QUESTION

1. Contrast the advantages and disadvantages of dig

ital transmission.
1. The primary advantage of digital transmission ov
er analog transmission is noise immunity. Digital
signals are inherently less susceptible than analog
signals to interference caused by noise because it
is
not necessary to evaluate the precise amplitude, fr
equency, or phase to ascertain its logic condition.
Disadvantage:
The transmission of digitally encoded analog signal
s requires significantly more bandwidth than
simply transmitting the original analog signal.
2. What are the four most common methods of pulse m
odulation?
2. The four most common methods of pulse modulation
are:
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
Pulse Position Modulation (PPM)
Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM)
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)
3. Which method listed in question 2 is the only fo
rm of pulse modulation that is used in a digital
transmission system? Explain.
3. PCM is by far the most prevalent form of pulse m
odulation. With PCM, the analog signal is sampled
and then converted to a serial n-bit binary code fo
r transmission. Each code has the same number of
bits and requires the same length of time for trans
mission.
4. What is the purpose of sample-and-hold circuit?
4. The sample-and-hold circuit periodically samples
the analog input signal and converts those
samples to a multilevel PAM signal
.
6. What is the difference between natural and flat-
top sampling?
6. With natural sampling, the frequency spectrum of
the sampled output is different from that of an
ideal sample. With flat-top sampling, the input vol
tage is sampled with a narrow pulse and then held
relatively constant until next sample is taken.
8. What is the Nyquist sampling rate?
8. The minimum Nyquist sampling rate must be greate
r than or equal to twice the maximum analog
input frequency.
12. Explain quantizing.
12. Quantization is the process of converting an in
finite number of possibilities to a finite number o
f
conditions.
13. What is quantization range? Quantization error?
13. Quantization range is the range of input voltag
es that will be converted to a particular code.
Quantization error is a round-off error in the tran
smitted signal that is reproduced when the code is
converted back to analog in the receiver.
14. Define dynamic range.
14. Dynamic range is the ratio of the largest possi
ble magnitude to the smallest possible magnitude
(other than 0V) that can be decoded by the digital-
to-analog converter in the receiver.
15. Explain the relationship between dynamic range,
resolution, and the number of bits in a PCM code.
15. The relationship between dynamic range and the
number of bits on a PCM code is
2^n - 1 > or = DR
And for a minimum number of bits 2^n = DR + 1
Where n = number of bits in a PCM code, excluding t
he sign bit
DR = absolute value of dynamic range
Dynamic range is inversely proportional to resoluti
on
16. Explain coding efficiency.
16. Coding efficiency is a numerical indication of
how efficiently a PCM code is utilized. It is the r
atio of
the minimum number of bits required to achieve a ce
rtain dynamic range to the actual number of
PCM bits used.
17. What is SQR? What is the relationship between S
QR, resolution, dynamic range, and the number of
bits in a PCM code.
17. The worst possible signal voltage-to-quantizati
on noise voltage ratio (SQR) occurs when the input
signal occurs when input signal is at its minimum a
mplitude. SQR is directly proportional to resolutio
n.
18. Contrast linear and nonlinear PCM codes.
18. With linear coding, the accuracy (resolution) f
or the higher-amplitude analog signals is the same
as
for the lower-amplitude signals, and the SQR for th
e lower-amplitude signals is less than for the
higher-amplitude signals. With nonlinear encoding,
the step size increases with the amplitude of the
input signal.
19. Explain idle channel noise.
19. During times when there is no analog input sign
al, the only input to the PAM sampler is random,
thermal noise. This noise is called idle channel no
ise.
20. Contrast midtread and midrise quantization.
20. With midtread quantizing, the first quantizatio
n interval is made larger in amplitude than the res
t
of the steps. The advantage of midtread quantizatio
n is less idle channel noise. The disadvantage is a
larger possible magnitude for quantization error in
the lowest quantization interval. The lowest-
magnitude positive and negative codes have the same
voltage range as all the other codes (+ or - one-
half the resolution) is called midrise quantization
.
21. Define companding.
21. Companding is the process of compressing and ex
panding.
22. What does the parameter determine?
22. The parameter determines the range of signal
power in which the SQR is relatively constant.
23. Briefly explain the process of digital compandi
ng.
23. With digital companding, the analog signal is f
irst sampled and converted to a linear PCM code
and then the linear code is digitally compressed. I
n the receiver, the compressed PCM code is
expanded and then decoded (i.e., converted back to
analog).