Department of Electrical Engineering

EE365L: Communication Systems Lab

Course Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Qasim Dated: 22nd April 2025

Lab Instructor: Tawahaa Ahmed Semester: 6th

Class: BSEE-22 Session: Spring-25

Lab 10. Frequency Modulation Experimentation and Transmission

Using NI USRP Hardware Platform

Total
Name Roll number
(out of 35)

Checked on: ____________________________

Signature: ________________________
 9.1 Objectives

9.2 Background

m t
f t

f t fc k f m t , (1)

f k f mp

t
t 2 f d
0
t
(2)
2 f ct 2 k f m d 0.
0

Adopted from
Introduction to Communication Systems Lab Based Learning with NI USRP and LabVIEW
Communications by Bruce. A Black
0

g t Ac cos t
t
Ac cos 2 f ct 2 k f m d (3)
0

t
Ac cos 2 f ct 2 f m mp d .
0

t
j2 f m mp d
g t Ac e 0
. (4)
 (5)

(6)

(7)

t
j2 f m mp d
r t Ar e 0
. (8)

8
For those familiar with conventional FM demodulation, this step implements the limiter.
 dx t x n x n 1
. (9)
dt 1

g t
 Complete the program to demodulate the complex array returned by Fetch Rx Data and display
the result. Figure 3 shows an implementation of the FM demodulator, including extracting the
angle, unwrapping, differentiation, and lowpass filtering.

I From Fetch Rx Data�

�------�:J
low cut off li1s5oioofoo
..
....
Butterworth Filter (DBL)

order ""2,-----..____J
Build Waveform

Figure 3. FM Demodulator

Save your receiver in a file whose name includes the letters "FM Rx" and your initials (e.g.,
FMRx_BAB.gvl).

Questions
1. Find the frequency response of the integrator given by Eq. (7). Compare with the frequency
response of an ideal integrator. Is the discrete-time integrator more like an ideal integrator
when the frequency of the input is low or when it is high?

2. Find the frequency response of the differentiator given by Eq. (9). Compare with the frequency
response of an ideal differentiator. Is the discrete-time differentiator more like an ideal
differentiator when the frequency of the input is low or when it is high?

9.3 Lab Tasks

1. Connect a loopback cable and attenuator between the TX 1 and RX 2 connectors. Connect the
USRP to your computer and plug in the power to the USRP. Run LabVIEW and open the
transmitter and receiver that you created in the prelab.

Note that all graphs in this lab are taken on a linear scale (dB on = False).
BFM 2 f B , (10)
B
Inside the transmitter's while loop, create a second modulator, including a second integrator.
Create two front panel controls, "Carrier 1" and "Carrier 2" to set the carrier levels Ac for each
modulator. For simplicity, the two modulators can share a common peak frequency deviation.
Add the two FM baseband signals produced by your modulators together and send the sum to
the Build Waveform function that feeds the USRP Write Tx Data.

Set up your first message generator for three tones at 1 kHz, 2 kHz and 3 kHz. Set up the
second message generator for three tones at 100 Hz, 200 Hz, and 300 Hz. These two message
signals should be easy to distinguish at the receiver. Set the peak frequency deviation to 30,000
Hz.

At this point test your system by setting carrier 1 to 0.9 and carrier 2 to zero. Run the
transmitter and receiver and make sure that the receiver output matches message 1. Next, set
carrier 1 to zero and carrier 2 to 0.9 and make sure that the receiver output matches message 2.

At the receiver, add an FFT Power Spectrum and PSD to view the spectrum of the baseband
output. Label the horizontal axis "Frequency" and set the range to show o to 5000 Hz. It will be
easier to distinguish message 1 from message 2 in the frequency domain than in the time
domain.

Now you are ready to observe the capture effect! Start by setting carrier 1 to 0.4 and carrier 2
to o.6. Run the transmitter and receiver. Take a screenshot of the receiver's baseband output
spectrum. Repeat with carrier 1 set to 0.5 and carrier 2 set to 0.5. Repeat a third time with
carrier 1 set to o.6 and carrier 2 set to 0.4. You should find that in the first and third cases, the
receiver demodulates (captures) only the stronger signal. This is the capture effect: If two FM
signals are received at the same carrier frequency, the receiver will demodulate the stronger
signal, even if the stronger carrier is only slightly stronger than the weaker one.

67
9.4 Report
Prelab
Handin documentationforyourtransmitter and receiver programs. Also includedocumentation
for anyadditionalfunctionsyou mayhave created. To obtaindocumentation, print outlegible
screenshots ofthefront panel andblockdiagram.

Submityouranswers to the Questionsattheend ofthe Prelab section.

Lab
Submit the functions you created to implement the FM transmitter and receiver. Also submit any
additionalfunctionsyou mayhave created. Besure your files adhere tothe naming convention
described in the instructions above. Resubmit documentation for anyfunctionsyou modified
during the lab. 4 Marks

Submit the graphs required in Step 4. Be sure to indicate on each graph the bandwidth estimated
by Carson's rule. With reference particularly to the spectra for the three-tone message, does an FM
signal always have sidebands that are symmetrical with respect to the carrier? 4 Marks

Submit the graphs required in Step 5. Explain briefly how this sequence of graphs demonstrates
the capture effect. 2 Marks

68