Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH Advanced Communications Systems
School	School of Engineering
Department	Elec, Elec & Sys Engineering
Module Code	04 30066
Module Lead	Alex Feresidis
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-32 hours Tutorial-6 hours Demonstration-8 hours Guided independent study-154 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	1. RF & Microwave Communicaton link components. a. An introduction to Noise temperature, noise factor and sources of noise. b. Discussion of microwave links based on Link budget. 2. Basic theory of antennas, their properties and behaviour. a. Microstrip antennas. Mobile phone antennas. Array antennas for smart/adaptive communications and radar. 3. Plane wave propagation and polarisation. a. Interaction of plane waves with dielectric and metallic boundaries. 4. Transmission Lines as an extension to normal wire conductors. a. Reasons for using transmission line techniques. b. Coaxial lines, microstrip lines, and their use in microwave circuits. c. Reflections, VSWR, reflection coefficient and matching. 5. Microwave measurement systems and associated errors – demonstration. 6. Introduction to Microwave CAD package for visualisation and self study. 7. Introduction to Radio System Simulation for visualisation and self study 8. Base‐band signals and line codes a. Line codes including polar, bipolar and Manchester b. ISI and pulse shaping technique c. Matched filtering 9. Digital modulation a. Binary, Quadrature and M‐ary Phase shift Keying b. Frequency shift Keying, including MSK c. M‐ary Quadrature Amplitude Modulation d. Spread‐Spectrum modulation e. Modulators and Demodulators 10. Multiple access technique a. Introduction b. Frequency division c. Time division d. Code Division e. Space division 11. Wireless channels a. Introduction b. Flat fading channel c. Frequency selective channel
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate understanding of the basic properties of radiated electromagnetic waves and antennas. Manipulate the interactions of transmission line circuit components and antennas. Perform a detailed analysis and describe the measurement process of antennas and high frequency circuits used in communications systems. Describe digital base‐band and pass‐band signals and modulation ‐ demodulation methods and techniques; Explain the basic principles behind communications, and specifically wireless systems; Analyse the major parameters and architectures of modern communication systems.
Assessment	30066-01 : Coursework : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Assessment of the module will be 100% by continuous assessment and coursework according to: End of topic Canvas quizzes: 20% total Part 1 communication systems coursework: 40% Part 2 communication electromagnetics coursework: 40% Reassessment: The supplementary assessment will be a single coursework with a deadline near the supplementary exam period covering all aspects of the module and all learning outcomes.
Other
Reading List