*Revised and updated with new content for 2013*

Course Overview
In today’s ultra-competitive global wireless industry, the design-to-production cycle is of crucial importance. However, developing modern wireless products on time and to budget that meet specification presents many challenges. Advanced skills and knowledge are required not only to architect these systems and devise suitable circuit topologies, but also to solve the challenging integration and manufacturability issues. This revised and updated 3-day technical course focuses on the practical design and development of modern RF and wireless communications circuits and systems using common digital modulation standards such as GSM, 3GPP, LTE, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth and GPS. The course teaches both the theoretical and practical aspects of developing robust RF and wireless designs suitable for high-volume production.

Who Will Benefit?
The technical course is aimed at engineers, technicians and engineering managers working in the wireless communications industry. The audience typically includes RF engineers and technicians working in research and development, manufacturing test and production environments and systems engineers responsible for the architecture of RF communications systems. The course will also be of interest to technical managers who oversee these groups.

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe common digital modulation standards and modulation formats
- Explain the component-level measurements required to characterise digital modulation systems
- Explain the system-level measurements required to characterise digital modulation systems
- List the key features, strengths and weaknesses of common transceiver architectures
- Specify the key measurements for digital receivers and transmitters
- Identify the effects of PCB layout on system performance
- Use best practices to minimise PCB layout-related problems
- Understand integration risks
- Learn how to use verification methods to validate digital modulation systems

Business Benefits
The course will deliver the following business benefits:
- Reduced design and development times and costs
- Improved design and development efficiency
- Improved design quality and system performance
- Reduced development and project risks

Course Programme
The course content covers:
- Introduction to digital modulation systems
- System link block diagram - modulate, transmit, channel, receive, demodulate
- Resistance to fading, voice vs packet data, capacity
- IQ modulation representation, constellation, eye diagram display formats
- BPSK, QPSK, MSK
- Properties of Gaussian and RRC filtering
- Concept of ISI
- Channel characteristics
- Diversity, fading types, mitigation techniques
- Spread spectrum, OFDM, equalisation and training
- TDMA, FDMA, CDMA definitions
- TDD, FDD
- Constant envelope modulation examples
- Non-constant Envelope Modulation examples
- 802.11b (complementary code keying - spread spectrum)
- 802.11a (OFDM)
- Common modulation standards and implications for RF implementation
- GSM, GSM-EDGE, 3GPP (W-CDMA), LTE
- WiMAX 802.16 family, WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth, GPS
- Transceiver system considerations
- Common RF system components
- Mixer, oscillator, attenuator, modulator
- Power amplifier, directional coupler, duplexe
- Isolator, low noise amplifier, filter
- Demodulator, detector
- Antennas
- Imperfections due to distortion and noise
- Transceiver architectures and trade-offs
- Frequency planning
- Analysis of cascaded blocks
- TDD and FDD considerations
- Transceiver architectural examples
- GSM, Bluetooth and 3GPP examples
- RF component-level measurements
- Linear measurements
- Power, S-parameters, group delay
- Noise figure, phase noise
- Nonlinear measurements
- AM-AM and AM-PM calculated from IQ measurements
- Two-tone intermodulation, ACP
- GSM and W-CDMA measurement examples
- Modulation accuracy - EVM
- RMS, peak, 95th percentile
- Properties of small EVMs
- Load-pull
- Source and Load plane contours of gain, efficiency, ACP, EVM
- Receiver measurements
- BER, bit errors, block errors, frame erasure, sync errors
- Typical measurement system including loopback mode
- Sensitivity
- Definitions, e.g. 1E-3 BER point
- Receiver blocking mechanisms
- Selectivity measurements
- Spurious response measurements
- Measurement techniques
- Sweep of test interferer
- Measuring analogue IF/IQ/RSSI level
- Fabrication technologies
- PCB types
- Etching tolerances
- Board layer construction
- Vias/drill sizes
- Manufacturing design rules
- Thermal reliefs
- Pad sizes
- In-circuit test points
- Implications on RF performance
- TDR characterisation
- Integration of RF and baseband
- Processor clocks getting into receivers
- System planning to avoid harmonics at specific frequencies
- Reference spurs on VCOs
- Hot supply lines and control lines and system effect
- Design verification process
- What to test and what to look for at each prototype iteration
- Minimising number of prototype iterations required
- Integration do’s and don’ts
- Automated design verification
- Testing
- Case Studies
- PWT cordless handset/base for office PABX
- FSK data terminal
- DECT
- GSM (GMSK and EDGE) reference designs
- W-CDMA chipsets and reference designs

Course Level
Participants would normally be qualified to degree level or equivalent in an electronic engineering, physics or mathematics-related subject. They should also have a good understanding of the fundamentals of RF and wireless communications engineering.

Course Location
Onsite at your premises.

Dates & Times
Flexible according to your requirements.

What’s Included?
Course fees cover tuition and full-colour printed notes. Each participant will also receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Terms and Conditions
We encourage you to read our Terms and Conditions which cover important issues like payment and cancellation policies.

Further Information
If you require any further information then please call our office on +44 (0)845 680 2462.