ECM4701/101/0/2018

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2018

Electronic Communications IV - Theory

ECM4701

Year Module

Department of Electrical and Mining

Engineering

This tutorial letter contains important information

about your module.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS

Page

1 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE............................................................... 3

2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 3
3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 3
3.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 3
3.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 3
3.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 3
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 4
4.1 Prescribed textbook ...................................................................................................................... 4
4.2 Recommended books ................................................................................................................... 4
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)................................................................................................. 4
4.4 Library services and resources information ................................................................................... 4
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 4
6 STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 4
7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING ..................................................... 4
8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 5
8.1 Assessment criteria....................................................................................................................... 5
8.2 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 5
8.3 General assignment numbers ....................................................................................................... 5
8.3.1 Unique assignment numbers ........................................................................................................ 5
8.4 Assignment due dates .................................................................................................................. 5
8.5 Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 6
8.6 The assignments .......................................................................................................................... 7
8.7 Other assessment methods ........................................................................................................ 19
8.8 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 19
9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 19
10 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 19
11 IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 19
12 ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 19

2
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
Welcome to the subject Electronic Communications IV (Theory)) (ECM4701) at UNISA. This
tutorial letter serves as a guideline to this course. It provides you with general administrative
information as well as specific information about the subject. Read it carefully and keep it safe
for future reference. We trust that you will enjoy this course.

1 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1 Purpose
The purpose of this module is to enable students to develop competencies and skills in solving
problems in Electronic Communications. This module is compulsory and core for the BTech in
Electrical Engineering. Successful completion of this module will count towards the subjects a
student must study and pass to obtain BTech in Electrical Engineering qualification.

2.2 Outcomes
After completing this module students should be able to:
 Analyse simple communication network.
 Design simple communication network.
 Evaluate a simple communication network.
 Calculate parameters to be used in a communication model.

3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1 Lecturer(s)
You can contact Mr R Netshikweta for any theoretical questions at the following number:
Tel nr.: (011) 471-3217
e-mail: netshnr@unisa.ac.za
Contact Times: Mondays to Fridays
08h00 to 13h00

3.2 Department
Department of Electrical and Mining Engineering: electrical&mining@unisa.ac.za

3.3 University

If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this module,
please consult the publication My studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.
This brochure contains information on how to contact the University (e.g. to whom you can write
for different queries, important telephone and fax numbers, addresses and details of the times
certain facilities are open).Always have your student number at hand when you contact the
University.

3
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES
4.1 Prescribed textbook
The prescribed book for this subject is Glover, IA. & Grant, PM. 2004. DIGITAL
COMMUNICATIONS. 2nd Ed, Prentice Hall ISBN 0130893994 (3rd Ed is available and
can be used)

4.2 Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module.

4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

There are no electronic reserves for this module.

4.4 Library services and resources information

For brief information, go to www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies
For detailed information, go to the Unisa website at http://www.unisa.ac.za/ and click on
Library.
For research support and services of personal librarians, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=7102.

The Library has compiled numerous library guides:

 finding recommended reading in the print collection and e-reserves –

http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/undergrad
 requesting material – http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request
 postgraduate information services – http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/postgrad
 finding , obtaining and using library resources and tools to assist in doing research –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_Skills
 how to contact the library/finding us on social media/frequently asked questions –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask

5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Important information appears in your my Studies @ Unisa brochure.

6 STUDY PLAN
Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.

7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

This subject does not have a practical part.
4
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

8 ASSESSMENT
8.1 Assessment criteria
Your final mark will be calculated by using a ratio of 20% year mark and 80% examination mark.

8.2 Assessment plan

You will find your assignments for this subject in this Tutorial Letter. Assignments 1, 2 and 3
are compulsory and both assignments will be used in the calculation of your year mark.
Please send the completed assignments to UNISA before the closing dates stated in this
section.

The mark for Electronic Communications IV (ECM4701) is calculated as follows:

 The year mark contributes to 20%.
 The examination mark contributes to 80%

The year mark is based on all the assignment marks obtained and their contribution towards the
final year mark are as shown in the table below:

ASSIGNMENT CONTRIBUTION
NUMBER TOWARDS YEAR
MARK
1 (Compulsory) 10%
2 (Compulsory) 45%
3 (Compulsory) 45%
TOTAL = 100 %

8.3 General assignment numbers

Assignments are numbered consecutively per module, starting from 01.

8.3.1 Unique assignment numbers

Assignment 1: 814937
(Compulsory)
Assignment 2: 779814
(Compulsory)
Assignment 3: 662819
(Compulsory)

8.4 Assignment due dates

THE CUT-OFF SUBMISSION DATES FOR THE ASSIGNMENTS ARE :

Assignment 1: (Compulsory) 21 May 2018
Assignment 2: (Compulsory) 16 July 2018
Assignment 3: (Compulsory) 10 September 2018

5
8.5 Submission of assignments
ALL ASSIGNMENTS (submitted) HAVE TO BE ATTEMPTED!!!!!!!

THE SUBMISSION OF AN EMPTY ASSIGNMENT COVER IS UNACCEPTABLE.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

 NO LATE ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 KEEP A CLEAR COPY OF THE ASSIGNMENT FOR YOUR OWN REFERENCE.

THIS IS IMPORTANT, AS ASSIGNMENTS DO GET LOST.

 SUBMISSIONS OF ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH “MY

STUDIES @ UNISA”.

Please note that model answers for the assignments will be dispatched to all
students within 1 week of the closing date of the assignment. This implies that
you cannot submit your assignment later than the stipulated submission date.

For detailed information and requirements as far as assignments are concerned, see the
brochure my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.

To submit an assignment via myUnisa:

 Go to myUnisa.
 Log in with your student number and password.
 Select the module.
 Click on assignments in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
 Click on the assignment number you wish to submit.
 Follow the instructions.

6
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

8.6 The assignments

THE CUT-OFF SUBMISSION DATES FOR THE ASSIGNMENTS ARE :

Assignment 1: (Compulsory) 21 May 2018
Assignment 2: (Compulsory) 16 July 2018
Assignment 3: (Compulsory) 10 September 2018

Assignment 1

Study the chapter titled “Digital communications overview” (from the prescribed textbook) to answer
assignment 1.

To be completed on mark reading sheet

1 A CODEC (coder/decoder) converts

1) A continuous analog signal into binary voltage pulses
2) Voltage pulses into a continuous analog signal
3) Binary pulses into hexadecimal codes
4) Both 1) and 2)
5) Both 2) and 3)

2 A transceiver CODEC (coder/decoder) consists of

1) Analog to digital converter only
2) Digital to analog converter only
3) Analog to digital converter in the transmitter, and analog to digital converter in the receiver
4) Analog to digital converter in the receiver, and analog to digital converter in the transmitter
5) None of the above

3 An anti-aliasing filter is included to sampling in order to

1) Boost signal-to-noise ratio
2) Accommodate several simultaneous transmission
3) Add redundancy
4) Reduce distortion that can occur as a result of the sampling process
5) Correct errors made during symbol detection

7
4 Digitisation of analog signals usually increases the signal’s transmission bandwidth but it
permits reception at a lower signal-to-noise ratio than would otherwise be the case.
1) True 2) False

5 A rule or procedure that defines how data is to be transmitted is called a(n)

1) Data processing
2) Handover
3) Error-detection scheme
4) Data specification
5) Protocol

6 Efficient use of bandwidth and transmission time ensures that

1) Cost is maximised
2) Resources are exhausted
3) Equipment cost, complexity and power consumption are minimised
4) As many subscribers as possible are accommodated with limited resources
5) Profit is maximised

7 The bandwidth allocated for speech telephony is

1) 4 kHz
2) 15 kHz
3) 4 MHz
4) 6 MHz
5) 15 MHz

8 Source coding
1) Adds redundancy
2) Removes redundancy
3) Cannot be employed with error control coding in the same system
4) Converts an analog signal to a digital signal
5) None of the above

9 The degree to which a signal is attenuated by a transmission line depends on

1) The material from which the line is made
2) The physical construction of the line
3) The signal’s frequency
4) All of the above
5) None of the above
[TURN OVER]

8
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

Refer to Figure 1 to answer questions 10, 11, and 12.

Noise Noise Noise

Distortion Distortion Distortion

Digital repeater Digital repeater

Figure 1: Digital communication (multi-hop) channel

10 The digital repeaters in Figure 1 are used to

1) Remove signal distortion
2) Remove image frequencies
3) From noise from the link
4) Minimise signal attenuation
5) Minimise interference

11 The circuits that are designed to minimise distortion are known as

1) Amplifiers
2) Matched filters
3) Attenuators
4) Equalisers
5) Repeaters

12 Noise is minimised by using appropriate

1) Tuned circuits
2) Matched filters
3) Up converters
4) Attenuator circuits
5) Tunable image rejection filter

13 The following is not an example of line transmission

1) Wire pairs
2) Coaxial cables
3) Optical fibres
4) Infrared
5) None of the above
[TURN OVER]
9
14 The ISO model used throughout data communications networks as the standard hierarchical
structure for organising data traffic has
1) 4 layers
2) 6 layers
3) 7 layers
4) 8 layers
5) 10 layers

15 Multiplexing is the process of

1) Several signal sources transmitting simultaneously to a receiver on a common
frequency
2) Sending the same signal over multiple channels to multiple destinations
3) Transmitting multiple signals over multiple channels
4) Sending multiple signals simultaneously over a single channel
5) None of the above

fc
16 The mixer in an AM receiver translates the carrier frequency to a fixed IF of 455 kHz by
fLO
using a local oscillator frequency . The broadcast-band frequencies range from 540 to
fLO fc
1600 kHz. When is higher than (superheterodyne receiver), the range of tuning that
must be provided by the local oscillator is
1) 995 to 2055 kHz
2) 0 to 1060 kHz
3) 0 to 1140 kHz
4) 1140 to 2055 kHz
5) 0 to 455 kHz

fLO f
17 When is lower than c , in question 16, the range of tuning that must be provided by the
local oscillator is
1) 1140 to 2055 kHz
2) 0 to 2055 MHz
3) 0 to 455 MHz
4) 85 to 1145 kHz
5) 995 to 2055 kHz

[TURN OVER]

10
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

18 In TDM, multiple signal sources

1) Share a common bandwidth
2) Modulate subcarriers
3) Are sampled at high speeds
4) Take turns transmitting
5) Transmit at different times

19 In a radio receiver, the local oscillator is always tuned to a frequency higher than the
incoming frequency to
1) Facilitate tracking
2) Allow permit adequate frequency coverage without switching
3) Facilitate image frequency rejection
4) All of the above
5) None of the above

20 Specifications and guidelines that companies and individuals follow to ensure compatibility
between transmitting and receiving equipment in communication systems is known as
1) Regulations
2) National interests
3) Rules
4) Standards
5) Propositions
TOTAL = [20]

11
 Assignment 2

QUESTION 1: SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1.1 Describe the following types of signals:

1.1.1 Deterministic signals.
1.1.2 Random signals.
1.1.3 Periodic signals.
1.1.4 Analog signals.
1.1.5 Discrete signals.
1.1.6 Transient signals.
1.1.7 Orthogonal signals.

1.2 Give the autocorrelation properties of a real-valued energy signal. Provide both the mathematical
and a brief description of each one of them. (8)

1.3 What two requirements must be fulfilled in order to ensure distortionless transmission through a
linear system? (2)

1.4 Consider the signal represented by v  t  = 7 - 10cos  40πt - 60° + 4sin 120πt  .

1.4.1 Apply trigonometry to convert all the terms to cosine. (2)

1.4.2 Construct the one-sided spectrum, for both amplitude and phase. (4)
1.4.3 Construct the two-sided spectrum, for both amplitude and phase. (4)
1.4.4 Determine the average power using Parseval’s power theorem. (3)
[30]

QUESTION 2: THE FOURIER TRANSFORM

2.1 Sketch the amplitude spectrum of a rectangular pulse train for each of the following cases:
T0
21.1 τ= . (3)
5
T0
2.1.2 τ= . (3)
2
2.1.3 τ = T0 . (3)

In the last case the pulse train degenerates into a constant for all time. How does this show up in
the spectrum?

[TURN OVER]
12
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

2.2 Apply the properties of Fourier Transform to determine the transforms of the following signals:
x t = e
jw0 t
2.2.1 (2)

2.2.2 x  t  = cosw0t (2)

2.3 Consider the signal, x  t  = sinω0 t

2.3.1 Find the complex Fourier series of x(t) using Euler’s formula. (2)
2.3.2 By inspection, identify the Fourier coefficients. (2)
2.3.3 Plot its frequency spectra. (3)
[20]

QUESTION 3: PROBABILITY THEORY

3.1 A certain honest wheel of chance is divided into three equal segments coloured green (G), red
(R), and yellow (Y), respectively. You spin the wheel twice and take the outcome to be the
resulting colour sequence – GR, RG, and so forth. Let A = “neither colour is yellow” and let B =
“matching colours”.
3.1.1 Sketch a table to show the combination of colours with their corresponding events. For
example:
Colour combination Event
G R A
(3)
3.1.2 Sketch a Venn diagram. (3)
3.1.3 Calculate the following probabilities:
(i) P(A), (ii) P2), (iii) P(AB), (iv) P(A+B) (4)

3.2 A sensor network consists of a large number of microprocessors spread out over an area, in
communication with each other and with a base station. In a certain network, the probability that
a message will fail to reach the base station is 0.005. Assume that during a particular day, 1000
messages are sent.
3.2.1 What is the probability that exactly 3 of the messages reach the base station? (3)
3.2.2 What is the probability that fewer than 994 of the messages will fail to reach the base
station? (3)
3.2.3 What is the mean of the number of messages that fail to reach the base station? (2)
3.2.4 What is the standard deviation of the number of messages that fail to reach the base
station? (2)
[20]
[TURN OVER]
13
QUESTION 4: INFORMATION AND CHANNEL CAPACITY

4.1 Consider a voice-grade telephone circuit with a bandwidth of 3 kHz. Assume that the circuit can
be modelled as an AWGN channel. Calculate:
4.1.1 The capacity of such a circuit if the SNR is 30 dB. (3)
4.1.2 The minimum SNR required for a data rate of 4800 bits per second on such a voice-grade
circuit. (3)

4.2 Repeat part 3.1.2 for a data rate of 19 200 bits/s. (3)

4.3 Consider transmission over a telephone line with a bandwidth B = 3 kHz. This is an analogue
channel which can be considered as perturbed by AWGN, and for which the power signal-to-
noise ratio is at least 30 dB.
4.3.1 What is the capacity of this channel, in the above conditions? (3)
4.3.2 What is the required signal-to-noise ratio to transmit an M-ary signal able to carry 19 200
bps? (3)
[15]

QUESTION 5: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

5.1 A binary channel with a bit rate Rb = 36 000 bits per second bps is available for PCM voice

transmission. Assuming fM = 3.2 kHz , determine

5.1.1 The values of the sampling rate  fs  . (2)

5.1.2 The binary digits (n).

5.1.3 The quantisation level (L).

5.2 In a binary PCM system, the output signal-to-quantising-noise ratio is to be held to a minimum of
40 dB. Determine
5.2.1 The number of required levels (L). (4)

 S
5.2.2 The corresponding signal-to-quantising-noise ratio   . (2)
 N
 
q

[TURN OVER]

14
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

5.3 A compact disc recording (CD) system samples each of two stereo signals at 16-bit analog-to-
digital converter (ADC) at 44.1 kbps.
5.3.1 Determine the output signal-to-quantising-noise ratio for a full-scale sinusoid. (2)
5.3.2 The bit stream of digitised data is augmented by the addition of error-correcting bits, clock
extraction bits, and display and control bit fields. These additional bits represent 100 percent
overhead. Determine the output bit rate of the CD recording system. (3)
5.3.3 The CD can record an hour’s worth of music. Determine the number of bits recorded on a
CD. (2)

5.4 Consider an audio signal with spectral components limited to the frequency band of 300 to 3300
Hz. A PCM signal is generated with a sampling rate of 800 samples/s. The required output
signal-to-quantising-noise ratio is 30 dB.
5.4.1 What is the minimum number of uniform quantizing levels needed? (3)
5.4.2 What is the minimum number of bits per sample needed? (2)
5.4.3 Calculate the minimum system bandwidth required. (3)
[25]
TOTAL = 100

15
 Assignment 3

QUESTION 1: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

1.1 Prior to transmission or storage, why are signals subjected to source coding
operations? (2)

1.2 A 16-bit linear analog-to-digital converter operates over an input range ±5.0 V.
Determine
1.2.1 The size of a quantile. (2)
1.2.2 The rms quantising noise voltage.
1.2.3 The average SNR (due to quantising) for a full-scale sinusoidal input signal. (3)

1.3 For a signal of frequency fs = 3.8 kHz.

1.3.1 State the Nyquist sampling theorem.
1.3.2 Use Nyquist sampling criterion to determine the spacing between the sampled spectral
components. (2)

1.4 Sketch a schematic spectrum of undersampled signal and explain factors that cause this to
happen. (5)
[15]

QUESTION 2: BASEBAND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

2.1 Consider the binary sequence 0100101. Sketch the waveforms of the following signalling
formats.
2.1.1 Unipolar NRZ signalling format. (2)
2.1.2 Bipolar RZ signalling format. (2)
2.1.3 AMI (alternate mark inversion) RZ signalling format. (2)

2.2 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the signalling formats in part 2.1. (6)

2.3 A certain telephone bandwidth is 3.5 kHz. Calculate the data rate (in bits per second) that can be
transmitted if we use binary signalling with the raised cosine pulses and a roll-off factor
of α = 0.25 . (3)

[TURN OVER]
16
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

2.4 A signal m1  t  is band-limited to 3.6 kHz, and three other signals - m2  t  , m3  t  , and m4  t  - are

band-limited to 1.2 kHz each. These signals are to be transmitted by means of time-division
multiplexing.
2.4.1 Set up a scheme for accomplishing this multiplexing requirement, with each signal
sampled at its Nyquist rate. (6)
2.4.2 What must be the speed of the commutator (in samples per second)? (3)
2.4.3 If the commutator output is quantised with L = 1024 and the result is binary-coded, what is
the output bit rate? (3)
2.4.4 Determine the minimum transmission bandwidth of the channel. (3)

2.5 Discuss two processes involved in the detection of each received voltage. (5)
[35]

QUESTION 3: NOISE PERFROMANCE OF DIGITAL MODULATION SYSTEMS

3.1 Define on-off keying (OOK), frequency shift keying (FSK), and phase shift keying (PSK) as used
in binary signalling. Compare their respective advantages and disadvantages. (6)

3.2 A rectangular pulse OOK signal has an average carrier power, at the input to an ideal correlation
receiver, of 8.0nW. The (one sided) noise power spectral density, measured at the same point is
2.0 X 10 W/Hz. Calculate maximum bit rate can this system support whilst maintaining a
Pe of 10-6 ? (4)

3.3 What is meant by orthogonal and antipodal signalling? (2)

3.4 Can the error performance of an FSK system ever be better than that given by the orthogonal
case and, if so, how is the performance improved, and at what cost? (3)

3.5 OOK modulator is detected by an ideal matched filter receiver. The non-zero symbol at the
matched filter input is a rectangular pulse with an amplifier 100 mV and a duration of 10 ms. The
noise at this point is known to be white and Gaussian, and has an RMS value of 140 mV when
measured in a noise bandwidth of 10 kHz. Calculate
3.5.1 Energy per non-zero symbol. (2)
3.5.2 Average energy per symbol. (2)
3.5.3 Noise power spectral density. (2)
3.5.4 Probability of symbol error (Pe). (4)
[25]
[TURN OVER]
17
QUESTION 4: SYSTEM NOISE AND COMMUNICATIONS LINK BUDGETS

4.1 A binary channel with a bit rate Rb = 36 000 bits per second bps is available for PCM voice

transmission. Assuming fM = 3.2 kHz , determine

4.1.1 The values of the sampling rate  fs  .

4.1.2 The binary digits (n). (2)

4.1.3 The quantisation levels (L). (2)

4.2 In a binary PCM system, the output signal-to-quantising-noise ratio is to be held to a minimum of
40 dB. Determine
4.2.1 The number of required levels (L). (5)

 S
4.2.2 The corresponding signal-to-quantising-noise ratio   . (3)

 Nq 

4.3 An amplifier has an input and output resistance of 50 Ω, a 60-dB gain, and a bandwidth of 10
kHz. When a 50 Ω resistor at 270 K is connected to the input, the output rms noise is 100 µV.
Determine the effective noise temperature of the amplifier. (4)

4.4 A receiver preamplifier has a noise figure of 13 dB, a gain of 60 dB, and a bandwidth of 2 MHz.
the antenna temperature is 490 K, and the input signal power is 10-12 W . Calculate:
4.3.1 The effective temperature, in kelvin, of the preamplifier. (3)
4.3.2 The system temperature in kelvin. (3)
4.3.3 The output SNR in decibels. (2)
[25]
TOTAL = 100

18
 ECM4701/101/0/2018

8.7 Other assessment methods

None

8.8 The examination

Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general examination guidelines and examination
preparation guidelines.

9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The my Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study
information.

10 SOURCES CONSULTED
None

11 IN CLOSING
Please ensure that you have all the tutorial letters and the prescribed book available before
starting with your studies.

12 ADDENDUM
None

19