ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

1-1 THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Communications - Basic process of exchanging information. It is what humans do to convey
their thoughts, feelings, and ideas to one another. (Late 19th Century)
Clause: Contemporary societys emphasis is now the accumulation, packaging, and exchange of
information.

WAYS OF COMMUNICATING:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Spoken Words
Nonverbal / Signals
Body movements
Face to face
Written words
Electrical innovation
Telegraph
Telephone
Radio
TV
Internet (computer)

TWO MAIN BARRIERS TO HUMAN COMMUNICATIONS:

1. Language When humans of different nations or tribes come together, they it difficult to
understand each other because they are not familiar with the language each speaks.
It can be overcome as humans learn their language and or through interpreters.
2. Distance Before: When they communicate over long distances, they use smokes
signals or drums, flowing horn, lighting a signal fire and waving a flag.
Electronic Communication- refers to sending, reception, and processing of information by
electrical means.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
-

Symbols (letters, numbers, words, sound, light etc.) from an alphabet (or ensemble) of
possible symbols.

WELL KNOWN FORMS OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS:

1. Radio
2. Television- both increased the ability to share and deliver information
Clause: It is hard to imagine what our life would be without the knowledge and information that come our
way by various means of electronic communications. Communication has made our society what it has
today. Ours is a communication society.
1844- Morse invented the telegraph

1876- Bell invented and patented the telephone

ADVANTAGES OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS:

1. We can conveniently transfer information even over long distances.
2. We can apply the available information in a timely way.
3. We are not to wait for days or months to receive information
DISADVANTAGES:
1. It can be used to evil desires like scamming.
2. It can cause to invade our privacy through accessing our identity
3. It can put our lives to danger when misused.
1-2 ELEMENTS OF A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Figure 1-2 Basic Elements of any Communication System

THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
1.
2.
3.
4.

Transmitter
Communications channel or medium
Receiver
Noise

Information or Intelligence Signal/ Modulating S or Wave- Message that human generates

Process: The information or intelligence signal is inputted to the transmitter which then transmits the
message over the communications channel. The message is picked up by the receiver and is relayed to
other human. Along the way noise is added to the message in the communications channel.

Transmitter
-

a collection of electronic components and circuits designed to convert information into a

signal suitable for the transmission over a given communication channel.
- Made up of oscillator, amplifiers, tuned circuits and filters, modulators, frequency mixers,
frequency synthesizers, and other circuits.
Examples:
1. Microphone (simple)
2. Microwave radio transmitter (complex)

Communications Channel- is the medium by which electronic signal is sent from one place to
another.
Examples:
1. Pair of wires- that carry a voice signal from a microphone to headset.
2. Fiber-optic cable or Light Pipe- that carries a message on a light wave.
3. Radio/ Free Space- is a broad general term applied to any form of wireless
communication.

Radio makes use of electromagnetic spectrum where signals are communicated form one
point to another by converting them into electric and magnetic fields that propagated readily
over long distances.
Note: Medium also attenuates or reduces the information causes it to appear much lower
amplitude at the receiver. Amplification both at the transmitter and receiver is required.

Receiver
- is a collection of electronic components and circuits that accepts transmitted information from
the channel and converts it back to the form understandable by humans and machine.
-contains oscillators, mixer, amplifiers, tuned circuits and filters, ad a demodulator or detector
that recovers the original intelligence signal form the modulated carrier.
Example:
1. Earphone
2. Electronic Receiver
Noise
-the general term used for any interference that degrades the transmitted info.
-the random undesirable electric energy that enters the communication systems via
communicating channel and interferes with the transmitted message.
-some noise is produced in the receiver.
-electric components generate noise internally due to thermal agitation of atom.
-noise completely obliterates the message which in turn misinterpreted messages.
-undesirable interference in communications which is added to the signals in med
ORIGIN OF NOISE/ COMMON INTERFERENCE
1. Atmosphere ex form lightning which produces statics.
2. Outer Space- where the sun and stars emit various kinds of radiation that can interfere
with the communications
3. Electrical interference- created by manufactured equipment. Ex, electric ignition system
or cars, electric motors, fluorescent lights.
Transceiver- An electronic unit that incorporates circuits that both send and receive signals.
Examples:
1. Telephones

5. Computer Modems

2. Fax Machines
3. Handheld CB Radios
4. Cell Phones
Attenuation- signal attenuation or degradation exist in all media of wireless and wired
transmissions. It is proportional to the square of the distance between the transmitter and the
receiver.
1-3 TYPES OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
CLASSIFICATIONS OF ELEC COMMUNICATIONS:
1. One-way vs. Two-way Transmission
2. Analog vs. Digital Signals
3. Baseband or Modulated Signals

Basic Types of Communications:

One-Way (Simplex) the information travels in one direction only.
Examples:
Radio and TV Broadcasting
Telemetry System of a Satellite
Beeper (personal receiver)
Two-Way (Duplex): Full Duplex- when individuals can transmit and her one another
simultaneously.
Example:
Telephone
Radar
Sonar
Two-Way (Duplex): Half Duplex- only one party can transmit information at a time. Dir.
Alternates.
Examples:
Citizen Band
Amateur Radio
Radio Transmission

Types of Signals:
Analog Signal- Continuously varying voltage or current.

Examples:
Sine wave tone
Voice
Video (TV) Signal
Digital Signal
-

Changes in steps or in discrete increments.

Most DS use binary or two state codes (on/off)
On/Off Digital Codes (earliest form of both wire and radio communications.

Example:
Morse Code (dots and dashes) - Telegraph
International codes of dots and dashes - Telegraphy
Binary Codes Computers
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) most commonly used.
Telegraphy message, computer data.
A/D converter- converts analog to digital signals.

Baseband vs. Modulated Signal

Baseband Signal-

Original signal (not modulated)

Refers to information signal regardless of whether it is analog or digital.

Baseband Transmission

Putting the BS like video or voice directly into the medium.

The information signal or BB information may be used to modulate a carrier for
transmission over medium.
In the telephone or intercom system, the voice in placed on the wires and transmitted
In some computer networks, DS are applied directly to coaxial or twisted cables for
transmission.
To transmit baseband information by radio, modulation technique must be used,

Modulation- is the process of having baseband signal modify the higher frequency carrier
signal in some ways.

COMMON METHODS FOR MODULATION:

1. Amplitude Modulation (AM)- The Baseband varies the amplitude of the carrier signal.
2. Frequency Modulation (FM)- The baseband varies the frequency of the carrier signal.

3. Phase Modulation (PM)

- The shifting of the phase angle of the carrier in accordance with the intelligence signal.
- In which the phase angle of the sine wave is varied.
- PM produces FM so they are look alike.

Clause: The higher frequency signal is more compatible with the media such as free space and
propagates through it with higher efficiency.
Clause: At the receiver, the carrier signal is demodulated or detected to extract the original BBS
information and transmitted message.

Demodulation or Detection- recovery of the original BBS information.

To Transmit Signal by Radio
1. Modulation Technique
2. Multiplexing Technique- process of transmitting two or more signals simultaneously in
one or the same channel/medium.
Carrier Signal- High frequency signal. Usually sine wave that is higher frequency that the
highest intelligence signal frequency.
3 BASIC CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Amplitude
2. Frequency
3. Phase
Broadband Transmission- takes place when the carrier signal is modulated, amplified, and
sent to the antenna for transmission.