Communication System Fundamentals

This tutorial is part of the National Instruments Measurement Fundamentals series. Each tutorial in this series, will teach you a specific topic of common measurement applications, by explaining the theory and giving practical examples. This tutorial covers an introduction to RF, wireless and high-frequency signals and systems.

For the complete list of tutorials, return to the NI Measurement Fundamentals Main page or for more RF tutorials refer to the NI RF Fundamentals main subpage. For more information on National Instruments RF products, visit www.ni.com/rf.

What You Learn
This set of tutorials will discuss several topics relating to communication systems. Some of the topics addressed include pulse-shape filtering, channel coding, OFDM and spread spectrum.

Pulse-Shape Filtering

The use of a filter plays an important part in a communications channel because it is effective at eliminating spectral leakage, reducing channel width, and eliminating interference from adjacent symbols (Inter Symbol Interference, ISI).

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Channel Coding

Channel coding is the technique of processing the original data in such a way that it can recover from noise in the channel.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)

This tutorial will describe how frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) are able to effectively utilize the frequency spectrum. In addition, we will distinguish the two and describe why OFDM systems are currently being implemented in some of the newest and most advanced communications systems.

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Spread Spectrum

Spread Spectrum refers to a system originally developed for military applications, to provide secure communications by spreading the signal over a large frequency band.

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Related Products

NI PXI-5660 2.7 GHz RF Vector Signal Analyzer
The National Instruments PXI-5660 is a modular 2.7 GHz RF vector signal analyzer with 20 MHz of real-time bandwidth optimized for automated test.

NI PXI-5671 2.7 GHz RF Vector Signal Generator
The National Instruments PXI-5671 module is a 3-slot RF vector signal generator that delivers signal generation from 250 kHz to 2.7 GHz, 20 MHz of real-time bandwidth and up to 512 MB of memory.

NI PXI-5652 6.6 GHz RF and Microwave Signal Generator
The National Instruments PXI-5652 6.6 GHz RF and microwave signal generator is continuous-wave with modulation capability. It is excellent for setting up stimulus response applications with RF signal analyzers.

NI RF Switches
The National Instruments RF switch modules are ideal for expanding the channel count or increasing the flexibility of systems with signal bandwidths greater than 10 MHz to bandwidths as high as 26.5 GHz.

NI LabVIEW
National Instruments LabVIEW is an industry-leading graphical software tool for designing test, measurement, and automation systems.

NI Modulation Toolkit
The National Instruments Modulation Toolkit extends the built-in analysis capability of LabVIEW with functions and tools for signal generation, analysis, visualization, and processing of standard and custom digital and analog modulation formats.

Conclusions

For the complete list of tutorials, return to the NI Measurement Fundamentals Main page or for more RF tutorials refer to the NI RF Fundamentals main subpage. For more information on National Instruments RF products, visit www.ni.com/rf.

Looking for more RF Basics?

Engineers who are new to RF or looking for a a refresher course can attend a 3-Day National Instruments RF Fundamentals Training Course to explore traditional measurements, learn about digital and analog modulation, examine modern system-level tests such as BER, MER, and EVM, and more.

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