2. Learning outcomes
• describe communication systems in terms of
– signal, carrier, noise, range, data transmission rate and bandwidth
– a source – journey – detector model, with transmitter and receiver
– modulation and demodulation (encoding and decoding)
• calculate the critical angle for total internal reflection using
Snell's law
• describe advantages and limitations of optical fibre systems
• identify UK radio wave bands used for wireless communications
• describe amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM)
and digital signals graphically and in words
• use a variety of appropriate experiments and simulations when
teaching about communications
3. Communication systems
system carrier signal carried as
hilltop beacons light on-off (fire or no fire)
telegraph electric current on-off (Morse code)
cable TV infrared in optical fibres ultra-fast (on-off) pulses
mob phone microwave ultra-fast (on-off) pulses
AM radio radio wave changing amplitude (AM)
FM radio radio wave changing frequency (FM)
5. Communications: key terms
transmitter ……………........… receiver
encoding …………………….. decoding
modulation…………….... demodulation
All communication systems must contend with noise – unwanted
interference. Engineers consider signal-to-noise ratio.
Other parameters: data transmission rate, range, signal encoding.
7. Fibre optic systems use light
Infrared light is used more commonly than visible light - less
attenuation and dispersion.
A simple transmitter:
button cell & LED
A simple detector:
phototransistor + multimeter
10. Total internal reflection
In general, when passing from one medium (refractive index n1) to
another medium (refractive index n2),
(Snell’s law)
At the critical angle,
In optical fibres, the cladding material typically has a refractive
index ~1% lower than that of the core, so critical angle is ~82o
2
2
1
1
sin
sin
n
n
1
2
2
o
2
1
o
2
1
sin
90
sin
sin
so
,
90
and
n
n
n
n
n
c
c
c
12. A radio frequency (r.f.) carrier wave of fixed amplitude is generated.
Its amplitude varies once an audio frequency (a.f.) signal is added.
Amplitude modulation
13. Making a simple radio receiver
A: AM modulated radio wave
B: After diode rectification
C: The r.f. wave is filtered out, leaving a.f. signal
19. Analogue to digital encoding
analogue signal sampling and encoding the
analogue signal.
Digitised values are in binary form, so the resolution is expressed
in bits. 8 bits encode an analogue value as one of 256 different
levels (28 = 256).
20. Resolution too low
Sampling rate too low
Encoding requires a sufficiently high sampling rate & resolution.
Digital to analogue decoding
22. Any waveform can be accurately represented as a sum of sine
waves, each with its own frequency.
If some of the frequencies are lost, then so is some of the
information in the signal.
Spectrum analysis
23. Bandwidth
Each kind of signal contains a range of frequencies.
The higher the data rate, the larger the bandwidth and the higher
the frequency band needed.
Bandwidth costs money: e.g. monthly charges for your mobile
phone and Internet services
system spectrum width bandwidth
telephone 300 - 3400 Hz 3100 Hz
FM radio station 98.2 - 98.6 MHz 0.4MHz