TITLE

:
Analysis of Signal Distortion over a
Communication Channel

DATE OF
EXPERIMENT : Fall 2024

LAB NUMBER : 6

NAME :

ROLL NO :
 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

Instructions:
1. You are required to complete and submit ALL the tasks given at the end of each tutorial during
your lab timings strictly.
2. Please show your complete work, through Simulink models and results for lab performance.
3. Save your models after performing each step to avoid loss of your work due to any reason.
Objective:
In this lab, you will learn to conduct simulation in Simulink to explore the concepts of different types of
signal distortions in communication systems.

6.1 Signal Distortions in a Communication System:

A signal transmitted over a channel is distorted because of various channel imperfections. Mainly three
types of signal distortions will be considered and analyzed in this lab.
Linear distortion: Signal distortion can be caused by a channel whenever there are non-ideal
characteristics exhibited by either the magnitude, the phase or both. For example, if the amplitude
response | H (ω)| of a channel is not constant i.e. it’s variable with frequency ω , then every frequency
component of the transmitted signal gets multiplied with a different factor, which overall may cause
spreading/dispersion in time domain and sporadic distortion in frequency domain.
Nonlinear distortion: Signals with larger amplitudes suffer from non-linearities introduced by the
communication channel. For example, a memoryless nonlinear channel can non-linearly distort an
input signal x ¿) to generate y (t ), satisfying following equation:
2 3 k
y (t )=a 0+ a1 x (t)+ a2 ( x(t))+ a 3(x (t))+ ⋯+ a k (x ( t ))+⋯ , (6.1)

that causes output spectrum to spread well beyond the input/transmitted spectrum and introduce new
frequency components that are not contained in the input signal. Satellite channels, due to the use of
high-power amplifiers (e.g., SSPA or TWTA) can introduce nonlinear distortion. Practical amplifiers
produce nonlinear distortion if the input amplitude is large.
Multipath distortion: A multipath transmission takes place when a transmitted signal arrives at the
receiver by two or more paths of different delays. Such distortion is exhibited by Figure 6.1. This type
of channel response introduces non-idealities in the transmitted signal and may also be the cause of
destructive interference at certain frequencies.

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 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

Figure 6.1 Model of a multipath transmission

6.2 Tutorial #1: Simulink model for Linear Distortion:

In this Section, Simulink model will be designed to understand time and frequency domain effects due to
linear distortion.
i. Read the provided AudioSample1.mp3 file in a new Simulink model.
ii. Drag the block Variable Bandwidth FIR Filter from the library DSP System
Toolbox/Filtering/Filter Designs. For this tutorial, Variable Bandwidth FIR Filter block is
assumed as the communication channel that has a variable amplitude response. Double
click the block and make following changes in the parameters as shown in Figure 6.2.

Figure 6.2 Parameters setting of the Variable Bandwidth FIR Filter block

You may have noticed that the communication channel is assumed to be a bandpass filter with center
frequency as well as a total bandwidth of 10 kHz. Click on the View Filter Response to check the
amplitude response of your designed filter (assumed to be a channel’s response).

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 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

iii. Drag the desired blocks in your designing space and complete your model as shown in Figure
6.3.

Figure 6.3 Simulink model to analyze a transmitted signal suffering from linear distortion in the
communication channel

iv. Run your simulation for 1 second and observe the output in the four Time Scope and Spectrum
Analyzer blocks.
v. Repeat Step (iv) after changing the FIR filter order in the Variable Bandwidth FIR Filter block
to 20 and 30 subsequently. Do view the filter response first.
vi. Record your observations for the effect on output signals (both in time- and frequency-domain)
when channel introduces linear distortion in the input/transmitted signal. Can linear distortion
be removed by filtering?
Task #1
Read the provided file CommChannel.wav in MATLAB as:
>> h_large = audioread('CommChannel.wav');
We will now use the coefficients in h_large to design our filter in Simulink. Further, run the following
commands in MATLAB:
>> h_small = h_large(1:1000);
>> filter = h_small./( h_small.^2);

In Simulink, generate a sum of three sine waves with frequencies f 1= ( XX−1

90
+1 ) kHz, f =(
2
XX−1
90
+2 ) kHz,

and f3= 5( XX−1

90 )
+10 kHz. Connect the output of the summed signal to Digital Filter Design block.

Double click this block to open the block parameters. Under Filter Coefficients, set Filter Structure:
Direct-Form FIR, Numerator: filter, Units: Hz, and Fs = 50e3. Click on Import filter to import the filter
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 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

from MATLAB to Simulink. Run simulation in Simulink to view the results in time and frequency
domain.

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 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

The Magnitude Response you can view on Block parameters: Digital Filter Design presents perfect
example of a channel with linear distortion. You can notice that every component in the input
(transmitted signal) is being affected by a different attenuation factor while the signal passes through the
channel.

6.3 Tutorial #2: Simulink model for Nonlinear Distortion:

In this Section, Simulink model will be designed to understand time and frequency domain effects due to
non-linear distortion.
i. Design an input signal to be a sum of three sine waves with parameters as follows:
a. Sine Wave1: amplitude = 10, frequency = 5 kHz.
b. Sine Wave2: amplitude = 100, frequency = 10 kHz.
c. Sine Wave3: amplitude = 1000, frequency = 15 kHz.
Set a small enough sample time (e.g. 1e-5) of the Sine wave blocks to fulfill the requirement of Spectrum
Analyzer block. Enclose this input in a “subsystem” block.
ii. Implement a communication channel such as to satisfy following input/output relation:
2
y (t )¿=0.42+2 ×0.42 ¿ x (t)+3 ×0.42 ¿(x (t )) . (6.2)

Your communication channel shall be enclosed in a “subsystem” block.

iii. Drag the desired blocks in your designing space and complete your model as shown in Figure
6.4.
iv. Run your simulation for 1 second.

Figure 6.4 Simulink model to analyze a transmitted signal suffering from non-linear
distortion in the communication channel

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 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

ii. Record your observations for the effect on output signals (both in time- and frequency-domain),
when channel introduces non-linear distortion in the input/transmitted signal. Can non-linear
distortion be removed by filtering?

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 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS LAB (308202)

6.4 Tutorial #3: Simulink model for Multipath Distortion:

In this Section, Simulink model will be designed to understand time and frequency domain effects due to
multipath distortion.
i. Use the “summed input signal”, as used in Section 6.3, now with amplitudes and frequencies:
a. Sine Wave1: amplitude = 100, f1 = 100 Hz,
b. Sine Wave2: amplitude = 1000, f2 = 200 Hz,
c. Sine Wave3: amplitude = 10, f3 = 500 Hz.
ii. Drag the desired blocks in your designing space and complete the model as shown in Figure 6.5.

Figure 6.5 Simulink model to analyze a transmitted signal suffering from multipath distortion in the
communication channel

iii. Run your simulation for 0.4 seconds.

iv. Record your observations for the effect on output signals (both in time- and frequency-domain),
when channel introduces multipath distortion in the input/transmitted signal. Can multipath
distortion be removed by filtering?
Task #2:
In this task you will develop a Simulink model for destructive interference.
Develop a summed signal with two sine waves, with following specifications:
Sine Wave1: amplitude = 4, frequency = 10 Hz.
π

Sine Wave2: amplitude = 4 , frequency = 30 Hz.

3π

Set the sample time to be 1e-4. Assemble the model as you did in Section 6.4. Add the input signal with
its delayed version of 500-time units. Run your simulation for 1 second and develop and analyze the time
and frequency domain input and output signals.
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