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EE20017: Communication principles

[Page last updated: 02 August 2022]

Academic Year: 2022/23
Owning Department/School: Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering
Credits: 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 120
Level: Intermediate (FHEQ level 5)
Period:
Semester 2
Assessment Summary: CW 20%, EX 80%
Assessment Detail:
  • CP1 - RJW (CW 10%)
  • CP2 - SRP (CW 10%)
  • Examination (EX 80%)
Supplementary Assessment:
EE20017H - Reassessment - Examination (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module students should be able to explain and analyse the basic methods of generation and detection of modulated signals; calculate the available power of a modulated signal; analyse the operation of first and second order phase locked loops; understand the function of source, channel and line coders in digital transmission systems and the limitations imposed by restricted bandwidth and signal to noise ratio; describe the characteristics and relative performance of the various digital modulation schemes.

Aims: To introduce students to the basic principles of communications and to provide a good understanding of the techniques used in modern electronic communication systems.

Content: Communication systems and channels, media characteristics, amplitude and phase distortion, non-linear distortion. Physical sources and statistical properties of electrical noise. Evaluation of noise: signal-to-noise ratio, noise figure, noise temperature. Analogue modulation systems: methods of generating amplitude modulated signals, qualitative introduction to angle modulation. Phase lock loops. Radio transmitter and receiver architecture. Functional elements of a digital communications system. Source entropy and coding. PCM and quantisation noise. Bandwidth, signalling rate and multi-level signals. Information rate, symbol rate and bandwidth efficiency. Noise and error probability, the Shannon-Hartley theorem, SNR bandwidth trade-off, BER and error control. Spectrum shaping and intersymbolic interference. Digital signal formats, spectral properties, clock encoding and recovery. Digital modulation generation and detection of ASK, FSK, PSK, DPSK and QPSK.

Programme availability:

EE20017 is Compulsory on the following programmes:

Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering
  • UEEE-AFB13 : BEng(Hons) Computer Systems Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKB13 : BEng(Hons) Computer Systems Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFB01 : BEng(Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKB01 : BEng(Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFB12 : BEng(Hons) Electrical Power Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKB12 : BEng(Hons) Electrical Power Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFB14 : BEng(Hons) Electronic Engineering with Space Science & Technology (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKB14 : BEng(Hons) Electronic Engineering with Space Science & Technology with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFB15 : BEng(Hons) Electronic Systems Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKB15 : BEng(Hons) Electronic Systems Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFM13 : MEng(Hons) Computer Systems Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKM13 : MEng(Hons) Computer Systems Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFM01 : MEng(Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKM01 : MEng(Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFM12 : MEng(Hons) Electrical Power Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKM12 : MEng(Hons) Electrical Power Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFM14 : MEng(Hons) Electronic Engineering with Space Science & Technology (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKM14 : MEng(Hons) Electronic Engineering with Space Science & Technology with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFM15 : MEng(Hons) Electronic Systems Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKM15 : MEng(Hons) Electronic Systems Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFM16 : MEng(Hons) Robotics Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKM16 : MEng(Hons) Robotics Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AFB16 : BEng(Hons) Robotics Engineering (Year 2)
  • UEEE-AKB16 : BEng(Hons) Robotics Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 2)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2022/23 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2023/24 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2022/23.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.