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III Long Answers · Q6

Q.Modulation helps to reduce the antenna size in wireless communication -- Explain.

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Step 1. The antenna-height rule. The height of a transmitting or receiving antenna must be h=λ4h=\dfrac{\lambda}{4}, where the wavelength is λ=cν\lambda=\dfrac{c}{\nu}, c=3×108c=3\times10^8 m/s being the speed of light and ν\nu the frequency of the signal being transmitted. So h=c4νh=\dfrac{c}{4\nu}: the required antenna height is inversely proportional to the signal's frequency.

Step 2. Height needed for the raw (unmodulated) baseband signal. Take a baseband signal of frequency ν=10\nu=10 kHz =104=10^4 Hz. Then h1=c4ν=3×1084×104=7.5×103h_1=\dfrac{c}{4\nu}=\dfrac{3\times10^8}{4\times10^4}=7.5\times10^3 m =7.5=7.5 km. An antenna of this height is not practically constructible.

Step 3. Height needed after modulation onto a carrier. Modulating the same information onto a carrier of frequency ν=1\nu=1 MHz =106=10^6 Hz instead requires h2=c4ν=3×1084×106=75h_2=\dfrac{c}{4\nu}=\dfrac{3\times10^8}{4\times10^6}=75 m -- well within ordinary engineering practice, and exactly 100 times smaller than h1h_1. …

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