MATLAB and Simulink Training

Wireless Communications Systems Design with MATLAB and USRP Software-Defined Radios

View schedule and enroll

Course Details

This two-day course shows how to design and simulate single- and multi-carrier digital communications systems using MATLAB®. Multi-antenna and turbo-coded communication systems are introduced, and different channel impairments and their modeling are demonstrated. Components from LTE and IEEE 802.11 systems will be used as examples. The instructor will demonstrate a radio-in-the-loop system using real-time hardware (RTL-SDR and USRP®).

The target audience for this course includes system engineers and RF engineers who need a fast ramp-up on modern communication techniques and the radio-in-the-loop workflow.

Day 1 of 2


Communication over a Noiseless Channel

Objective: Modeling an ideal single-carrier communications system and becoming familiar with System objects.

  • Sampling theorem and aliasing
  • Using complex baseband versus real passband simulation
  • Creating a random bit stream
  • Discovering System objects and their benefits
  • Modulating a bit stream using QPSK
  • Applying pulse-shaping to the transmitted signal
  • Using eye diagrams and spectral analysis
  • Modeling a QPSK receiver for a noiseless channel
  • Computing bit error rate

Noisy Channels, Channel Coding, and Error Rates

Objective: Modeling an AWGN channel. Using convolutional, LDPC, and turbo codes to reduce bit error rate. Error correcting codes from DVB-S.2 and LTE systems are used as examples. Accelerating simulations using multiple cores.

  • Modeling an AWGN channel
  • Using channel coding and decoding: convolutional, LDPC, and turbo codes
  • Decoding using Trellis diagram and Viterbi algorithm
  • Using Parallel Computing Toolbox to accelerate Monte Carlo simulations
  • Discussion of alternative acceleration methods: GPUs, MATLAB Distributed Computing Server™, Cloud Center

Timing and Frequency Errors and Multipath Channels

Objective: Modeling frequency offset, timing jitter errors, and mitigation using frequency and timing synchronization techniques. Modeling flat fading, multipath channels, and mitigation using equalizers.

  • Modeling phase and timing offsets
  • Mitigating frequency offset using a PLL
  • Mitigating timing jitter using Gardner timing synchronization
  • Modeling flat fading channels
  • Using training sequences for channel estimation
  • Modeling frequency selective fading channels
  • Using Viterbi equalizers for time-invariant channels and LMS linear equalizers for time-varying channels
  • Demonstration of a real-time demodulation of single-carrier broadcast using RTL-SDR

Day 2 of 2


Multicarrier Communications Systems for Multipath Channels

Objective: Understanding motivation for multicarrier communications systems for frequency selective channels. Modeling an OFDM transceiver with a cyclic prefix and windowing. System parameter values from IEEE 802.11ac and LTE will be used.

  • Motivation for multicarrier communications
  • Introduction to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
  • OFDM symbol generation using the IFFT
  • Inter-block interference prevention using a cyclic prefix
  • Reduction of out-of-band emissions using windowing
  • Advantages and disadvantages of OFDM
  • Timing and frequency recovery methods for OFDM
  • Channel estimation using pilot symbols
  • Frequency domain equalization

Using Multiple Antennas for Robustness and Capacity Gains

Objective: Understanding alternative multiple antenna communications system. Modeling beamforming, diversity, and spatial multiplexing systems. Constructing a MIMO-OFDM system for wideband communications. MIMO modes of IEEE 802.11ac and LTE will be discussed.

  • Advantages and types of multi-antenna systems
  • Transmit and receive beamforming
  • Receive diversity techniques
  • Transmit diversity using orthogonal space-time block codes
  • Narrowband multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) channel model
  • MIMO channel estimation
  • Spatial multiplexing using ZF and MMSE equalization
  • Wideband communications using an MIMO-OFDM system

Building a Radio-in-the-Loop System

Objective: Understanding the radio-in-the-loop development workflow. Using RTL-SDRs and USRPs as radio-in-the-loop development platforms.

  • Overview of the radio-in-the-loop workflow
  • MathWorks communications hardware support (RTL-SDR, ADALM-PLUTO, USRP, Zynq®-Based Radio)
  • Hardware alternative comparison (pros/cons table)
  • Different RIL transmit and receive modes (single burst, looped, streamed)
  • Creation of an end-to-end single-antenna multicarrier communications system using a USRP
  • Demonstration of a 2x2 OFDM-MIMO over-the-air system using USRPs

Level: Intermediate

Prerequisites:

Duration: 2 days

Languages: English

View schedule and enroll