Overview

This unit of study aims to allow you to gain a broad understanding of the fundamental signal processing and modulation concepts and methods that underpin analogue and digital transmission for both wireless and wired communications.

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Appreciate and use terminology, concepts, standards and techniques of signal processing for communication systems (K2, S1)
  • Describe and critically analyse common signal processing concepts and methods (K3)
  • Analyse the performance of various modulation methods for analogue and digital transmission (S1, S2)
  • Predict the effect of noise on signal reception (K2, S1)
  • Synthesise signal processing modules to implement communications systems (K3, K4, S2)
  • Appreciate modern broadcast systems such as Digital TV and Digital Radio (K2, S1)
  • Safely conduct practical experiments using appropriate test equipment and signal processing modules both for analogue and digital transmission. Analyse and interpret the results and errors, formulate conclusions and generate a high quality written report both individually and as part of a team (A2, K3, S2)

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Lecture		2.92 12 weeks 35
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Tutorial		1.00 10 weeks 10
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Laboratory		1.25 12 weeks 15
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning		7.50 12 weeks 90
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
ExaminationIndividual 50 - 60% 1,2,3,4,5,6 
Laboratory PracticalsIndividual/Group 20 - 30% 1,2,3,5,7 
TestIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4 

Hurdle

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.

Content

  • Analogue signals, spectral (Fourier) analysis, bandwidth, ideal and real filters, transfer functions, amplitude and phase response, energy and power spectra
  • Analogue modulation and demodulation: amplitude, frequency, phase
  • Noise and its effects in analogue communication systems
  • Receivers
  • Commercial broadcasting: radio and television
  • Pulse modulation
  • Sampling theorem
  • Pulse amplitude modulation, time division and frequency division multiplexing, pulse code modulation
  • Digital methods: digital line codes, modulation and demodulation of ASK, PSK, FSK, DPSK, QAM, QPSK
  • Noise and its effects in digital communication systems, BER, analysis of digital modulation schemes

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.