LECTURE 1
INTRODUCTION TO PRINCIPLES
OF COMMUNICATION
ENGINEERING
PART 1
WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND
of
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM?
DEFINITIONS OF
COMMUNICATIONS
Humans exchanging information
Machines exchanging information
Conveying thoughts, feelings,
ideas, and facts
Sending and receiving information
by electronic means
BARRIERS TO
COMMUNICATIONS
Language: human,
computer, or electronic
Distance: space between
sending and receiving
parties
COMMON FORMS OF
COMMUNICATIONS
Human voice: face-to-face conversations,
public speakers, actors in plays, etc.
Audio: CDs, tape, records, radio
Body language: non-verbal
Print: newspapers, magazines, books, etc.
Film: still and movie
Video: movies, graphics and animation
Music: personal, concerts
FORMS OF ELECTRONIC
COMMUNICATIONS
Radio and TV broadcasting
Telephone, wired and wireless
Fax
Pagers
Computer networks: modem, e-
mail, Internet and World Wide
Web, wireless
Satellites, radar, radio telescopes
Communication systems
Basic components:
Transmitter
Channel or medium
Receiver
Noise degrades or
interferes with transmitted
information.
Communication Systems
Transmitter
The transmitter is a collection of electronic
components and circuits that converts the electrical
signal into a signal suitable for transmission over a
given medium.
Transmitters are made up of oscillators, amplifiers,
tuned circuits and filters, modulators, frequency
mixers, frequency synthesizers, and other circuits.
Communication Systems
Communication Channel
The communication channel is the
medium by which the electronic signal is
sent from one place to another.
Types of media include
Electrical conductors
Optical media
Free space
System-specific media (e.g., water is the medium for
sonar).
Communication Systems
Receivers
A receiver is a collection of electronic
components and circuits that accepts the
transmitted message from the channel and
converts it back into a form understandable by
humans.
Receivers contain amplifiers, oscillators, mixers,
tuned circuits and filters, and a demodulator or
detector that recovers the original intelligence
signal from the modulated carrier
Communication Systems
Transceivers
A transceiver is an electronic unit that
incorporates circuits that both send and
receive signals.
Examples are:
• Telephones
• Fax machines
• Handheld CB radios
• Cell phones
• Computer modems
Communication Systems
Noise
Noise is random, undesirable electronic
energy that enters the communication
system via the communicating medium and
interferes with the transmitted message.
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
TYPES OF COMMUNICATIONS
SIGNALS
Analog - smooth and continuous voltage variation.
Digital - binary or two voltage levels.
Time
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.
Basic analog communications system
Baseband signal
EM waves (modulated
(electrical signal) Transmitter signal)
Input Transmission
transducer Modulator
Channel
EM waves (modulated
Carrier signal)
Baseband signal
(electrical signal) Receiver
Output
Demodulator
transducer
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MODULATION
An electronic technique in which a
baseband information signal modifies a
carrier signal (usually a sine wave) for
the purpose of frequency translation and
carrying the information signal via radio.
The common types of modulation are
amplitude, frequency and phase.
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
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Modulation at the transmitter
AMPLITUDE MODULATION
The modulating (baseband) signal is a sinusoid in this example.
High-frequency carrier, normally much
higher than the baseband frequency
FREQUENCY MODULATION
The baseband signal controls the carrier’s frequency
and the carrier’s amplitude remains constant.
Carrier Modulating signal
Resting fc
FM
Increasing fc
Decreasing fc
Increasing fc
Resting fc
MULTIPLEXING
Multiplexing (MUX or MPX) - the
process of simultaneously transmitting
two or more baseband information
signals over a single communications
channel.
Demultiplexing (DEMUX or DMPX) - the
process of recovering the individual
baseband signals from the multiplexed
signal.
MULTIPLEXING AND
DEMULTIPLEXING
Single communications channel (radio or cable)
MUX DEMUX
Original baseband Recovered baseband
information signals information signals
Modulation and Multiplexing
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
APPLICATIONS
Radio broadcasting (AM & FM)
Television broadcasting (analog &
DTV)
Cable TV
Wireless remote control
Paging
Navigation and direction finding
Telemetry
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
APPLICATIONS (Continued)
Radio astronomy
Surveillance
RF identification (ID)
Music services
Telephones (wired, cordless,
cellular)
Facsimile
Two-way radio
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
APPLICATIONS (Continued)
Radar
Sonar
Amateur radio
Citizens and family radio
Data communications
Networks
Internet and World Wide
Web
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
= 300/f
f = 300/
= wavelength in meters
f = frequency in MHz
30 Hz 107 m
ELF
300 Hz 106 m
VF
3 kHz 105 m
(f = 300/)
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
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
Gamma rays
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC
SPECTRUM ABOVE 300 GHZ
Cosmic rays
Wavelength
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.
Noise, interference and
distortion
Noise:unwanted signals that coincide with the desired
signals. Noise is random, undesirable electric energy.
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. Eg: atmospheric noise,solar noise, cosmic
noise, man made noise.
Interference-one type of external noise
Distortion: signal being distorted
Limitations in communication
system
Physical constraint
-Delay, attenuation, bandwidth
limitation, etc
Technological constraint
- hardware.
- Expertise
- economy, law
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 spectrum.It 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
