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CIT754

Digital Communication

  • Sciences
  • 700 level
  • 3 credit units
  • 221 pages
  • 17 units

This course on digital communication presents the fundamental principles underlying the analysis and design of digital communication systems. It covers the transmission of information in digital form, emphasizing the characteristics of physical channels. Topics include digital modulation schemes, linear block codes, spread spectrum signals, and multi-user communication. Students will learn to design signals for band-limited channels and understand optimum receivers for channels with intersymbol interference.

About this course

Difficulty
Intermediate
Study hours
200 hours
Maths
Intermediate
Content
Theoretical, problem solving
Practical work
No
Before you start
  • Basic Calculus
  • Elementary Linear Systems Theory
  • Probability
  • Stochastic Processes
How it is assessed
  • Assignments
  • Tutor Marked Assignments
  • Final Examination

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

CIT754 · Unit 1: Power Spectrum of Digitally Modulated Signals

In this unit, the information about the power spectral density helps us determine the required transmission bandwidth of these modulation schemes and their bandwidth efficiency.

What you should be able to do

  1. Design digital communication systems.
  2. Analyze and mitigate the effects of fading channels.
  3. Apply linear block codes for error correction.
  4. Implement adaptive equalization techniques.
  5. Evaluate the capacity of different channel models.
  6. Understand multi-user communication strategies.

What it prepares you for

Careers
  • Telecommunications Engineer
  • Network Engineer
  • Wireless Communication Specialist
  • Signal Processing Engineer
  • Data Communication Analyst
Where it is applied
  • Telecommunications
  • Wireless Communication
  • Satellite Communication
  • Mobile Networks
  • Data Communication

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

  • Module 4: Digital communication through band-limited channels and adaptive equalization

    Unit 1: Adaptive Equalization

    Adaptive equalization techniques require a strong understanding of statistical signal processing and filter design principles.

  • Module 5: Fading Channel 1: Characterization and signaling

    Unit 1: Characterization of fading multipath channels

    Characterization of fading multipath channels involves complex statistical analysis and modeling of wireless propagation environments.

  • Module 6: Fading Channel II: Capacity and Coding

    Unit 1: Capacity of fading channels

    Capacity calculations for fading channels require advanced knowledge of information theory and stochastic processes.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 104 hours in total. Yours will differ.

  1. Week 1Module 1: Digital modulation schemes
    • Unit 1: Power Spectrum of Digitally Modulated Signals · 8 hours

      Study power spectral density of digitally modulated signals.. Analyze bandpass and lowpass signal representations.. Compare different digital signaling methods..

  2. Week 2Module 2: Linear block codes and graph based codes
    • Unit 1: Linear Block Codes · 8 hours

      Understand basic definitions of channel codes.. Explore the structure of finite fields.. Learn general properties of linear block codes..

  3. Week 3Module 2: Linear block codes and graph based codes
    • Unit 2: Some Specific Linear Block Codes · 8 hours

      Examine repetition codes and Hamming codes.. Study Reed-Muller codes and Hadamard codes.. Explore Golay codes and their properties..

  4. Week 4Module 2: Linear block codes and graph based codes
    • Unit 3: Trellis and Graph Based Code · 8 hours

      Understand the structure of convolutional codes.. Learn decoding of convolutional codes.. Discuss distance properties of binary convolutional codes..

  5. Week 5Module 3: Spread spectrum signals for digital communications and multi-user communication
    • Unit 1: Spread Spectrum Signals for Digital Communication · 8 hours

      Understand the model of spread spectrum digital communication system.. Study direct sequence spread spectrum signals.. Analyze frequency-hopped spread spectrum signals..

  6. Week 6Module 3: Spread spectrum signals for digital communications and multi-user communication
    • Unit 2: Multiple Antenna Systems · 8 hours

      Explore channel models for multiple antenna systems.. Study the capacity of MIMO channels.. Discuss spread spectrum signals and multicode transmission..

  7. Week 7Module 3: Spread spectrum signals for digital communications and multi-user communication
    • Unit 3: Multi-user Communication · 8 hours

      Learn multiple access techniques.. Understand the capacity of multiple access methods.. Discuss multiuser detection in CDMA systems..

  8. Week 8Module 3: Spread spectrum signals for digital communications and multi-user communication
    • Unit 4: Multi-channel and multi-carrier system · 8 hours

      Study multichannel digital communications in AWGN channels.. Understand multicarrier communications.. Analyze the performance of multicarrier systems..

  9. Week 9Module 4: Digital communication through band-limited channels and adaptive equalization
    • Unit 1: Adaptive Equalization · 8 hours

      Explain adaptive linear equalizers.. Discuss adaptive decision-feedback equalizers.. Understand adaptive equalization of Trellis-Coded Signals..

  10. Week 10Module 4: Digital communication through band-limited channels and adaptive equalization
    • Unit 2: Digital communication through band-limited channels · 8 hours

      Explain the characteristics of band-limited channels.. Understand signal design for band-limited channels.. Analyze optimum receivers for channels with ISI and AWGN..

  11. Week 11Module 4: Digital communication through band-limited channels and adaptive equalization
    • Unit 3: Carrier and symbol synchronization · 8 hours

      Explain signal parameter estimation.. Discuss carrier phase and symbol timing estimation.. Understand the performance characteristics of ML estimators..

  12. Week 12Module 4: Digital communication through band-limited channels and adaptive equalization
    • Unit 4: An introduction to information theory · 8 hours

      Understand mathematical models for information sources.. Explain logarithmic measure of information.. Discuss lossless coding of information sources..

  13. Week 13Final Revision
    • Final Revision · 8 hours

      Review all modules and units.. Work on assignments and TMAs.. Prepare for final examinations..

Preparing for the exam

What to do
  • Review all tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) and their solutions thoroughly.
  • Create concept maps linking digital modulation techniques (Module 1) to channel characteristics (Modules 4 & 5).
  • Practice problems related to linear block codes (Module 2), focusing on error detection and correction.
  • Study spread spectrum techniques (Module 3) and their applications in multi-user communication.
  • Understand the principles of adaptive equalization (Module 4) and its role in mitigating ISI.
  • Focus on key concepts from information theory (Module 4), including entropy and channel capacity.
  • Review the characteristics of fading channels (Module 5) and diversity techniques for mitigating fading effects.
  • Practice problems related to calculating the capacity of different channel models (Module 6).
  • Create a study group to discuss challenging concepts and solve problems collaboratively.
  • Allocate specific time slots for focused study sessions, avoiding distractions.
  • Prioritize topics based on their weightage in the final examination.

Questions students ask about this course

What is CIT754 about?

This course on digital communication presents the fundamental principles underlying the analysis and design of digital communication systems. It covers the transmission of information in digital form, emphasizing the characteristics of physical channels. Topics include digital modulation schemes, linear block codes, spread spectrum signals, and multi-user communication. Students will learn to design signals for band-limited channels and understand optimum receivers for channels with intersymbol interference.

How many units does CIT754 have?

CIT754, Digital Communication, has 17 units across 5 modules, over 221 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

How many credit units is CIT754?

CIT754 carries 3 credit units, at 700 level in Sciences.

Is CIT754 hard?

CIT754 is rated intermediate level, with intermediate mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical and problem solving work.

How long does CIT754 take to study?

About 200 hours of study, spread across its 17 units.

How is CIT754 assessed?

CIT754 is assessed by Assignments, Tutor Marked Assignments and Final Examination.

What do I need before starting CIT754?

Basic Calculus Elementary Linear Systems Theory Probability Stochastic Processes

What can I do with CIT754?

Telecommunications Engineer, Network Engineer, Wireless Communication Specialist, Signal Processing Engineer and Data Communication Analyst.

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