Lesson 16 — EP for Communications

The same spread-spectrum instinct that protects a radar protects a data link. We smear a narrowband signal into noise with DSSS and FHSS, quantify the processing gain that lets a link survive a louder jammer, and ride a signal below the noise floor.

Reading

EP for Communications

Why narrowband is easy to jam, DSSS vs FHSS, processing gain = 10·log₁₀ N_chips, J/S relief, and LPD.

Flashcards

Review deck

Key terms and relations from the lesson, in a self-test deck.

Pre-flight

Pre-flight quiz

Five questions to work before class — anyone can be called to the board.

Slides

Lesson slides

The deck we work through in class, as a PDF you can annotate.

Demo

Spread-Spectrum Playground

Despread a signal to concentrate it and spread the jammer, and watch the BER collapse as G_p clears the deficit.