TABLE OF CONTENTS The aim of this book is to present the key underlying signal-processing principles used in software-defined radio (SDR) analysis and design. The various chapters span topics ranging from analog and digital modulation to radio frequency (RF) and digital signal processing and data conversion. Although the intent is to cover material relevant to the signal processing used in SDR, the same material could be applied to study more traditional radio architectures.
The SDR forum [1] defines SDR as a " radio in which some or all of the physical layer functions are software defined." This implies that the architecture is flexible such that the radio may be configured, occasionally in real time, to adapt to various air standards and waveforms, frequency bands, bandwidths, and modes of operation. That is, the SDR is a multifunctional, programmable, and easy to upgrade radio that can support a variety of services and standards while at the same time provide a low-cost power-efficient solution. This is definitely true compared to, say, a Velcro approach where the design calls for the use of multiple radios employing multiple chipsets and platforms to support the various applications. The Velcro approach is almost inevitably more expensive and more power hungry and not in the least compact. For a device that supports multi-mode multi-standard functionality, SDR offers an over all attractive solution to a very complex problem. In a digital battlefield scenario, for example, a military radio is required to provide an airborne...
