ECE318 Analog and Digital Communications
(Fall 2012)
Instructor: Weihua Zhuang, EIT-4159, x35354, wzhuang@uwaterloo.ca
Lab Technologist: Kevin Luscott, E2-3355 (office), x36881, kluscott@uwaterloo.ca
Teaching Assistants:
 Yongkang Liu (tutorial TA), EIT-3129, x37292, y257liu@uwaterloo.ca
 Jun Liang Feng (lab TA), EIT-4128, x37463, jlfeng@uwaterloo.ca
 Ehsan Alian Aminabadi (lab TA), DC-2638, x31779, ealian@uwaterloo.ca
Prerequisite: ECE 316, ECE207/342, MATH 211
Lectures: 1:30-2:20pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays @ RCH 112
12:30-1:20pm, Thursdays (Sept. 13 & 27, Oct. 11, Nov. 8 & 22) @ RCH 112
Tutorials: 3:30-4:20pm Wednesdays @ RCH 112
Office Hours:
 11:30am-12:30pm, Tuesdays; 11:00-12:00, Thursdays, EIT 4159 (W. Zhuang)
 5:30-6:30pm, Wednesdays and Fridays, EIT 3129 (Y. Liu)
 3:30-4:30pm, Tuesdays, DC-2638 (E. A. Aminabadi)
 5:30-6:30pm, Thursdays, EIT-4128 (J. L. Feng)
Course Web Page: http://bbcrlab-pc9.bbcrlabpcnet.uwaterloo.ca/course/index.htm
Lab Web Page: https://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~lab318/ (Lab Location: E2-3344, x38402) Text: Fundamentals of Communication Systems, by J.G. Proakis and M. Salehi, Prentice Hall,
2005.
Course Description: Spectral density of deterministic and random analog signals. Thermal noise
and the white noise model. Amplitude and angle modulation, generation and detection schemes,
effects of noise. Techniques for handling digital signals including sampling and reconstruction,
quantization, waveform coding, and time-division multiplexing. Overview of digital
communications.
Major topics:
 Analog signals and noise: Review of signals and random processes, spectral density for
deterministic energy/power signals in continuous time and wide sense stationary random
processes.
 Amplitude modulation (AM): Double side band, carrier suppression, single side band,
vestigial side band; modulation and demodulation techniques.
 Angle modulation: Phase modulation, frequency modulation (FM); Bessel functions and FM
spectral analysis, narrowband and wideband cases; techniques for generation and
demodulation of FM signals.
 Analysis of noise effect: Thermal noise, time-averaged noise statistics, narrow band
representation of white noise; signal-to-noise ratio analysis of AM and FM systems; threshold
effect in FM radio.
 Digital signals: Sampling theorem; reconstruction and aliasing, natural and flattop sampling,
application to time-division multiplexing; practical reconstruction scheme (zero-order hold);
quantization.
 Waveform coding techniques: Pulse code modulation (PCM); noise in PCM systems;
differential pulse code modulation (DPCM); delta modulation (DM).
 Overview of digital communications: Digital modulation such as ASK, FSK, PSK, optimal
receiver, and probability of error.
Homework Assignments: The assignment problems and solutions will be on the course web
page.
Tutorials: The tutorials will be conducted by the TA's for the purposes of (1) answering
questions about the course materials, (2) providing example problems that illustrate applications
of the theory learned in the class and detailing methods of solution, and (3) elaborating the
course materials if necessary. Tutorial examples will be available before the tutorial (by Tuesday
evening) on the course web page.
Labs: Details of experiments that supplement the lecture material can be found on the lab
website.
 Your timetable indicates your laboratory section and experiment dates.
 Students are to work in groups of two and need to select a partner from within their laboratory
section. Groups of one may be permitted at the discretion of the lab instructor.
 Only one prelab and one report per group needs to be submitted, except as indicated below.
 If you are absent from a lab session for a valid reason (validity to be determined by the course
and/or lab instructor), you are required to catch up with the missed work. A separate report,
from your partner, must be submitted based upon your own observations. Absence without a
valid reason will result in a report grade of zero.
 All pre-labs and reports are to be submitted by 11:59pm on the date that it is due. Submissions
are to be to your ECE318 Course Book group account in pdf format using the naming
convention (i.e., for lab2 prelab "lab2prep.pdf" and lab2 report "lab2rpt.pdf").
 Failure to submit your prelab or report correctly, using one of the above methods, by 11:59pm
on the due date will result in a penalty of -20%. Failure to submit your prelab or report
correctly within 24 hours of the due date will result in a grade of zero. It is the responsibility
of both partners to make sure that your electronic submission was uploaded and time stamped
successfully by the due date (i.e., one partner should upload the file to Course Book and the
other partner should download the file again and verify that it is the correct one).
Grading: Laboratory=15%, Midterm=35%, Final Exam=50%.