Picture Signal transmission

In AM transmitters where efficiency is the prime requirement, amplitude modulation is effected by

making the output current of a class C amplifier proportional to the modulating voltage
This amounts to applying a series of current pulses at the frequency of the carrier to the output
tuned (tank) circuit where the amplitude of each pulse follows the variations of the modulating signal
The resonant frequency of the tuned circuit is set equal to the carrier frequency
The accumulative effect of this action of the resonant circuit is generation of a continuous sine wave
voltage at the output of tank circuit
The frequency of this voltage is equal to carrier frequency having amplitude variations proportional
to magnitude of the modulating signal
Positive and negative modulation
When the intensity of picture brightness causes increase in amplitude of the modulated envelope, it
ise called positive modulation
When the polarity of modulating video signal is so chosen that sync tips lie at the 100 per cent level
of carrier amplitude and increasing brightness produces decrease in the modulation envelope, it is
called
n
negative modulation
Effect of Noise Interference on Picture Signal:
In negative system of modulation, noise pulse extends in black direction of the signal when they
occur during the active scanning intervals
They extend in the direction of sync pulses when they occur during blanking intervals
In the positive system, the noise extends in the direction of the white during active scanning i.e., in
the opposite direction from the sync pulse during blanking
Obviously the effect of noise on the picture itself is less pronounced when negative modulation is
used
Effect of Noise Interference on Synchronization:
Sync pulses with positive modulation being at a lesser level of the modulated carrier envelope are
not much affected by noise pulses
However, in the case of negatively modulated signal, it is sync pulses which exist at maximum
carrier amplitude, and the effect of interference is both to mutilate some of these, and to produce lot
of spurious random pulses
This can completely upset the synchronization of the receiver time bases unless something is done
about it
Peak Power Available from the Transmitter:
With positive modulation, signal corresponding to white has maximum carrier amplitude
The RF modulator cannot be driven harder to extract more power because the non-linear distortion
thus introduced would affect the amplitude scale of the picture signal and introduce brightness
distortion in very bright areas of the picture
In negative modulation, the transmitter may be overmodulated during the sync pulses without
adverse effects, since the non-linear distortion thereby introduced, does not very much affect the
shape of sync pulses
Consequently, the negative polarity of modulation permits a large increase in peak power output
and for a given setup in the final transmitter stage the output increases by about 40%
Use of AGC (Automatic Gain Control) Circuits in the
Receiver:
In negative system of modulation, peak level of incoming carrier is the peak of sync pulses which
remains fixed at 100 per cent of signal amplitude and is not affected by picture details
This level may be selected simply by passing the composite video signal through a peak detector
In the positive system of modulation the corresponding stable level is zero amplitude at the carrier
and obviously zero is no reference, and it has no relation to the signal strength
The maximum carrier amplitude in this case depends not only on the strength of the signal but also
on the nature of picture modulation and hence cannot be utilized to develop true AGC voltage
Vestigial sideband transmission
In the 625 line TV system where the frequency components present in the video signal extend from
dc (zero Hz) to 5MHz
A double sideband AM transmission would occupy a total bandwidth of 10 MHz
The actual band space allocated to the television channel would have to be still greater, because
with practical filter characteristics it is not possible to terminate the bandwidth of a signal abruptly at
the edges of the sidebands
Therefore, an attenuation slope of 0.5 MHz is provided at each edge of the two sidebands
This adds 1 MHz to the required total band space

 In addition to this, each television channel has its associated FM (frequency modulated) sound
signal, the carrier frequency of which is situated just outside the upper limit of 5.5 MHz of the picture
signal
This, together with a small guard band, adds another 0.25 MHz to the channel width, so that a
practical figure for the channel bandwidth would be 11.25 MHz
Such a bandwidth is too large, and if used, would limit the number of channels in a given high
frequency spectrum allocated for TV transmission
In the video signal very low frequency modulating components exist along with the rest of the signal
Therefore, as a compromise, only a part of the lower sideband, is suppressed, and the radiated
signal then consists of a full upper sideband together with the carrier, and the vestige (remaining part)
of the partially suppressed lower sideband
This pattern of transmission of the modulated signal is known as vestigial sideband or A5C
transmission
In the 625 line system, frequencies up to 0.75 MHz in the lower sideband are fully radiated
The picture signal is seen to occupy a bandwidth of 6.75 MHz instead to 11 MHz
Standard channel BW
The sound carrier is always positioned at the extremity of the fully radiated upper sideband and
hence is 5.5 MHz away from the picture carrier
The FM sound signal occupies a frequency spectrum of about 75 KHz around the sound carrier
However, a guard band of 0.25 MHz is allowed on the sound carrier side of the television channel to
allow for adequate inter-channel separation
The total channel bandwidth thus occupies 7 MHz and this represents a band space saving of 4.25
MHz per channel, when compared with the 11.25 MHz space
Figure shows allocation of two channel on spectrum Band
Channel bandwidth for colour
transmission
Following figure shows location of colour signal band in video signal spectrum
Television transmitter
TV Signal propagation
Radio waves are electromagnetic waves, which when radiated from transmitting antennas, travel
through space to distant places, where they are picked up by receiving antennas
Although space is the medium through which electromagnetic waves are propagated, but depending
on their wavelengths, there are three distinctive methods by which propagation takes place
These are: (a) ground wave or surface wave propagation, (b) sky wave propagation, and (c) space
wave propagation
(a) ground wave or surface wave propagation:
Vertically polarized electromagnetic waves radiated at zero or small angles with ground, are guided
by the conducting surface of the ground, along which they are propagated
Such waves are called ground or surface waves
The attenuation of ground waves, as they travel along the surface of the earth is proportional to
frequency, and is reasonably low below 1500 kHz
(b) Sky Wave Propagation:
Most radio communication in short wave bands up to 30 MHz (11 meters) is carried out by sky
waves
When such waves are transmitted high up in the sky, they travel in a straight line until the
ionosphere is reached
This region which begins about 120 km above the surface of the earth, contains large
concentrations of charged gaseous ions, free electrons and neutral molecules
The ions and free electrons tend to bend all passing electromagnetic waves
The angle by which the wave deviates from its straight path depends on
(i) frequency of the radio wave
(ii) angle of incidence at which the wave enters the
ionosphere
(iii) density of the charged particles in the ionosphere at
the particular moment
(iv) thickness of the ionosphere at the point
With increase in frequency, the allowable incident angle at the ionosphere becomes smaller until
finally a frequency is reached, when it becomes impossible to deflect the beam back to earth

 For ordinary ionospheric conditions this frequency occurs at about 35 to 40 MHz

Above this frequency, the sky waves cannot be used for radio communication between distant
points on the earth
(c) Space Wave Propagation
The only alternative for transmission in the VHF and UHF bands, despite large attenuation, is by
radio waves which travel in a straight line from transmitter to receiver
This is known as space wave propagation
For not too large distances, the surface of the earth can be assumed to be flat and different rays of
wave propagation can reach the receiver from transmitter
Effect of Earths Curvature:
h
Earths curvature limits the maximum distancebetween the transmitting and receiving
antennas
The maximum line of sight distance d between the two antennas can be easily found out
Neglecting (hr)2 and (ht)2, being very small as compared to R, the radius of the earth, the lineofsight distance d 4.22(ht + hr ) km
Range of Transmission
A sample calculation shows that for a transmitting antenna height of 225 meters above ground level
the radio horizon is 60 km
If the receiving antenna height is 16 meters above ground level the total distance is increased to 76
km
Depending on the transmitter power and other factors the service area may extend up to 120 km for
the channels in the VHF band but drops to about 60 km for UHF channels
Booster Stations
Some areas are either shadowed by mountains or are too far away from the transmitter for
satisfactory television reception
In such cases booster stations can be used. A booster station must be located at such a place,
where it can receive and rebroadcast the program to receivers in adjoining areas
Signal strength is a function of power radiated, transmitting and receiving antenna heights
The acceptable signal to noise ratio at the picture tube screen is measured in terms of peak-to-peak
video signal voltage (half tone), injected at the grid or cathode of the picture tube versus the r.m.s.
random noise voltage at that point
A peak signal to r.m.s. noise ratio of 45 db is generally considered adequate to produce a good
quality picture
Field strength is indicated by the amount of signal received by a receiving antenna at a height of 10
meters from ground level, and is measured in microvolts per meter of antenna dipole length
The field strength for very good reception in thickly populated and built-up areas is 2500 V/ meter
for channels 2 to 4 (47 to 68 MHz), and 3550 V/meter for channels 5 to 11 (174 to 223 MHz)
For channels in the UHF band, a field strength of about 5000 V/meter becomes necessary
Interference suffered by TV
channels
(a) Co-channel Interference
Two stations operating at the same carrier frequency, if located close by, will interfere with each
other
This phenomenon which is common in fringe areas is called co-channel interference
As the two signal strengths in any area almost equidistant from the two co-channel stations
become
d
equal, a phenomenon known as venetian-blind interference occurs
(b) Adjacent Channel Interference
Stations located close by and occupying adjacent channels, present a different interference problem
Adjacent channel interference may occur as a result of beats between any two of these frequencies
or between a carrier and any sidebands
A coarse dot structure is produced on the screen if picture carrier of the desired channel beats with
sound carrier of the lower adjacent channel
(c) Ghost Interference
Ghost interference arises as a result of discrete reflections of the signal from the surface of
buildings, bridges, hills, towers etc
The direct signal is usually stronger and assumes control of the synchronizing circuitry and so the
picture, due to the reflected signal that arrives late, appears displaced to the right
Such
t
displaced pictures are known as trailing ghost pictures
The effect of such reflected signals (ghost images) can be minimized by using directional antennas
and by locating them at suitable places on top of the buildings
TV broadcast channels for terrestrial transmission

 Below are the band rages approved by Consultative Committee on International Radio(CCIR)