Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

Chapter One

Overview of Communication Systems

The goal of communication is to transfer information from one place to another and/or the
purpose of a communication system is to transmit information signals from a source, located at
one point in space, to a user destination, located at another point. Mostly, the message produced
by the source is not electrical in nature. Thus an input transducer is used to convert the message
generated by the source in to time varying electrical signal called the message signal. By using
another transducer at the receiver, the original message will be reproduced at the user
destination. The message signal can be analog form or digital form.

All communication systems have at least two end points. At one end there is source of signals
(voice or computer data), circuitry for converting the signal source into a signal that is
compatible with the rest of the system, (wire, air, or light carrying fiber). After the transmitted
signal passes through this link, it is received by the far end, converted into a signal format as
needed, and finally passed to the user.

1.1. Basic Principles of Communication Systems

Basically communication system consists of three major parts: Transmitter, Communication

Channel and Receiver.

Fig.1.1: Basic parts of communication system

Transmitter: -The main purpose of the transmitter is to modify the message signal into a form
suitable for transmission over the channel. It involves modulation and amplification. Modulation
is a process of mixing the message signal with a very high frequency carrier, which is suitable
for propagation.

Communication Channel: -The communication channel may be a transmission line (as in

Telephony and Telegraphy), an optical fiber (as in optical communication), or merely free space
in which the signal is radiated as an EM wave (as in radio and Television).

1 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

Receiver: - The main purpose of the receiver is to reproduce the original message signal from
the degraded version of the transmitted signal after propagation through the channel. This is
accomplished by using a process of demodulation and amplification. Demodulation is a reverse
of modulation. It is a process of extracting the original message from the received signal.

1.2.Classification of Communication Systems

There are three ways in which communication systems are classified: analog or digital systems,
one-way (simplex) or two-way (half & full duplex) systems, and base band or modulated
systems.

According to the message signal communicated, communication systems can be classified in to

two types: Analog and Digital. Analog communication system is the one in which message
signal is transmitted and received in analog form. Digital communication systems are systems in
which message signal is transmitted and received in digital form. Analog systems were the first
to be developed, however in recent years digital systems have become more popular due to its
superior performance.

There are also two basic types of communication systems. The simplest is one-way
communication, normally referred to as simplex. In simplex, information travels in one direction
only. For example radio and TV broadcasting are simplex. The bulk of communication system,
however, is two way which is referred as full duplex. Another form of two-way communications
is where only one party transmits at a time. This is known as half duplex. In a communication
system, the information signal may be transmitted by itself over the medium or may be used to
modulate a carrier for transmission over a long distance. The former is a base band
communication while the latter is a band pass (Modulated signal) communication.

1.3.Typical Communication Systems

Analog Communication System

The block diagram of a typical analog communication system is shown in fig 1.2. The analog
signal to be transmitted can be a voice waveform, television signal, or any other information
bearing signal. Typically, this message signal must first be filtered to eliminate undesired
components and amplified to a suitable level, depending on the source.

2 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

The message signal often modulated onto a carrier, which can be a sinusoidal signal, pulse train,
or a light wave. In the modulation process, the signal affects some parameter of the carrier in a
predetermined way. The modulated signal is then amplified and radiated from an antenna.
Various things may happen to the signal in transmission through the channel usually attenuated
an attacked by noise.

The corrupted signal received from the channel are amplified to a suitable level and filter to
eliminate noise and interfering signals that are all outside the frequency range of the desired
signal. The amplified signal is then demodulated to recover the original message. After it is filter
the original signal will be reproduced.

Digital Communication System

Nowadays digital communication systems are found better in performance than analog
communications systems, and therefore communication systems are becoming fully digital.
Digital systems demand efficient and reliable digital data transmission and storage systems. This
demand has been accelerated by the emergence of large scale, high speed data networks for the
exchange, processing and storage of digital information in military, government and Analog
Message IN Modulation Carrier Osc. Power Amp Channel Analog Message Out Filter
Demodulation LNA 3 private spheres. A merging of communication and computer technology is
also required in the design and implementations of these systems.

A major concern of the designer in digital systems is the control of error so that reliable
reproduction of data can be obtained. From Shannon's theory, it is known that by proper
encoding of the information, errors induced by a noisy channel or storage medium can be
reduced to any desired level without sacrificing the rate of information transmission and storage.

3 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

Thus the use of coding for error control has become an integral part in the design of modern
digital communication systems and digital computers. A typical digital communication system is
shown in fig 1.3.

The source encoder converts the source information in to digital form if it has been analog. Then
the channel encoder encodes the digital information using a certain coding so that errors can be
detected and corrected at the receiver. The coded digital signal is then send to the digital
modulator and it would be modulated using a certain type of digital modulation. The transmitter
will amplify and sent the modulated signal through the communication channel.

In the receiver side, the first stage receives a very weak signal and amplifies it. Then the
demodulator section separates the coded digital information from the carrier. The channel
decoder decodes the coded digital signal in its un-coded form and detects and corrects errors in
found in the signal. The source decoder finally converts the digital information back to the
original signal.

Comparison of Digital and Analog communication Systems

Digital communication has a number of advantages

Relatively inexpensive digital circuits can be used

Privacy is preserved by using data encryption
Greater dynamic range is possible
Data from voice, video, and data sources can be merged and transmitted over a common
digital transmission system.
In long distance systems, noise does not accumulate from repeater to repeater.
4 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B
Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

Errors in detected data are small, even when there is a large amount of noise on the
received signal.
Errors can often be corrected by the use of coding

Digital communication also has disadvantages

Generally more bandwidth is required than that for analog systems.

Synchronization between the transmitter and receiver is required.
1.4.Frequency Spectrum

The frequency spectrum is divided into segments for the purpose of classifying the various
portions and how they are used. These are given in table below.

1.5.Fundamental Limitations of Communication Systems

The goal of a communication system engineer is to design systems that provide high quality
service for the maximum number of user with the smallest cost and least usage of limited

5 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

resources. The resources to be conserved include hardware for generating, transmitting, and
receiving information signal, the channel bandwidth, and the transmitter power. In other words,
engineers attempt to design communication systems that transmit information at a high rate, with
high performance, using the minimum amount of transmitted power and bandwidth. Given these
requirements, what is the fundamental limitation of a digital communication system? The most
significant limitations on the performance of communication system are noise, distortion and
bandwidth. Usually, the transmitter and the receiver are carefully designed so as to minimize the
effects of noise and distortion on the quality of reception. Bandwidth of a communication system
is the range of frequencies that it can pass through. The information capacity of a communication
system is a measure of how much information can be carried through the system in a given
period of time. It is a function of system bandwidth.

Is it possible to invent a system with no bit error at the output even when we have noise
introduced in to the channel? The answer is stated by Shannon-Hartely capacity theorem,
according to which digital communication systems that attain as close to zero error probability as
described are theoretically possible, provided that the rate of information transmitted is less than
the capacity of the channel C. In other words, Shannon showed that if the rate of information R
(in b/s) is less than C, the probability of error would approach zero. The channel capacity C (in
b/s) could be calculated by using the equation given below which is referred to as Shannon
equation. Here, B is bandwidth in Hz, S/N is signal-to-noise power ratio and as already
mentioned C is the channel capacity. Signal-to-noise power ratio indicates the measure of noise
relative to information signal.

C=B log2(1+S/N)………………………..(1.1)

In analog systems the optimum system might be defined as the one that achieves the largest
signal to noise ratio at the receiver output subject to design constraints such as channel
bandwidth and transmitted power. Is it possible to design a system with infinite signal to noise
ratio at the output when noise is introduced by the channel? The answer is of course no.

2. Frequency domain analysis of signals

Spectral Analysis

6 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

A branch of mathematics which is of inestimable value in the study of communications systems

is spectral analysis. Spectral analysis concerns itself with the description of waveforms in the
frequency domain and with the correspondence between the frequency-domain description and
time-domain description.

Signals physically exist in the time domain and are usually expressed as a function of the time
parameter. Because of this feature, it is not too difficult, at least in the majority of the situations
of interest to us, to visualize the signal behavior in the Time Domain. In fact, it may even be
possible to view the signals on an oscilloscope. But equally important is the characterization of
the signals in the Frequency Domain or Spectral Domain. That is, we characterize the signal in
terms of its various frequency components (or it’s Spectrum). Fourier analysis (Fourier series
and Fourier Transform) helps us in arriving at the spectral description of the pertinent signals.

2.1 Classification of Signal

1. Real and complex signal

As the name suggests real signals have only real components while complex signal has both real
and imaginary components. Complex signal representation has an important place in
communication as it conveys both amplitude and phase, i.e. delay information. A complex signal
in exponential form can be written as follows.

2. Analog and Digital Signals

Analog signals are continuous in nature while digital signals are generated from discrete events
or are sampled version of analog signal, with amplitude axis quantized.

3. Periodic and Aperiodic Signals

A periodic signal (t) is a function that satisfies the condition

Xp(t)=Xp(t-T0)………………..(1.2)

7 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

For all t, where t denotes time and T0 is a constant. The smallest value of T0 that satisfies this
condition is called the period of Xp(t). .Accordingly, the periodT0 defines the duration of one
complete cycle of Xp t). Fig. 3 shows a few examples of periodic signals.

Figure1.4 Some examples of periodic signals

Any signal for which there is no value ofT0 to satisfy the condition of Eq (1.2) is called a non-
periodic or aperiodic signal.

Aperiodic (also called non-periodic) signals can be of finite or infinite duration. A few of the
aperiodic signals occur quote often in theoretical studies. Typical examples of aperiodic signals
are shown below.

a. Rectangular pulse

b. Triangular pulse

c. One-sided (decaying) exponential pulse

8 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

d. Two-sided (symmetrical) exponential pulse

4. Deterministic and Random Signals

A deterministic signal is a signal about which there is no uncertainty with respect to its value
at any time. On the other hand, a random signal is a signal about which there is some degree of
uncertainty before it actually occurs.

5.Energy and Power Signals

In electrical systems, a signal may represent a voltage or a current. Consider a voltage v(t)
developed across a resistor R, producing a current i(t). The instantaneous power dissipated in this
resistor is defined by

P = |v(t)|2 / R …………………..(1.3)

Or, equivalently, P = R|i(t)|2 ……………………… (1.4)

In both cases, the instantaneous power P is proportional to the squared amplitude of the signal.
Furthermore, for a resistor R equal to1-ohm, we see that Eqs(1.3)and (1.4) take on the same
mathematical form. Accordingly, in signal analysis it is customary to work with a 1-ohm resistor,

9 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

so that, regardless of whether a given signal g(t) represents a voltage or a current. For this reason
|g(t)|2 is generally referred to as the normalized power of g(t). when ,however, no confusion
results from so doing ,we shall often follow the generally accepted practice of dropping the word
‘’normalized’’ and refer instead simply ‘’power’’. We may express the instantaneous power
associated with the signal as

P = |g(t)|2 ………………………………(1.5)
Based on this convention, we define the total energy of a signal g(t) as

…………………………(1.6)
And its average power as

…………………………(1.7)
We say that the signal g(t) is an energy signal if and only if the total energy of the signal
satisfies the condition
0<E<∞
We say that the signal g(t) is a power signal if and only if the average power of the signal
satisfies the condition
0<P<∞
Note that:
1. An energy signal has zero average power.
2. A power signal has infinite energy.
3. Periodic and random signals are power signals
4. Deterministic and non-periodic signals are energy signals.

3. Digital Signal Transmission Techniques

Digitally signal can be transmitted by base band transmission and broadband transmission

1. Base band Transmission

Transmits digital signal without changing it to analog signal

10 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B

Chapter I Overview of Communication Systems

Requires a channel having a bandwidth that starts at 0.

Requires a dedicated medium

Example : wired LANs

2. Broadband Transmission

Changes digital signal into analog signal for transmission

Uses a channel with bandwidth not starting at 0.
Does not require a dedicated medium
Example: sending computer data through digital cellular telephone

11 | Dep’t of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prepared by Beletech.B