Carrier wave

A carrier wave is a waveform (usually sinusoidal) that is modulated (modified) to represent the information to be transmitted. This carrier wave is usually of much higher frequency than the modulating signal (the signal which contains the information).

Related Topics:
Waveform - Sinusoidal - Modulated - Transmit - Frequency

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Carrier waves are used when transmitting radio signals to a radio receiver. Frequency modulation (FM) and amplitude modulation (AM) signals are both transmitted with the help of carrier frequencies. The frequency for a given radio station is actually the carrier wave's center frequency.

Related Topics:
Radio - Frequency modulation - Amplitude modulation - Center frequency

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Newer forms of radio communication, such as single sideband, spread spectrum and ultra wide band, do not transmit a carrier wave, nor does the European standard for HDTV, known as COFDM. The U.S. HDTV broadcast standard, 8VSB, does include a carrier, but at much lower relative power levels than the older NTSC standard.

Related Topics:
Single sideband - Spread spectrum - Ultra wide band - HDTV - COFDM - U.S. - 8VSB - NTSC

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~