Radio Project: writing the report

TECH1002 Studies in Media Technology

Assignment One – Lab ReportDeadline: Monday 19 January 2009

Assessment Criteria

• We will be looking for three main elements of achievement in the report:– Academic achievement – the ability to

organize, structure and present a technical report

– Use of research – the incorporation of background reading in to the report

– Understanding and explanation of radio technology – the demonstration of a knowledge of the technical context of radio transmission and reception and audio amplification

• Notes and support material to help you write the report are available in the rear of the module handbook

• Please also follow the guidance in the module handbook on pages 16 and 17 and Appendix 1 ‘Presentation of Written Assignments’

Format of the report

• More information about how to organize the sections of the report and additional support notes will be distributed in the labs and placed on Blackboard.

AM Radio Receiver and Audio Amplifier Project• The first main section of the report will

present the making and testing of the AM radio receiver and audio amplifier

• The reception results should be recorded and explained

• If technical failure prevents the recording of actual results, then sample results will be provided later and can be used for the purpose of the theoretical explanation of typical results

AM Radio Receiver• It is important

that the report explains to the reader how the AM receiver works and accounts for the results obtained.

AM Radio Receiver• The AM radio

receiver circuit has three main sections:

• Tuning• Demodulation• Amplification

AM Radio Receiver: Tuning• What are the key

components of the tuning circuit?

• What is the function of the coil aerial?

• On what principle does a tuner work?

• What does the tuning circuit do to the tuned frequency?

variable tuningcapacitor (150pF)

coil aerial

AM Radio Receiver: Demodulation

• What is the central component of the demodulation part of the circuit?

• How does this component demodulate the carrier wave?

diode (MK484)

• What is the key component in the amplification part of the circuit?

• How does this component amplify the audio information signal and why does it need current such as from a battery?

• What is the level of amplification sufficient to do?

AM Radio Receiver: Amplification

transistor (BC548B)

battery power

Audio Amplifier• How is sound

represented in electronic sound equipment such as a radio?

 • How does the speaker

change the electrical audio signal into a sound wave that can be heard?

 • What does the amplifier

do to make the speaker work?

 • What is the key

component of the audio amplifier?

 • What does this

component do and why does it need electrical current such as from a battery?

IC (Integrated Component)TBA 820M

battery power

Audio Amplifier

• It is important that the report explains how the amplifier works with the speaker.

Reception Testing• It is

important that the report records the results of testing the reception and accounts for the results obtained.

The headphone socket of the radio receiver was connected to the audio jack socket of the amplifier via a 3.5mm cable to listen to the radio reception through a speaker.

Reception Testing

• What factors govern the quality of AM radio reception achieved by the radio receiver?

 • What are the names

and the frequencies of the radio stations that you were able to receive?

 • Why were you able to

receive these stations only?

Research• Online

information can give you the frequency of the carrier wave of the radio broadcast that your radios receive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/howtolisten/radio/

http://www.sabrasradio.com/sabras.php?p=about

AM reception in the Leicester area – one of the many supporting links thatcan be found online.

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/freq_find/tc/leicester.html

AM Transmission Demonstration

The main section of the report should end with the recording of the AM transmission demonstration that will take place in week 11.

We will generate an AM transmission signal in the lab and test to see if your radios can receive the signal and play it through the amplifier.

The section of the report on the AMtransmission demonstration shouldbe used to explain to the reader howAM transmission works –

how a higher frequency carrier wave is modulated by a low frequency audioinformation signal.

Other Sections of the Report

• Introduction – at the beginning of the report, tell the reader what the report is about, what it does, and how it is structured

• Conclusion – at the end of the report only, remind the reader what you have done in the report and a summary of the main points that can be drawn from the practical labs that you have undertaken. How do you evaluate what you have done? Evaluation involves forming a judgment about the value of something, an opinion based on evidence that you have presented in the report

Other Sections of the Report

• Title Page - the first page of the report should be a title page. This will contain the title of the assignment, your name and student number and your usual computer lab group (for example, A. CLAY TUESDAY 1-2).

 • Contents Page - the next page will be a contents page

referring to the page numbers where the separate sections start.

 • List of Figures Page - after that will come a page

called ‘List of Figures’, a contents page for all the diagrams and illustrations that appear in the report. All the diagrams and illustrations should be labelled (for example, Figure 1: AM transmission equipment) and if it is not your own diagram, you must reference its source.

Other Sections of the Report

• Bibliography - the report should end with a bibliography. Please consult the Appendix 1 in the module handbook for information about using bibliography and references. You should use the Harvard system of referencing

•  Appendix - your radio lab log book sheets should be placed in the rear of the report in an appendix as a record of your attendance and engagement on the radio project.

Revision Test• Towards the end

of the radio labs an electronic revision test will be made available in the revision section of the radio labs part of the module website on Blackboard

• Take the test to assess your level of understanding of radio technology

Directed Study Weeks 7-12: publish your background radio research in the lab group wiki

• The lab group can share background reading and research by publishing it in the wiki as part of directed study for weeks 7-12.

• You could also use Web 2.0 tools such as Slideshare or social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us or any other websites that are useful