ECE 113 Lecture 01:

Review on
Communication
Systems
COMPONENTS OF A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 1

The Communication System
•

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 2

Systems Level Analysis
• Assuming AM:
𝑥 𝑡 = 𝐴𝑐 1 + 𝑘𝑎 𝑚 𝑡 𝑐 𝑡
• In the presence of noise at the receiver and losses due to the
channel, the received signal is:
𝑠 𝑡
𝑠Ƹ 𝑡 = +𝑛 𝑡
𝐿
• 𝑛 𝑡 is an additive white Gaussian noise with power 𝑁0 .
• If the system is not over-modulated (𝑘𝑎 ≤ 1), we can recover a
semblance of the message using an envelope detector.
• This is how communication systems are taught in EEE 107.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 3

System Level AM Transmitter

• Full AM Transmitter architecture. Transmitted signal:

𝑠 𝑡 = 𝐺1 𝐴𝑐 1 + 𝑘𝑎 𝑚 𝑡 𝑐 𝑡
• BPF rejects unwanted signals from the mixer.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 4

System Level AM Receiver

• Full AM Receiver architecture. Diode rectifies the signal

from the BPF and the LPF filters out the high frequency
signals (envelope detector).
• Important note: system level design and analysis assume
blocks are independent of each other. Reality is that each
block affects the preceding and succeeding blocks.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 5

Practical AM Systems
• Antenna picks up various unwanted signals.
• Each active device adds noise.
• Includes amplifiers, oscillators, and mixers
• In high frequencies, signals get reflected from ports
creating a form of feedback that can result to unstable
systems.
• In ECE 113, aside from studying the interactions of
each communication block, the design of each block is
also studied.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 6

RF and IF
• Radio Frequency (RF) is the upconverted frequency
band and is the frequency of transmission.
• Intermediate Frequency (IF) is the band at which
signals are processed (i.e. sampled, quantized, filtered)
and the message is estimated.
• Transceiver design considers both frequencies.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 7

Where is the RF and IF?
• IF Processing RF Front End

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RF Front End
• The circuitry between the baseband processing blocks
and the antenna.
• Includes but not limited to filters, amplifiers, and mixers.
• For transmitters, the front end should be designed to
transmit within a specified bandwidth and a specific
output signal-to-noise ratio.
• For receivers, the front end should be designed to be
more frequency selective and sensitive to low powered
signals.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 9

The Mixer Circuit

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 10

Envelope Detector Circuit

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Performance Metrics
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio
◦ Ratio of the desired signal power to noise power
◦ Defines the quality of a transmitted or received signal

• Receiver Sensitivity
◦ Minimum signal power required to successfully recover the
message signal from noise and other forms of distortion.

• Receiver Selectivity
◦ Capability of the receiver to reject unwanted signals and select
the desired signal.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 12

Signal to Noise Ratio
• Defined by the equation below where 𝑆 is the signal
power and 𝑁 is the noise power.
𝑆 𝑆
𝑆𝑁𝑅 = 𝑆𝑁𝑅 𝑑𝐵 = 10 log
𝑁 𝑁
• Defines the level of distortion of a signal. Ideal value is
infinity (no noise).
• Other variations:
◦ Signal plus noise to noise ratio
◦ Signal to noise and distortion ratio (SINAD)

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 13

Receiver Selectivity
• The capability of a receiver to reject unwanted signals.
• Depends on the design of a receiver. This can be
achieved by several stages of the receiver front end.
• Selectivity starts at the antenna and is improved by
the components succeeding it.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 14

Receiver Sensitivity
• Minimum received power needed for the receiver to
successfully recover the message signal from noise and
distortion.
• Directly quantifies the reliability of the communication
system. More sensitivity, better system.
• Defined by the design of the receiver front end
◦ Mostly by the low-noise amplifier.
◦ The best design is high gain with low noise factor.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 15

Receiver Sensitivity
• Noise Floor
◦ The noise power that is received at the receiver port assuming
no signals are present.
◦ Also defined by the receiver’s circuitry.

• Minimum Detectable Signal (MDS)

◦ Signal power at the antenna input port required to produce
some standard SNR value.
◦ 𝐵 is the bandwidth, 𝑁𝐹𝑠𝑦𝑠 is the noise figure of the system
𝑀𝐷𝑆𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = −174𝑑𝐵𝑚 + 10 log 𝐵 + 𝑁𝐹𝑠𝑦𝑠

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Link Budget Analysis
• A method to determine the transmit power needed
for successful communication.
• Considers all factors from message source to
destination on the design of Communication Systems.
◦ Transmit power
◦ Tx and Rx antenna gains
◦ Receiver sensitivity
◦ Noise figure of all devices
◦ Loss from cables
◦ Propagation in the channel
◦ Link or Fade Margin

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Recall: Free Space Path Loss
• This is the loss of power due to signal propagation in free space.
4𝜋𝑅
𝐿𝑜 𝑑𝐵 = 20 log
𝜆
𝐿𝑜 – loss in dB
𝑅 – distance travelled by signal
𝜆 – wavelength of transmission

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 18

Link Margin
• In practical communication systems, it is usually desired to
have the received power level greater than the threshold
level required for the minimum acceptable quality of service.
◦ Usually expressed by minimum carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) or
minimum SNR.

• An allowance allocated to give relax the specifications of

circuit level design.
• Level of robustness to the system to account for other
variables that may affect its performance.
• Also known as fade margin.
• Typically 3 to 10 dB.

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 19

Example: DBS Television
𝑓0 = 12.45 𝐺𝐻𝑧 with a transmit power of 120 𝑊 , a
transmit antenna gain of 34 𝑑𝐵, an IF-bandwidth of
20 𝑀𝐻𝑧. The distance of the satellite from the Earth is
39,000 𝑘𝑚. The 18-inch receiving dish antenna has a
gain of 33.5 𝑑𝐵. The noise power at the output of Low-
Noise Block (LNB) with gain = 1, is 27.82 × 10−15 𝑊,
and the minimum required CNR is 15 𝑑𝐵.
• What is the link budget?
• How much is the CNR after the LNB?
• How much is the link margin?

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Solution
• What is the link budget?
𝑆𝑂 = 10 log 𝑃𝑇𝑥 + 𝐺𝑇𝑥 + 𝐺𝑅𝑥 − 𝐿0 + 𝐺𝐿𝑁𝐵
Signal Transmit Tx Rx Path Rx
Power Power Antenna Antenna Loss Gain

𝑆𝑂 = −87.91 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = 1.618 × 10−9 𝑚𝑊

• How much is the CNR after the LNB?
1.618 × 10−9 𝑚𝑊
𝐶𝑁𝑅 = 10 log −12
= 17.646 𝑑𝐵
27.82 × 10 𝑚𝑊
• How much is the link margin?
𝐿𝑀 = 17.646 − 15 = 2.646 𝑑𝐵

ECE 113: COMMUNICATION ELECTRONICS 21

Seatwork: Diwata-2
• Diwata-2 is a LEO satellite that will orbit the Earth at
600 𝑘𝑚 elevation. It has an ARU unit capable of transmitting
0.8 𝑊 at 147.7 𝑀𝐻𝑧 and has a transit antenna with a 2.14 𝑑𝐵
gain. The UP EEEI ARSS is equipped with a 16 𝑑𝐵 Yagi
antenna. Assume that at 10 degrees elevation angle, the
distance from Diwata-2 to the ARSS is 1200 𝑘𝑚 and the SNR
at the antenna should be maintained at 6 𝑑𝐵 for reliable
communication and the noise power at the output is 20 𝑓𝑊.
• What is the link budget of the system?
• What is the link margin of the system at the ARSS antenna?

EEE 107: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS 22

References
• C. Bowick, RF Circuit Design, 2nd ed. Newnes, 2008.
• J. Carr, RF Components and Circuits, Newnes.
• L. Frenzel, Communication Electronics, 2nd ed.
Macmilan/McGraw-Hill, 1994.
• D. Pozar, Microwave Engineering, 4th ed. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 2012

EEE 107: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS 23