Communication System
Basic elements of Communication System
Communication takes places when one person transmits information and understanding to another person. The basic elements of communication process include:
- Communicator: It is the sender, speaker, or writer, who intends to express or send out a message.
- Communicatee: It is the receiver of the message for whom the communication is meant.
- Message: It is also known as the subject matter i.e. the content of the letter, information of this process.
- Communication channel: Its function is to provide a pathway between the communicator’s output and the communicatee’s input. It transmits data from the sender to the receiver.
- Feedback: It is essential to make communication,a successful one. It is the effect, reply or reaction of the information transmitted to the communicatee.
Basic Concept of Communication System
A communication system is this system that is involved in achieving the goal of information exchange by electronic media over the same network. The purpose of a communication system is to transmit intelligence signals from a source to a destination at some point away from the source. This system consists of three essential components: transmitter, channel, and receiver. To transmit signals in a communication system, it should first be processed by beginning from signal is prepared, it is passed to the transimission line of the channel. Due to signal crossing this media, it is faced with many impairments like noise, attenuation and distrotion. Communication between a workstation and a server over a public telephone network is an example of a communication system.
Block Diagram of Communication System/Model
The block diagram of a communciation system will have five blocks, including the information source, transmitter, channel, receiver, and destination blocks.
Information source
The objective of any communication system is to convey information from one point to another. The physical manifestation of the information is termed as a message signal.
Transmitter
The objective of the transmitter block is to collect the incoming message signal and modify it in a suitable fashion (if needed), such that, it can be transmitted via the chosen channel to the receiving point.
Channel
Channel is the physical medium which connects the transmitter with that of the receiver.
Receiver
The receiver block receives the incoming modified version of the message signal from the channel and processes it to recreate the original form of the message signal.
Destination
The destination is the final block which receives the message signal and processes it to comprehend the information present in it.
Telecommunication
It is the exchange of information over significant distances by electronic means, referring to all types of voice, data, and video transmission. It includes a wide range of information transmitting technologies and communications infrastructures, such as wired phones, cell phones, fiber optics, satellites, radio, the internet, etc.
Data Communication
It is the transfer of data or information between a source and a receiver. This is popular because we can transform the computer data i.e. digital data into electric signals. The effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four fundamental characteristics:
1. Delivery
2. Accuracy
3. Timeliness
4. Jitter (Variation in time delay between)
Elements of Data Communication/Transmission
Data Communication is defined as exchange of data between two devices via some form of transmission media. There are mainly five components of a data communication system:
- Message
- Sender
- Receiver
- Transmission Medium
- Set of Rules (Protocol)
Message
- It is simply a piece of data or information to be communicated. E.g., text file, an audio file.
Sender
- The sender plays the part of a source in a data communication system and responsible for sending information. The device could be in the form of a computer, mobile, video camera, etc.
Receiver
It is a destination where message sent by a source has arrived. Same as a sender, a receiver can also be in form of a computer, mobile, workstation, etc.
Transmission Medium
It acts as a bridge between the sender and the receiver. The transmission medium could be guided (with wires) or unguided (without wires), for example, twisted pair cable
Protocol (Set of rules)
To govern data communication, the designers have designed various sets of rules, representing a kind of agreement between communication devices defined as protocol. Thus, a protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication.