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SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: ONLINE

AVAILABLE DATE: 19 January 2021 TIME: 09:00

DUE DATE: 20 January 2021 TIME: 09:00
SUBJECT: Electronic Communication III CODE: ECM226A

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMME: DIPLOMA IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY IN

ELECTRICAL

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMME CODE: DP_ELE

STATIONERY:
1. Non alphanumerical calculators are allowed
2. Own white paper

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:
1. Download the question paper and work offline
2. Answer all questions in black or blue ink.
3. Start solution for each question (1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5) on a new page.
4. Show all units and calculations.
5. Make valid assumptions where necessary.
6. Write your student number, surname and initials at the top of each solution page.
7. Write neatly and clearly, using one side of the paper, leaving margins entirely free.
8. Scan all solution pages using a suitable device.
9. Save your entire work in pdf format.
10. Filename format: Student number_Surname and initials_2020 ECM226A.
11. You have three attempts only but only last attempt will be marked.

ASSESSOR: MR LEBOHANG MOJI

MODERATOR: MR THABISO MATSEMELA

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Duration of Paper: 24 hours Total marks: 100

Question 1 Unit 1: Introduction to communication systems [20]

LO1: Analyse/Present a common signal.

[Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA2 partially developed]

1.1 The pulse train has the following parameters: amplitude = 30V,
pulse width = 30μs, periodic time = 50μs.
Construct the frequency spectrum of the signal for the first four non-zero terms.
Amplitude should be in volts and frequency in kHz. (9)

LO2: Describe the need for the basic building blocks in an electronic
communication system [Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA6
partially developed]

1.2 Describe the need for the antenna and the demodulator in the following diagram.
(2)

LO3: Analyse/Design a multi-stage receiver amplifier focussing on power gain and

noise figure for each stage. [Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA3
partially developed]

1.3 Design the second stage of a three-stage amplifier that will meet the following
specifications: (9)
Amplifier power gain AT = 40dB
Amplifier noise temperature TN =565.5K
Stage 1: Power gain A1 = 10dB, Noise Figure NF1= 4dB
Stage 3: Power gain A3 = 18dB, Noise Figure NF3 = 9dB

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Question 2 Unit 2: Basic radio frequency circuits and transmission lines [20]

LO4: Analyse a basic radio frequency (RF) Circuit

[Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA1 partially developed]

2.1 A certain microwave transmitter has the following parameters:

Operating frequency: 2.5 GHz
Output power: 180 W
The distance between the transmitter and antenna is 30 m.
If elliptical waveguide with attenuation of 2.68 dB/100 m, determine the power
delivered to the antenna. (3)

2.2 An oscillator shown below has the following parameters:

L2 = 4.7 µH, L3 = 47 µH, C2= 47 pF
VCC

L1

R1

C3 C4
1

C1
Q1

R2

C2

L2 L3
1 2 1 2

2.2.1 Determine the resonant frequency of the oscillator. (3)

2.2.2 Determine the feedback attenuation β. (1)
2.2.3 Determine the required gain for oscillation. (2)

LO5: Design a basic RF circuit [Knowledge area: Design and Synthesis; GA3
partially developed]

2.3 Design an 8th order high-pass filter for source and load impedance of 75 Ω with a
cut-off frequency of 4 MHz and π configuration. (8)

LO6: Choose a suitable transmission line for a required application [Knowledge

area: Engineering Science; GA1 partially developed]

2.4 Contrast between coaxial and fibre-optic transmission lines under the following
factors.
Construction, weight and tapping. (3)

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Question 3 Unit 3: Basic analogue and digital modulation schemes [20]

LO7: Choose a suitable analogue modulation scheme for a given requirement

[Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA1 partially developed]

3.1 A minimum transmitter power is required to transmit a message using an analogue

communication system. Mathematical expressions for the carrier and message
signals are:
𝑐(𝑡) = 25 𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋3 × 106 𝑡) 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑠
𝑚(𝑡) = 𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋6000𝑡) 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑠
The modulated signal is applied across a 50 Ω load. If single sideband (SSB) and
FM modulation schemes are available, choose a suitable modulation scheme for
this application. (3)

LO8: Analyse/Design a basic analogue modulator/demodulator circuit

[Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA3 partially developed]

3.2 Use the coherent detector below to recover the m(t) from
𝑣𝐿𝑆𝐵 = 75𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋96000𝑡) + 100𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋98000𝑡) + 50𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋99000𝑡)
c(local) = cos(2π100000t) (5)

3.3 A frequency demodulator should be designed based on LM 565 PLL as shown

below.
Data: fO = 50 kHz, CO = 390 pF, Vc = 20 V, 2fc = 20 kHz.
Provide a partial design solution with values for RO and C2 only. (3)
+ Vcc

U1
10

RO C2
+VCC

7
8 VCON Output
C1 TRES
2
FM in 3 IN1
IN2 6
R1 4 REF
R2 VOUT
5
VIN
TCAP

-VCC

LM565
9

- Vee
CO

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LO9: Analyse a digital modulator or demodulator /Choose a suitable digital

modulation scheme for a given requirement [Knowledge area: Engineering
Science; GA1 partially developed]

3.4 A coherent QPSK demodulator block diagram is shown below.

𝐸 𝐸 2
If 𝑉𝑄𝑃𝑆𝐾 = √ cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) + √ sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡), 𝜙1 = √ cos (2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡),
𝑇 𝑇 𝑇
2
𝜙2 = √ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 (2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡), threshold = 0V, determine the recovered binary data. (9)
𝑇

Question 4 Unit 4: Antennas and radio wave propagation [20]

LO10: Analyse an antenna. [Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA1 partially

developed]

4.1 An antenna has a gain of 45 dB. It is fed by an RG-8/U foam transmission line
118 m long whose attenuation is 8.2 dB/100 m at 100 MHZ. The transmitter
output power is 140 W. Determine the ERP in watts. (4)

LO11: Design an antenna [Knowledge area: Design and Synthesis; GA3 partially
developed]

4.2 Design a helical antenna that will have a gain of 25.16 dB at a frequency of
950 MHz. Specify the required wavelength, diameter of the helix, spacing between
turns, gain ratio, number of turns and antenna length. (6)

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LO12: Apply radio wave propagation models.

[Knowledge area: Engineering Science; GA1 partially developed

4.3 An FM broadcast station has a receiving antenna located 70 m above average

terrain. It receives a signal from a car that is 60 km away. Determine the station
height of the transmitting antenna from the ground. (4)

4.4 Propagation parameters for a large city are as follows:

fC = 940MHz, hb = 38m, hm = 3.2m, d = 17km.
Determine the path loss using the free space model and mobile environment
model. (6)

Question 5 Unit 5: Analysis and design of communication systems [20]

LO13: Analyse a communication system [Knowledge area: Engineering Science;

GA1 partially developed]

5.1 A satellite downlink has the following specifications:

Satellite output power (saturation): 95 W; Satellite back-off loss: 0.5 dB; Satellite branching
and feeder loss: 0.5 dB; Additional atmospheric loss: 0.3 dB; Satellite station antenna
gain: 50 dB; Distance between transmit and receive antennas: 37500 km; Earth station
receive antenna gain: 66 dB; Earth station branching and feeder loss: 2 dB; Earth station
equivalent noise temperature: 890 K; System frequency: 4.06 GHz; Bit rate: 48 Mb/s;
Modulation: QPSK; Earth station bandwidth: 44 MHz;
𝐶
Determine the satellite downlink (𝑑𝐵) (9)
𝑁

5.2 Measurements are performed to determine the required radar transmitter power.
The following parameters are measured:
Frequency: 12 GHz
Antenna gain: 40 dB
Radar cross section: 100 𝑚2
Target range: 3km; Received power: 70 dBf
Determine the required transmitter power in watts and decibels. (5)

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LO14: Design a communication link [Knowledge area: Design and Synthesis;

GA3 partially developed]

5.3 Design (determine the received power in picowatts) a microwave communication

link to connect two towns that are 15 km apart. (6)
The link specifications are as follows:
Operating frequency: 10 GHz
Parabolic transmit antenna diameter and efficiency: 0.7 m, 68%
Parabolic receive antenna diameter and efficiency: 0.9 m, 70%
Transmitter output power: 70 W
Transmission line loss at the transmitter: 1.5 dB
Transmission line loss at the receiver: 1.8 dB
Fade margin: 45 dB.

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Useful Tables and Equations

Fourier series for common signals

1. Square wave

4𝑉 1 1
𝑣(𝑡) = [𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔𝑡 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛3𝜔𝑡 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛5𝜔𝑡 + ⋯ ]
𝜋 3 5

2. Pulse train

𝜋𝑡𝑜 2𝜋𝑡𝑜
𝑉𝑡𝑜 2𝑉𝑡𝑜 sin ( 𝑇 ) sin ( )
𝑇 𝑐𝑜𝑠2𝜔𝑡 + ⋯ ]
𝑣(𝑡) = + [ 𝜋𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜔𝑡 +
𝑇 𝑇 𝑜 2𝜋𝑡𝑜
𝑇 𝑇
3. Triangle wave

8𝑉 1 1
𝑣(𝑡) = − [𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜔𝑡 + 𝑐𝑜𝑠3𝜔𝑡 + 𝑐𝑜𝑠5𝜔𝑡 + ⋯ ]
𝜋2 9 25
4. Sawtooth wave

2𝑉 1 1 1
𝑣(𝑡) = [𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔𝑡 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛2𝜔𝑡 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛3𝜔𝑡 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛4𝜔𝑡 + ⋯ ]
𝜋 2 3 4

Noise
𝑁𝑅2 − 1 𝑁𝑅3 − 1
𝑁𝑅𝑇 = 𝑁𝑅1 + + +⋯
𝐴1 𝐴1 𝐴2
(𝑆/𝑁)𝑖
𝑁𝑅 =
(𝑆/𝑁)𝑜
NF = (S/N)i (dB) – (S/N)o (dB)
𝑁 = 𝑘𝑇𝐵

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Table 1: Bessel functions of the first kind, Jn(mf)

mf J0 J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 J10
0.00 1.00
0.25 0.98 0.12
0.5 0.94 0.24 0.03
0.75 0.86 0.35 0.07 0.01
1.0 0.77 0.44 0.11 0.02
1.25 0.65 0.51 0.17 0.04 0.01
1.5 0.51 0.56 0.23 0.06 0.01
1.75 0.37 0.58 0.29 0.09 0.02
2.0 0.22 0.58 0.35 0.13 0.03 0.01
2.25 0.08 0.55 0.40 0.17 0.05 0.01
2.4 0.00 0.52 0.43 0.20 0.06 0.02
2.5 -0.05 0.50 0.45 0.22 0.07 0.02 0.01
2.75 -0.16 0.43 0.47 0.26 0.10 0.03 0.01
3.0 -0.26 0.34 0.49 0.31 0.13 0.04 0.01
3.5 -0.38 0.14 0.46 0.39 0.20 0.08 0.03 0.01
4.0 -0.40 -0.07 0.36 0.43 0.28 0.13 0.05 0.01
4.5 -0.32 -0.23 0.22 0.42 0.35 0.20 0.08 0.03 0.01
5.0 -0.18 -0.33 0.05 0.36 0.39 0.26 0.13 0.05 0.02 0.01
5.5 0.00 -0.34 -0.12 0.26 0.40 0.32 0.19 0.09 0.03 0.01
6.0 0.15 -0.28 -0.24 0.11 0.36 0.36 0.25 0.13 0.06 0.02 0.01

Useful Trigonometric Identities

sinx siny = 0.5[cos(x-y) - cos(x+y)]
cosx cosy = 0.5[cos(x-y) + cos(x+y)]
sinx cosy = 0.5[sin(x-y) + sin(x+y)]
cosx siny = 0.5[sin(x-y) + sin(x+y)]

Useful Constants
Boltzmann’s constant k = 1.38 × 10-23 J/K
Electronic (fundamental) charge q = 1.602 × 10-19 C
Standard (absolute) temperature = 273K
Thermal voltage VT = 26 mV at room temperature
Speed of light c = 3 x 108m/s

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RF Circuits
𝑍𝐷 = 𝑄𝑢 𝑋𝐿
𝑅𝐿 (𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑) = 𝑛2 𝑅𝐿
1
𝑓𝑂 =
2𝜋√𝐿𝐶
𝑉𝑇
𝑟𝑒 =
𝐼𝐸
𝑅𝑐 (𝑒𝑓𝑓)
𝐴𝑣 (𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑂 )𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝐵 = 10𝑙𝑜𝑔 ( )
𝑛𝑟𝑒
𝑅𝐶 (𝑒𝑓𝑓)
𝑄𝐿 =
𝑋𝐿
𝑓𝑂
𝐵𝑊 =
𝑄𝐿
𝑛𝑝
𝑛=
𝑛𝑠

Table 2: Normalised Passive Butterworth Low-Pass Filters’ Design Table

(Rs = 1Ω, 1/Rs = 1Ω, RL = 1Ω)

Low-Pass Scaling Rules:

𝑅𝐿 𝐿𝑛 (𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒)
𝐿𝑛 (𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙) =
𝜔
𝐶𝑛 (𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒)
𝐶𝑛 (𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙) =
𝜔𝑅𝐿

High-Pass Scaling Rules:

𝑅𝐿
𝐿𝑛 (𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙) =
𝜔𝐶𝑛 (𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒)
1
𝐶𝑛 (𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙) =
𝜔𝑅𝐿 𝐿𝑛 (𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒)

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Modulation Schemes
𝑣𝐴𝑀 = (𝑉𝑐 + 𝑉𝑚 cos (2𝜋𝑓𝑚 𝑡)) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
𝑉𝑚
𝑚𝑎 =
𝑉𝑐
1
√ 2 −1
𝑚𝑎
𝐶≤
2𝜋𝑅𝑊
𝑉𝑐 𝑉𝑚
𝑣𝑈𝑆𝐵 = 𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋(𝑓𝑐 + 𝑓𝑚 )𝑡)
2
𝑉𝑐 𝑉𝑚
𝑣𝐿𝑆𝐵 = 𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋(𝑓𝑐 − 𝑓𝑚 )𝑡)
2
𝑣𝐹𝑀 = 𝑉𝑐 sin [(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) + 𝑚𝑓 sin (2𝜋𝑓𝑚 𝑡)
𝐵𝑇 (𝐹𝑀) = 2[𝑓𝑑 (𝑚𝑎𝑥) + 𝑓𝑚 (𝑚𝑎𝑥)]
𝑚𝑎2
𝑃𝐴𝑀 = 𝑃𝐶 (1 + )
2
2
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝐵 (𝑟𝑚𝑠)
𝑃𝑆𝑆𝐵 =
𝑅
𝑉𝑇2 (𝑟𝑚𝑠)
𝑃𝐹𝑀 =
𝑅
𝐽𝑛2 (𝑉𝑇 (𝑟𝑚𝑠)2
𝑃𝑛 =
𝑅
𝐶
𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐸𝑏 = 𝐶𝑇𝑏 =
𝑅𝑏
𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑘𝑇𝐵𝑇
𝑁𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑁𝑜 = = = 𝑘𝑇
𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝐵𝑇
𝐸𝑏 𝐶𝑇𝑏 𝐶 𝐶 𝐵𝑇
𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑁𝑅 = = = =
𝑁𝑜 𝑁𝑜 𝑅𝑏 𝑁𝑜 𝑁 𝑅𝑏
𝑅𝑏 𝐶 𝐸𝑏
𝜂𝐵 = (𝑑𝐵) = (𝑑𝐵) − (𝑑𝐵)
𝐵𝑇 𝑁 𝑁𝑜
𝐵𝑇 (𝐶𝐵𝐴𝑆𝐾) = 2𝑅𝑏
𝐵𝑇 (𝐶𝐵𝐹𝑆𝐾) = 3𝑅𝑏
𝐵𝑇 (𝐶𝐵𝑃𝑆𝐾) = 2𝑅𝑏
𝐵𝑇 (𝐶𝑄𝑃𝑆𝐾) = 𝑅𝑏

Antennas
𝑃𝑟 𝐼 2 𝑅𝑟 𝑅𝑟
𝜂= = =
𝑃𝑇 𝐼 2 𝑅𝑇 𝑅𝑇
𝜆
𝐿ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑓−𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑒 = 0.95
2
𝜆
𝐿𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑒 =
2
𝜆
𝐿𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑒 =
4
𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃(𝑑𝐵𝑚) = 𝑃𝑡 (𝑑𝐵𝑚) + 𝐺𝑡 (𝑑𝐵𝑖) − 𝐿𝑡 (𝑑𝐵)

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𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃(𝑑𝐵𝑊) = 𝑃𝑡 (𝑑𝐵𝑊) + 𝐺𝑡 (𝑑𝐵𝑖) − 𝐿𝑡 (𝑑𝐵)

15𝑁𝑆(𝜋𝐷)2
𝐺𝐻𝐴 =
𝜆3
52𝜆 𝜆
𝜃(ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙) = √
𝜋𝐷 𝑁𝑆
𝜂𝜋 2 𝐷2
𝐺(𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐) =
𝜆2
70𝜆
𝜃(𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐) =
𝐷

Radio wave propagation

𝑓𝑐
𝑓𝑚 =
𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃1
𝑑 = √17ℎ𝑡 + √17ℎ𝑟
𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 𝐺𝑟 𝜆2
𝑃𝑟 =
16𝜋 2 𝑑2
LO-H = A + B log (d) + C
𝐿𝑂𝐻 (𝑑𝐵) = 69.55 + 26.16𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑓𝑐 − 13.82𝑙𝑜𝑔ℎ𝑏 − 𝛼ℎ𝑚 + (44.9 − 6.55𝑙𝑜𝑔ℎ𝑏 )𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑑 + 𝐶
𝐿𝑂𝐻𝐸𝑥 (𝑑𝐵) = 46.3 + 33.9𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑓𝑐 − 13.82𝑙𝑜𝑔ℎ𝑏 − 𝛼ℎ𝑚 + (44.9 − 6.55𝑙𝑜𝑔ℎ𝑏 )𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑑 + 𝐶
For small and medium cities:
𝛼ℎ𝑚 = (1.1𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑓𝑐 − 0.7)ℎ𝑚 − (1.56𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑓𝑐 − 0.8),
For large cities (metropolitan areas):
2
𝛼ℎ𝑚 = 3.2(𝑙𝑜𝑔(11.75ℎ𝑚 )) − 4.97 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑐 ≥ 400𝑀𝐻𝑧, 𝐶 = 0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐿𝑂𝐻 , 𝐶 = 3 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐿𝑂𝐻𝐸𝑥 .

Communication system analysis and design

𝐶 𝑃𝑟 𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃 × 𝐺𝑟 𝐺𝑟
= = = 𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃(𝑑𝐵𝑊) + (𝑑𝐵𝐾 −1 ) − 𝐿𝑝 (𝑑𝐵) − 𝐿𝑎 (𝑑𝐵) − 𝑘(𝑑𝐵𝑊𝐾)
𝑁𝑜 𝑁𝑜 𝐿𝑝 𝐿𝑎 𝑘𝑇𝑠 𝑇𝑠
4𝜋𝑑
𝐿𝑝 = 20𝑙𝑜𝑔 ( )
𝜆
𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃(𝑑𝐵𝑊) = 𝑃𝑡 − 𝐿𝑏𝑜 − 𝐿𝑏𝑓 + 𝐺𝑡
𝐸𝑏 𝐶
(𝑑𝐵) − (𝑑𝐵) − 10𝑙𝑜𝑔(𝑅𝑏 )
𝑁𝑜 𝑁𝑜
𝐶 𝐸𝑏 𝑅𝑏
(𝑑𝐵) = (𝑑𝐵) + (𝑑𝐵)
𝑁 𝑁𝑜 𝐵𝑇
𝐶(𝑑𝐵𝑚) ≥ 𝐶𝑚𝑖𝑛 (𝑑𝐵𝑚) = 𝑃𝑡 (𝑑𝐵𝑚) + ∑ 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠(𝑑𝐵) − ∑ 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠(𝑑𝐵) − 𝐹𝑀(𝑑𝐵)
43 𝜋 3 𝑅4 𝑃𝑟
𝜎=
𝑃𝑡 𝐺 2 𝜆2

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