Lab 5.

Simulating a Binary Communication Channel

Stochastic Processes
Prof. Vinicio Carrera

Introduction

A binary symmetric channel is a common communications channel model used in coding theory and
information theory. In this model, a transmitter wishes to send a bit (a zero or a one), and the receiver
receives a bit. It is assumed that the bit is usually transmitted correctly, but that it will be flipped
with a small probability (the crossover probability). This channel is used frequently in information theory
because it is one of the simplest channels to analyze.

Analyzing a Noisy Communication Channel

In this lab, our goal is to simulate the noisy channel discussed above. To generate random zeros and
ones, we must first create a Matlab function make Bernoulli matrix(m,n,p) that generates a matrix
m n of zeros and ones, where the probability of being 1 for each element of the matrix is equal to p.
That function will be used with with parameters n = 1 and p = 0.5. The parameter m defines the
number of transmitted digits. Then, we modulate the transmitted bits in the following way: if a 0 is sent,
we modulate it as 1, and if 1 is sent, we modulate it as +1. Next, we multiply the modulated digits
by . At this point, we generate an independent sample from a standard normal distribution, multiply
it by , and then add it to the modulated digit (). Note that for each modulated digit, we generate a
different sample from the normal distribution.

Figure 1: A simple model for a binary communication channel.

The result is the noisy output Y = + N . To decode the transmission, we say a 0 was transmitted
if Y 0, and a 1 is transmitted if Y > 0. The overall proposed system is shown in figure 1

2.1

Assignment

Derive a formula for P (E). Then from your simulations of Y , experimentally estimate the P (E). You do
this by incrementing an error counter whenever Y 0 for a transmitted 1 and Y > 0 for a transmitted
0. Divide the number of errors by the number of transmissions.
Estimate P (E) for = 5, m = 1000, and = 50, 25, 5, 2.5, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.05. Overplot the estimated
2
P (E) and the exact P (E) vs. SN R = 10 log10 ( 2 ). What do you conclude from this plot?

Lab write-up

For each one of the assignments of this lab, the lab write up must start determining the problem you are
attempting to solve, or what you are testing. After that, you should determine your theoretical solution
Material

based on the course Introduction to Communications Principles from Colorado State University

to the problem or predicted outcome to the test (this is your hypothesis). Then, write the code and
explain the process (i.e., exact steps) and measurements you took. Next, record your observations in
clear, logical manner include any errors in your data, or data that is extreme and does not fit with
the other data. Include code, graphs, and example plays. Finally, place a summary of the experiment,
including your thoughts on the issues and whether or not your data actually supported the evidence.

Conclusion

In this lab, a model for a binary communication channel has been analyzed.