Journal of Geosciences, Earth and Planetary Systems
Analog and Digital Modulation Techniques in Communication Electronics: A Comparative Analysis
Abstract
Olarewaju Peter Ayeoribe
This paper presents a comparative analysis of analog and digital modulation techniques in communication electronics, highlighting their performance, advantages, and limitations. Analog modulation, including Amplitude Modulation (AM) and Frequency Modulation (FM), offers simplicity in design and cost-effectiveness but is highly susceptible to noise and requires larger bandwidth. In contrast, digital modulation methods such as Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) provide superior noise immunity, higher spectral efficiency, and enable error correction capabilities, though at the cost of greater circuit complexity. Scientific data from MATLAB-based simulations under Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) conditions were used to compare performance. Results showed that AM signals at 20 dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) exhibited 12% distortion, while FM achieved 92% fidelity under the same conditions. For digital systems, BPSK achieved a Bit Error Rate (BER) of 10^-5 at 10 dB SNR, whereas 16-QAM recorded a BER of 10^-3 at 12 dB SNR, balancing data rate with reliability. The findings confirm that digital modulation outperforms analog modulation in terms of reliability, bandwidth efficiency, and resilience to noise, making it the dominant choice in modern wireless and satellite communication systems. However, analog modulation remains relevant in traditional broadcasting and low-cost applications where simplicity is valued.