CHAPTER 1

1. The three major fi elds of electronics are computers, communications, and

control. The computer segment is the largest; communications is the second largest.
2. Communication is the process of exchanging information.
3. Most human communication is oral, but a great deal of it is also in written or printed form.
4. The two main barriers to communication are language and distance.
5. Major electrical discoveries in the mid- and late nineteenth century made possible the
development of electronic communications over long distances.
6. The telegraph (1844) and telephone (1876) were the first two long-distance
communications systems.
7. Radio was discovered in 1887, and wireless telegraphy was demonstrated in 1895.
8. Electronic communications plays a vital role in all our lives and is essential
to the success of our information society.
9. T h e m a j o r e l e m e n t s o f a c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s y s t e m a r e a
t r a n s m i t t e r t o s e n d a m e s s a g e , a communications medium, a receiver to pick up the
message, and noise.
10. The three primary communications media are wires, free space, and fiber-optic cable.
11. Radio waves are signals made up of electric and magnetic fields that propagate over long distances.
12. Noise is any interference that disturbs the legible transmission of a signal. Noise is
produced by the atmosphere, heavenly bodies, manufactured electrical equipment, and
thermal agitation in electronic components.
13. The transmission medium greatly attenuates and degrades the transmitted signal.
14. Electronic communications may be either one-way or two-way. One-way transmission is
called simplexor broadcasting.
15. Two-way communication is called duplex. In half-duplex communications, only one of the
two parties can transmit at a time. In full duplex, both parties may transmit and receive simultaneously.
16. Information signals may be either analog or digital. Analog signals are
smooth, continuous voltage variations such as voice or video. Digital signals are binary pulses or
codes.
17. T h e i n f o r m a t i o n s i g n a l , c a l l e d t h e b a s e b a n d s i g n a l , i s
o f t e n t r a n s m i t t e d d i r e c t l y o v e r t h e communications medium.
18. In most communications systems, the base band signal is used to modulate a higherfrequency carrier signal than is transmitted by radio.
19. Modulation is the process of having an information signal modifi es a carrier
signal in some way. Common examples are AM and FM.
20. The base band signal cannot usually be transmitted through space by radio
because the antennas required are too long and because multiple base band
signals transmitting simultaneously would interfere with one another.
21. Multiplexing is the process of transmitting two or more signals simultaneously over the
same channel or medium.
22. Besides TV, there are several other methods of transmitting visual or graphical
information; they are facsimile, videotex, teletext.
23. Simplex transmission of special signals from land-based or satellite stations
is used by ship and airplanes for navigation.
24. Telemetry is measurement at a distance. Sensors convert physical characteristics to
electric signals which modulate a carrier transmitted to a remote location.
25. Radio astronomy supplements optical astronomy by permitting the location and mapping
of stars bythe radio waves they emit.
26. Radar uses the 'refl ection of radio waves from remote objects for the
detection of their presence, direction, and speed,
27. Underwater radar is called active sonar. Passive sonar is simply listening underwater for
the detection of objects of interest.
28. Two forms of personal communications services are CB radio and Amateur "ham" radio,
which are a technical hobby as well as a communications service.

29. Data communications is the transmission of computer and other digital data via the
telephone system, microwave links or satellite.
30. Devices called modems permit digital data to be transmitted over the analog telephone networks.
31. Interconnections of PCs for the exchange of information are called local area networks.
32. The electromagnetic spectrum is that range of frequencies from approximately 30 Hz to
visible lightover which electronic communications takes place.
33. The greatest portion of the spectrum covers radio waves, which are oscillating electric
and magnetic fields that radiate for long distances.
34. Wavelength () is the distance (in meters) between corresponding points on
successive cycles of aperiodic wave: A= 3OO/f (f is in megahertz). It is also the
distance that an electromagnetic wave travels in the time it takes for one cycle of oscillation.
35. The range of human hearing is approximately 20 to 20,000 Hz. The voice
frequency range is 300 to 3000 Hz.
36. Amplitude-modulated broadcasting occurs in the MF range from 300 kHz to 3 MHz.
37. The high-frequency range (3 to 30 MHz), or shortwave, is used for world Wide two way
communications and broadcasting.
38. Television broadcasting occurs in the VHF and UHF ranges.
39. Frequencies above 1 GHz are called microwaves.
40. The SHF and EHF bands are used primarily for satellite communications and radar.
41. Those frequencies directly above 300 GHz are called millimeter waves.
42. Electromagnetic signals produced primarily by heat sources are called infrared. They
cover the 0.7- to100 m range.
43. A micron is one millionth of a meter.
44. Visible light occupies the region above infrared. Its wavelength is 4000 to 8000 .
45. An angstrom is one ten-thousandth of a micron.
46. Bandwidth is the spectrum space occupied by a signal, the frequency range of a
transmitted signal, or the range of frequencies accepted by a receiver. It is the
diff erence between the upper and lower frequencies of the range in question.
47. There is more spectrum space available at the higher frequencies. For a given bandwidth
signal, morechannels can be accommodated at the higher frequencies.
48. Spectrum space is a precious natural resource.
49. I n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , t h e F C C r e g u l a t e s t h e u s e o f t h e s p e c t r u m
a n d m o s t f o r m s o f e l e c t r o n i c communications according to the Communications Act of 1934.
50. Most countries belong to the ITU, an organization devoted to worldwide cooperation and
negotiation on spectrum usage.
51. The NTIA coordinates government and military communications in the United States.
SELF-TEST

Supply the missing word(s) in each statement. Choose the letter that best answers
each question.
1. The three major fields of electronics are _____. The largest is the _____field.
2. Communication is defined as the process of _____.
3. Most human communication is _____ even though there is a glut of _____ communication.
4. Two major barriers to human communication are _____.
5. Electronic communications came into being in the _____.
6. The three main elements of any communications system are _____.

7. The three major types of communications paths are_____.

8. The _____ converts the message into a form compatible with the selected medium.
9. The _____ converts the message from the medium into a form understandable by a
human.
10. Undesirable interference in communications _____ is which is added to the signal in the
_____.
11. The communications media greatly _____ and the information _____ signal.
12. Three common sources of interference are _____.
13. One-way communications is called_____. An example is _____.
14. Simultaneous two-way communications is called _____. An example is _____.
15. Two-way communications where each parry takes turns transmitting is referred to
as_____.
16. Voice and video signals are continuous _____ voltages.
17. On/off or coded signals are referred to _____ as signals.
18. Voice and video signals may be transmitted digitally if they are first passed through a(n)
_____.
19. An original voice, video, or data voltage is called the _____ signal.
20. To make the transmitted signal compatible with the medium, the process of _____ must
be used where the _____ signal is impressed upon a higher-frequency signal called the_____.
21. Recovering the originally transmitted signal is called_____________.
22. The process of transmitting two or more baseband signals simultaneously over a
common medium is called _____.
23. Two methods of transmitting visual data over the telephone network are_____.
24.A common household remote-control unit is the_____.
25. The signaling of individuals at remote locations is called _____.
26. Performing, recording, and analyzing measurements at a distance is done with _____
equipment.
27. Radio astronomy is based on the fact that stars and other heavenly bodies emit_____.
28. List four ways radio is used in the telephone system _____.
29. Radar is based on the use of _____ radio signals.
30. Underwater radar is called _____.

31. The two types of sonar are _____.

32. The radio communications hobby is called _____.
33. Computers exchange digital data over the telephone network by using devices called
_____.
34. Limited interconnections of PCs and other computers in offices or buildings are called
_____.
35. Signals that travel through free space for long distances are called _____.
36. Radio waves are made up of _____ fields.
37. A signal with a frequency of 18 MHz has a wavelength of _____ m.
38. Common power line frequencies of _____ and _____ Hz are in the _____ range.
39. Audio signals are not transmitted by electromagnetic waves because
a. Antennas would be too long.
b. Audio signals do not radiate.
c. Simultaneous transmissions would interfere.
d. The frequency is too low. (Choose all that apply.)
40. The human hearing range is approximately _____ to _____ Hz.
41. The frequency range of the human voice is _____ to _____ Hz.
42. True or false. Radio transmissions do not occur in the VLF and LF ranges.
43. AM broadcast stations are in the _____ range.
44. HF signals are also called _____.
45. TV (channels 2 to 13) and FM broadcasting is in the _____ part of the spectrum.
46. List five major uses of the UHF band.
47. A frequency of 1 GHz is the same as _____ MHz.
48. Frequencies above 1 GHz are called _____.
49. The SHF and EHF ranges are primarily used by _____ communications.
50. The frequencies just beyond the EHF range are called _____ waves.
51. One micron is the same as _____ m.
52. Infrared signals are usually derived from _____ sources.
53. The spectrum range of infrared signals is _____ to _____ m.

54. One angstrom is equal to _____ m.

55. The visible light range is from _____ to _____.
56. Light signals use two mediums in electronic communications _____.
57. The spectrum space occupied by a signal is called the _____.
58. The new signals above and below the carrier frequency produced by the modulation
process are called _____.
59. A signal occupies the frequency range from 1.050 to 1.175 MHz. Its bandwidth is _____
kHz.
60. Wide-bandwidth signals must be transmitted at _____ frequencies.
61. Percentage wise, there is less spectrum space at the _____ frequencies.
62. Many communications electronics techniques are designed in order to conserve _____.
63. Electronic communications in the United States is regulated by a set of laws called the
_____.
64. The regulatory body for electronic communications in the United States is the _____.
65. Government and military communications are coordinated by the _____.
66. The electromagnetic spectrum is managed worldwide by the_____ organization.
ANSWERS
1. computers, communications, control, computers
2. exchanging information
3. oral, written
4. distance, language
5. late nineteenth century
6. transmitter, receiver, channel or medium
7. wire, radio, fiber-optic cable
8. transmitter
9. receiver
10. noise, communications channel
11. degrades, attenuates
12. the atmosphere, manufactured equipment, thermal agitation in components
13. simplex, radio and TV broadcasting
14. full duplex, telephone communications
15. half duplex
16. analog
17. digital
18. analog-to-digital converter
19. base band
20. Modulation. base band, carrier
21. demodulation or detection
22. multiplexing
23. facsimile, teletext
24. garage door opener

25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.

paging
telemetry
radio waves
microwave relay, satellites, cordless phones, cellular phones
reflected
sonar (active)
active, passive
amateur or "ham" radio
modems
local area networks
electromagnetic waves or radio-frequency (RF) waves
electric, magnetic
16.67 (300/18= 16.67)
50, 60, ELF
a. c
20, 20,000
300, 3000
false
MF
short waves
VHF
land mobile, cellular telephones, military, radar and navigation, amateur radio
1000
microwaves
radar, satellite
millimeter
1 / 1,000,000
heat
0.7, 10
1 / 10.000
4000,8000
fiber-optic cables, free space
bandwidth
sidebands
125 (1.175 - 1.050 = 0.125 MHz = 125 kHz)
higher
lower
spectrum space
Communications Act of 1934
Federal Communications Commission
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
International Telecommunications Union