ECE 460 – Introduction to Communication Systems

Homework #6

1. The telemetry receiver shown below is designed so that the local oscillator operates at
frequencies below the incoming carrier frequencies.
a. What is fLO set to when receiving a 136 MHz carrier signal? [Ans. 106MHz]
b. What is the image frequency for this carrier frequency? [Ans. 76 MHz]
c. If the receiver is designed to receive signals from 120 MHz to 150 MHz, what tuning
range is required for the local oscillator? [Ans: 90 – 120 MHz]

fc RF IF
x Detector
Amplifier Amplifier
fIF = 30 MHz
fLO

2. The telemetry receive from problem 1 is converted to a dual conversion receiver by adding a
second IF stage as shown below. Assume that the receiver is designed so that the first local
oscillator operates below the carrier frequency and the second local oscillator operates above
the first IF frequency.
a. What is fLO2 set to produce fIF2 = 10 MHz? [Ans: 40 MHz]
b. For the value of fLO2 found in part a, what frequency other than 30 MHz mixes with fLO2 to
produce fIF2? [Ans: 50 MHz]
c. What two frequencies entering the RF amplifier will produce the frequency found in part
b after the first mixer when fLO1 is set to receive 136 MHz? [Ans: 56 and 156 MHz]
Note that the three frequencies found in 1b and 2c are all image frequencies

RF First Second
x x Detector
Amplifier IF Amp IF Amp

f = 30 MHz f = 10 MHz
IF1 IF2

f LO1 f LO2
3. A TV receiver using the superheterodyne principle has a video IF carrier frequency of 45.75
MHz and fLO > fC. Channel 2 is broadcast on a carrier frequency of 55.25 MHz. What is the
image frequency for channel 2? [Ans: 146.75 MHz]

4. FM broadcast radio operates in the frequency band from 88 to 108 MHz. If a

superheterodyne receiver with fLO greater than the incoming stations is used and we want to
have all possible image frequencies fall outside of the FM band, what is the minimum value
of fIF that can be used? The actual fIF used in FM radios is 10.7 MHz, does that meet this
criterion? [Ans: 10MHz, yes]

5. A superheterodyne receiver is tuned to a station at 3.7 MHz. The IF frequency of the

receiver is 10.7 MHz. Assume that the local oscillator operates at a frequency above both the
station and the IF:
a. What is the local oscillator frequency? [Ans: 14.4 MHz]
b. If the local oscillator produces a second harmonic, what two additional frequencies will
be received? [Ans: 18.1 and 39.5 MHz]

6. Let x(t) be a typical voice signal with X(f) = 0 for |f| < 200 and |f| > 3200 Hz. Sketch the
spectrum after each multiplier and each filter. Verify that this system produces USB. Find
the maximum permitted values of fc1 and fc2, if the transition regions of the high pass filters

must satisfy 2β > 0.01 fc.

HPF HPF
x(t) x cutoff = f c1 x cutoff = f c2 USB

f c1 f c2

[Ans: after the first mixer: After the first HPF:

2fc1 + 400
2β

fc1 fc1
 after the second mixer: after the second HPF we have a USB signal:
2β = 2fc1 + 400

fc2 fc2

f c1 ≤ 40KHz f c2 ≤ 8.04 MHz

7. A voice signal occupying the frequency band 0.3 - 3.4 KHz is to be modulated onto a carrier
wave of frequency 11.6 MHz. High pass filters such as the one shown below are available.
Design a system to generate the USB wave using DSB modulators and these filters.

0.01f c
H(f)

f
fc

Answer:
x(t) x HPF x HPF

60KHz 11.6MHz

8. A baseband signal
x(t) = cos 2π (100)t + cos 2π (200)t + cos 2π (400)t
is applied to a SSB (USB) modulator with a carrier at 100 KHz.
a. What are the frequencies of the sidebands produced by this SSB modulator? [Answer:
100.1, 100.2, and 100.4 KHz]
b. A synchronous detector with a local oscillator at 100.02 KHz is used to demodulate this
SSB signal. Determine the frequency components of the detector output. [Answer: 80Hz,
180Hz and 380 Hz]
c. Repeat for LSB. [Answer: 420Hz, 220Hz, and 120Hz.
9. The diagram shown below is Weaver's SSB modulator. Analyze its operation by assuming
that x(t) = cos2πfmt, fm < W and find the output. Does this modulator produce upper or

lower sideband?

x Ideal LPF x
cutoff = W/2

cos 2π(W/2)t cos 2π(fc + W/2)t

x(t) + xSSB(t)

- 90° - 90°

x Ideal LPF x
cutoff = W/2
1
[Answer: the output is x3 (t) + x6 (t) = cos 2π ( fc + fm ) t a USB signal ]
2

10. If x(t) has the spectrum, X(f), shown below. Verify that g(t) is a SSB signal by sketching
the spectrum at each point in the system.

X(f)

f
-B B

x Ideal LPF x
cutoff = B Hz
x(t) 2 cos 2πBt 2 cos 2πfc t + g(t)
2 sin 2πBt 2 sin 2πfc t

x Ideal LPF x
cutoff = B Hz

-fc fc
Answer: at the output
11. A baseband signal

x(t) = cos 2π (1000) t + cos 2π (5000) t

is input to the VSB modulator shown below.

x(t) x H(f) x (t)

VSB

cos 2π(100KHz)t
H(f)
1
.5

f(KHz)
-102 -100 -98 98 100 102

a. Sketch the spectrum of the resulting VSB signal.

b. Write an expression for xVSB(t).

If this VSB signal is input to the following demodulator:

x 1(t)
x (t) x H(f) x 0(t)
VSB

cos 2π(100KHz)t
H(f)

f(KHz)
-6 6
c. Write an expression for x1(t)
d. Write an expression for xo(t)
.25 .25*.75 = 3/16
.25*.25 = 1/16

95 99 101 105
Answer: a.
b. 1 3 1
xVSB (t) = cos 2π (95000)t + cos 2π (99000)t + cos 2π (101000)t
2 8 8
1 3
c. x1 (t) = [cos2π (195000)t + cos2π (5000)t ] + [cos2π (199000)t + cos2π (1000)t ]
4 16
1
+ [cos2π (201000)t + cos2π (1000)t ]
16

d. 1 1
xo (t) = cos 2π (5000)t + cos 2π (1000)t
4 4
12. A SSB FDM system is to be implemented using the following design strategy. Channel 1
will be retained directly at baseband. A guard band equal to 25% of the bandwidth of
channel 1 will be maintained between the upper edge of channel 1 and the lower edge of
channel 2. A guard band equal to 25% of the bandwidth of channel 2 will be maintained
between the upper edge of channel 2 and the lower edge of channel 3, and so on. Draw a
spectral diagram for the composite baseband spectrum and compute the bandwidth if the
system contains four data signals, each having a baseband bandwidth of 4 KHz.

4 5 9 10 14 15 19
Answer:

13. Repeat problem 10 if the system contains four signals with assignments and baseband
bandwidths as follows:
Channel 1: W = 4 KHz
Channel 2: W = 6 KHz
Channel 3: W = 12 KHz
Channel 4: W = 15 KHz

42.5
Answer: 4 5 11 12.5 24.5 27.5

Problem 14 - 15 require the use of MATLAB. Refer to MATLAB Tutorial #6 before attempting
these problems.

14. A baseband signal

x(t) = cos 2π (1000)t
modulates a 10 KHz carrier wave to produce a lower sideband (USB) signal.
a. Create a Simulink model that generates this baseband signal and multiplies it with the
carrier. Display the spectrum of the resulting DSB signal using the Spectrum Analyzer.
 b. Design a low pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 10 KHz to eliminate the upper
sideband with at least 25 dB of sideband suppression. What is the lowest order filter that
you can use? Display the spectrum of the SSB signal with the magnitude in dB.

15. Ideally the LSB signal produced in problem 9 will be of the form:
x(t) = cos 2π (9000)t
a. Create a Simulink model to generate this LSB signal (using a sine wave). Multiply the
LSB signal by a 10 KHz sine wave and plot the spectrum of the output.
b. Design a 5th order low pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 5 KHz to recover the
baseband signal. Add this filter to the Simulink model and run the simulation again. Plot
the spectrum of the system output. Is this the baseband signal?