Principles of Electronic Communication System

Third Edition by Louis E. Frenzel Jr.

Chapter 4
Amplitude Modulator and Demodulator Circuits

QUESTION--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What mathematical operation does an amplitude modulator perform?

multiplication
2. A device that produces amplitude modulation must have what type of response curve?
square-law response curve
3. Describe the two basic ways in which amplitude modulator circuits generate AM.
One technique used to produce AM is to have the modulating signal vary the gain or attenuation
of a linear circuit through which the carrier is passed or linearly mix the carrier modulating signal
and apply them to a non linear circuit with a square law response.
4. What type of semiconductor device gives a near-perfect square-law response?
diode
5. Which four signals and frequencies appear at the output of a low-level diode modulator?
Carrier, modulating signal, upper and lower sidebands
6. What component does a PIN diode appear to be when it is used in an amplitude modulator?
A voltage variable resistor
7. Name the primary application of PIN diodes as amplitude modulators.
Pin diodes are used to form variable attenuators to generate AM
8. What kind of amplifier must be used to boost the power of a low-level AM signal?
Linear
9. How does a differential amplifier modulator work?
A differential amplifier multiplies the voltage difference between two inputs (Vin+ - Vin-) by
some constant factor Ad, the differential gain. It may have either one output or a pair of outputs
where the signal of interest is the voltage difference between the two outputs.
10. To what stage of a transmitter does the modulator connect in a high-level AM transmitter?
Final RF Amplifier Stage
11. What is the simplest and most common technique for demodulating an AM signal?
Use a half wave rectifier diode detector
12. What is the most critical component value in a diode detector circuit? Explain.
The filter capacitor across the load in a diodedetector must have a value that is high enough to
filter out the carrier frequency but low enough so that it does not distort the recovered lower
frequency information signal
13. What is the basic component in a synchronous detector? What operates this component?
Diode or Transistor that is turned on or off by an internally generated clock signal equal in
frequency and in phase with the carrier frequency.
14. What signals does a balanced modulator generate? Eliminate?
Upper and lower sidebands are generated but eliminates or suppresses the carrier

15. What type of balanced modulator uses transformers and diodes?

Lattice modulator
16. What is the most commonly used filter in a filter-type SSB generator?
Crystal filter
17. What is the most difficult part of producing SSB for voice signals by using the phasing methods?
18. Which type of balanced modulator gives the greatest carrier suppression?
19. What is the name of the circuit used to demodulate an SSB signal?
20. What signal must be present in an SSB demodulator besides the signal to be detected?

PROBLEM----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. A collector modulated transmitter has a supply voltage of 48 V and an average collector current of 600
mA. What is the input power to the transmitter? How much modulating signal power is needed to
produce 100 percent modulation?
Pc=Vcc(Ic)
=48(0.6)
=28.8W

100% modulation u=1

Pt=Pc(1+u2/2)
=Pc(1+1/2)
=28.8(3/2)
=43.2W

2. An SSB generator has a 9-MHz carrier and is used to pass voice frequencies in the 300- to 3300-Hz
range. The lower sideband is selected. What is the approximate enter frequency of the filter needed to
pass the lower sideband?
fLL=fc-300=9,000,000-300=9,000,300
fUL=fc-3,400=9,000,000-3,400=8,996,600
LSB=8,996,600 to 9,000,300
fLSB=(fLL+fUL)/2=(8,996,600+9,000,300)/2
=8.998MHz

3. A 1496 IC balanced modulator has a carrier-level input of 200 mV. The amount of suppression
achieved is 60 dB. How much carrier voltage appears at the output?
60dB=20log(200/Vout)
Vout = 0.2mV

CRITICAL THINKING---------------------------
1. State the relative advantages and disadvantages of synchronous detectors versus other types of
amplitude demodulators.
2. Could a balanced modulator be used as a synchronous detector? Why or why not?
3. An SSB signal is generated by modulating a 5-MHz carrier with a 400-Hz sine tone. At the receiver,
the carrier is reinserted during demodulation, but its frequency is 5.00015 MHz rather than exactly 5
MHz. How does this affect the recovered signal? How would a voice signal be affected by a carrier that
is not exactly the same as the original?

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION-------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What mathematical operation does an amplitude modulator perform?

A. Addition *C. Multiplication
B. Subtraction D. Division

2. One of the simplest amplitude modulators is?

 *A. Diode Modulator C. Capacitor Modulator
B. Resistor Modulator D. LED Modulator

3. What is the most commonly used low- level amplitude modulator?

A. Diode Modulator *C. PIN Diode Modulator
B. Transistor Modulator D. Differential Amplifier Modulator
4. What type of amplitude modulators varies the voltage and the power in the final RF amplifier stage of
the transmitter?
A. Low-Level AM *C. High-Level AM
B. Very Low-Level AM D. Very High-Level AM

5-6. An AM transmitter uses high level modulation of the final RF power amplifier, which has a dc
supply voltage Vcc of 48V with a total current I of 3.5A. The efficiency is 70%.

5. What is the RF input power to the final stage?

*A. 168W C. 618W
B. 861W D. 186W

Solution
Pin = Vcc.I
= (48)(3.5)
= 168W

6. What is the carrier output power?

*A. 117.6W C. 117.1W
B. 116W D. 118W

Solution
%efficiency = ((Pout)/(Pin))*100
Pout = (%efficiency * Pin)/100
= (70*168)/100
= 117.6 W

7. What type of semiconductor device gives a near-perfect square-law response?

A. Diode C. Transistor
B. Resistor D. Capacitor

8. The simplest and the most widely used amplitude demodulator is?
A. Envelope Detector C. Synchronous Detector
B. Diode Detectors D. Transistor Detector

9. it is a detector that have less distortion and a better signal-to-noise ratio than a standard diode detectors.
A. Envelope Detector C. Synchronous Detector
B. Diode Detectors D. Transistor Detector
10. An SSB transmitter using the filter method operates at a frequency of 4.2 MHz. The voice frequency
range is 300 to 3400Hz. Calculate the upper sideband ranges.
*A. 4,200,300 to 4,203,400 C. 4,196,600 to 4,199,700
B. 4,200,700 to 4,206,600 D. 4,193,400 to 4,199,300

10. Circuits that accept modulated signals and recover the original modulating information.
A. Modulator C. Amplifier
 B. Demodulator D. Balanced Modulator
11. Circuits that generates a DSB signal, suppressing the carrier and leaving only the sum and difference
frequency at the output.
A. Modulator C. Amplifier
B. Demodulator D. Balanced Modulator