Software Defined Radio Prototyping with Visual C++ Express and Code Composer Studio

Abstract

The primary goal of this project was educational: to demonstrate Software Defined Radio based prototyping using Visual C++ Express and Code Composer Studio. More specifically an IEEE802.11a Phy [1] compliant baseband processor was written in C++ and a radio link demonstrated “live” using a standard PCand the DSK6713 kit from Spectrum Digital [2] for baseband processing at the receiver and transmitter side respectively. To reduce costs without loss of educational value (the algorithms remains the same), the bandwidth was scaled down from 20MHz to 6 kHz to be able to utilize cheap narrowband COTS RF frontends operating at an intermediate frequency of only 12 kHz at the transmitter and receiver sides. This was easily achieved by just reducing the OFDM symbol rate by a suitable factor. The development process is described in detail, emphasizing development tricks to facilitate debugging of this kind of complex baseband processing. For educational purposes some other simpler waveforms was implemented as well.