n.

1. Electronics. Undesired signals or sounds, as of voices, in a telephone or other communications device as a result of coupling between transmission circuits.
2. Ancillary, incidental conversation: crosstalk among members of the panel.

Interference in a communications channel (disturbed channel) caused by activity in other communications channels (disturbing channels). The term was originally used to denote the presence in a telephone receiver of unwanted speech signals from other conversations, but its scope has been extended by common usage to include like effects in other types of communications.

The cause of crosstalk is some form of coupling mechanism between the disturbed channel and the disturbing channels. Communications channels are normally segregated by space, frequency, time, code, or polarization division, or by some combination of the five, to avoid such coupling, but economic and other constraints often preclude complete segregation.

In space-division segregation, each communication channel is assigned its own transmission medium, for example, a pair of wires is a multipair cable or a separate radio propagation path. Coupling between channels is caused by the physical proximity and relative orientation of the transmission media. The coupling is usually electromagnetic, a linear phenomenon that is independent of signal level in the channels. See also Electromagnetic compatibility.

Crosstalk is classified in a variety of ways. The type of coupling (electromagnetic, intermodulation, or common impedance) indicates the mechanism. The terms near-end crosstalk (NEXT) and far-end crosstalk (FEXT) indicate the relative directions of signal propagation in the disturbed and disturbing channels. The terms direct crosstalk, where the disturbing channel couples directly to the disturbed channel, and indirect crosstalk, where the coupling path between disturbing and disturbed channels involves a third, or tertiary, channel, are often used to further describe crosstalk caused by electromagnetic coupling. Interaction crosstalk (IXT) is a term used to further describe indirect crosstalk that couples from the disturbing channel to the tertiary channel at one place, propagates along the tertiary channel, and subsequently couples into the disturbed channel at another place. Transverse crosstalk is a term that includes all direct and indirect crosstalk that is not interaction crosstalk. Intelligible crosstalk is understood by the receiver of the disturbed channel, whereas nonintelligible crosstalk is not.

Most remedies for reducing crosstalk entail some technique for decreasing coupling among the communications channels involved. The use of twisted pairs in multipair cables, of shielding for each pair, or of coaxial conductors and optical fibers in place of pairs are common techniques for reducing electromagnetic coupling where space division alone is not adequate. Improved control of signal levels and improved linearity in amplifiers are effective for frequency-division systems. Often such improvements are made possible by advances in technology. Selection of the appropriate type of modulation (AM, FM, PM) is also important. Crosstalk within multichannel digital systems that transport digital versions of analog signals can be reduced with the help of a separate coder-decoder for each analog channel in place of a common, time-shared coder-decoder for all channels. Signal processing in the disturbed channel can sometimes be effective in reducing crosstalk. See also Electrical communications; Electrical interference; Electrical shielding; Optical fibers.

---

Undesired signals in one electrical circuit as a result of electrical coupling with another circuit.

---

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - krydstale, vittigt gensvar

Français (French)
n. - (Radio) diaphonie, (GB) joutes oratoires

Deutsch (German)
n. - Übersprechen, Nebensprechen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (τεχνολ.) γειτονική παρεμβολή, παρεμβολές σήματος γειτονικού διαύλου

Español (Spanish)
n. - diafonía, interferencia, interferencia telefónica

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - överhörning (radio.), snabb replikväxling

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
干扰, 杂音, 漏话

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 干擾, 雜音, 漏話

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (전화 등에서) 혼선

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تشويش على خطوط الأتصال (كومبيوتر)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮הפרעה בערוץ תקשורת‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.