Module:

Fundamentals of Electronic
Communication ECE 313: 1

S OU R CE:

F R E N ZE L: P R I NCIPLES O F E L E C T RONIC C O M M U NICATION S Y S TEMS

Hi there, future Engineers!

In this module, we will have an overview of electronic communication, and how electrical and
electronic principles, components, circuits, equipment, and systems facilitate and improve our
ability to communicate.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After working on this module, the reader will be able to know and understand the
following:
1. Explain the functions of the three main parts of an electronic communication system.
Describe the system used to classify different types of electronic communication and list
examples of each type.
2. Define the electromagnetic spectrum and explain why the nature of electronic
communication makes it necessary to regulate the electromagnetic spectrum.

What is Communication?

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 The Significance of Human
Communication
Communication is the process of exchanging information. People
communicate to convey their thoughts, ideas, and feelings to others. The
process of communication is inherent to all human life and includes
verbal, nonverbal (body language), print, and electronic processes.

Electronic Communication Systems

Milestones in the history of electronic

communication
When? Where or Who? What?
1837 Samuel Morse Invention of the telegraph (patented in 1844).
1876 Alexander Bell Invention of the telephone.
1887 Heinrich Hertz Discovery of Radio Waves.
1901 Guglielmo Marconi Demonstration of “wireless” communication by radio waves
1906 Reginald Fessenden Invention of amplitude modulation; first electronic voice
communication demonstrated.
1920 KDKA Pittsburgh First radio broadcast

1933-1939 Edwin Armstrong Invention of the superheterodyne receiver and frequency modulation

1958-1961 US First communication satellite tested and Citizens band radio first used.

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 Milestones in the history of electronic
communication
When? Where or Who? What?
1982-1990 US Internet development and first use.
1983 US Cellular telephone networks.
2009 Worldwide First fourth-generation LTE cellular networks.

Communication Systems

Electronic Communication Systems

•Transmitter
•Communication Channel
•Receivers
•Transceivers
•Attenuation
•Noise

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Transmitter
The transmitter itself is a collection of electronic components and
circuits designed to convert the electrical signal to a signal suitable for
transmission over a given communication medium.

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Communication Channel
The communication channel is the medium by which the electronic
signal is sent from one place to another.

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Receivers
A receiver is a collection of electronic components and circuits that
accepts the transmitted message from the channel and converts it
back to a form understandable by humans.

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Transceivers
Communication equipment incorporates circuits that both send and
receive. Most electronic communication is two-way, and so both
parties must have both a transmitter and a receiver.

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Attenuation
Attenuation is a general term that refers to any reduction in the
strength of a signal. Attenuation occurs with any type of signal,
whether digital or analog. Sometimes called loss, attenuation is a
natural consequence of signal transmission over long distances.

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Noise
Noise is an error or undesired random disturbance of a useful
information signal in a communication channel.

The noise is a summation of unwanted or disturbing energy from

natural and sometimes man-made sources.

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Types of Electronic Communication
•Simplex
•Full Duplex
•Half Duplex

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Simplex
The simplest way in which electronic communication is
conducted is one-way communications, normally referred to as
simplex communication.

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Full Duplex
The bulk of electronic communication is two-way, or duplex communication.

For example, people communicating with one another over the telephone can talk and listen
simultaneously

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Half Duplex
The form of two-way communication in which only one party transmits at a
time is known as half duplex communication. The communication is two-way,
but the direction alternates: the communicating parties take turns
transmitting and receiving.

Citizens band (CB), Family

Radio, and amateur radio
communication are also half
duplex.

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Types of Electronic Signal

•Analog Signals
•Digital Signals

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Analog Signals
An analog signal is a smoothly and continuously varying voltage or
current.
A sine wave is a single-frequency analog signal. Voice and video
voltages are analog signals that vary in accordance with the sound or
light variations that are analogous to the information being
transmitted

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Analog Signals

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Digital Signals
Digital signals, in contrast to analog signals, do not vary continuously,
but change in steps or in discrete increments. Most digital signals use
binary or two-state codes.

Many transmissions are of signals that originate in digital form, e.g.,

telegraphy messages or computer data, but that must be converted to
analog form to match the transmission medium.

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Digital Signals

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 The Electromagnetic Spectrum

https://earthsky.org/
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Frequency
It is the number of cycles of a repetitive
wave that occurs in a given time period.
The unit of frequency is the hertz (Hz).

Where a cycle is consists of two

voltage polarity reversals, current
reversals, or electromagnetic field
oscillations.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Wavelength (λ)
It is the distance occupied by one cycle
of a wave, and it is usually expressed in
meters.

λ=

where c is speed of light 299,792,800 m/s

or 300,000,000 m/s (3 x 108 m/s), or 186,000 mi/s.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The range of electromagnetic signals encompassing all frequencies.
Electromagnetic waves are signals that oscillate; i.e., the amplitudes
of the electric and magnetic fields vary at a specific rate. The field
intensities fluctuate up and down, and the polarity reverses a given
number of times per second.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

•Extremely Low Frequencies
•30- to 300-Hz. These include ac power line frequencies (50 and 60 Hz are
common), as well as those frequencies in the low end of the human audio
range.
•Voice Frequencies
• 300 - to -3000 Hz. This is the normal range of human speech.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum
•Very Low Frequencies
• 9 kHz to 30 kHz. Include the higher end of the human hearing
range up to about 15 or 20 kHz. For example, VLF radio
transmission is used by the navy to communicate with submarines.
•Low Frequencies
• 30- to 300-kHz. The primary communication services using this
range are in aeronautical and marine navigation.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

•Medium Frequencies
• 300- to 3000-kHz. The major application of frequencies in this
range is AM radio broadcasting (535 to 1605 kHz).

•High Frequencies
• 3- to 30-MHz. These are the frequencies generally known as short
waves. All kinds of simplex broadcasting and half duplex two-way
radio communication take place in this range. Amateur radio and
CB communication also occur in this part of the spectrum.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

•Very High Frequencies
• 30- to 300-MHz. This popular frequency range is used by many
services, including mobile radio, marine and aeronautical
communication, FM radio broadcasting (88 to 108 MHz), and
television channels 2 through 13.
•Ultrahigh Frequencies
• 300- to 3000-MHz. This, too, is a widely used portion of the
frequency spectrum. It includes the UHF TV channels 14 through
51, and it is used for land mobile communication and services such
as cellular telephones.
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum
•Super High Frequencies
• 3- to 30-GHz. These microwave frequencies are widely used for
satellite communication and radar.
•Extremely High Frequencies
• 30 to 300 GHz. Electromagnetic signals with frequencies higher
than 30 GHz are referred to as millimeter waves. Used of this range
for satellite communication telephony, computer data, short-haul
cellular networks, and some specialized radar.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

•Frequencies Between 300 GHz and the Optical Spectrum
• This portion of the spectrum is virtually uninhabited. It is a cross
between RF and optical. Lack of hardware and components limits
its use.

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The Optical Spectrum

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End of the module..

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