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E8D04

SIGNALS AND EMISSIONS · Keying defects and overmodulation of digital signals; digital codes; spread spectrum

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What is the primary effect of extremely short rise or fall time on a CW signal?

  1. AMore difficult to copy
  2. BThe generation of RF harmonics
  3. CThe generation of key clicks
  4. DMore difficult to tune
Why A CW signal's occupied bandwidth depends on how fast the envelope switches on and off. Fourier analysis says an abrupt, near-square keying envelope contains high-frequency components, which appear as sidebands spreading well beyond the few hundred hertz a properly shaped CW signal needs. Those broad sidebands are heard on adjacent frequencies as sharp clicks each time the key closes or opens. Good transmitter design shapes the envelope with rise and fall times of roughly 5 ms to keep the signal clean.
Watch out Harmonics are integer multiples of the operating frequency produced by nonlinearity in the amplifier chain, not by envelope shaping; key clicks land just a few hundred hertz to a few kilohertz either side of your own signal.
Fast edges = wide skirts. Sharp keying makes clicks near your signal, not harmonics up at 2f.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
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The rest of E8D

  1. E8D01 Why are received spread spectrum signals resistant to interference?
  2. E8D02 What spread spectrum communications technique uses a high-speed binary bit stream to shift the phase of an RF…
  3. E8D03 Which describes spread spectrum frequency hopping?
  4. E8D04 What is the primary effect of extremely short rise or fall time on a CW signal?
  5. E8D05 What is the most common method of reducing key clicks?
  6. E8D06 What is the advantage of including parity bits in ASCII characters?
  7. E8D07 What is a common cause of overmodulation of AFSK signals?
  8. E8D08 What parameter evaluates distortion of an AFSK signal caused by excessive input audio levels?
  9. E8D09 What is considered an acceptable maximum IMD level for an idling PSK signal?
  10. E8D10 What are some of the differences between the Baudot digital code and ASCII?
  11. E8D11 What is one advantage of using ASCII code for data communications?
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