FDM – messages occupy narrow bandwidth – all the time.
Multiplexing requires that the signals be kept apart so that they do not interfere
with each other, and thus they can be separated at the receiving end. This is
accomplished by separating the signal either in frequency or time. The technique of
separating the signals in frequency is referred to as frequency division multiplexing
(FDM), whereas the technique of separating the signals in time is called time- division
multiplexing (TDM).
Fig.2 shows the block diagram of FDM System. As shown in the figure, input
message signals, assumed to be of the low-pass type are passed through input low-pass
filters. This filtering action removes high-frequency components that do not contribute
significantly to signal representation but may disturb other message signals that share
the common channel.
The filtered message signals are then modulated with necessary carrier
frequencies with the help of modulators. The most commonly used method of
modulation in FDM is single sideband modulation, which requires a bandwidth that is
approximately equal to that of original message signal. The band pass filters following
the modulators are used to restrict the band of each modulated wave to its prescribed
range. The outputs of BPF are combined in parallel which form the input to the common
channel.
At the receiving end, BPF connected to the common channel separate the
message signals on the frequency occupancy basis. Finally, the original message signals
are recovered by individual demodulators.
Fig.2. Frequency Division Multiplexing
