Ham Radio Extra Class Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Comprehensive Guide to Exam Success!

Digital modulation is not a traditional method of modulating a radio wave in the same sense as amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, and phase modulation, all of which directly alter the characteristics of the carrier wave's amplitude, frequency, or phase, respectively.

Digital modulation techniques, such as phase shift keying or frequency shift keying, do indeed involve modulation principles but are considered subsets or variations designed to convey digital information over an analog medium. Unlike the basic modes which apply to analog signals, digital modulation encompasses a wider range of techniques to handle binary data, making it distinct as a category that develops from the foundational analog modulation methods.

This distinction helps clarify why digital modulation does not fit as a classic method of modulating a radio wave when compared to amplitude, frequency, and phase modulation, which have long been established as core methods for radio transmission.