REPORT ON SOFTWARE

DEFINED RADIO

SUBMITT
ED BY
UJJWA
L DHUSIA

Introduction:
SDR is defined as a radio in which some or all of the physical layer functions are
software defined. A radio is any kind of device that wirelessly transmits or receives signals in
the radio frequency (RF) part of the electromagnetic spectrum to facilitate the transfer of
information. In today's world, radios exist in a multitude of items such as cell phones,
computers, car door openers, vehicles, and televisions. A software defined radio is a
transmitter and receiver system that uses digital signal processing (DSP) for coding,
decoding, modulation, and demodulation. This allows much more power and flexibility when
choosing and designing modulation and coding techniques
The software defined radio, SDR, sometimes called a software radio has been the aim
of many radio developments for a number of years. The basic concept of the SDR software
radio is that the radio can be totally configured or defined by the software so that a common
platform can be used across a number of areas and the software used to change the
configuration of the radio for the function required at a given time. There is also the
possibility that it can then be re-configured as upgrades to standards arrive, or if it is required
to meet another role, or if the scope of its operation is changed. The goal of SDR is to remove
all the analog parts of the radio and do it all in software

Operation Principles:
Ideal concept
The ideal receiver scheme would be to attach an analog-to-digital converter to an antenna. A
digital signal processor would read the converter, and then its software would transform the
stream of data from the converter to any other form the application requires.
An ideal transmitter would be similar. A digital signal processor would generate a stream of
numbers. These would be sent to a digital-to-analog converter connected to a radio antenna.
The ideal scheme is not completely realizable due to the actual limits of the technology. The main
problem in both directions is the difficulty of conversion between the digital and the analog
domains at a high enough rate and a high enough accuracy at the same time, and without relying
upon physical processes like interference and electromagnetic resonance for assistance.

Receiver architecture
Most receivers use a variable-frequency oscillator, mixer, and filter to tune the desired
signal to a common intermediate frequency or baseband, where it is then sampled by the analog
to-digital converter. However, in some applications it is not necessary to tune the signal to an
intermediate frequency and the radio frequency signal is directly sampled by the analog-to-digital
converter (after amplification).
Real analog-to-digital converters lack the dynamic range to pick up sub-microvolt,
nanowattpower radio signals. Therefore a low-noise amplifier must precede the conversion step
and this device introduces its own problems. For example, if spurious signals are present (which
is typical), these compete with the desired signals within the amplifier's dynamic range. They may
introduce distortion in the desired signals, or may block them completely. The standard solution is
to put band-pass filters between the antenna and the amplifier, but these reduce the radio's
flexibility. Real software radios often have two or three analog channel filters with different
bandwidths that are switched in and out.

Levels of SDR:
It is not all the time feasible or practicable to develop a radio that integrate all the
features of a fully software defined radio. Some radios may only bear a number of features
linked with SDRs, whereas others may be fully software defined. In order to provide a broad
appreciation of the level at which a radio may sit, the SDR Forum (now called the Wireless
Innovation Forum, WINNF) has defined a number of tiers. These tiers can be explained in
terms of what is configurable.
Tier 0: A non-configurable hardware radio, i.e. one that cannot be changed by software.
Tier 1: A software controlled radio where limited functions are controllable. These may be
power levels, interconnections, etc. but not mode or frequency.
Tier 2: In this tier of software defined radio there is significant proportion of the radio is
software configurable. Often the term software controlled radio, SCR may be used. There is
software control of parameters including frequency, modulation and waveform generation /
detection, wide/narrow band operation, security, etc. The RF front end still remains hardware
based and non-reconfigurable.
Tier 3: The ideal software radio or ISR where the boundary between configurable and
nonconfigurable elements exists very close to the antenna, and the "front end" is
configurable. It could be said to have full programmability.
Tier 4: The ultimate software radio or USR is a stage further on from the Ideal Software
Radio, ISR. Not only does this form of software defined radio have full programmability, but
it is also able to support a broad range of functions and frequencies at the same time. With
many electronic items such as cellphones having many different radios and standards a
software definable multifunction phone would fall into this category.

Block diagram of an 'Ideal' Software Defined Radio

HOW DOES SDR WORK (in theory):

HOW DOES SDR WORK(in practice):

Applications :
SDR security:
The area of growing importance is that of SDR security. Many military radios, and
often many commercial radio systems will need to ensure the transmissions remain secure,
and this is an issue that is important for all types of radio. However when using a software
defined radio, SDR, there is another element of security, namely that of ensuring that the
software within the radio is securely upgraded. With the growing use of the Internet, many
SDRs will use this medium to deliver their updates. This presents an opportunity for
malicious software to be delivered that could modify the operation of the radio or prevent its
operation altogether. Accordingly SDR software security needs to be considered, if the
Internet is used for software delivery or where there could be security weaknesses that could
be employed maliciously.

Advantages:
For Radio Equipment Manufacturers and System Integrators, SDR Enables:
A family of radio products to be implemented using a common platform architecture,
allowing new products to be more quickly introduced into the market.
Software to be reused across radio "products", reducing development costs dramatically.
Over-the-air or other remote reprogramming, allowing "bug fixes" to occur while a radio is in
service, thus reducing the time and costs associated with operation and maintenance.
For Radio Service Providers, SDR Enables:
New features and capabilities to be added to existing infrastructure without requiring major
new capital expenditures, allowing service providers to quasi-future proof their networks.
The use of a common radio platform for multiple markets, significantly reducing logistical
support and operating expenditures.
Remote software downloads, through which capacity can be increased, capability upgrades
can be activated and new revenue generating features can be inserted.
For End Users - from business travelers to soldiers on the battlefield, SDR technology aims
to:
Reduce costs in providing end-users with access to ubiquitous wireless communications
enabling them to communicate with whomever they need, whenever they need to and in
whatever manner is appropriate.

Apart from the fact that the software defined radio can reconfigure itself, another major
advantage is that of waveform portability. There are several reasons for the need for SDR
waveform portability:

Cost savings:
With the waveforms for various transmissions, military and
commercial, costing huge sums to develop, there is a real need to be able to re-use
waveforms on different projects and this is likely to involve very different platforms

Obsolescence mitigation: A similar requirement comes as hardware technology

Interoperability To provide complete interoperability a customer may request the use