ECE4513 Digital Communication Systems

Laboratory
Dennis Silage, PhD
silage@temple.edu

BER and Pb of a Binary Baseband

Digital Communication System

The performance of a digital communication system in the presence of additive white

Gaussian noise (AWGN) can be assessed by the measurement of the bit error rate
(BER) and compared to the theoretical probability of bit error Pb. In this Laboratory 5
you are to use the asymmetrical binary digital communication system developed in
Laboratories 3 and 4 to measure the BER compared to Pb with the threshold T for
optimum detection now in a single correlator receiver.

The binary signal source subsystem is shown below from Lab 4. You are to use the
same configuration for the amplitudes A1 and A2 and the bit time Tb as in Laboratories
3 and 4. In this Lab 5 however you are to use the more efficient single correlator
receiver with a fixed threshold Th for the binary data decision which is easier to
implement. Note that the E1 E2 and ρ are the same as previously for the calculation here
of φ2^(t) and the binary data is equally likely with P1 = P2.

Transmitted signals and binary data subsystem in Lab4.slx.

The Laboratory tasks are as follows:

1. You are to configure the single correlator receiver with the receiver reference
source φ2^(t) which must be made using Simulink blocks partially from the
transmitted signal subsystem shown above and with other functions such as
adder (as a subtractor) and gain blocks. This is similar but much easier to
implement than the configuration of φ1(t) and φ2(t) in Lab 4 as φ2^(t) is merely a
scaled version of (s2(t) − s1(t)).
The Simulink model Fig237.slx shown below is a rectangular asymmetrical pulse
amplitude modulated (PAM) binary baseband (NRZ) digital communication
system with an AWGN channel and the optimum correlation receiver. Here we
are using the Error Rate Calculation block so that we can use 10 000 data bits
and automatically determine the BER.

The Simulink model Fig237.slx is the initial template for this Laboratory.
However, there the receiver correlation source φ2^(t) is a simple constant as a
pulse generator for the rectangular signal NRZ pulses in this model and would
not be that in your model.

Note that the Integrate and Dump block has a gain equal to the number of
samples associated with its output. The threshold Th can be computed from NS
Eq. 5.92. However, the Simulink model Fig237.slx determined the noise-free
threshold Th at −625 units by observation with the consideration of the gain of the
Integrate and Dump block as described in the text.

Transmitted binary baseband signals

Single correlator receiver structure

 Fig237.slx

2. You will be using SNR in dB in the standard range ∞, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 0 dB in

the simulation. The SNR is determined here from the energy difference Ed
(equivalent to Eb here) for these asymmetrical baseband signals with γ = 1 (the
channel attenuation).

i Tb

 γ s (t ) − s (t )
2
Ed = 1 0 dt (i −1) Tb  t  iTb MS Eq. 2.27
( i -1) Tb

In this Laboratory use the SNR or Ed/No dB ratio (prompted as Eb/No dB) for the
noise generated by the AWGN channel as described in the MS text. The SNR in
dB is determined by the average normalized power in the baseband signal as
one of the parameters for the AWGN channel model. The average normalized
power should be computed for the equally likely the binary data signals.
 The AWGN channel model is used for both binary and M-ary (multilevel) data
signals and the prompts are described as per symbol and symbol period.
However, srince this model is for binary data the number of bits per symbol is 1
and the symbol period is the bit time Tb in seconds.

3. Run your simulation for your binary baseband data signal for 10 000 bits at
various values of Eb/No dB (prompted as Eb/No dB) for the AWGN channel as in
MS Table 2.9. The simulation time then would be approximately 10 000 Tb.

The Error Rate Calculation block must be adjusted for the delay in processing the
received binary signal compared to the transmitted data. This was observed
visually in Laboratory 4 as you aligned the transmitted and received data bits but
may be different here.

Does your implementation of the binary baseband system in AWGN produces

similar BER tabular results using the theoretical probability of bit error Pb for an
asymmetrical binary signal utilizing the energy difference Ed shown below? The
AWGN channel sets the Ed/No ratio but in dB which must be converted to use in
MS Eq. 2.38. Note that it is not reasonable in digital communications to even
report a BER greater than approximately 0.1 (1 in 10 bits in error).

 Ed 
Pb = Q   MS Eq. 2.38
 2N
 o 

4. Compare the table of your BER results for your binary baseband digital
communication system to MS Table 2.9 for a binary rectangular asymmetrical
PAM NRZ binary data signal. Comment on any apparent differences.

Your report should be submitted using the posted Laboratory Report Format on Canvas.

This Laboratory is for the weeks of September 27th and October 4th and due no later
than October 11th 11:59 PM.

You may be required to demonstrate all Laboratories during the semester so your
Model and Report should be maintained.

Fall 2020