Product Description

A comprehensive treatment of the digital communications field, presenting theory and applications together, for professionals from all backgrounds. The CD-ROM contains SystemView software for digital communications and notes, tutorials, and exercises for getting started. System requirements: Microsoft Windows, CD-ROM drive, DLC: Digital communications.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #234962 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1079 pages

From the Publisher
A comprehensive examination of digital communication systems and signal processing techniques.

From the Back Cover

• The clear, easy-to-understand introduction to digital communications
• Completely updated coverage of today's most critical technologies
• Step-by-step implementation coverage
• Trellis-coded modulation, fading channels, Reed-Solomon codes, encryption, and more
• Exclusive coverage of maximizing performance with advanced "turbo codes"

"This is a remarkably comprehensive treatment of the field, covering in considerable detail modulation, coding (both source and channel), encryption, multiple access and spread spectrum. It can serve both as an excellent introduction for the graduate student with some background in probability theory or as a valuable reference for the practicing ommunication system engineer. For both communities, the treatment is clear and well presented." — Andrew Viterbi, The Viterbi Group

Master every key digital communications technology, concept, and technique.

Digital Communications, Second Edition is a thoroughly revised and updated edition of the field's classic, best-selling introduction. With remarkable clarity, Dr. Bernard Sklar introduces every digital communication technology at the heart of today's wireless and Internet revolutions, providing a unified structure and context for understanding them -- all without sacrificing mathematical precision.

Sklar begins by introducing the fundamentals of signals, spectra, formatting, and baseband transmission. Next, he presents practical coverage of virtually every contemporary modulation, coding, and signal processing technique, with numeric examples and step-by-step implementation guidance. Coverage includes:

• Signals and processing steps: from information source through transmitter, channel, receiver, and information sink
• Key tradeoffs: signal-to-noise ratios, probability of error, and bandwidth expenditure
• Trellis-coded modulation and Reed-Solomon codes: what's behind the math
• Synchronization and spread spectrum solutions
• Fading channels: causes, effects, and techniques for withstanding fading
• The first complete how-to guide to turbo codes: squeezing maximum performance out of digital connections
• Implementing encryption with PGP, the de facto industry standard

Whether you're building wireless systems, xDSL, fiber or coax-based services, satellite networks, or Internet infrastructure, Sklar presents the theory and the practical implementation details you need. With nearly 500 illustrations and 300 problems and exercises, there's never been a faster way to master advanced digital communications.

CD-ROM INCLUDED

The CD-ROM contains a complete educational version of Elanix' SystemView DSP design software, as well as detailed notes for getting started, a comprehensive DSP tutorial, and over 50 additional communications exercises.

About the Author

DR. BERNARD SKLAR has over 40 years of experience in technical design and management positions at Republic Aviation, Hughes Aircraft, Litton Industries, and at The Aerospace Corporation, where he helped develop the MILSTAR satellite system. He is now head of advanced systems at Communications Engineering Services, a consulting company he founded in 1984. He has taught engineering courses at several universities, including UCLA and USC, and has trained professional engineers worldwide.

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Customer Reviews

Digital Communications: Fundamentals & Applications, 2nd Ed.
This is one of the best books on the market for communications. As a university professor I am always looking for that special book that can take the student from the formative learning stage into maturity in the field of communication and signal processing. This book is an excellent text for such a journey. It provides a good mix of theory and practice with many worked examples. Unlike many texts in communications theory that provide their audiences with a lot of theory and abstractions that leave them confused, this book is so well written and the theory so well handled and presented, that its concepts are easily grasped. Then, to supplement this, the book has numerous worked examples showing practical applications. As an educator in the field of communications I have adapted this book for my course because its stated attributes above make my work in educating students that much easier. I recommend this book without reservation to anyone who needs a good reference in the field of communications.

Good overview but not mathematically rigorous
Digital Communications by Sklar is an excellent introduction to the field for the student or the practicing engineer. There is a logical flow from beginning to end, and the book is written in an easy to read style, which allows the reader to grasp the engineering tradeoffs involved in digital communications.

The book is not mathematically rigorous; although formulas are presented, they are not derived. However, I feel that to correct this shortfall may make the book too long, and harder to read. I think it is better to get a general overview of the topic from this book, and to look to other sources where mathematical rigor is desired.

Some additional background is helpful, but not necessary to understand the mathematical details that are glossed over. These include a course in Detection and Estimation to understand concepts such as signal spaces, noise, decision regions and probability of error, and an introductory DSP course to understand the issues surrounding aliasing, quantizing, equalization, and source coding. Familiarity with Fourier Transforms and prior background with Probability and Random Processes is essential to understanding the math that is presented in the book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for someone who wants to appreciate the engineeering constraints that need to be met in the design of digital communication systems.

The greatest digital communications books of our age!
I initially was introduced to the book when I took the course in undergraduate electrical engineering curriculum. A graduate curriculum and a year of engineering experience later, I still believe this book is one of the best engineering books, one of the most useful communications books, the best reference book to own and utilize as an engineer. Sklar has a clear vision of the abstract mathematics and complex concepts of the communication world and he transfers that vision into words, pictures, and crystal clear descriptions. Highly recommended even for general reading.