COMMUNICATION SYSTEM STRUCTURE: An understanding of the general structure of a communication system and ability to identify its blocks. An ability to describe the main functions of all blocks and their interconnections. An understanding of signal representation in time, phasor and frequency domain from application point of view in communications systems. Demonstrate an understanding of terms modulation, demodulation, encryption and decryption.

ANALOG AMPLITUDE MODULATION METHODS: An understanding of the main issues related to theoretical analysis of amplitude modulation (AM) methods. An ability to analyze AM signals behaviors in time, phasor and frequency domain.

TYPES OF ANALOG MODULATION SYSTEMS: An ability to distinguish various types of AM techniques and systems and understand the reasons for their design from the application point of view in communication systems. An understanding of DSB-LC, DSB-SC, VSB, and SSB technique and ability to present related signals in mathematical forms. In depth understanding of the time, frequency and phasor domain representation of the signals obtained by these techniques is expected.

DESIGN OF AM MODULATORS AND DEMODULATORS: Un ability to design AM modulators and demodulators having in mind the time and frequency domain requirements of the related signals. Un understanding of operations of the key electrical devices required to build modulators and demodulators. Un ability to represent the signal processing procedures in various electronic devices in mathematical forms and an ability to design and develop modulators and demodulators according to the defined requirements.

ANGLE MODULATION, FREQUENCY MODULATED (FM) AND PHASE MODULATED (PM) SIGNALS: An understanding of the main issues related to theoretical analysis of angle modulation methods distinguishing the frequency modulation from the phase modulation. An ability to understand the similarity of the FM and PM signals. An ability to analyze FM signals behaviors in time, phasor and frequency domain. An ability to design FM communication systems that fulfill the frequency domain requirements.

AM SYSTEM OPERATION IN NOISE ENVIRONMENT: To acquire an understanding of communication channel characterization using the concept of waveform channel and develop the skills of designing channels that have controllable level of noise. To be able to evaluate theoretical performances of basic AM communication systems in the presence of noise and relate them to the characteristics of practical systems. An ability to demonstrate operation of a DSB-SC-AM system in the presence of AWGN.

SUPERHETERODYNE RECEIVER: An understanding of operation of superheterodyne receiver in the case of multi-user broadcast communication system development. An ability to structure a superheterodyne receiver and specify communication functions of each block. An ability to process mathematically all signals in the receiver building blocks both in time and frequency domain.

GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL SIGNALS: An understanding of the importance of analog-to-digital conversion for application in communication systems. Understand the essence of sampling theorem and be able to apply it to signal processing in communication systems. Acquire meaning of terms sampling rate, sampling frequency and aliasing distortion.

PULSE AMPLITUDE MODULATION (PAM) AND TIME DIVISION MULTIPLEXING (TDM): Understand the theoretical aspects of the PAM and be able to apply to processing of message signals. Be able to represent a PAM signal in time and frequency domain and understand the problem of distortion. Be able to design a TDM multi-user system based on the understanding of the PAM modulation.

PULSE CODE MODULATION (PCM) SYSTEMS: Develop ability to present a block schematic of a PCM system and explain operation of each block. Understand terms sampler, quantizer (uniform and non-uniform) and binary encoder and be able to explain their operations. A practical understanding of the importance of PCM modulation in design of a multi-user TDM system like T1 or E1 system.

BASEBAND DIGITAL SIGNAL TRANSMISSION AND THE MATCHED FILTER RECEIVER: Understand the procedure of generating baseband signals and be able to represent them in time and frequency domain. Be able to design a matched filter receiver based on the theory of linear time invariant systems. Understand the importance of the filter impulse response and be able to define this response for the matched filter receiver. Based on understanding of theoretical matched filter operation be able to design a receiver with an integrate and dump circuit incorporated.

MATCHED FILTER OPERATION IN THE PRESENCE OF AWG NOISE: An understanding of the matched filter receiver operation in the presence of the noise in the communication channel. Be able to make a block schematic of the receiver and explain the operation of all blocks. Be able to perform statistical analysis of the random samples at the output of the matched filter and determine the probability of error as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio in the channel. Be able to explain the phenomenon of inter-symbol interference and procedures of evaluating its effects based on eye pattern measurements.

INTERSYMBOL INTERFERENCE AND DISTORTIONLESS TRANSMISSION: Be able to explain the phenomenon of inter-symbol interference and procedures of evaluating its effects based on eye pattern measurements. Understand Nyquist’s Criterion for distortionless transmission and be able to apply this criterion for digital signal transmission in real communication systems.