ON IMPORTANCE OF SAMPLING IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

The importance of sampling in digital communications cannot be overestimated.  How does one transmit digital data from fiber optic cables, satellites, or wireless computer networks that occurs everyday of our lives?  The concepts in digital communications and sampling will answer this question.   Some important applications of sampling and digital communications include digital imaging and applications in medicine such as CATSCAN and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications and for military applications transmitting  Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for missile seekers or for battlefield awareness.     Telepresence in the future may become a reality and will require knowledge of  the important concept of sampling in digital communications.

Introduction to Digital Communications.  I will first introduce digital communications and later I'll present some advance methods in transmitting digital information or data.   I'll review the formatting (including the importance on sampling in digital communications) and transmission of data.  To compensate for noisy channels and other sources.  I'll talk about channel coding techniques  as well as discuss methods to recover a signal. 

Objectives. Some of the objective of the course include:

1.  Analyze various signals:

    a.  Deterministic and Random signals

    b.  Power and Energy Signals

2.  Analyze signals using Energy and Power Spectral Density

3.  Analyze signals using autocorrelation concepts

4.  Analyze properties of random signals

5.  Analyze various digital modulation schemes:  pulse code moduation, quantization, detection of binary signals in Gaussian noise and inter-symbol interference.

6.  Analyze the coherent and non-coherent detection of binary signals in Gaussian noise.

7.  Analyze error performance of binary systems (I call this the waterfall chart as you will see later).

8.  Apply and analyze waveform coding, error control, parity check codes, code vectors.

Content Material References

1.  Digital Communications: Fundamentals and Applications, Second Edition, Sklar, Prentice-Hall.  Click on the label <Graduate > and you should see the textbook.

On Importance of Sampling in Digital Communications.   I will discuss next discuss the important concept of sampling in digital communications.

Key Questions to Think About Before Viewing Short Video.

1.  What are the key components of a communication system?

2.  Why do we need to modulate a baseband signal?

3.  What is meant by baseband and bandpass signals?

4.  Why do we need to modulate demodulate a signal?

5.  What does the channel due to the signal as it propagates through the channel?

6.  Name some examples of channels.

7.  Why do we need to encode the original signal?

Short Video Introduction (Right click on video, click on zoom and select large picture).