Note: There are two versions of this book, one with full-color illustrations, the other with interior images in black and white. This is the black and white edition.

Software Defined Radios are revolutionizing wireless communications, but getting started can be a challenge. Much of the available SDR training veers either towards highly mathematical engineering classes or radio cookbooks with little explanation for the steps taken.

Basic Digital Communications steers between these two extremes by leveraging knowledge you already have but didn't know was applicable to radio technology. Through a series of hands-on exercises, you'll learn:

the key components of digital transmissions like preambles, payloads and error checking
how to build transmitters using OOK and FSK
how to build more advanced radios with PSK and QPSK
the best techniques for viewing digitally modulated signals
how to model noise and other system imperfections

When you complete this third volume of our Field Expedient SDR series, you'll know enough to venture into the wild and start exploring the RF spectrum. Many of the online SDR tutorials and walkthroughs will make much more sense, allowing you to build more advanced radios and perform more advanced activities like reverse engineering and RF security research.