Digital Communications

Online Content underdevelopment (2024)

(Experimental Link)

Course Goals

  • Introductory course on modern digital communication systems.
  • The basic communication system theory, probability and random processes, baseband digital data transmission, coherent and non-coherent digital modulation techniques and analysis of bit error probability.
  • Bandwidth efficiency and transmission of digital data through band-limited channels.

Academic Years

Lecture Reference Books

Charan Langton
"Tutorials on Digital Communication"
(Weblink)

Marc Lichtman
"PySDR: A Guide to SDR and DSP using Python"
(Weblink)

Lab Reference Books

Paul Clark and David Clark
"Introduction to Software Defined Radio: Volume 1"
Meadow Registry, LLC, 2015

Paul Clark and David Clark
"Basic Analog Radio: Volume 2"
Meadow Registry, LLC, 2015

Paul Clark and David Clark
"Basic Digital Communications: Volume 3"
Meadow Registry, LLC, 2015

Software

Course Modules

  • Fundamentals of Signal
    • Signal types, differences between discrete and digital
    • Information, carrier, modulated signals
    • Bandwidth, periodicity
    • Power and energy of signals
    • Sampling
    • Difference between information theory, communication theory, and signal processing
    • Noisy signals and random signals
    • Signal properties (e.g.: mean, variance, PDF, CDF)
    • Transform in signal processing (e.g.: FT & DFT, Laplace, Z-Transform)
  • Frequency Domain
    • Fourier series
    • Time frequency pairs
    • Fourier transform
    • Time frequency properties
    • FFT
    • Negative frequencies (Complex Fourier)
    • Windowing
    • FFT sizing
    • Spectrum/waterfall
  • Baseband, passband signal
  • AM modulation
  • Side bands (SSB, DSB)
  • VSB
  • Demodulator
  • Envelope detector
  • Angle modulations (e.g.: FM, PM)
  • Basic concepts of modulation
  • OOK (ASK)
  • FSK and MSK
  • Signal spaces and basis functions
  • The concept of IQ channels
  • IQ sampling (e.g.: quadrature sampling, carrier and down conversion, DC spike)
  • Symbols, bits and bauds
  • PSK modulations (e.g.: BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK, 16PSK, QAM, 16 QAM, 64 QAM)
  • Gaussian noise
  • Decibels
  • Noise in frequency domain
  • Complex noise
  • AWGN
  • SNR and SiNR
  • Basics of digital filters
  • Representation, implementation and design tools
  • Convolution
  • Intro to pulse shaping
  • ISI
  • Matched filter
  • Splitting filter in half
  • Specific pulse shaping filter
  • Roll-off factor
  • OFDM
  • CDMA
  • Types of codes
  • Code rate
  • Modulation and coding
  • Hamming code
  • SDFT vs hard decoding
  • Shannon limit
  • State of the art codes
  • Signal power budget
  • Noise power budget
  • SNR
  • BER
  • Nyquist, Shannon limits
  • Antennas
    • Characteristics, types, polarization
    • Noise mitigation
    • Connectors
  • Time sync
  • Time sync with interpolation
  • Coarse frequency sync
  • Fine frequency sync
  • Frame sync