Communications

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The techniques used to design and analyse the performance of a communications system.
• Analogue and digital modulation
• Source coding for compression.
• Channel propagation and path-loss models.
• The principles of communications and related theories.
• Channel coding for error correction.
• Antenna type, antenna array and modern antenna concepts.

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Create a digital representation of an analogue signal, which is suitable for use in communications systems
• Compress the digital representation of an analogue signal and protect it from transmission errors.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Use the communications point of view to analyse generic problems.
• Use mathematical software for design and simulation.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Apply time and frequency domain techniques for the analysis of linear systems of any order.
• Analyse and design simple communications systems.
• Understand the relevance of the frequency-domain analysis in communications system.

Electromagnetic Waves

• Wave polarisation and its use in communications (generation, modulation and detection)
• Waves at an interface (reflection, transmission, bending and wavefront shaping)

Analogue modulation

• Parseval’s theorem, Euler’s formula
• Application of Fourier Transform in modulation and demodulation
• AM, DSB, SSB, FM: defining equations, simple waveforms, modulation index, bandwidth, power
• Carrier recovery and Power Spectral Density
• Noise and distortion

Digital Modulation

• Constellation diagram
• ASK, PSK, QAM, DPSK, Offset-QPSK
• Demodulation and detection
• Symbol and bit error probabilities
• Comparison of analogue and digital modulation
• Introduction to software defined radio and cognitive radio

Wireless communications channel, transmission and detection

• Baseband model, pulse shaping, eye diagram
• Channel fading and statistical model
• Channel propagation and path-loss models
• Telecommunications and radar equations
• Antenna type, antenna array and modern antenna concepts

Source and channel coding

• Source entropy and channel capacity
• Source coding: fixed-length codes, variable-length codes, Huffman codes and arithmetic codes.
• channel coding: Hamming codes, convolutional codes and introduction of modern channel codes.

The content of this module is delivered through lectures, module website, directed reading and tutorials.

Students work on their understanding through a combination of independent study, preparation for timetabled activities, tutorials and coursework along with formative assessments in the form of problem sheets.

Students work on their practical skills and technical understanding in technical laboratories.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.