Summer 2026 - ENSC 428 D100
Digital Communications (4)
Class Number: 2153
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 11 – Aug 10, 2026: Tue, Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Aug 21, 2026
Fri, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
Burnaby
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Prerequisites:
(ENSC 380 or MSE 280 or SEE 341) and ENSC 280, all with a minimum grade of C-. Students who completed STAT 270 prior to Spring 2015 may use STAT 270 instead of ENSC 280.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
This course will cover the physical-layer design issues in digital communication systems. The major topics covered are: information measures and the notion of channel capacity; link budgets; digital modulation techniques, including the signal space concept and optimal detectors, error performance in noise, suboptimal detectors, pulse shaping, synchronization, and equalization; error control techniques such as block and conventional codes, as well as comparisons between FEC and ARQ. Laboratory work is included in this course.
Materials
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.