Communication System Overview

Lecture 1
Dr. Christena Ghandour

Communication System Overview

List of References Contents

[1] S. Haykin, Communication Systems, 5th ed, NewYork, Introduction

ELE 361 Electrical Communications NY: Wiley, 2009, ISBN: 9780470169964. Overview of Communication System
[2] C. A. Balanis, Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, 3ed Basic Elements of Communication System
Prerequisite: ELE 271 Signal Analysis ed, J. Wiely, 2005.
Modulation
[3] M. Salehi, J. G. Proakis, Fundamentals of Communication
Systems, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. [4] T. Pratt, Satellite
Textbook: Communications, 2nd ed, John Wiley, 2002.
Simon Haykin, Communication Systems, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 5th. Ed., 2009. [5] W. Stallings, Data and Computer Communications, 6th
ed, 2000.
References:
B. P. Lathi, Modern Digital and
[6] Louis E. Frenzel, Principles of Electronic Communication
Analog Communication Systems, Oxford University Press,
3rd. Ed., 1998. Systems, 3rd ed, McGraw Hill, 2008.
www.cedmagazine.com/ www.commeng.com/
http://spectrum.ieee.org
 Overview of Communication System Overview of Communication System
Introduction
Transmitter
A communication system is the set up used A transmitter transmits the information after modifying it to a Most of the speech or information signals can
in the transmission of information from one form suitable for transmission. not be transmitted directly over long distances.
These signals have to be loaded or superimposed
place to another The present day
The key to communication system is to obtain an electrical signal on a high frequency wave, which acts as the
communication systems are electrical; (voltage or current), which; contains the information.- e.g. a carrier wave. This process is known as
electronic or optical in nature. microphone converts speech signals into electrical signals.
modulation.
piezoelectric sensors converts pressure variations into electrical
In principle, a communication system signals. Light signals are converted into electrical signals by photo The signal so obtained is called modulated
consists of the following three parts detectors. signal/ wave. The power of the signal is boosted
up using a suitable amplifier. The modulated
1. Transmitter, The devices like microphone, piezoelectric sensors and photo signal is then radiated into space with the help
2. Communication channel, detectors, which converts a physical quantity (called information of an antenna called as transmitting antenna.
here) into electrical signals are known as transducers. Such an
3. Receiver. electrical signal contains the information to be transmitted.

Overview of Communication System Overview of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System

Communication channel Receiver

The communication channel carries the modulated wave In the radio communication or wireless
from the transmitter to the receiver. In ordinary
conversation, the air through which sound travels from communication, the receiver consist of
the speaker to the listener serves as communication a pick up antenna to pick the signal,
channel.
In case of telephony and telegraphy, communication
a demodulator, to sperate the low frequency
channel is the transmission lines, which connect the audio signal from the modulated signal, Input Transducer
transmitter and the receiver. an amplifier, to boost up suitably the audio Transmitter
In the radio communication (or wireless communication), signal, and Channel
the free space through which the modulated signal travels
serves as the communication channel. the transducer, like loud speaker to convert Receiver
the audio signal into sound waves. Output Transducer
 Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System

Signal Input transducer Transmitter

The purpose of a communication system is to convey information A transmitter converts a signal produced by-the source of
through a medium or communication channel. information into a form suitable for transmission through
The message produced by a source must be converted by a
Messages can be categorized as analog (continuous transducer to a form suitable for the particular type of a channel and subsequent reception.
form)or digital (discrete form). communication system employed. The purpose of the transmitter is to couple the message
The information is often represented as a baseband signal (a Any device that converts one form of energy into another to the channel.
signal whose spectrum extends from 0 to some maximum
can be termed as transducer. An electrical transducer can Modulation
frequency.)
be defined as a device which converts some physical For ease of radiation
Information converted in electrical form and suitable for variable (pressure, displacement, temperature, force etc) to reduce noise and interference
transmission is called a signal. Signal can be either analog into corresponding variations in the electrical signal at its For channel assignment
or digital. Analog signals are continuous variations of output.
current or voltage. Sine wave is a fundamental analog For multiplexing or transmission of several message over a
single channel
signal. Sound and picture signals in TV are analog in nature.
Digital signals are those which can take only discrete To overcome equipment limitation.
stepwise values.

Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System

Transmitter Channel Receiver

A shift of the range of frequencies in a signal is accomplished by Proper utilization of the communication channel often The receiver is to extract the desired message from the
using modulation, which is defined as the process by which some requires a shift of the range of baseband frequencies into received signal at the channel output and to convert it to a
characteristic of a carrier is varied in accordance with a other frequency ranges suitable for transmission, and a form suitable for the output transducer
modulating wave signal (signal)
corresponding shift back to the original frequency range Demodulation
The baseband signal is referred to as the modulating wave, after reception.
and the result of the modulation process is referred to as At the receiving end, we require the original baseband
Different forms The signal undergoes degradation from signal to be restored. This is accomplished by using a
the modulated wave
transmitter to receiver Noise, fading, interference process known as demodulation, which is the reverse of
Modulation is performed at the transmitting end.
the modulation process.
A receiver extracts the desired message signals from the
received signals at the channel output. It consists of a
pickup antenna to pick up signal, demodulator, an amplifier
and the transducer. The receiver reconstructs a
recognizable form of the original message signal for
delivering it to the user of information.
 Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System

Output Transducer Attenuation Amplification

The output transducer completes the communication The loss of strength of a signal while propagating through Amplification is the process of increasing the amplitude
system a medium is known as attenuation. (and also strength) of a signal using an electronic circuit
The device converts the electric signal at its input into called the amplifier. It is necessary to compensate for the
the form desired for the system user attenuation of the signal in communication systems.

Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System

Noise Range Bandwidth

Noise is random, undesirable (unwanted) electric energy The maximum (largest) distance between a source and a The frequency range over which an equipment operates or
that enters the communication system via the destination upto which the signal is received with the' potion of the spectrum occupied by the signal is
communication medium and interferes with transmitted sufficient strength is termed as range. referred as bandwidth.
message. The source generating noise may be located
inside or outside the system.
 Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System Basic Elements of Communication System

Modulation Demodulation Repeater

The process of superimposing a low frequency signal on a The process of regaining (retrieval) of information from A repeater is a combination of a receiver and transmitter.
high frequency wave, which acts as a carrier wave for long carrier wave at the receiver is termed as demodulation. Repeaters are used to extend the range of a
distance transmission is known as modulation. (This is the reverse process of modulation). communication.