Single Sideband Systems

E. B. Pioquinto
 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• The theory of AM showed that a carrier and two
sidebands are produced in AM generation. Single
sideband communications techniques can show that
it is not necessary to transmit all those signals to
provide the receiver with enough information to
reconstruct the original modulation. The carrier may
be removed or attenuated, and so can one of the
two sidebands, since the information contained in
the upper sideband is identical to the information
contained in the lower sideband
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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• Conventional AM DSBFC

Pc = Vc2/2R Pt = Pc + m2Pc/2
Amplitude

Modulating
signal Plsb = m2Pc/4 Pusb = m2Pc/4
LSB USB
fm
frequency
fc

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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Single-sideband Full Carrier (AM SSBFC). A form of
Amplitude Modulation in which the carrier is transmitted at
full power but only one sideband is transmitted

Pc = Vc2/2R Pt = Pc + m2Pc/4
Amplitude

Modulating
signal Plsb = 0 Pusb = m2Pc/4
USB
fm
frequency
fc

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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Single-sideband Suppressed Carrier (AM SSBSC). AM
SSBSC is a form of amplitude modulation where the carrier is
totally suppressed and one of the sidebands removed

Pc = 0 Pt = Pusb = m2Pc/4
Amplitude

Modulating
signal Plsb = 0 Pusb = m2Pc/4
USB
fm
frequency
fc

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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Single-sideband Reduced Carrier (AM SSBRC)

Pc = (0.1Vc)2/2R Pt = 0.01Pc + m2Pc/4

Amplitude

Modulating
signal Plsb = 0 Pusb = m2Pc/4
USB
fm
frequency
fc

E. B. Pioquinto
 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Independent Sideband (AM ISB)
AM ISB is a form of amplitude modulation in which a single
carrier frequency is independently modulated by two different
modulating signals. In essence, ISB is a form of double sideband
transmission in which the transmitter consists of two
independent single sideband suppressed carrier modulators.
One modulator produces only the upper sideband and the other
produces only the lower sideband. The single sideband output
signals from the two modulators are combined to form a double
sideband signal in which the two sidebands are totally
independent of each other. For demodulation purposes, the
carrier is reinserted at a reduced level. This is used in stereo AM

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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Independent Sideband (AM ISB)

Pc = (0.1Vc)2/2R Pt = 0.01Pc + m2Pc/2

Amplitude

Modulating
Plsb = m2Pc/4 Pusb = m2Pc/4
signal
Ch. CH. B
fm A
frequency
fc

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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Independent Sideband (AM ISB)

fm1 = fm2
Repetition rate = 2fm1 = 2fm2

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 SINGLE SIDEBAND SYSTEMS
• AM Vestigial Sideband (AM VSB)
AM VSB is a form of amplitude modulation in which the carrier and one complete
sideband are transmitted but only part of the second sideband is transmitted. VSB
is widely used in the transmission of the video signal for television.
Pc = Vc2/2R Pt = Pc + m2Pc/4 + PLSB
Amplitude

Modulating
Plsb < Pusb Pusb = m2Pc/4
signal
LSB USB
fm
frequency
fc

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Percentage Power Saving

PTam  PTx
% PS   100%
PTam

PTam = standard AM power

PTx = transmitted power

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 POWER IN SUPPRESSED CARRIER SIGNALS
• Carrier power is useless as a measure of the power in DSBFC or SSBFC signal, as
the carrier power is theoretically zero for these signals. Instead, the Peak Envelope
Power (PEP) is used. It is simply the power modulation peaks using the rms
formula:

2
V p 
  2
2 V
PEP     p
RL 2 RL

Where PEP = peak envelope power in watts

Vp = peak signal voltage in volts
RL = load resistance in ohms
 

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COMPARISON OF THE THREE AM SYSTEMS

Modulating Signal

DSBFC Wave

DSBSC Wave

SSBSC Wave

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 ADVANTAGES OF SSB
• Power conservation: Normally, with SSB transmission, only one
sideband is transmitted or reduced significantly, as a result, much less
total transmitted power is necessary to produce essentially the same
quality signal in the receiver as is achieved with DSBFC.
• Bandwidth conservation: SSB transmission requires half as much
bandwidth with DSBFC.
• Selective Fading: With double sideband transmission, the two
sidebands and the carrier may propagate through the transmission
media by different paths and, therefore, experience different
transmission impairments. This is selective fading.
• Noise Reduction: Because SSB utilizes half as much bandwidth as
conventional AM, the thermal noise power is reduced to half that of
the double sideband system.

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 DISADVANTAGES OF SSB
• Complex receivers: Most SSB transmission include
either a reduced or suppressed carrier, thus,
envelope detection cannot be used, unless the
carrier is regenerated at an exalted level. SSB
receivers require a carrier recovery and
synchronization ckt. such as PLL frequency
synthesizer which adds to their cost, complexity and
size.
• Tuning difficulties: SSB require more complex and
precise tuning than conventional AM receivers.
E. B. Pioquinto
 SSB GENERATION
• An AM modulator is product modulator; the output
signal is the product of the modulating signal and the
carrier

mEC mEC
vam (t )  cos 2  f C  f m  t   cos 2  f C  f m  t 
2 2

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 SSB GENERATION
• Balanced Ring Modulator
A balanced modulator has two inputs, the carrier and the
modulating signal. For the modulating signal to operate
properly, the amplitude of the carrier must be sufficiently
greater than the amplitude of the modulating signal
(approximately seven times greater). This ensures that the
carrier and not the modulating signal controls the ON and OFF
conditions of the four diode switches.

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 SSB GENERATION
• Balanced Ring Modulator

T1 D1 T2

D3

Modulating Output
Signal Input Signal
D4

D2

(–) (+)
Carrier
+ Input –

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 SSB GENERATION
• Balanced Ring Modulator Circuit Operation
Essentially, diodes D1 to D4 are electronic switches that control whether
the modulating signal is passed from the input transformer T1 to output
transformer T2 as is or with a 180⁰ phase shift. With the carrier polarity
as shown (outside the parenthesis)diodes D1 and D2 are forward biased
and ON while diodes D3 and D4 are reversed biased and OFF,
consequently, the modulating signal is transferred across the closed
switches to T2 without a phase reversal. When the polarity of the carrier
reverses (in parenthesis), D1 and D2 are OFF while D3 and D4 are ON and
the modulating signal undergoes a 180⁰ phase reversal before reaching
T2. Carrier current flows from its source to the center taps of T1 and T2
where it splits and goes in opposite directions through the upper and
lower halves of the transformer, thus, their magnetic fields cancel in the
secondary windings and the carrier is suppressed.

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 SSB GENERATION
Modulating signal

Carrier signal

D1 and D2
“ON”
Output waveform
before filtering D3 and D4
“OFF”

Output waveform
after filtering

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 BASIC SSB TRANSMITTER
• Double sideband suppressed carrier signal is generated
at the output of the balanced modulator, then one of
the sidebands is removed, usually by using a bandpass
filter to pass one sideband and reject the other (it is
also possible to do this using complex phase shift
networks). Then the signal is moved to the operating
frequency by mixing. Finally the SSB signal is amplified
to the required output power level. Take note that the
carrier cannot be simply filtered out because it is very
large in amplitude and very near the wanted signal

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 BASIC SSB TRANSMITTER
Sideband suppression filter
(LC, Crystal, Ceramic or Mechanical)

Audio Balanced IF Driver and

Mixer
Amplifier Modulator Amp Power Amp
Audio
BPF BPF
Input

Buffer
Amplifier

VFO or
Frequency
Synthesizer
Carrier
Oscillator

Filter Method
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 BASIC SSB TRANSMITTER
½ cos (ωc – ωm)t – ½ cos (ωc + ωm)t
1
sin (ωm)t Balanced
modulator

sin (ωc)t
Carrier
Modulating
Audio oscillator
signal sin (ωc)t SSB out
AF in amplifier Linear
cos (ωc – ωm)t
sin (ωm)t 90o Phase
summer
To linear amps
shifter
cos (ωc)t

90o Phase cos (ωm)t

2
shifter
Balanced ½ cos (ωc – ωm)t + ½ cos (ωc + ωm)t
modulator

Phase Shift Method

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NON COHERENT SSB BFO RECEIVER
• For the non-coherent SSB BFO receiver, the selected RF spectrum is amplified
and then mixed down to intermediate frequencies for further amplification
and band reduction. The output from the IF amplifier stage is heterodyned
(beat) with the output from the BFO. The BFO frequency is equal to the IF
carrier frequency, thus the difference between the IF and the BFO
frequencies is the information signal. Demodulation is accomplished through
several stages of mixing and filtering. The receiver is non-coherent because
the RF local oscillator and BFO signals are not synchronized to each other or
to the oscillators in the transmitter. Consequently, any difference between
the transmit and receive LO frequencies produces a frequency offset error in
the demodulated information signal. For example, if the receive LO is 100Hz
above its designated frequency and the BFO is 50Hz above its designated
frequency, the restored information is 150Hz from its original frequency.
50Hz or more offset is distinguishable by a normal listener as a tonal variation

E. B. Pioquinto
NON COHERENT SSB BFO RECEIVER

RF IF
SSBFC SSBFC
RF IF
Mixer Mixer
RF amp, IF amp
and Demodulated
and BPF
Preselector Information

RF BFO
L.O.

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NON COHERENT SSB BFO RECEIVER
• The RF mixer and the second detector (IF mixer) are
product detectors. As with the balanced modulators in
the transmitters, their outputs are the products of their
inputs. The only difference is that the input to a product
modulator is tuned to a low-frequency modulating signal
and the output is tuned to a high frequency carrier,
whereas with a product detector, the input is tuned to a
high frequency modulated carrier and the output is
tuned to a low frequency information signal. With both
the modulator and detector, the single frequency carrier
is the switching signal.
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 COHERENT BFO RECEIVER
• The coherent SSB BFO receiver is identical to the BFO receiver
except that the LO and BFO frequencies are synchronized to the
carrier oscillators in the transmitter. The carrier recovery circuit
is a narrowband PLL that tracks the pilot carrier (the reinserted
carrier) in the composite SSBRC receiver signal and uses the
recovered carrier to regenerate coherent RF local oscillator
frequencies in the synthesizer. The synthesizer circuit produces
a coherent RF local oscillator and BFO frequency. The carrier
recovery ckt tracks the received pilot carrier. Therefore, minor
changes in the carrier frequency in the transmitter are
compensated for in the receiver. And the frequency offset error
is eliminated

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COHERENT BFO RECIEVER

RF IF IF
SSBRC SSBRC Mixer
RF amplifier RF IF amp
and Mixer and BPF Demodulated
Preselector Information

RF L.O.
Carrier
BFO
recovery and
frequency
synthesizer

E. B. Pioquinto
 END

THANK YOU

E. B. Pioquinto