Radio Systems
Semester 1, 2019
Staff
Teaching schedule
All students attend the same lectures for ELECTENG721 and ELECTENG737. Please note that two, two-hour lecture slots have been timetabled on Wednesdays (10am-12pm) and Fridays (1-3pm), but the Friday lecture will only be 1 hour in duration and held 1–2pm. The lecture slots are shown in the Canvas calendar. Please note that this schedule should be regarded as indicative only and may be subject to change. Locations for these lectures can be found on SSO, but may be subject to change during the first two weeks of the semester as class sizes settle. All lectures will be recorded in 2019, and these recordings can be accessed via Canvas. Please note that the lecture recordings only record projected material (either from a lectern-connected computer or the document camera) and do not include anything written on the whiteboard(s). The lecture recordings should not therefore be viewed as a substitute for attending the lectures in person.
Calendar notes
Transmission lines and waveguides, impedance matching, devices. Radio propagation, antennas and arrays. Radio system design – mobile, point-to-point, area coverage.
Prerequisite: ELECTENG 307Restriction: ELECTENG 421, 737
The courses ELECTENG721 and ELECTENG737 deal with aspects of the design of radio systems. They follow on from the Part III course ELECTENG307 Transmission Lines and Systems, and are prerequisites for the follow-on Part IV course ELECTENG701 Wireless Communication. ELECTENG721 is intended for undergraduate students enrolled in the BE(Hons) Part IV, whereas ELECTENG737 is intended for postgraduate students enrolled in the PGCertEng/MEngSt/ME.
Intended learning outcomes |
Related graduate attributes |
Related assessments |
|---|---|---|
PROPAGATION: An ability to perform calculations involving radio links in free space, over a plane-earth, through the troposphere, in the presence of terrain obstacles, diffraction over a knife-edge, multiple diffraction geometries, and for clearance paths involving Fresnel zones. An understanding of the causes of and methods for characterising fading in mobile radio systems. An ability to calculate link budgets and undertake design of point-to-point and area coverage systems. An ability to perform calculations involving thermal noise, minimum discernible signal, and noise figure. |
ENGA01: engineering knowledge (5) ENGA02: problem analysis (3) ENGA05: modern tool usage (3) ENGA07: environment and sustainability (1) ENGK01: theory of natural sciences (5) ENGK02: mathematical modelling (1) ENGK08: research literature (3) |
Exam mark Test 1 |
COMPUTATIONAL ELECTROMAGNETICS AND ANTENNAS: An understanding of the fundamental principles of time domain analysis for computational electromagnetics, with an ability to perform calculations with the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. An ability to describe the key characteristics and behaviour of a range of antennas including infinitesimal, short and half-wave dipoles, arrays, aperture antennas, horn antennas and parabolic dish antennas. |
ENGA01: engineering knowledge (5) ENGA02: problem analysis (3) ENGA05: modern tool usage (3) ENGA07: environment and sustainability (1) ENGK01: theory of natural sciences (5) ENGK02: mathematical modelling (1) ENGK08: research literature (3) |
Exam mark Test 2 |
TRANSMISSION LINES, MATCHING, FILTERS AND STANDARDS: An ability to design single stub tuners, double stub tuners, alternated line transformers, and quarter-wave matching sections. An understanding of how to design filters at microwave frequencies. An understanding of how the radio spectrum is utilized/allocated, especially from a New Zealand perspective. An understanding of the key features of the New Zealand radio Frequency exposure standards (in accordance with NZS2772:Part 1: 1999 New Zealand Standard Radio-frequency Fields Part 1 — Maximum Exposure Levels — 3kHz to 300 GHz). |
ENGA01: engineering knowledge (5) ENGA02: problem analysis (3) ENGA05: modern tool usage (3) ENGA06: engineering and society (1) ENGA07: environment and sustainability (1) ENGK01: theory of natural sciences (5) ENGK02: mathematical modelling (1) ENGK04: specialist knowledge (5) ENGK08: research literature (3) |
Exam mark Experiment E721/737L3 |
WAVEGUIDES AND DEVICES: An understanding of the key characteristics that underpin the behaviour of coaxial cables, rectangular waveguides, and radio/microwave hardware. An understanding of the behaviour of non-linear systems in regard to large signal behaviour, frequency doubler/triplers, mixers, superheterodyne receivers, intermodulation distortion, and dynamic range. |
ENGA01: engineering knowledge (5) ENGA02: problem analysis (3) ENGA05: modern tool usage (3) ENGA06: engineering and society (1) ENGK01: theory of natural sciences (5) ENGK02: mathematical modelling (1) ENGK04: specialist knowledge (5) ENGK08: research literature (3) |
Exam mark Test 2 |
Coursework
The basis for the overall assessment is 70% Final Examination, 30% On-course assessment. Students will also be expected to undertake three laboratories as part of the ELECTENG721 and ELECTENG737 courses. The first laboratory experiment (E721/737L1) will consider the underpinning theory behind the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method, which is a popular technique used in the modelling of electromagnetic devices. The second laboratory experiment (E721/737L2) will consider the design of a microwave filter, using the commercial electromagnetic modelling package CST Microwave Studio. The third experiment (E721/737L3) is to be undertaken by each student individually and without assistance or supervision, and concerns the design of a double-stub matching network. Further details can be found in the instruction sheet for Experiment E721/737L3. In any event all laboratories must be completed by 5pm on Friday 7 June 2019. In this course, students will also undertake a Self-Study Module, assessed via a dedicated question in the final examination.
Exam rules
The final examination is three hours in duration, restricted calculators and closed book.
Inclusive learning
Students are urged to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face-to-face and/or in written form with the course convenor/lecturer and/or tutor.
Other assessment rules
The on-course assessment in 2019 comprises two 50 minute tests and one compulsory laboratory experiment: Test 1 (10%, tentatively scheduled for 6:00pm, Thursday 4 April 2019, Restricted Calculator); Test 2 (10%, tentatively scheduled for 6:00pm, Tuesday 21 May 2019, Restricted Calculator); and Experiment E721/737L3 (10%, must be completed by 5pm on Friday 7 June 2019). Please note that a passing grade may be withheld if all course requirements are not met. To gain a pass in this paper you are required to obtain a passing mark from the combination of the final examination and the on-course assessment specified above, and successfully complete the three laboratory experiments.
Academic integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
All students enrolled at the University of Auckland are required to complete a compulsory Academic Integrity course, usually in their first semester/year of enrolment. The University of Auckland’s full guidelines on procedures and penalties for academic dishonesty are available here.
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