Definition

Verb: To extract the original information-bearing signal from a modulated carrier wave. This is the reverse process of modulation, which encodes information onto a carrier wave for transmission.

Usage

The verb "demodulate" is used in the context of electronics, telecommunications, and signal processing. It describes the specific technical action performed by a device (a demodulator) to recover the original data or signal. It is typically used with an object (what is being demodulated).

Examples

• The receiver must demodulate the incoming radio signal to hear the audio.
• This circuit is designed to demodulate the amplitude-modulated (AM) broadcast.
• The software can demodulate the digital data stream from the satellite transmission.

Advanced Usage

• Technical Context: In software-defined radio (SDR), a computer algorithm is used to demodulate signals, replacing traditional hardware circuits.
• Process Description: The term is often used to describe a key stage in a communication system: "The signal is amplified, filtered, and then demodulated."

Variants and Related Words

• Demodulation (noun): The process or action of demodulating.
  • Demodulation is a crucial step in any radio receiver.
• Demodulator (noun): A device or circuit that performs demodulation.
  • The demodulator in your phone extracts the voice data from the cellular signal.
• Modulate (verb): The opposite action; to impose a signal onto a carrier wave.

Synonyms

• Decode: Often used interchangeably in digital communications, though "decode" can imply additional steps like error correction after demodulation.
• Detect: A historical and less precise synonym, especially in the context of "detecting" an amplitude-modulated signal.

Related Technical Phrases

• Demodulate a carrier: The full technical phrase specifying what is being acted upon.
  • The chip's function is to demodulate the carrier and present the baseband data.

Verb

1. extract information from a modulated carrier wave