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I.

Introduction of Frequency Shift Keying

Frequency shift keying or FSK is a method of modulation by which a digital data modulates the analog
carrier by means of varying the frequency, thus, it is a method of digital modulation. It was first
introduced in 1900s and was used in mechanical teleprinters. These machines have a standard speed of
45 bauds which is equivalent to 45 bits per second. Today, this technology is used such as amateur radio,
caller ID, and urgent situation broadcasts. There are a couple of variations in Frequency Shift Keying, one
of which will be used for this activity, the Multifrequency Shift Keying.

Multifrequency Shift Keying or MFSK is similar to frequency shift keying (FSK), but more than two
frequencies are used. It is a method of signal modulation in which discrete audio tone bursts of various
frequencies convey digital data. It was originally used by European and British government agencies in
the mid 1900s. At that time it was called Piccolo, the name of the musical instrument whose high-
pitched tones sound similar to an MFSK signal coming through the speaker of a radio receiver. MFSK
works by using comparatively narrow tone spacing. This helps to achieve significant data rates for a given
bandwidth. A variation of MFSK, the 2-tone FSK is used for the today's activity, the Dual Tone Multi-
Frequency Circuit.

II. Dual Tone Multi-Frequency

Dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) or Touch Tone is a method used to dial telephone numbers or to issue
commands to switching systems. DTMF is widely used for telecommunication signaling between
telephone handsets and switching centers over analog telephone lines in voice-frequency bands. is used
in push-button telephones for tone dialing.

The DTMF dialing system traces its roots to a technique AT&T developed in the 1950s called MF (Multi-
Frequency) which was deployed within the AT&T telephone network to direct calls between switching
facilities using in-band signaling. In the early 1960s, a derivative technique was offered by AT&T as a
"modern" to place calls. The consumer product was marketed by AT&T under the registered trade name
Touch-Tone®. Other vendors of compatible telephone equipment used other names such as "Tel-Touch."

The DTMF system uses eight different frequency signals transmitted in pairs to represent sixteen
different numbers, symbols and letters (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, #, A, B, C, D)

The keypad is laid out in a 4×4 matrix, with each row representing a low frequency, and each column
representing a high frequency. Pressing a single key (such as '1' ) will send a sinusoidal tone of the two
frequencies (697 and 1209 Hz). The original keypads had levers inside, so each button activated two
contacts. The multiple tones are the reason for calling the system multifrequency. These tones are then
decoded by the switching center to determine which key was pressed.

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