Measuring Noise in the VHF Band and Its Effect on Low SNR Signal Detection

With the increasing demand for access to the crowded radio frequency spectrum, cognitive radios have been suggested as one solution. Cognitive radios would be frequency agile and able to sense their radio environment and opportunistically use empty spectrum. Spectrum sensing, monitoring a given band of spectrum to see if it is occupied, is an essential part of a cognitive radio. The preferred method of spectrum sensing is the energy detector, which does not require any a priori information about the signal to be detected and is computationally simple to implement. Man-made noise, impulsive in nature, has also become more prevalent with the widespread use of electronic devices. In this thesis, we took measurements of man-made impulsive noise in the broadcast digital television bands to measure its presence, power, and spatial correlation. The effects of impulsive noise on the detection performance of an energy detector were analyzed. Lastly, a wideband RF receiver was designed, built, and tested on the Virginia Tech campus, which would be well suited both to spectrum sensing and taking measurements of impulsive noise.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• DeJarnette, Hunter Archer

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Buehrer, R. Michael

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Ellingson, Steven W.
• da Silva, Claudio R. C. M.

• energy detector
• impulsive noise
• VHF

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-10042012-132540

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/35293