"Radium" wrote in message
oups.com...
This analog signal [which was PCM] is then sent to a
loudspeaker. Just to make things more interesting, the antennae and
receivers are so sensitive that they can pick signals as low as
.00000001 dB. Most likely, what would I hear?


I think you need to be a bit clearer in your thinking. I see several people
have commented on your use of dB and it seems Mike dealing with the digital
side so I'll not pick up on those. I'd like to comment on " the antennae
and receivers are so sensitive that they can pick signals as low as........"
and your other comment about wide bandwidth.

Firstly, a "sensitive antenna" isn't a good concept, better to think in
terms of gain.

However, more importantly, sensitivity isn't just about how "small" a signal
your receiver system can "pick up"- you can (in theory) just add more and
more gain. The issue is the ratio of the signal to the noise- that is the
noise your receiver introduces and that which is "picked up" by the antenna.
Winding up the gain doesn't help much with the latter- the noise in the
available bandwith is amplified as well. Often a good way to get a better
signal to noise ratio is to reduce the bandwidth so, before you get too hung
up on having a wide bandwidth, think about what you need to do the job.


I also notice someone mentioned Galois- there was a thread some time back in
uk.radio.amateur where I explained the maths behind these. I'd sure a search
of Google Groups will turn it up.

--
73
Brian
www.g8osn.org.uk