ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF AM AND FM

ADVANTAGES (AMPLITUDE MODULATED).

● High Controllability
Amplitude modulation is very simple to implement. Demodulation of AM signals can be done
using simple circuits consisting of diodes, which means that by using a circuit with only fewer
components it can be demodulated.

● Unique practicality
Amplitude modulation is easily obtained and available. AM transmitters are less complex and
no specialized components are needed

● Super Economy
Amplitude modulation is quite economical and economical. AM receivers are very cheap,AM
transmitters are cheap. You won't be overcharged because the AM receiver and AM
transmitter require no specialized components.

● High effectiveness
Amplitude modulation is very beneficial. AM signals are reflected back to earth from the
ionosphere layer. Due to this fact, AM signals can reach distant locations that are thousands
of kilometers from the source. Therefore, AM radio has a wider coverage compared to FM
radio. What's more, with a great distance that its waves (AM waves) can travel and the low
bandwidth that its wave has, amplitude modulation still exists with great vitality in the market.

Conclusion:

1. Amplitude modulation is inexpensive and easy to obtain.

2. It is very simple to implement and by using a circuit with fewer components, it can be
demodulated.

3. AM receivers are inexpensive because they do not require any specialized components.

DISADVANTAGES (AMPLITUDE MODULATED).

● Inefficient use of bandwidth

Weak AM signals have a low magnitude compared to strong signals. This requires that the
AM receiver have circuitry to compensate for the difference in signal level. That is, the
amplitude modulation signal is not efficient in terms of its energy use and its energy waste
takes place in DSB-FC (Double Side Band - Full Carrier) transmission.

This means it can cause signal quality problems. As a result, the efficiency of such a system
is very low, as it consumes a lot of power for modulations and requires a bandwidth
equivalent to that of the highest audio frequency, so it is not efficient in terms of its use of
bandwidth. band.
 ● Poor anti-noise interference ability
The most natural and artificial radio noises are of the AM type. AM detectors are sensitive to
noise, this means that AM systems are susceptible to the generation of very noticeable noise
interference and AM receivers have no means of rejecting this type of noise. This limits
amplitude modulation applications to VHF, radios and applicable one-to-one
communications only.

● Low sound fidelity

The playback is not high fidelity. For High Fidelity (stereo) transmission bandwidth should be
40000 Hz. To avoid interference, the actual bandwidth used by AM transmission is 10000 Hz

Conclusion:

1. The efficiency of amplitude modulation is very low because it consumes a lot of power.

2. Amplitude modulation uses the amplitude frequency multiple times to modulate the signal
using a carrier signal.

3. Amplitude modulation decreases the quality of the original signal at the receiving end and
causes signal quality problems.

4. Amplitude modulation systems are susceptible to noise generation.

5. Applications of amplitude modulation limits to VHF, radios and one-to-one communication

applicable only.

ADVANTAGES (FREQUENCY MODULATED).

● In terms of noise resistance

One of the main advantages of frequency modulation that has been used by the
broadcasting industry is noise reduction.

The amplitude of the FM wave is constant. Therefore, it is independent of the modulation

depth. while in AM, the modulation depth governs the transmitted power. This allows the use
of low level modulation in FM transmitter and the use of efficient class C amplifiers in all
stages after the modulator. Furthermore, since all amplifiers drive constant power, the
average power driven is equal to the peak power. In the AM transmitter, the maximum power
is four times the average power.

In FM, the voice recovered depends on the frequency and not the amplitude. Therefore, the
effects of noise are minimized in FM. Since most noise is based on amplitude, this can be
eliminated by passing the signal through a limiter so that only frequency variations appear.
This is provided that the signal level is high enough to allow the signal to be limited.

● In terms of sound quality

The bandwidth of FM covers the entire range of frequencies that humans can hear.
Therefore, FM radio has better sound quality compared to AM radio. Standard frequency
assignments provide a buffer band between commercial FM stations. Because of this, there
is less adjacent channel interference than in AM. FM transmissions operate in the upper
VHF and UHF frequency ranges in which there happens to be less noise than in the MF and
HF ranges occupied by AM transmissions.

● In terms of anti-noise interference ability

In FM receivers, noise can be reduced by increasing the frequency deviation and therefore
FM reception is immune to noise compared to AM reception. FM receivers may be equipped
with amplitude limiters to eliminate amplitude variations caused by noise. This makes FM
reception more immune to noise than AM reception. It is possible to further reduce noise by
increasing the frequency deviation. This is a feature that AM does not have because it is not
possible to exceed 100 percent modulation without causing severe distortion.

● In terms of scope of application

In the same way that amplitude noise can be eliminated, signal variations can also be
eliminated. FM transmission can be used for stereo sound transmission due to a large
number of sidebands. This means that one of the advantages of frequency modulation is
that it does not suffer audio amplitude variations as the signal level varies, and makes FM
ideal for use in mobile applications where signal levels vary constantly. . This is provided that
the signal level is high enough to allow the signal to be limited. So, FM is resistant to signal
strength variations

● In terms of compo nent work efficiency

Since only frequency changes are required to be made, any amplifier in the transmitter does
not need to be linear. FM transmitters are highly efficient than AM transmitters since in AM
transmission most of the energy is wasted on the transmitted carrier. That is, FM requires
non-linear amplifiers, for example, class C, etc. instead of linear amplifiers, this means that
transmitter efficiency levels will be higher. Linear amplifiers are inherently inefficient.

There are many advantages to using frequency modulation. This has meant that it has been
used widely for many years and will remain in use for many years to come.

Conclusion:

1. In FM receivers, noise can be reduced by increasing the frequency deviation and thus FM
reception is immune to noise compared to AM reception, so FM radio has better quality more
sound than AM radio

2. FM is less prone to some types of interference, note that near-natural and man-made
interference are perceived as amplitude changes.

3. FM does not require linear amplification stages and comes with less radiated power.

4. FM is easier to synthesize frequency changes than amplitude changes, which simplifies

digital modulation.

5. FM allows simpler circuits to be used for frequency tracking (AFC) in the receiver.
6. FM transmitter is highly efficient than AM transmitter, since in AM transmission most of the
energy is wasted on the transmitted carrier.

7. FM transmission can be used for stereo sound transmission due to a large number of
sidebands

8. The ratio of FM signals to noise has been improved (approximately 25 dB) with respect to
man-made interference.

9. Interference will be greatly reduced geographically between neighboring FM radio

stations.

10. Service areas for a given FM transmit power are well defined.

DISADVANTAGES (FREQUENCY MODULATED).

● In terms of coverage
At higher frequencies, FM modulated signals pass through the ionosphere and are not
reflected. Therefore, FM has less coverage compared to AM signal. Additionally, the
reception area for FM broadcast is much smaller than that for AM broadcast, since FM
reception is limited to line-of-sight (LOS) propagation.

● In terms of bandwidth need.

The bandwidth in FM transmission is 10 times greater than that needed in AM transmission.
Therefore, a wider frequency channel is required in FM broadcasting (up to 20 times larger).
For example, a much wider channel is required in FM, typically 200 kHz, compared to only
10 kHz in AM broadcasting. This constitutes a serious limitation of FM.

● In terms of hardware equipment options

FM receivers and FM transmitters are much more complicated than AM receivers and AM
transmitters. Additionally, FM requires a more complicated demodulator. Transmission and
reception equipment is very complex in FM. For example, the FM demodulator is a little
more complicated and therefore a little more expensive than the very simple diode detectors
used for AM. Also requiring a tuned circuit adds costs. However, this is only a problem for
the very low-cost broadcast receiver market.

● In terms of data spectral efficiency

Compared with FM, some other modes have higher data spectral efficiency. Some phase
modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation formats have higher spectral efficiency for
data transmission than frequency shift keying, a form of frequency modulation. As a result,
most data transmission systems use PSK and QAM.

● In terms of sideband limitation

The sidebands of the FM transmission extend to infinity on both sides. In theory, the
sidebands of an FM transmission extend to infinity. To limit the transmission bandwidth,
filters are used that introduce some signal distortion.

Conclusion:
1. The equipment needed for FM and AM systems is different. The equipment cost of an FM
channel is higher as the equipment is much more complex and involves complicated circuits.
As a result, FM systems are more expensive than AM systems.

2. FM systems operate using line-of-sight propagation, while AM systems use sky wave
propagation. Consequently, the reception area of an FM system is much smaller than that of
an AM system. The antennas of FM systems must be close, while AM systems can
communicate with other systems around the world by reflecting signals from the ionosphere.

3. In an FM system, there are an infinite number of sidebands resulting in the theoretical

bandwidth of an FM signal being infinite. This bandwidth is limited by Carson's rule, but is
still much greater than that of an AM system. In an AM system, the bandwidth is only twice
the modulation frequency. This is another reason why FM systems are more expensive than
AM systems.

The use of frequency modulation has many advantages: it is still widely used for many
broadcasting and radio communications applications. However, with more systems using
digital formats, quadrature and phase amplitude modulation formats are on the rise.
However, the advantages of frequency modulation make it an ideal format for many analog
applications.

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