Examination arrangement

Course content

In order to communicate everywhere and at all times, very flexible and cost-effective communication solutions are needed that can only be offered by radio systems. In the course Radio Communication, students are given a system overview of how radio communication systems are built up, with detailed knowledge of important system trade-offs and in-depth understanding of radio propagation. The course describes which aspects of the channel are important for different types of radio systems, such as mobile radio and broadcasting, and measures to improve communication quality.

In the course you will design, implement and test a radio communication system for ISM bands. The system is implemented on the NI USRP 2901 radio platform and is programmed with LabView.

The course describes the construction of some types of radio systems such as broadcasting, radio LAN, radio line and mobile communication. The main emphasis is on digital radio communication and the lowest layers, physical layers and MAC layers, in the OSI model and in what way the radio channel affects design choices.

Learning outcome

The course gives the candidates introduction to radio technical topics that are important for communication systems based on the use of radio waves.

Knowledge
The candidate has
- In-depth knowledge of radio propagation (small-scale fading, large-scale fading and propagation loss)
- Knowledge of the construction of radio systems for mobile communication, radio LAN, broadcasting and radio line
- Good knowledge of what aspects of the radio channel are important for different types of radio systems (channel correlation and system functions)
- Good knowledge of how fading can be overcome, understanding the behavior and the limitations of methods such as frequency hopping, diversity, interleaving and coding.
- Detailed knowledge of trade-offs in the design of digital radio communication systems. Use of bandwidth, broadcast power, bitrate and bit error probability, as well as complexity.
- Basic knowledge of link budget
- Good knowledge of multiple access like FDMA and TDMA

Skills
The candidate can
- Design, implement and test a radio communication system on a Software Defined Radio programmed in LabView.
- Make design trade-offs for radio systems
- Set up a link budget

General competence:
The candidate can
- write a project report

Learning methods and activities

The main emphasis in the course is on the project, where a radio system is implemented with SDR. The lectures provide information on the design of radio systems. Both ordinary lectures and video lectures are used. Exercises and labs provide the necessary skills for the project.

Compulsory assignments

• Laboratory exercise

Further on evaluation

Portfolio assessment is the basis for the grade in the course. The portfolio includes an oral exam (50%) and project report (50%). The results for the parts are given in %-scores, while the entire portfolio is assigned a letter grade.
For a re-take of an examination, all assessments during the course must be re-taken.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Knowledge equivalent to 3rd grade MTELSYS. Prerequisites in radio technology and digital communication are highly recommended. The subjects TTT4201 Radio System Design and RF / Microwave Measurement Techniques and TTT4130 Digital Communication provide sufficient background.

Course materials

”Wireless Communication Principles and Practice”, second edition, Theodore S. Rappaport

Credit reductions