EGB342 Telecommunications and RF

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This intermediate unit addresses core concepts, characteristics and performance requirements in analog and digital communications. Knowledge and skills developed in this unit are relevant to communication and signals stream in the electrical engineering major. This unit introduces basic building blocks of analog and digital modulation techniques for single and multi-user communications, as well as fundamentals of RF relevant to telecommunications. You will learn to use time and frequency domain signal analysis, apply information theory to compress digital data, choose appropriate modulation techniques to transmit signals, analyze the performance of communication systems in noisy channels and fundamental RF building blocks of telecommunications systems. You will build on this unit in EGH443 Advanced Telecommunications and RF and EGH444 Digital Systems and Image processing by strengthening your analytical skills for designing and analyzing more advanced systems.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Incorporate social and professional accountability in devising solutions to telecoms and signal processing problems, at a developed level.
2. Interpret, report and critically reflect on problem solutions using appropriate information display methods, at a developed level.
3. Apply knowledge and understanding of key telecoms and signal processing methods and RF buildings blocks of telecommunications systems, at a developed level.
4. Investigate and solve contextualized practical telecoms engineering problems using abstraction and interpretation methods, by collaborating in a team-based setup at a developed level

Content

Learning Approaches

Teaching Mode:
Lectures with embedded interactive components - 3 hours per week (2+1)
Tutorials - 2 hours per week

Learning approaches:
This unit will be delivered using interactivity-fortified lectures, blended with inverted classroom components. The Tutorials will contain small group work on problems solved using analytical development (by hand) alternated with Matlab based exercises. The alternating pattern is designed to combine the analytical skill development while addressing the communications and professional aspects of the unit learning outcomes.

Lecture sessions will build on students pre-lecture reading materials to introduce and facilitate the definition of the technical areas to be addressed. Tutorial and group activities will further refine the technical skill development and examine solution strategies. Submission of individual and team assignment solutions, in the form of reports and Matlab code, will be supported by the feedback and discussions planned to occur during lecture sessions, to close the cycle of problem formulation, analysis, solution and reflection.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Formative feedback will be provided throughout the semester during the weekly tutorial sessions. Review of submitted assessment items will provide both summative and formative feedback.

Assessment

Overview

The assessment for this unit is designed to measure your acquisition of key concepts and your ability to apply and implement theoretical developments to contextualized communications engineering problems. You will be working individually as well as in small teams solving problems using a variety of analytical and computer-based design techniques, including the use of the Matlab environment. Wherever possible a project based approach to assignment design will be utilized, to assist with contextualization and enhance the relevance of assignment tasks.

Where relevant, students are advised to use GenAI ethically and responsibly. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Problem Solving Task

Project-based tasks addressing a telecommunications scenario. A combination of problem-solving and computer programming tasks. You will also work with radio receiver to observe and report RF spectrum usage. This assessment includes elements of written report and coding submissions and a reflection discussing problems encountered and lessons learned. 

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is allowed in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Design of an RF receiver

In this assignment, you will work as a group to design a conceptual RF receiver and synthesize a system that meets a set of technical requirements. The results should be submitted in the form of a technical report. Peer and Self-Assessment will be used for the moderation of grades in addition to other means.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is allowed in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Examination (written)

On campus invigilated examination held during the end of semester examination period. This exam will assess your ability to apply core concepts from analog and digital communications, including modulation techniques, signal analysis, and RF fundamentals. You will demonstrate your understanding by solving problems related to communication system design and performance.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

J.G. Proakis and M. Salehi, Fundamentals of Communication Systems, Pearson.

Reference book(s)

W.D. Stanley and J.M. Jeffords, Electronic Communications: Principles and Systems

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit, as all classes will be held in lecture theatres and small group tutorial rooms. Emergency exits and assembly areas will be made apparent to all attending students. You are referred to the University policy on health and safety (http://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/A/A_09_01.jsp)

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer

1: Knowledge and Skill Base

1. 
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
2. 
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
3. 
   Relates to: Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
4. 
   Relates to: Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)

2: Engineering Application Ability

1. 
   Relates to: Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
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   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
3. 
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)

3: Professional and Personal Attributes

1. 
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver
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Course Learning Outcomes

EN01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Make decisions ethically within the social, cultural, and organisational contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO1, Problem Solving Task
2. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
   Relates to: ULO2, Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
3. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO4, Design of an RF receiver
4. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO3, Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
5. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO4

EV01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
2. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
3. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Problem Solving Task, Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)
4. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Design of an RF receiver, Examination (written)