Signal Processing and Speech Communication Laboratory
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Fundamentals of Digital Communications

Education level
Bakk
Term
Winter
Lecturers

Lecture (2 VO)

The lecture is given in weekly sessions of 1:30 hrs. Please find the current schedule on TUG Online.

Contents:

  • Introduction; Signal properties and classification
  • Fundamentals of signal spaces; signals as vectors; Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization
  • Frequency domain representation of signals; LTI systems; transfer function and impulse response
  • Vectorial representation of digital communications signals; pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)
  • Higher dimensional signals; quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM); carrier modulation
  • Preview to optimum demodulators; Nyquist pulse-shaping
  • Probability; random variables; random processes
  • Correlation demodulator; matched filter demodulator
  • AWGN vector signal model; maximum likelihood and maximum a posteriori detection
  • BER computation
  • Linear filter channels and equalization

Material for the lecture:

See TUGOnline/TeachCenter.

Problem Classes (1 UE)

Supporting problem sets are discussed in the problem classes. The problem classes are held in eight or nine sessions. Grading is based on homework assignments.

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Lecture hall: i12 (Inffeldgasse 16b), Monday 12:30-14:00

Please have a look at the TeachCenter course. There you can find the problems we are going to analyze during the problem classes. Furthermore, you will find the presented slides and some additional files.

Homework Assignments:

  • The homework assignments can be found on the TeachCenter course.
  • The schedule is also found on the TeachCenter and in TU Graz Online. Please hand in your homework via the TeachCenter!
  • There will be possibilities where you can ask questions and discuss the homework assignments approx. 1 week before the due date. The actual dates and times will be announced in the problem classes.

Grading:

Your scores are available on the TeachCenter. There is an opportunity for discussion of the grading (Einsichtnahme) after the correction of each assignment, usually at the Q&A of the following homework.

Books

Basic and advanced books covering parts of the course are:

  • J.G. Proakis and M. Salehi, Communication Systems Engineering, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall, 2002
  • B. Sklar, Digital Communication: Fundamentals and Applications, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall, 2001
  • J.R. Barry, E.A. Lee, D.G. Messerschmitt, Digial Communication, 3rd Ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004 (more advanced text, good for further study)
  • J.G. Proakis, Digital Communications, 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill, 1995 (classical text)
  • P. Prandoni, M. Vetterli, Signal Processing for Communications, 1st Ed., EPFL Press, 2008 (available online)

TeachCenter Forums

The respective forums can be used to discuss questions concerning the lecture and problem classes of this course. The instructors and the study assistants will be pleased to answer your questions.

Exam

The exam for the lecture usually consists of 3 questions regarding the theoretic part and three more practical examples. Below are two examples of previous exams.

Exam 29.5.2015
Exam 01.12.2015
Exam 20.05.2016
Exam 10.03.2017
Exam 30.06.2017

Permitted material: Table of Fourier transform properties, tabulated Q-function (both are provided), pocket calculator.

Nachrichtentechnik, Labor (2 LU)

Session E of the “Nachrichtentechnik, Labor” deals with a number of topics of this lecture course. Find here the handout for the laboratory exercise (in German). pdf