ELE 3203 Communication Systems

1. Calculate the thermal noise power in dBm of a system operating at room temp =27oC.
Assume for the two values below for the bandwidth.

a. 2 kHz bandwidth system.

Pn kT f
Pn 10log(1.38x10-23x(273+27)x2x103x103)= 140.82 dBm

b. 2 MHz bandwidth system.

Pn kT f
Pn  10log(1.38x10-23x(273+27)x2x106x103)= 110.82dBm

c. From your results explain what is the implication of using wider bandwidth
communication systems?

It increases noise.

2. A system operating at room temperature (27C) generates ─144dBm noise power. Determine the
operating bandwidth in Hz.

Pn−144dBm=10log(1.38x10-23x(273+27)xBWx103)
BW10−14.4/(1.38x10-23x(273+27)x103)=611.611Hz
ELE 3203 Communication Systems

3. A system operating at room temperature (27C) and 100Hz bandwidth. Determine the amount of noise
voltage assuming R = 50Ω.

en  4kT fR  4 1.38 1023  ( 273 27)  241.5 10

3
50 0.447 Volt

4. A receiver in a given communication system receives 1 V signal at its input. If the noise
measured at the same point is equal to 0.5 V, determine:

a. Signal to noise ratio (S/N) in dB?

b. If the minimum required S/N for the receiver is 10dB, determine if the signal quality is
GOOD or BAD.
c. What is the required signal voltage in (V) to achieve the minimum required S/N ratio?

S/N = 10log10 (1V/0.5V) = 3dB

BAD

S/N = 10log10 (Pin/0.5V) = 10dB  Pin = 0.5V 101 = 5V

5. A transistor amplifier has a measured S/N ratio of 16 at its input and 8 at its output. Calculate the NF
of the amplifier.

NF = 10log10 16/8 = 3dB

6. A transistor amplifier has a measured S/N ratio of 9dB at its input and 4dB at its output. Calculate the
NF of the amplifier.

NF = 9dB – 4dB = 5 dB
ELE 3203 Communication Systems

7. A communication system requires a minimum S/N ratio of 5 dB for an intelligent

demodulated signal at its output. If the measured noise level at the output is equal
─100dBm, and the signal level is -97 dBm. Is the demodulated signal intelligent (good) or
unintelligent (bad)?

What is the required minimum signal power for a good quality reception?

Not enough. It needs a signal level of at least -95 dBm.

8. A communication system uses a three stage amplifier. The first stage has a power gain of 16dB and
an NF 3 dB. The second has a gain of 15 dB and NF of 9 while the third stage has a power gain of 20
dB and NF = 8.

- Determine the overall gain of the system and the noise figure (NF).
- If the gain of the first amplifier is reduced to 5 dB, what is the effect on the overall noise figure?

Amp Amp Amp

NF1  3dB  NR1  2, NF2  9dB  NR2  7.94, NF3  8dB  NR3  6.3
G1  16dB  PG1  39.81,G2  15dB  PG 2  31.62, G3  20dB  PG 3  100

Overall gain = 16 + 15 +20 = 51dB

NR2  1 NR3  1 7.94 6.3 11

NRTotal  NR1    2   2+0.174 0.004 = 2.178
PG1 PG1 PG2 39.81 31.6239.81

NF 10 log10 (NRTotal )  10log10 (2.178)  3.38dB

NF1  3dB NR1  2, NF2  9dB  NR2  7.94, NF3  8dB  NR3  6.3
G1  5dB  G1P 3.16, G2  15dB  PG 2  31.62, G3  20dB  PG 3  100

NR2  1 NR3  1 7.94 6.3 11

NRTotal  NR1   2   2 2.194 0.053= 4.247
PG1 PG1 PG 2 3.16, 3.16 x 31.62

NF 10 log10 (NRTotal )  10log10 (4.247)  6.28dB

ELE 3203 Communication Systems

9. What is Shannon’s law? From Shannon’s law explain how to increase the capacity of digital
communications systems?

Shannon’s Law is a fundamental law used in telecommunications to compute

channel capacity given a certain bandwidth and noise level. Channel Capacity is the
maximum (upper bound) theoretical data transfer rate over a transmission medium
based on Bandwidth and Signal to Noise ratio. Capacity can be increased by
increasing the bandwidth or by decreasing the noise.

10. A communication system has a nominal 15dB SNR and operates at 100 kHz bandwidth. Compute
the channel capacity.

11. Using Shannon’s law determine the required bandwidth to support a communication system with
64kHz capacity and 10dB S/N.

 S C 64kHz 64kHz  log10 2

C  BW log 2 1    BW     18.43kHz
 N  S  log 2 1  10  log10 1  10 
log 2 1  
 N

12. Using Shannon’s law, determine the required S/N to support a communication system with 64 kHz
capacity and 18.5 kHz bandwidth.

 S  S C 64kHz S
C  BW log 2 1    log 2 1       10
 N  N  BW 18.5kHz N

7
 ELE 3203 Communication Systems

13. It is required to design a communication receiver that uses three amplifiers. If one of the
amplifiers has a noise figure (NF) of 3dB and a gain of 22 dB while the other amplifier has
NF value of 4dB and a gain of 30dB and the last amplifier has NF of 4dB and a gain of 45
dB. Determine the order of the amplifiers such that the designed receiver system has the
lowest total noise figure? Using the results and with the help of Friis equation, comment
on the effect of gain on the total noise figure?

Hint (find the total noise figure for all possible combinations of amplifiers i.e [1 2 3] [ 2 1 3]
… etc.)

Amp Amp Amp

PG1 = 22dB = 158.5, NF1=3dB  NR1 = 2

PG2 = 30dB = 1000, NF2=4dB  NR2 = 2.511 the amplifier with the lowest NF must
be at the first stage. Therefore, only
PG3 = 45dB = 31,622.78, NF3=4dB  NR3 = 2.511 two arrangements are possible!

1st arrangement: Amplifiers in the cascade: 1 – 2 - 3

NR2  1 NR3  1 2.511  1 2.511  1

NRTotal  NR1    2 
PG1 PG1  PG 2 158.5 158.5 1000

2nd arrangement: Amplifiers in the cascade: 1 - 3 – 2

NR2 1 NR3 1 2.511  1 2.5111

NRTotal  NR1    2 
PG1 PG1  PG 2 158.5 100031,622.78

The third term in for the second arrangement is lower than the third term in the first arrangement.
Therfore, the best arrangement is : Amplifiers in the cascade: 1 – 3 – 2.
ELE 3203 Communication Systems

14. A given communication receiver system is operated at o70 C and has an operating
bandwidth of 205 kHz. If the measured voltage at the receiver output is 1µV and the
output is terminated with 50Ω impedance. If the receiver requires a SNR of 20dB at the
demodulator output to produce a good quality signal, determine

a. The receiver noise in dBm?

b. The received signal power in dBm?

c. Find the SNR from your answers in part a&b, then determine if the received signal
quality “good” or “bad”?

d. The total channel capacity?

e. If your answer to part c is “bad” then determine the amount of BW required to make
the signal “good”?

hint (decreasing the BW reduces noise)

f. The new channel capacity?

Pn  kT f
Pn  10  log(1.38 1023  (273  70)  205 103 103 )  120.13dBm

S = V2/R = (10-6 V)2 / 50Ω = 210-14 W

PS = 10log10 (210-14 W / 10-3 W) = -107dBm

SNR = -107 – (-120.13) = 13.13 dB BAD

 S log (1  20.56)
C  BW log 2 1    205kHz  log 2 (1  20.56)  205kHz  10  911.3kHz
 N log10 2

To make the signal good, the BW must be reduced so that SNR = Ps - Pn = 20 dB  Pn = Ps –

20 dB = -107 dBm – 20 dB = -127 dBm = 210-16 W.

Δf = Pn /kT = 210-16 W / (1.3810-23343) = 42.253kHz

Therefore,

 S log (1  100)
C  BW log 2 1    42.253kHz  log 2 (1  100)  42.253kHz  10  282.3kHz
 N log10 2
 ELE 3203 Communication Systems

15. For the amplifier shown below answer the following :

No =-56dBm
Ni = -70dBm

Si = -55dBm NF = 4dB

a. What is the gain of the amplifier?

b. What is the signal at the output when Si = -55dBm

16. The figure below shows a group of communication blocks connected in a cascaded.
Find the values marked with a question mark?

?? W 8p W
?? W ?? W 0.8pW

3dB 6.02dB 0dB

?? dB ?? dB 10dB ?? dB

-100 dBm ?? dBm ?? dBm ?? dBm

?? dBm
XX ??dB
?? dB -127dB ?? dB ?? dB ?? dB

-130dB -127dB -120.97dB -110.97dB -110.97dB

-100dBm= 0.1pW 0.2pW=-97dBm 0.8pW=-90.97dBm 8pW=-80.97dBm -80.97dBm