Experiment No.

4
QUADRATURE PHASE SHIFT KEYING
Objectives:
At the end of the experiment, the students are expected to be able to:
1. Sketch QPSK signal in the time domain using QPSK Generator.
2. Describe the characteristics of a QPSK signal.
Equipment:
Digital Oscilloscope
BNC
Connecting wires
Modules:
Sequence Generator, 2 x Multiplier, Adder, Tunable LPF, Phase Shifter
THEORY
GENERATION
Consider the block diagram of Figure 1. It is a modulator.

Figure 1: Quadrature Modulator

There are two messages, A and B. Whilst these are typically independent when they
are analog, it is common practice for them to be intimately related for the case of digital
messages. In the former case the modulator is often called a quadrature amplitude
modulator (QAM), whereas in the latter it is generally called a quadrature phase shift
keyed (QPSK) modulator.
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Whilst the two messages are typically intimately related, having come from a single
data stream which has been split into two, for the purpose of demonstration (of both
generation, and later demodulation) these two messages can be independent. In this
experiment they will be independent.
DEMODULATION

A/D

in

-
2

carrier

parallel-to-serial
converter

serial out

A/D

Figure 2: A QPSK Demodulator

A QPSK demodulator is depicted in the block diagram in Figure 2 above. This
demodulator assumes the original message data stream was split into two streams, A
and B at the transmitter, with each converted to a PSK signal. The two PSK signal were
then added, their carrier being in phase quadrature.
The demodulator consists of two PSK demodulators, whose outputs, after analog-todigital (A/D) conversion, are combined in a parallel-to-serial converter. This converter
performs the recombination of the two channels to the original single serial stream. It
can only do this if the carriers at the demodulator are synchronous, and correctly
phased, with respect to those at the transmitter.

PROCEDURES:
1. Connect the figure shown below.
2. Confirm there are DSBSC at the output of each multiplier by connecting it to an
oscilloscope. Adjust their amplitudes to be equal at the output of the Adder, by using
the Adder gain controls (remove the A input when adjusting g, and the B input
when adjusting G.
3. Sketch the QPSK output waveform by connecting the Adder output to an
oscilloscope.
Note:
Since the QAM signal will be the input to an analog channel, its amplitude should be at
about 4 volts peak-to-peak.
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Figure 2: QPSK Generation

QPSK OUTPUT WAVEFORM

4. Connect figure 3 as shown below.

5. Sketch the output for I channel by connecting the Tuneable LPF output to an
oscilloscope.

Figure 3: QPSK demodulator

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I-channel Output:

6. Connect figure 4 as shown below.

7. Sketch the output for Q channel by connecting the Tuneable LPF output to an
oscilloscope.

Figure 4: QPSK demodulator

Q-channel Output:

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OBSERVATIONS:
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QUESTIONS:
1. Define QPSK.
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2. What is the advantage of QPSK over BPSK?
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3. Compare the bandwidth of QPSK versus 16-PSK.
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4. List down at least two applications of QPSK.
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5. For a QPSK modulator with a carrier frequency of 100 MHz and an input bit rate of 20
Mbps, determine the ff:
a. fN
d. trigonometric equation
g. output spectrum
b. fa
e. Lower side frequency
c. BW
f. Upper side frequency
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CONCLUSION/S:
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