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4. Implementation

4.1 Equipment and Sofware

The following equipment was used:
  • 2 NI USRPs 2920
  • 30dB Attenuator
  • MIMO Cable
  • Ethernet Cable
  • RF Cable SMA-SMA
  • Power Cables of USRP (6V, 3A DC)

Equipment
Figure 4.1 Equipment Used

Software:
  • NI LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite

There is a strong escalating demand for design tools that can enable rapid prototyping. SDR platforms offer prototype designs due to tremendous flexibility. After almost 30 years of the LabVIEW [http://www.ni.com/labview/f/] (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) version 1.0, NI enables users to program both processor and FPGA. So this enables researchers to experiment with novel algorithms and techniques in protocols, advanced signaling processing and communications design techniques. So in 2015 NI launched the NI LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite.

4.2 Limitations

  • Frequency use was not that of satellite communications, given that the USRP has a coverage ranging from 50-2200MHz, thus, for USRP communication, L-band was used (900MHz).
  • When using BCH and LDPC codes, the parameters were not compliant to DVB-S2 standard, since LabVIEW cannot compute such high values. These functions were used with low values of n (up to 100).
  • Synchronization between the transmitter and the receiver USRP was hard to handle and didn't allow for proper measurement. Decoding and BER measurements were calculated in a communication chain without the use of USRPs.