AdvancedTopic 75 of 101Signals, Control & Comms
Communication systems overview
Transmitter, channel and receiver convey information.
In depth
Communication systems transfer information from source to destination: transmitter (source coding, channel coding, modulation), channel (noise, distortion, fading) and receiver (demodulation, decoding). Performance measures: bit error rate, throughput, latency, spectral efficiency, power efficiency.
Key points
- Block diagram
- Analog vs digital
- Layered protocols
ExampleA mobile phone call passes speech coding, modulation, radio channel and decoding.
What is Communication systems overview?
Transmitter, channel and receiver convey information.
Why is it important to understand communication systems overview?
A communication system moves information from a source to a receiver through a noisy channel, and this framework is the basis of every radio and network.
What are the parts of a communication system?
A transmitter that encodes and modulates, a channel that adds noise and distortion, and a receiver that demodulates and decodes.
What limits communication?
Noise, bandwidth and power, which together set how much information can be sent reliably.
How is Communication systems overview used in practice?
Typical applications include designing a link between a remote sensor and a base station, analysing the performance of a satellite downlink and choosing modulation and coding for a wireless connection.
What should I learn before Communication systems overview?
Study "SCADA and DCS" first (topic 74 of 101 in Signals, Control & Comms). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
What are the key points of Communication systems overview?
Block diagram. Analog vs digital. Layered protocols.
Can you give an example of Communication systems overview?
A mobile phone call passes speech coding, modulation, radio channel and decoding.
What comes after Communication systems overview?
The next topic is "Analog modulation", which builds directly on this one.
How difficult is Communication systems overview?
It is classed as Advanced in Signals, Control & Comms (topic 75 of 101). It is an advanced topic. It assumes you are comfortable with the intermediate topics in Signals, Control & Comms.