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Over-modulation occurs when the input audio signal level is too high for the modulation system, leading to distortion in the transmitted signal. This distortion can cause the amplitude of the transmitted waveform to exceed the limits of the transmitter's capacity. When this happens, it results in additional frequencies that are not present in the original audio signal. As a consequence, the effective bandwidth of the signal increases since the excessive audio peaks create harmonics and sidebands beyond the intended limits.

This is why excessive bandwidth is a direct effect of over-modulation. When the modulation is excessive, more energy is spread out across a wider range of frequencies than intended, potentially interfering with adjacent channels and causing signal quality issues for both the transmitter and receiver. It is important to control modulation to prevent this scenario to maintain signal integrity and adhere to regulatory bandwidth limitations.