INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Name: Janelia Martin

Class:4Blue

Date: 17/03/2024

Topic: Transmission Media

Instruction:

Draw or print a labeled diagram of the co-axial cable, twisted pair cable and fiber optic cable
also microwave and satellite. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the following and tell
where it is best located.
 CO-AXIAL CABLE

A coaxial cable is an electrical cable with a copper conductor and an insulator shielding around it and a
braided metal mesh that prevents signal interference and cross talk. Coaxial cable is also known as
coax.Coaxial cable is used as a transmission line for radio frequency signals.

Advantages

1. Coaxial cables support high bandwidth.

2. It is easy to install coaxial cables.
3. Coaxial cables have better cut-through resistance so they are more reliable and durable.
4. Less affected by noise or cross-talk or electromagnetic inference.
5. Coaxial cables support multiple channels

Disadvantages

1. Coaxial cables are expensive.

2. The coaxial cable must be grounded in order to prevent any crosstalk.
3. As a Coaxial cable has multiple layers it is very bulky.
4. There is a chance of breaking the coaxial cable and attaching a “t-joint” by hackers, this
compromises the security of the data.

Coaxial cable is commonly used in television and internet connections. It's great for transmitting
high-frequency signals with low loss.
 TWISTED PAIR CABLE

These are a type of guided media. It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. Twisted pair cables have
two conductors that are generally made up of copper and each conductor has insulation. These two
conductors are twisted together, thus giving the name twisted pair cables.

Twisted Pair Cables are further of two types:

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cables (UTP) :

These are a pair of two insulated copper wires twisted together without any other insulation or shielding
and hence are called unshielded twisted pair cables. They reduce the external interference due to the
presence of insulation. Unshielded twisted pair cables are arranged in pairs so that we can add a new
connection whenever required.

Advantages –

1. These cables are cost-effective and easy to install owing to their compact size.
2. They are generally used for short-distance transmission of both voice and data.
3. It is less costly as compared to other types of cables.

Disadvantages –

1. The connection established using UTP is not secure.

2. They are efficient only for a distance up to 100 meters and have to be installed in pieces
of up to 100 meters.
3. These cables have limited bandwidth.
 Shielded Twisted Pair Cables (STP):
These types of cables have extra insulation or protective covering over the conductors in the form of a
copper braid covering. This covering provides strength to the overall structure of the cable. It also
reduces noise and signal interference in the cable.

Advantages –

1. They are generally used for long-distance communication and transmission and are
installed underground.
2. The protective shield prevents external electromagnetic noise penetration into the cable.
3. They have a higher bandwidth as compared to UTP.

Disadvantages –

1. These cables are very expensive.

2. They require a lot of maintenance which increases the cost more.
3. These can be installed underground only.
4. The length of the segment is similar to UTP for these cables.
Twisted cables are commonly used in Ethernet networks for data transmission. They help
reduce electromagnetic interference, making them ideal for maintaining signal integrity in
networking applications.
 FIBRE OPTIC CABLE

A Fiber Optic Cable is used to transmit data through fibers (threads) or plastic (glass). This pack
of glass which is within sorts of threads transmits modulated messages along sunshine waves.

Advantages of Fibre Optic Cable

 Bandwidth is above copper cables

 Less power loss and allows data transmission for extended distances

 Optical cable is resistance for electromagnetic interference.

 Fiber cable is sized as 4.5 times which is best than copper wires

 As cable are lighter, thinner, in order that they use less area as compared to copper wires

 Installation is extremely easy thanks to less weight.

 Optical fiber cable is extremely hard to tap because they don’t produce electromagnetic energy.
These optical fiber cables are very secure for transmitting data.

 This cable opposes most acidic elements that hit copper wired also are flexible in nature.

Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Cable

 Compared to copper, the cost of producing optic fibre cable is higher. Due to the need for
specialised test equipment, installation is more expensive.
 Fibre optic cables are more brittle than electrical wires like copper cabling since they are
composed of glass. They will break if you bend them too much.

 In order to prevent network disruptions, the fibres must be appropriately sliced whether
establishing a new fibre optic network or growing an existing one. This is a very sensitive
operation, and the signal will suffer if the fibres aren’t joined correctly.

 The fibre optic cable is extremely prone to being cut or damaged during installation or other
construction/renovation activity because of how small and compact it is.

Fiber optic cables are commonly used in telecommunications and networking for their high-speed
data transmission capabilities and reliability.
 MICROWAVE

It is the Transmission of information (voice, data, television, telephony, radio signals)by microwave
signals. Microwaves are widely used for point-to-point communications.

Advantages of Microwave Transmission

 Cheaper as compared to Radio waves.

 Supports larger Bandwidth so more information is transmitted.

 They are used for point-to-point communication.

 More Antenna gain is possible.

 Antenna size gets reduced as the frequency is higher.

 Low power consumption as signals are of higher frequency.

 The effect of fading gets reduced by using LOS (line of sight ) propagation.

 Does not require any land for the installation of cables.

 Easy communication over rugged terrain.

 Communication over oceans is also possible.

Disadvantages of Microwave Transmission

 The cost of equipment or installation cost is high.

  Susceptible to weather conditions.

 Eavesdropping

 Limited Bandwidth (between 300MHz to 300GHz).

Microwave transmission is best used in situations where there is a need for point-to-point
communication over long distances, such as in telecommunications for backhaul links between
network towers or in satellite communications for broadcasting signals.

Types of Microwave Data Transmission System

Microwave Transmission can be of two types:

 Terrestrial Transmission

 Satellite Transmission

Types of Microwave Data Transmission System

Terrestrial Transmission

 They cannot pass through any obstacle.

 They Use directional Parabolic Antenna.

 Signals are highly focused.

 Line of Sight Transmission is needed i.e. their path should be free of any sort of obstacle.

 For long-distance transmission signal strength weakens.

 Repeaters are used for every 35-40 km as such.

Terrestrial Transmission

Advantages

 They are used to carry thousands of voice channels at the same time.

 Data Transmission rate of 16 Gbps.

Disadvantages

 Installation cost is high.

 Maintaining a LOS or obstacle-free path for a long distance is a difficult task.

 EMI effect and jamming affect the signal strength.

Satellite Transmission

Satellite Microwave Transmission System uses satellites for broadcasting and receiving signals. These
systems need satellites that are in the geostationary orbit which is 36000 km above the earth. The
satellites operate as repeaters with receiving antenna, transponder, and transmitting of signals. The
difference between terrestrial microwave and satellite microwave transmission systems are as follows:

 Microwave Relay station is placed in outer space.

 A satellite is launched by a rocket or space shuttle.

 Satellite is precisely positioned 360000 km above.

 Orbit speed matches Earth’s rotation speed.

 A satellite is stationary relative to Earth.

Advantages

 Single microwave relay station visible from any point in a large area.

 Transmission and reception costs are independent of the distance between the 2 points.

 The transmitting station can receive back its transmission and check whether the satellite
transmitted information correctly.

Disadvantages

 High cost of placing a satellite in orbit.

 The signal is sent to satellite broadcast to all receivers in satellite range.

 Security measures are required to prevent unauthorized tempering of Information.

Satellite transmission is commonly used for broadcasting signals and communication over long
distances, especially in remote areas where laying cables is not feasible. It's also utilized for global
communication, weather monitoring, and satellite TV services.