PrinCom prefinals

Noise

An electronic signal made up of many random frequencies at various amplitudes added to a radio or information signal during transmission.

Interference

Disruption of a signal caused by unwanted signals that are added.

Signal Noise

Unwanted interference that degrades a communication signal affecting both analog and digital signals.

External Noise

Noise originating from sources that cannot be controlled by humans, such as industrial, atmospheric, or space sources.

Industrial Noise

Noise produced by manufacturing equipment like automotive ignition systems and generators.

Atmospheric Noise

Electrical disturbances occurring naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere, often resulting from lightning.

Extraterrestrial Noise

Noise that comes from space, including solar and cosmic sources.

Solar Noise

Noise that comes from the sun, impacting radio signals, especially during its peak activity every 11 years.

Cosmic Noise

Noise generated by stars outside the solar system, typically less impactful than solar noise.

Internal Noise

Noise from electronic components in a receiver, such as resistors and diodes.

Thermal Noise

Noise caused by thermal agitation of electrons in a conductor due to heat.

White Noise

A type of thermal noise that contains all frequencies at random amplitudes.

Pink Noise

Filtered or band-limited noise, in contrast to white noise.

Semiconductor Noise

Noise produced by components like diodes and transistors, including shot noise and flicker noise.

Shot Noise

Noise that results from the random movement of current carriers in a semiconductor.

Transit-Time Noise

Noise created when the transit time of a current carrier matches the signal frequency's time.

Flicker Noise

Noise arising from random variations of resistance in semiconductor materials, also known as 1/f noise.

Intermodulation Distortion

Distortion caused by generating new signals and harmonics in non-linear circuits.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

The ratio of the relative strengths of the signal to noise in communication systems.

Noise Factor (NR)

The ratio of the signal-to-noise power at the input to the output.

Distortion

Unwanted changes to the waveform of an information signal in a communication channel.

Dolby System

A noise reduction system that intentionally distorts an audio signal to enhance specific aspects affected by noise.

Selectivity

The ability of a communication receiver to identify and select a desired signal amidst others.

LC-Tuned Circuits

Circuits consisting of an inductor (L) and a conductor (C), enabling selective response to signals.

Ideal Bandwidth (BW)

The frequency range necessary to pass a signal and its sidebands while attenuating adjacent signals.

Shape Factor

A measure of the steepness of the skirts in a tuned circuit response curve.

Skirts

The sides of a tuned circuit response curve, related to selectivity.

Sensitivity

Reflects overall gain; the minimum input signal that matches the receiver's noise floor.

Minimum Discernible Signal (MDS)

The input signal level nearly equal to the average noise floor of a receiver.

Noise Floor

The internally generated noise value within communication equipment.

Radio Emission Code Designations

Codes assigned to various types of signals for easy interpretation of detected signals.

ITU Emission Designation

A system used by the International Telecommunication Union to describe signals with specific formats and modulations.

Designators Format

A structure allowing for quick identification of specific signal transmission parameters.

Bandwidth Designator List

A format expressing significant figures and decimal points in three-digit codes.