Digital Transmission

* Line coding is the process of converting binary data to a digital signal.

* The number of different values allowed in a signal is the signal level. The number of symbols
that represent data is the data level.
* Bit rate is a function of the pulse rate and data level.
* Line coding methods must eliminate the dc component and provide a means of synchronization
between the sender and the receiver.
* Line coding methods can be classified as unipolar, polar, or bipolar.
* NRZ, RZ, Manchester, and differential Manchester encoding are the most popular polar
encoding methods.
* AMI is a popular bipolar encoding method.
* Block coding can improve the performance of line coding through redundancy and error
correction.
* Block coding involves grouping the bits, substitution, and line coding.
* 4B/5B, 8B/10B, and 8B/6T are common block coding methods.
* Analog-to-digital conversion relies on PCM (pulse code modulation).
* PCM involves sampling, quantizing, and line coding.
* The Nyquist theorem says that the sampling rate must be at least twice the highest-frequency
component in the original signal.
* Digital transmission can be either parallel or serial in mode.
* In parallel transmission, a group of bits is sent simultaneously, with each bit on a separate line.
* In serial transmission, there is only one line and the bits are sent sequentially.
* Serial transmission can be either synchronous or asynchronous.
* In asynchronous serial transmission, each byte (group of 8 bits) is framed with a start bit and a
stop bit. There may be a variable-length gap between each byte.
* In synchronous serial transmission, bits are sent in a continuous stream without start and stop
bits and without gaps between bytes. Regrouping the bits into meaningful bytes is the
responsibility of the receiver.

Multiple Choice Quiz

(See related pages)

Results Reporter
Out of 48 questions, you answered 14 correctly, for a final grade of 29%.

14 correct (29%)
34 incorrect (71%)
0 unanswered (0%)
0 ungraded (0%)
Please answer all questions.

Your Results:
The correct answer for each question is indicated by a

CORREC Unipolar, bipolar, and polar encoding are types of _______ encoding.
T

A)

B)

line

block

C)

D)

NRZ

Manchester

INCORRE _______ encoding has a transition at the middle of each bit.

CT

A)

B)

C)

Manchester

Differential Manchester

D)

RZ

All the above

INCORRE _______ encoding has a transition at the beginning of each 0 bit.

CT

A)

B)

C)

Manchester

Differential Manchester

D)

All the above

RZ

INCORRE PCM is an example of _______ conversion.

CT

A)

digital-to-digital

B)

digital-to-analog

C)

analog-to-analog

D)

analog-to-digital

If the frequency spectrum of a signal has a bandwidth of 500 Hz with

INCORRE
5
the highest frequency at 600 Hz, what should be the sampling rate,
CT
according to the Nyquist theorem?

A)

200 samples/s

B)

500 samples/s

C)

1000 samples/s

D)

1200 samples/s

INCORRE The Nyquist theorem specifies the minimum sampling rate to be_______.
CT

A) equal to the lowest frequency of a signal

B) equal to the highest frequency of a signal

C) twice the bandwidth of a signal

D) twice the highest frequency of a signal

INCORRE Which of the following encoding methods does not provide for
CT
synchronization?

A)

NRZ-L

B)

C)

D)

RZ

NRZ-I

Manchester

CORREC Which encoding method uses alternating positive and negative values
T
for 1s?

A)

NRZ-I

B)

C)

RZ

Manchester

D)

AMI

INCORRE Which quantization level results in a more faithful reproduction of the

CT
signal?

C)

A)

B)

16

D)

32

1INCORRE Block coding can help in _______ at the receiver.

0CT

A)

Synchronization

B)

Error detection

C)

Attenuation

D)

(a) and (b)

1CORREC In _______ transmission, bits are transmitted simultaneously, each

1T
across its own wire.

A)

Asynchronous serial

B)

Synchronous serial

C)

D)

Parallel

(a) and (b)

1CORREC In _______ transmission, bits are transmitted over a single wire, one at a
2T
time.

A)

asynchronous serial

B)

synchronous serial

C)

D)

parallel

(a) and (b)

1INCORRE In _______ transmission, a start bit and a stop bit frame a character byte.
3CT

A)

asynchronous serial

B)

synchronous serial

C)

parallel

D)

(a) and (b)

1INCORRE In asynchronous transmission, the gap time between bytes is _______.

4CT

A)

B)

fixed

variable

C) a function of the data rate

D)

zero

1INCORRE ___________ conversion involves three techniques: line coding, block

5CT
coding, and scrambling.

A)

Analog-to-digital

B)

Digital-to-analog

C)

Analog-to-analog

D)

Digital-to-digital

1CORREC ________ is the process of converting digital data to a digital signal.

6T

A)

D)

Block coding

B)

Line coding

C)

Scrambling

None of the above

1INCORRE _______ provides redundancy to ensure synchronization and inherent

7CT
error detection.

A)

Block coding

B)

Line coding

C)

Scrambling

D)

None of the above

1CORREC ________ is normally referred to as mB/nB coding; it replaces each m-bit

8T
group with an n-bit group.

A)

D)

Block coding

B)

Line coding

C)

Scrambling

None of the above

1CORREC ________ provides synchronization without increasing the number of bits.

9T

A)

Scrambling

B)

Line coding

C)

D)

Block coding

None of the above

2INCORRE Two common scrambling techniques are ________.

0CT

A)

B)

C)

NRZ and RZ

AMI and NRZ

B8ZS and HDB3

D) Manchester and differential Manchester

2INCORRE The most common technique to change an analog signal to digital data
1CT
is called __________.

A)

B)

C)

D)

PAL

PCM

sampling

none of the above

2INCORRE The first step in PCM is ________.

2CT

A)

quantization

B)

C)

modulation

sampling

D)

none of the above

2INCORRE There are three sampling methods: __________.

3CT

A) quantized, sampled, and ideal

B) ideal, sampled, and flat-top

C) ideal, natural, and flat-top

D)

none of the above

2INCORRE ______ finds the value of the signal amplitude for each sample; ____ finds
4CT
the change from the previous sample.

A)

DM; PCM

B)

PCM; DM

C)

D)

DM; CM

none of the above

2INCORRE While there is (are) only _____ way(s) to send parallel data, there is (are)
5CT
three subclass(es) of serial transmission.

A)

one; two

B)

two; three

C)

one; three

D)

none of the above

2INCORRE In ______ transmission, we send 1 start bit (0) at the beginning and 1 or
6CT
more stop bits (1s) at the end of each byte.

A)

synchronous

B)

C)

D)

asynchronous

isochronous

none of the above

In _________ transmission, we send bits one after another without start

2INCORRE
or stop bits or gaps. It is the responsibility of the receiver to group the
7CT
bits.

A)

synchronous

B)

asynchronous

C)

D)

isochronous

none of the above

2INCORRE The ________ mode provides synchronization for the entire stream of bits
8CT
must. In other words, it guarantees that the data arrive at a fixed rate.

A)

synchronous

B)

asynchronous

C)

D)

isochronous

none of the above

2CORREC A _________ digital signal includes timing information in the data being
9T
transmitted.

A)

self-synchronizing

B)

self-modulated

C)

self-transmitted

D)

none of the above

3CORREC In decoding a digital signal, the receiver calculates a running average of

0T
the received signal power, called the _______.

A)

baseline

B)

base

C)

D)

line

none of the above

3CORREC The ________ rate defines the number of data elements sent in 1s; the
1T
______ rate is the number of signal elements sent in 1s.

A)

data; signal

B)

signal; data

C)

D)

baud; bit

none of the above

3CORREC The signal rate is sometimes called the ____ rate.

2T

A)

baud

B)

C)

D)

bit

signal

none of the above

3INCORRE The data rate is sometimes called the ___ rate.

3CT

A)

baud

B)

C)

D)

bit

signal

none of the above

3INCORRE In a _____ scheme, all the signal levels are on one side of the time axis,
4CT
either above or below.

A)

B)

C)

D)

polar

bipolar

unipolar

all of the above

In ______ schemes, the voltages are on the both sides of the time axis.
3CORREC
For example, the voltage level for 0 can be positive and the voltage
5T
level for 1 can be negative.

A)

B)

C)

polar

bipolar

unipolar

D)

all of the above

3INCORRE In _____, the level of the voltage determines the value of the bit.
6CT

A)

B)

C)

D)

NRZ-I

NRZ-L

both (a) and (b)

neither (a) nor (b)

3CORREC In ______, the change or lack of change in the level of the voltage
7T
determines the value of the bit.

A)

B)

NRZ-I

NRZ-L

C)

D)

both (a) and (b)

neither (a) nor (b)

3CORREC The idea of RZ and the idea of NRZ-L are combined into the ________
8T
scheme.

A)

B)

Manchester

differential Manchester

C)

D)

both (a) and (b)

neither (a) nor (b)

3INCORRE The idea of RZ and the idea of NRZ-I are combined into the ________
9CT
scheme.

A)

Manchester

B)

differential Manchester

C)

D)

both (a) and (b)

neither (a) nor (b)

In _______ encoding, the duration of the bit is divided into two halves.
4INCORRE The voltage remains at one level during the first half and moves to the
0CT
other level in the second half. The transition at the middle of the bit
provides synchronization.

A)

B)

differential Manchester

C)

D)

Manchester

both (a) and (b)

neither (a) nor (b)

4INCORRE In ___________ there is always a transition at the middle of the bit, but
1CT
the bit values are determined at the beginning of the bit. If the next bit

is 0, there is a transition; if the next bit is 1, there is none.

A)

B)

Manchester

differential Manchester

C)

D)

both (a) and (b)

neither (a) nor (b)

4INCORRE In Manchester and differential Manchester encoding, the transition at

2CT
the middle of the bit is used for __________.

A)

B)

C)

D)

bit transfer

baud transfer

synchronization

none of the above

4INCORRE The minimum bandwidth of Manchester and differential Manchester is

3CT
____ that of NRZ.

A)

the same as

B)

C)

D)

twice

thrice

none of the above

4INCORRE In _______encoding, we use three levels: positive, zero, and negative.

4CT

A)

unipolar

B)

bipolar

C)

D)

polar

none of the above

4INCORRE The _____ scheme uses data patterns of size 2 and encodes the 2-bit
5CT
patterns as one signal element belonging to a four-level signal.

A)

B)

C)

D)

4B5B

2B1Q

MLT-3

none of the above

4INCORRE The ______ scheme uses three levels (+V, 0, and -V) and three transition
6CT
rules to move between the levels.

A)

B)

C)

D)

4B5B

2B1Q

MLT-3

none of the above

4INCORRE ______ substitutes eight consecutive zeros with 000VB0VB.

7CT

A)

B)

C)

D)

B4B8

HDB3

B8ZS

none of the above

4INCORRE ______ substitutes four consecutive zeros with 000V or B00V

8CT

A)

B4B8

B)

HDB3

C)

B8ZSf

D)

none of the above

CHAPTER 4

Digital Transmission
Solutions to Odd-Numbered Review Questions and Exercises
Review Questions
1. The three different techniques described in this chapter are line coding, block coding,
and scrambling.
3. The data rate defines the number of data elements (bits) sent in 1s. The unit is bits
per second (bps). The signal rate is the number of signal elements sent in 1s. The
unit is the baud.
5. When the voltage level in a digital signal is constant for a while, the spectrum creates
very low frequencies, called DC components, that present problems for a system
that cannot pass low frequencies.
7. In this chapter, we introduced unipolar, polar, bipolar, multilevel, and multitransition
coding.
9. Scrambling, as discussed in this chapter, is a technique that substitutes long zerolevel
pulses with a combination of other levels without increasing the number of
bits.
11. In parallel transmission we send data several bits at a time. In serial transmission
we send data one bit at a time.

Exercises
13. We use the formula s = c N (1/r) for each case. We let c = 1/2.
a. r = 1 s = (1/2) (1 Mbps) 1/1 = 500 kbaud
b. r = 1/2 s = (1/2) (1 Mbps) 1/(1/2) = 1 Mbaud
c. r = 2 s = (1/2) (1 Mbps) 1/2 = 250 Kbaud
d. r = 4/3 s = (1/2) (1 Mbps) 1/(4/3) = 375 Kbaud
15. See Figure 4.1 Bandwidth is proportional to (3/8)N which is within the range in
Table 4.1 (B = 0 to N) for the NRZ-L scheme.
17. See Figure 4.2. Bandwidth is proportional to (12.5 / 8) N which is within the range
in Table 4.1 (B = N to B = 2N) for the Manchester scheme.
2

19. See Figure 4.3. B is proportional to (5.25 / 16) N which is inside range in Table 4.1
(B = 0 to N/2) for 2B/1Q.
21. The data stream can be found as
a. NRZ-I: 10011001.
b. Differential Manchester: 11000100.
c. AMI: 01110001.
23. The data rate is 100 Kbps. For each case, we first need to calculate the value f/N.
We then use Figure 4.8 in the text to find P (energy per Hz). All calculations are
approximations.
a. f /N = 0/100 = 0 P = 0.0
b. f /N = 50/100 = 1/2 P = 0.3

c. f /N = 100/100 = 1 P = 0.4
d. f /N = 150/100 = 1.5 P = 0.0
Figure 4.1 Solution to Exercise 15
Figure 4.2 Solution to Exercise 17
00000000
1111111100110011
01010101
Case a
Case b
Case c
Case d
Average Number of Changes = (0 + 0 + 8 + 4) / 4 = 3 for N = 8
B (3 / 8) N
00000000
1111111100110011
01010101
Case a
Case b
Case c
Case d
Average Number of Changes = (15 + 15+ 8 + 12) / 4 = 12.5 for N = 8
B (12.5 / 8) N

25. In 5B/6B, we have 25 = 32 data sequences and 26 = 64 code sequences. The number
of unused code sequences is 64 32 = 32. In 3B/4B, we have 23 = 8 data
sequences and 24 = 16 code sequences. The number of unused code sequences is
16 8 = 8.
27
a. In a low-pass signal, the minimum frequency 0. Therefore, we have
fmax = 0 + 200 = 200 KHz. fs = 2 200,000 = 400,000 samples/s
b. In a bandpass signal, the maximum frequency is equal to the minimum frequency
plus the bandwidth. Therefore, we have
fmax = 100 + 200 = 300 KHz. fs = 2 300,000 = 600,000 samples /s
29. The maximum data rate can be calculated as
Nmax = 2 B nb = 2 200 KHz log24 = 800 kbps
31. We can calculate the data rate for each scheme:
Figure 4.3 Solution to Exercise 19
a. NRZ N = 2 B = 2 1 MHz = 2 Mbps
b. Manchester N = 1 B = 1 1 MHz = 1 Mbps
c. MLT-3 N = 3 B = 3 1 MHz = 3 Mbps
d. 2B1Q N = 4 B = 4 1 MHz = 4 Mbps
11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 10 01 10 01 10 01 10
+3
+1
3
1
+3
+1
3
1
+3
+1
3
1
00 11 00 11 00 11 00 11
+3
+1
3
1
Case a
Case b
Case c
Case d
Average Number of Changes = (0 + 7 + 7 + 7) / 4 = 5.25 for N = 16
B (5.25 / 8) N

4
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