Overview of Communication Systems

This chapter provides a panoramic view of communication systems. It is intended to give a lucid and comprehensive introduction to the subject of communication engineering. The chapter also provides a brief overview of information sources and sinks. A nonmathematical introduction to the processing tasks of the transmitter and receiver is also presented, which lays a good foundation for a more detailed treatment in the rest of the book. To drive home the fact that telecommunication generally means communication at a distance, the chapter presents a quick overview of various nonelectrical means of telecommunicating. Modern telecommunication began in 1837 with the invention of telegraphy. The chapter provides a discussion of the elements of a communication system. It discusses different types and classifications of communication systems. Digital and analogue communication systems are compared, and analogue baseband systems are discussed in some detail.