Target audience:
This course is designed for those who require an introduction to the fundamental technical concepts that underpin modern telecommunications. The course is suitable for those joining the industry in a technical role especially those in an apprenticeship.
Course aim:
To introduce the characteristics of the signals used in communications systems and the effect of passive circuits and transmission lines on those signals.
Course prerequisites:
Study of Physics or Additional Science at secondary (high) school level.
Course objectives:
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- define the terms voltage, current, resistance and power and describe the relationships between them.
- describe the characteristics of the passive components of an electrical circuit.
- describe the characteristics of analogue signals with reference to the terms level, frequency and bandwidth.
- compare the bandwidth requirements of various types of traffic including text, voice, music and video.
- explain that complex waves contain a fundamental frequency and harmonics of that frequency.
- describe the characteristics of AC circuits containing inductance and capacitance and explain the concepts of impedance and resonant frequency.
- describe how the characteristics of a transmission line can be explained by its equivalent circuit.
- explain the advantages of transmitting information as binary code.
- explain that various types of information can be conveyed in digital form.
- define the terms bit, byte and bit rate and explain their significance.
- describe the role of the basic components of a digital link.
- compare the bit rate requirement of signals carrying speech, music and video.
Approximate study time: 4 hours
Delivery platform requirements:
To access the course, a computer/tablet running a browser such as Chrome, Safari, Edge etc. is required. The device should have an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024x768.