RF SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RANDOM PCM/FM AND PSK SIGNALS

Abstract

The telemetry radio frequency (RF) spectrum is rapidly becoming more crowded. Therefore, telemetry system engineers and frequency managers must become more knowledgeable about the RF spectral characteristics of telemetry signals. This paper presents methods to calculate the expected RF spectrum of random non-return-to-zero (NRZ) pulse code modulation (PCM)/frequency modulation (FM) and phase shift key (PSK) signals. The discussion includes the effects of bit rate, peak deviation, premodulation filtering, and spectrum analyzer resolution bandwidth. The methods are easily implemented using a personal computer and a spreadsheet program with graphics capability. Calculated spectra agree well with measured spectra. Equations are presented for accurately estimating the peak deviation and unmodulated carrier power of a random NRZ PCM/FM signal from the measured RF spectrum. Adjacent channel interference is also calculated. Key words: radio frequency spectral occupancy, pulse code modulation, frequency modulation, phase shift keying, premodulation filtering, adjacent channel interference.