Textbook(s)

• Simon Haykin, Communication Systems
• B. P. Lathi, Modern Analog and Digital Communication Systems

Lab Equipment (typical)

Function generator / AF+RF signal generator, DSO, spectrum analyzer (or SDR + GNU Radio), audio analyzer, PLL/phase detector ICs, diode/active mixers, RC/LC filters, op-amp kits, AM/FM/PM trainer boards (or discrete setups), cables/attenuators.

Syllabus — 5 Lab Modules

1. Signal Generation & Measurement Basics
   • Core experiments: sinusoid synthesis & spectra; amplitude/frequency sweep; measurement of THD, harmonics, and bandwidth on DSO/SA.
   • Skills: time/frequency-domain measurement, windowing, averaging, calibration & dB units.
2. Amplitude Modulation & Demodulation
   • Core experiments: DSB-SC with balanced modulator; DSB-LC (AM) with carrier set; SSB/VSB using filters or phasing; envelope vs synchronous detection; measure modulation index, power efficiency, distortion & spectral regrowth.
   • Skills: carrier leakage/nulling, linearity checks, envelope detector design (RC time constant selection).
3. Angle Modulation (FM/PM)
   • Core experiments: FM generation (VCO/Varactor) and PM; Carson’s rule verification; frequency discriminator & PLL demodulation; pre-emphasis/de-emphasis; measurement of deviation and SINAD.
   • Skills: deviation calibration, PLL loop parameters, noise mitigation by emphasis networks.
4. Receivers, Mixing & Superheterodyne Concepts
   • Core experiments: diode/active mixer conversion gain & image response; IF filtering; superhet blocks emulation; AGC behavior; capture effect in FM.
   • Skills: LO planning, image-reject considerations, selectivity vs sensitivity trade-offs.
5. Noise, SNR & Link Budgeting
   • Core experiments: add controlled AWGN (or baseband noise) and measure post-detection SNR for AM vs FM; figure-of-merit comparison; simple link budget with measured path loss/attenuators; sensitivity thresholding.
   • Skills: noise figure intuition, SNR measurement, power budgeting and margins.

Deliverables (suggested)

• Pre-lab: brief design/calculation sheet.
• In-lab: annotated screenshots (DSO/SA) with settings.
• Post-lab: short report with results, error sources, and 1–2 paragraph reflection.