Communication Systems Engineering with GNU Radio

Book excerpt: An approachable guide to an invaluable radiofrequency communication toolkit Software-defined radio (SDR), which emerged in the 1990s, has become a core development method in certain high-profile fields, including military and space communications. High cost and problems with hardware availability, however, prevented this technology from being widely disseminated. The advent of low-cost hardware beginning in the 2010s, however, has made GNU Radio—the leading open-source software toolkit for developing SDR systems—an increasingly viable and even critical tool for a new generation of radiofrequency communication engineers. Communication Systems Engineering with GNU Radio provides an accessible overview of this toolkit and its applications. Beginning with the fundamentals of using GNU radio for digital signal processing, the volume then moves to the practicalities of decoding data and the advantages of accessing raw data normally unavailable in hardware-defined radiofrequency receivers. The result is a potentially crucial tool for engineers looking to adopt this cost-effective and flexible standard for transmitting and processing radiofrequency signals. Readers will also find: A careful balance of radio communications theory with GNU Radio practicalities Practical implementation examples employing well-developed open-source GNU Radio platforms Extensive accompanying documentation and explanation Communication Systems Engineering with GNU Radio is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students in communications systems courses, as well as professionals working in SDR.