ECM650 Communication Software and Design Lecture 2: Review on Communication Systems

Dr Nur Idora Abdul Razak Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA

Components of a communication system

Definition of communication:
o Transmission of information from one place to another

Major parts:
o Transmitter, receiver, transmission medium (communication channel)

Information to be transmitted
o Analog data: Continuous information Simple receiver design o Digital data: Discrete information Robust to noise through channel coding and error correction algorithm

ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems

Analog and digital communications

Modulation:
o To vary the amplitude, frequency or phase of a carrier wave for transmission of information

Carrier:
o An electromagnetic wave or an alternating current whose modulations are used as communication signals (as in radio, telephonic and telegraphic transmission)

ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems

Analog and digital modulation

Analog modulation:
o Continuous information such as speech or video encoded as an amplitude

Digital modulation
o Discrete information such as binary data encoded as frequency shift or phase shift

ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems

Nyquist theorem
Also known as sampling theorem A bandlimited analog signal with fm Hz that has been sampled can be perfectly reconstructed from an infinite sequence of samples if the sampling rate exceeds samples per second, where fm is the highest frequency of the original signal

fs = 2 fm
Nyquist rate is the minimum sampling rate required to avoid aliasing/foldover distortion Hence the sampling frequency must exceed the Nyquist rate f > f
s n
ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems 5

Determining sampling frequency

A communication system must be simulated using the same sampling frequency (single rate system) Simulation of a multi-rate system is possible, through implementation of interpolation (up-sampling) and decimation (down-sampling) of related data in the system Sampling frequency fs must exceed the highest Nyquist rate required in the system

ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems

Baseband and Passband System

Baseband system:
o Signals and systems whose range of frequencies is measured from close to 0Hz to a cut-off frequency

Passband system:
o Signals and systems whose a fitered frequency is measured at a specific RF frequency (usually filtered by a bandpass filter)

ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems

Equivalent baseband system

Equivalent baseband signal:
o The modulated signal is replaced by a complex-valued equivalent baseband signal with carrier frequency of 0Hz

For the case of ASK, PSK and QAM signals, the equivalent baseband signal is represented by Z (t ) = I (t ) + jQ(t ) where I (t ) is the phase signal and Q(t ) is the quadrature signal In this case, the corresponding passband signal is represented by I (t )cos( t ) Q(t )sin( t ) = Re {Z (t )e jt } where is the carrier angular frequency in rad/s
ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems 8

Equivalent baseband system

Advantage of using equivalent baseband domain:
o Lower the maximum sampling frequency required o Lower the simulation cost (time) due to low sampling frequency o Simplify the architecture of simulated system

ECM560 Lecture2: Review on Communication Systems