Objective: Modeling an ideal single-carrier communications system and becoming familiar with System objects.

• Sampling theorem and aliasing
• Complex baseband versus real passband simulation
• Creating a random bit stream
• System objects and their benefits
• Modulating a bit stream using QPSK
• Applying pulse-shaping to the transmitted signal
• Eye diagrams and spectral analysis
• Modeling a QPSK receiver for a noiseless channel
• Computing bit error rate

Objective: Modeling an AWGN channel. Using convolutional, LDPC, and turbo codes to reduce bit error rate. Error correcting codes from DVB-S.2 and LTE systems are used as examples. Accelerating simulations using multiple cores.

• Modeling an AWGN channel
• Using channel coding and decoding: convolutional, LDPC, and turbo codes
• Trellis diagram and Viterbi decoding
• Using Parallel Computing Toolbox to accelerate Monte Carlo simulations
• Discussion of alternative acceleration methods: GPUs, MDCS, Cloud Center

Objective: Modeling frequency offset, timing jitter errors, and mitigation using frequency and timing synchronization techniques. Modeling flat fading, multipath channels, and mitigation using equalizers.

• Modeling phase and timing offsets
• Mitigating frequency offset using a PLL
• Mitigating timing jitter using Gardner timing synchronization
• Modeling flat fading channels
• Channel estimation using training sequences
• Modeling frequency selective fading channels
• Using Viterbi equalizers for time-invariant channels and LMS linear equalizers for time-varying channels
• Demonstration of a real-time demodulation of single-carrier broadcast using RTL-SDR

Objective: Understanding motivation for multi-carrier communications systems for frequency selective channels. Modeling an OFDM transceiver with a cyclic prefix and windowing. System parameter values from IEEE 802.11ac and LTE will be used.

• Motivation for multi-carrier communications
• Introduction to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
• Generating OFDM symbols using the IFFT
• Preventing inter-block interference using a cyclic prefix
• Using windowing to reduce out-of-band emissions
• Advantages and disadvantages of OFDM
• Timing and frequency recovery methods for OFDM
• Channel estimation using pilot symbols
• Frequency domain equalization

Objective: Understanding alternative multiple antenna communications system. Modeling beamforming, diversity, and spatial multiplexing systems. Constructing a MIMO-OFDM system for wideband communications. MIMO modes of IEEE 802.11ac and LTE will be discussed.

• Advantages and types of multi-antenna systems
• Transmit and receive beamforming
• Receive diversity techniques
• Achieving transmit diversity using orthogonal space-time block codes
• Narrowband multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) channel model
• MIMO channel estimation
• Spatial multiplexing using ZF and MMSE equalization
• Wideband communications using an MIMO-OFDM system

Objective: Understanding the radio-in-the-loop development workflow. Using RTL-SDRs and USRPs as radio-in-the-loop development platforms.

• Overview of the radio-in-the-loop workflow
• MathWorks communications hardware support (RTL-SDR, USRP, Zynq-Based Radio)
• Hardware alternative comparison (pros/cons table)
• Different RIL transmit and receive modes (single burst, looped, streamed)
• Build an end-to-end single-antenna multi-carrier communications system using a USRP
• Demonstration of a 2x2 OFDM-MIMO over-the-air system using USRPs