Table 1.
0 (Types of Digital Modulation)
MODULATION TYPE
CP-FSK (Continuous-phase
frequency-shift keying)
BPSK (Binary phase-shift keying)
QPSK (Quaternary phase shift
keying)
DESCRIPTION
It is often used to transmit
digital data reliably over wire
line and wireless links at low
data rates. Simple receivers with
low error probability can be
built. It is a binary FSK except the
mark and space frequencies are
synchronized with the input
binary bit rate. The mark and
space frequencies which are
selected ensures a smooth
phase transition in the analog
signal. The disadvantage of CP-
FSK is that it requires
synchronization circuits and is
more expensive to implement.
It is the most robust digital
modulation technique and is
used for long distance wireless
communication. Here, two
phases are possible for the
carrier. One phase represents a
logic 1, and the other phase
represents logic 0. As the input
digital signal changes state, the
phase of the output carrier shifts
between two angles that are
separated by 180. Hence, other
names for BPSK are phase
reversal keying (PRK) and
biphase modulation. It is a form
of square-wave modulation of a
continuous wave (CW) signal.
QPSK is bandwidth
efficient as each signal point
represents two bits. It is an M-
ary encoding scheme where N=2
and M=4. Four output phases
APPLICATIONS
Early voice-band
telephone line modems
use binary FSK to
transmit data at 300
bits per second or less
and were acoustically
coupled to the
telephone handset.
Some HF Radio systems
use FSK to transmit
digital data at low data
rates.
The 3GPP Cellular Text
Telephone Modem
(CTM) for use by the
hearing impaired over
regular cellular speech
channels uses four level
FSK.
It is used in various
wireless standards such
as CDMA, WiMAX
(16d,16e), WLAN 11a,
11b, 11g, 11n, Satellite,
DVB, Cable modem etc.
It is used in OFDM and
OFDMA to modulate
the pilot subcarriers
used for channel
estimation and
equalization.
It is used in various
cellular wireless
standards such as GSM,
CDMA, LTE, 802.11
WLAN, 802.16 fixed and
 are possible for a single carrier mobile WiMAX, Satellite
frequency. Since there are four and CABLE TV
output phases, there must be applications.
four input conditions.

OQPSK (Offset Quaternary It is a modified form of It is used in biomedical

phase shift keying)
QPSK where the bit waveform device applications.
on the I and Q channels are
offset or shifted in phase from
each other by one-half of a bit
time. An advantage of OQPSK is
the limited phase shift that must
be imparted during modulation.
Its disadvantage is that changes
in the output phase occur at
twice the data rate in either the
I or Q channels. OQPSK is
sometimes called OKQPSK
(offset-keyed QPSK)

8-PSK (8 phase shift keying) With this, 3 bits are
encoded forming tribits and
producing eight different output
phases. In 8PSK, n=3, M=8, and
there are eight possible output
phases.
Note: To encode eight different
phases, the incoming bits are
encoded in groups of three,
called tribits (23 = 8)
Used in satellite
broadcasting. High
definition programming
is delivered almost
exclusively in 8PSK due
to the higher bitrates of
HD video and the high
cost of satellite
bandwidth.

16-PSK (16 phase shift keying) It is an M-ary encoding It is used in most

technique where M=16 thus, 16 satellite applications.
different output phases are
possible. With 16-PSK, four bits
are combined, producing 16
different output phases. n= 4
and M=16 therefore the
minimum bandwidth and baud
equal one-fourth the bit rate
(fb/4).

8-QAM (8 Quadrature It is an M-ary encoding In 8-QAM, linear power

Amplitude Modulation) technique where M=8. Unlike 8- amplification is
PSK, the output signal from an 8- required. It is widely
QAM modulator is not a used in cable TV, Wi-Fi
constant amplitude signal. wireless local area

16-QAM (16 Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation)
64-QAM ( 64 Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation )
REFERENCES:
www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/QPSK.html
www.ni.com/tutorials/5487/en/
www.nxp.com
www.mathworks.com
www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/quadrature-amplitude-modulation-qam/
www.dsplog.com
www.slideshare.net/satellite-link-using-16psk
ieeexplore.ieee.org
www.electronicdesign.com
www.engineering.com
As with the 16- PSK, 16-
QAM is an M-ary system where
M=16. The input data are acted
on in groups of four (24 = 16).
Both the phase and the
amplitude of the transmit
carrier are varied.
The input data are acted in
groups of 6 (26 = 64). Its baud
rate is fb/6 and its minimum
bandwidth is also fb/6
networks (LANs) ,
satellites and cellular
telephone systems to
produce maximum data
rate in limited
bandwidths.
It can be used in PAL
and NTSC television
systems where the
different channels
provided by QAM
enable it to carry the
components of chroma
or colour information.
It is often used in digital
cable television and
cable modem
applications. In the UK,
it is used for digital
terrestrial television
using DVB- Digital Video
Broadcasting.