time and age of the tube.
Buffer Amplifier: Needed between master O/S and harmonic generator so to avoid loading
effect on master O/S.
• The loading can causes variation of effective resistance of the tank circuit of the
oscillator and hence results in frequency variation.
• A buffer amplifier also called isolating amplifier.
• It does not draw any I/P current and hence causes no loading of the master oscillator.
• Changes in carrier frequency due to variations in loading are thus avoided.
Harmonic Generators: Usually master O/S generates voltage at a frequency which is a sub
multiple of the carrier frequency.
• The harmonic generators are class C tuned amplifiers in which the O/P RF voltage is
first distorted through class C operation
• Then the tuned circuit in the O/P circuit of the amplifier selects a the desired harmonic
frequency.
Modulated Amplifier: It is a class C amplifier usually of push pull type and used for
performing modulation.
• High efficiency series plate modulation is used in high power radio broadcast and radio
telephone transmitters.
• Grid bias modulation and suppressor grid modulation are used for modulation at low
power levels.
• In small transistorized radio transmitter, collector modulation or base modulation or
both may be used.
• Modulated Amplifier: (collector modulation)
Modulating amplifier: It is a class B push pull amplifier and feeds audio power into the
modulation amplifier.
• Class B operation is generally used because of high plate circuit efficiency.
• For low power, sometimes the Class A amplifiers can be used.
Audio amplifier: Modulating signal is fed to the input of audio amplifier.
• The modulating signal is very weak even it is not sufficient to drive the modulating
amplifier.
• So the audio amplifier amplifies the signal to the desired voltage level and is fed to the
modulating amplifier.
Transmitting antenna: The output of modulated amplifier is fed to the antenna through feeder
wire. This antenna converts the electrical signal into electromagnetic waves and radiates into
space.
• The only difference between low level and high level is the point at which the
modulation takes place
• In low level modulation system amplifier efficiency and bandwidth preservations are
important factors since audio signal is having low power.
• For high level modulation other than efficiency of amplifier power handling capability,
distortion, capability of handling amplitude variations are important parameter.
• The output of final amplifier is passed through an impedance matching network.
• It includes the tank circuit of the final amplifier.
• For tank circuits, Q is kept low enough to pass all sideband signals without amplitude
and frequency distortion.
Effect of Feedback on AM Transmitter
• Generally, negative feedback is provided in AM transmitters. This negative feedback
reduces the distortion in a class-C modulator system.
• It also linearizes the output of the class-C modulator.
• The negative feedback circuitry samples the RF signals end to the antenna.
• This sample signal is demodulated by linear demodulator to produce feedback signal.
• Tuned class C amplifier must provide sufficient power gain to drive the final power
amplifier.
• Antenna systems for AM transmitters are usually placed at remote locations.
• Crystal oscillator is used to generate stabilized RF signal.
• It is amplified through class A buffer amplifiers.
• Triple equilibrium system is used here as modulated amplifier.
• The modulation is performed by plate modulation in the final class C power amplifier.
• The final amplifier is push pull amplifier with each side having several vacuum tubes
connected in parallel, to obtain the required power.
• Due to parallel connection, in case of failure of one tube, remaining tubes provide
partial output till the repair.
• The output of the final amplifier is fed to antenna through matching network.
• The feedback circuitry is provided to linearize the class C amplifier and to reduce
distortion in it.
FM Transmitters
Directly Modulated FM Transmitter:
• Using frequency multiplication the instantaneous frequency is multiplied.
• Original fi = fc + f will become n*fi = n*fc + n*f where n is the multiplication factor
of frequency multiplier.
• The multiplication is achieved by passing the signal through Class C amplifier which
can only produce the frequency variations.
• Further passing the signal through mixer, the mixer will not change the deviation it only
alter the carrier frequency or the output of mixer is tuned at different frequency n*fc +
n*f – fo.
• Thus desired carrier frequency and desired frequency deviation is achieved.
• The main issue with this method is in maintaining the stability when the LC oscillator
is directly used to produce the large frequency deviation.
To handle it the Automatic frequency control circuit (AFC) is used
• The AFC is used to maintain the desired carrier frequency.
• The higher frequency generated by multiplier is fed to the mixer with other input from
crystal O/S (stable frequency)
• Discriminator will produce the corresponding DC voltage with AC component.
• When passed through the LPF all the AC component is filtered out and DC will be only
available signal.
• The DC bias voltage will increase the transconductance of the reactance mod.
• The increased transconductane will increase the equivalent capacitance of LC O/S.
which in terns decrease the generated frequency.
• If the generated o/p of multiplier is lower in frequency the working of AFC become
opposite.
Indirect (Phase) Modulated FM Transmitter:
• One of the difficulties encountered in FM transmitters which depend upon the direct
method of FM is that it has variable nature of tuning of the tank circuit.
• Therefore the stability is less than crystal-controlled o/s.
• An alternative technique for the generation of a FM signal which permits the use of
crystal control is called the Indirect Method.
• Here the phase angle is made to vary while keeping the frequency constant.
• With some minor modifications the PM signal can be passed off as FM signal.
• Armstrong method is one of the most popular method of generating FM indirectly.
FM transmitter in which FM is achieved through Phase Modulation
FM Transmitter (Armstrong Method):
• In it, the initial modulation takes place as an amplitude modulated DSBSC signal so
that a crystal-controlled oscillator can be used.
• The crystal O/S generates a subcarrier, which can be low (on the order of 100 KHz).
• One output from the O/S is phase shifted by 90 degrees to produce the sine term, which
is then DSBSC modulated in the balanced modulator.
• This is combined with the direct output from the oscillator in the summing amplifier,
the result then being the phase modulated signal.
• The modulating signal is passed through an integrator to the modulated to get the FM
signal.
• At this stage, the equivalent frequency deviation will be low. To increase the deviations
the circuit similar to directly modulated FM Tx is used.
Prepared By
Dr.R.V.V.Krishna
HOD ECE,ACET
