COMMUNICATION

SYSTEMS
Course Code: BEG 3B6 BM

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
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 BRIEF OVERVIEW

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
To introduce the student to analog, digital and data communications systems.

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TEXT AND REFERENCE BOOKS

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Grading

 Internal Exam-1
 Internal Exam-2
 Assignment
 Attendance
 Surprise Test Or Presentation

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 Unit 1
 Analog and digital communication sources,
transmitters, transmission channels and
receivers
 Fundamental limitations due to noise,
distortion, and interference and the
relationships between noise, bandwidth and
information
 Frequency domain concepts
 Relationship between data rate and bandwidth
 Types and reasons for modulation.
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Basic Communication Diagram

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Detailed Block Diagram of
Communication System

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Digital Communication System

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Information Source

 A communication system serves to

communicate a message or information. This
information originates in the information
source.
 The function of information source is to
produce required message which has to be
transmitted.

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Input Transducer
 A transducer is a device which converts one form
of energy into another form.
 The message from the information source may or
may not be electrical in nature.
 In a case when the message produced by the
information source is not electrical in nature, an
input transducer is used to convert it into a time-
varying electrical signal.
 For example Microphone converts the information
or massage which is in the form of sound waves
into corresponding electrical signal.

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Transmitter
 The function of transmitter is to process the
electrical signal
 For example in radio broadcasting the electrical
signal obtained from sound signal, is processed
to restrict its range of audio frequencies (upto 5
kHz in amplitude modulation radio broadcast )
and is often amplified
 Modulation is the main function of the
transmitter. In modulation, the message signal is
superimposed upon the high-frequency carrier
signal.

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Channel and The Noise

 The term channel means the medium through

which the message travels from the
transmitter to the receiver. In other words, we
can say that the function of the channel is to
provide a physical connection between the
transmitter and the receiver.
 Noise in communication describes any
impediment to the transmission of
messages between sender and receiver.

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Receiver

 The main function of the receiver is to

reproduce the message signal in electrical
form from the distorted received signal. This
reproduction of the original signal is
accomplished by a process known as the
demodulation or detection.
 Demodulation is the reverse process of
modulation carried out in transmitter.

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Source Encoder

Source Encoder plays a crucial role in the

process of converting the original data into a
format that can be efficiently transmitted over
a communication channel. Its primary
functions include:
 Data Compression
 Redundancy Removal
 Representation Optimization
 Format Standardization
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Channel Encoder

It ensures the reliable transmission of data

over a noisy communication channel. Its
primary functions include:
 Error Detection and Correction
 Forward Error Correction
 Bit Interleaving
 Rate of redundancy adjustment

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Destination

 Destination is the final stage which is used to

convert an electrical message signal into its
original form.
 For example in radio broadcasting, the
destination is a loudspeaker which works as
a transducer i.e. converts the electrical signal
in the form of original sound signal.

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Fundamental Limitation due to Noise,
distortion
 Noise is an unavoidable factor in communication systems that can
introduce errors and degrade the quality of transmitted signals.
 Some of the fundamental limitations includes
 Signal to Noise Ratio
 Channel Capacity
 Bit Error Rate
 Error Correction and Detection
 Modulation and Bandwidth
 Interference and Crosstalk
 Receiver Sensitivity
 Trade off between Data Rate and Reliability
 Propagation and Attenuation

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Fundamental Limitation….

 Signal to Noise Ratio:

 As noise increases, the SNR decreases, making it
harder to distinguish the signal from the noise. A lower
SNR can lead to errors in signal detection and decoding.
 Channel Capacity
 The Shannon-Hartley theorem establishes a theoretical

upper limit on the data transmission rate (channel

capacity) over a noisy channel. No matter how
sophisticated the modulation and coding schemes are,
the channel capacity sets a fundamental limit on how
much information can be reliably transmitted over a noisy
channel.

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Fundamental Limitation….

 Bit Error Rate:

 Noise contributes to the Bit Error Rate (BER), which

measures the probability of incorrectly receiving a bit. As

noise increases, the BER worsens, affecting the accuracy
of transmitted data.
 Error Correction and Detection
 Noise can cause errors in transmitted data. To mitigate
these errors, error correction and detection codes are used.
However, these codes have limits in their ability to correct
errors. As noise increases beyond a certain point, the error
correction codes may become overwhelmed, leading to
uncorrectable errors

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Fundamental Limitation….

 Modulation and Bandwidth:

 Noise limits the ability to accurately represent signals using
modulation schemes. As noise increases, the symbols
representing the signal can become distorted, making it harder
for the receiver to correctly demodulate and recover the
original signal. Additionally, noise can limit the effective
bandwidth of a channel, affecting the overall data rate.
 Interference and Crosstalk
 Noise can be introduced from external sources or from other

signals sharing the same channel. Interference and crosstalk

can degrade the quality of the signal and make it more
challenging to distinguish the desired signal from unwanted
noise.

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Fundamental Limitation….

 Receiver Sensitivity:
 Noise can limit the sensitivity of a receiver to detect weak
signals. A high level of noise can make it difficult for the
receiver to reliably detect and decode signals with low power
levels.
 Tradeoff between data rate and reliability
 Increasing the data transmission rate typically requires more
sophisticated modulation schemes, which can be more
susceptible to noise. There is often a trade-off between
achieving higher data rates and maintaining reliable
communication in the presence of noise.

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Fundamental Limitation….

 Receiver Sensitivity:
 Noise can limit the sensitivity of a receiver to detect weak
signals. A high level of noise can make it difficult for the
receiver to reliably detect and decode signals with low power
levels.
 Tradeoff between data rate and reliability
 Increasing the data transmission rate typically requires more
sophisticated modulation schemes, which can be more
susceptible to noise. There is often a trade-off between
achieving higher data rates and maintaining reliable
communication in the presence of noise.

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Fundamental Limitation….

 Propagation and Attenuation:

 Noise can be introduced as signals propagate through
various mediums, such as cables, air, or free space.
This can lead to signal attenuation and distortion,
affecting the overall quality of the received signal.

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Relationship between noise, bandwidth and
information
 Information capacity represents the maximum data rate that can
be reliably transmitted over a communication channel. It is
defined by the Shannon-Hartley theorem and is influenced by the
channel's bandwidth (B) and SNR. The formula for information
capacity is:
C = B * log2(1 + SNR)
 Here, C is the information capacity in bits per second, B is the
channel bandwidth in hertz, and SNR is the signal-to-noise ratio.
 The relationship between noise bandwidth and information
capacity highlights an important trade-off. Increasing the noise
bandwidth (i.e., considering a wider frequency range for noise
power measurement) would lead to higher measured noise
power. This, in turn, reduces the SNR and, consequently, the
achievable information capacity.

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Relationship…

 In practice, communication systems engineers need to

carefully design their systems by considering the trade-offs
between noise bandwidth and information capacity. They
must select appropriate modulation schemes, coding
techniques, and filtering strategies to optimize the overall
performance of the system based on the specific
communication requirements and available resources.
 In summary, noise bandwidth and information capacity are
intertwined factors in communication systems. The
relationship between them underscores the need for careful
consideration of noise characteristics and channel properties
to achieve an optimal trade-off between data rate and noise
performance.

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Frequency Domain concepts

 Review Fourier Series and Fourier Transform

that you have learnt in Mathematics

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 Relationship between Data Rate
and Bandwidth
 Nyquist-Shannon Sampling Theorem: The
Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem states
that in order to accurately reproduce a
continuous-time signal from its discrete
samples, the sampling rate must be at least
twice the highest frequency component
present in the signal. This principle is crucial
in understanding the relationship between
data rate and bandwidth.

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 Relationship between Data Rate
and Bandwidth
 Bandwidth Limited Channel: A
communication channel has a finite
bandwidth, meaning it can only support a
certain range of frequencies. This bandwidth
limitation imposes a constraint on how quickly
the channel can change its state or transmit
information

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 Relationship between Data Rate
and Bandwidth
 Modulation and Bandwidth Efficiency: In
communication systems, data is often transmitted by
modulating a carrier signal with the information-bearing
signal. Different modulation schemes have varying
bandwidth efficiencies, which determine how much data
can be transmitted within a given bandwidth. For
instance, simpler modulation schemes like amplitude
modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM) may
occupy more bandwidth compared to more complex
modulation schemes like quadrature amplitude
modulation (QAM) or phase-shift keying (PSK).

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 Relationship between Data Rate
and Bandwidth
 Channel Capacity and Data Rate: The
channel capacity, as defined by the Shannon-Hartley
theorem, represents the theoretical upper limit of the
data rate that can be reliably transmitted over a channel.
This capacity is influenced by the channel's bandwidth
and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The formula for
channel capacity is:
 C = B * log2(1 + SNR)
 Here, C is the channel capacity in bits per second, B is
the channel bandwidth in hertz, and SNR is the signal-to-
noise ratio.

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Relationship between Data Rate and
Bandwidth
 Trade off between Data Rate and band-width: The
relationship between data rate and bandwidth is constrained
by the Nyquist-Shannon theorem and the bandwidth efficiency
of the modulation scheme. Increasing the data rate generally
requires a higher bandwidth, as the channel needs to support
faster changes in the transmitted signal. However, the
available bandwidth of the channel limits how fast these
changes can occur.
 Using modulation schemes with higher bandwidth efficiency
allows more data to be transmitted within a given bandwidth.
This is why modern communication systems often use
advanced modulation techniques that can carry multiple bits
of information per symbol, increasing the data rate without
necessarily requiring a wider bandwidth.
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 Relationship between Data and
Bandwidth Summary
 The relationship between data rate and
bandwidth is a balance between the need to
transmit information quickly (higher data rate)
and the channel's ability to handle changes in
the signal (limited bandwidth). Communication
engineers work to optimize this relationship by
selecting appropriate modulation schemes,
coding techniques, and bandwidth allocation to
achieve efficient and reliable data transmission
based on specific communication requirements.

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 Modulation
 The purpose of a communication system is to deliver a message
signal from an information source in recognizable form to a user
destination
 To do this, the transmitter modifies the carrier signal according
to message/modulating signal suitable for transmission over the
channel
 This modification is achieved by means of a process known as
Modulation, which involves varying some parameter (e.g.
amplitude, frequency, or phase) of a high frequency carrier wave
according to the instantaneous value of the message signal
 We may classify the modulation process into Continuous Wave
(CW) Modulation & Pulse Modulation
 In CW Modulation, a sinusoidal wave is used as the carrier
wave
 In Pulse Modulation, on the other hand, a periodic sequence of
rectangular pulses is used as the carrier wave

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 Modulation (-contd.)

 The CW modulation is divided into AM, FM, & PM

 The pulse modulation can be of an analog or digital type
 In analog pulse modulation, the amplitude, duration or position
of the pulse is varied in accordance with instantaneous values
of the message signal
 In such case, we have PAM (pulse amplitude modulation),
PDM (pulse duration modulation), & PPM (pulse position
modulation)
 The standard digital pulse modulation is known as PCM (pulse
coded modulation), which is basically PAM with an important
modification: the amplitude of each modulated pulse (i.e.
sample of the original message signal) is quantized & then
coded into a corresponding sequence of binary symbols ‘0’ & ‘1’
 These binary symbols are suitably shaped for transmission over
the channel

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 Need for Modulation
 In the field of communication, there exist various difficulties, which
make it mandatory to modulate the signal before transmitting to the
receiver from transmitting side. Some of these are given below:
(1) At the audio frequencies (20Hz-20KHz), for efficient radiation
(transmission) & reception the transmitting and receiving antennas
should have lengths comparable to a quarter-wavelength of the
frequency used. This is 5 km at 15 kHz and a vertical antenna of this
size is unthinkable. Therefore, some form of frequency-band shifting
must be used, which is accomplished by the process of modulation.
(2) Most of the message signals have frequency spectrum in lower
frequency range, e.g., all sound signals frequency lies within the
range 20 Hz – 20 kHz, so all signals from different sources would be
inseparably mixed up. Therefore, in order to separate the various
signals, it is necessary to translate them all to different portions of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
(3) The unmodulated carriers of various frequencies can’t by
themselves, be used to transmit intelligence (information) because
they have constant amplitude, constant frequency, & constant phase.

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Comparison between Analog and
Digital Communication System
Attribute Analog Communication Digital Communication

Signal Representation Continuous sine waves Discrete square waves

Technology Records waveforms as they are Samples waveforms into limited numbers

Data Transmission Subjected to noise during transmission Noise-immune without deterioration

Response to Noise More likely to be affected, reducing accuracy Less affected due to analog nature of noise

Flexibility Not flexible in hardware Flexible in implementation

Best Suited For Audio, video transmission Computing, digital electronics

Bandwidth Consumes less bandwidth May require more bandwidth for same information

Memory Stored as wave signal Stored as binary bits

Power Consumption Draws relatively large power Negligible power consumption

Cost Low cost and portable Higher cost and less portable

Impedance Low impedance High impedance (order of 100 megaohms)

Type of Modulation AM, FM, PM ASK, FSK, PSK

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 Attribute Signal Bandwidth Channel Bandwidth
Range of frequencies a communication channel
Definition Range of frequencies a signal occupies can transmit without significant loss or distortion
A signal with frequency components from
100 Hz to 2000 Hz has a bandwidth of 1900 A channel transmitting frequencies from 1 MHz to
Example Hz 5 MHz has a bandwidth of 4 MHz
Indicates the frequency space occupied by Determines the capacity of the channel to carry
Significance the signal information
Pertains to the signal and its frequency Pertains to the transmission medium and the
Scope components technology used
Determined by the physical properties of the
Determination Determined by the nature of the signal medium and technology
Impact on Affects the quality and detail of the Limits the maximum signal bandwidth that can be
Communication transmitted signal transmitted
Determines the potential data rate of the channel
Relation to Data Rate Influences the data rate of the signal according to Shannon's theorem
Can be filtered to remove unwanted
frequencies; modulation adjusts signal Can be segmented into multiple smaller bands to
Filtering and Modulation bandwidth carry multiple signals
Practical Considerations: Must be within the channel bandwidth to Must accommodate the signal bandwidth for
Compatibility avoid signal loss or distortion successful transmission
Practical Considerations: Design signals to maximize data throughput Efficient use involves maximizing data throughput
Efficiency without exceeding channel capacity without exceeding capacity

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Assignment: 1

Microsoft Office
Word Document

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