Career Episode 1 Nadeem Ahmad

Career Episode 1
[CE 1.1.1] Introduction

The first career episode of mine illustrates my project I had to take as part of my Advanced
Communication course during my fifth semester (Semester 2 2015) of my Master of
Engineering (Dual Specialization) in Electronic and Computer Engineering, and Engineering
Management. My project was about investigating the X band scattering from a metal chain
as a function of frequency. The name of the course was Advanced Communication Systems
and the course code for research project was 7506ENG.

[CE 1.1.2] Chronological Dates

The project was taken during the beginning of my fifth semester (Semester 2 of 2015) and
was completed before the end of that semester. The project started on July 2015 and
ended on October 2015. The duration of this project was 4 months.

[CE 1.1.3] The Geographical Location of the Project

This project was taken as a partial requirement of completing my Advanced Communication

Systems at Griffith university, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, Australia. The experiment was
completely carried out at our communication lab with only a few simulation work was
performed off-campus.

[CE 1.2.1] Background

During my fifth semester I had to take the Advanced Communication Systems which
thought us the theoretical and practical applications of microwave, small antenna systems,
dielectric materials, spread spectrum communication, etc. At the beginning of our course
we were told that besides our regular quizzes and examinations, we had to participate in a
project where we had to demonstrate our knowledge in any communication system topics
which should be simulated using NEC WIN simulator. For my project my faculty advised me
to investigate the X band scattering from a metal chain as a function of frequency. I also
had to investigate whether or not the attenuation is frequency dependent in X band.
Although most of the work was simulation based some part of the project did require me to
setup a two horn antenna for investigative purposes. The faculty of this course assisted me
to recruit a suitable lab instructor who helped me setup the experiment. The experiment
was conducted using a metal chain and also a single link of metal chain.

[CE 1.2.2] Objective of the Project

Career Episode 1 Nadeem Ahmad

The objective of this project was to create an experimental setup for a two horn antenna to
investigate whether a X band signal attenuation is dependent on the frequency of the X
band or not. I had to use one horn of the antenna as a transmitter by connecting it to a
signal generator. The other horn was used as the receiver by connecting it to a power
meter to record the power of the signal received. The experiment was performed by
placing a metal chain in between the two horn antenna to attenuate the signal. I also had
repeat the experiment by using a single link of metal chain in NEC win software to check
how it affects the attenuation of the signal. All the data recorded from the experiment was
programmed into MATLAB to simulate a graphical result. This analysis showed whether the
attenuation is frequency dependent.

[CE 1.2.3] Allocation of the Duties and Responsibilities

Due to the 4 months time limitation my faculty laid out the following responsibilities to me
in the following order so that I could have proper understanding of the topic in hand and
complete my task within the deadline,

A detailed research on electromagnetic waves, how they are created using a signal
generator, especially X band.
Learn how electromagnetic waves can be scattered in presence of a metal.
Setup an experiment in our communication lab with the help of my lab instructor.
Configuring the same experiment in NEC win simulator.
Export data to MATLAB to analyze the relationship between attenuation and
frequency band.
Keep the supervisor updated on a weekly basis about the progress of the project.
Write a report about the experiment conducted the overall findings of the project.

[CE 1.2.4] Organizational Chart

My course faculty assigned a lab instructor to help me setup the project in our lab. He
supervised the progress all throughout my project.

Course
Instructor

Myself Lab Instructor

Career Episode 1 Nadeem Ahmad

[CE 1.3] Personal Engineering Activity

[CE 1.3.1]
The first phase of my project was to research about different types of electromagnetic
waves, especially the waves in the X band frequencies. Signals propagated in the X band
often experiences scattering due to the presence of metals in the construction and
reinforcement of a building structure. Most of the wireless communication systems thus
experiences very high attenuation inside a building structure. This causes the signal to
distort and lose power as it propagates further into any metal structure. Besides metal,
electromagnetic waves can also be affected using certain insulators (most commonly
dielectric materials). Some dielectric materials includes glass, dry wood, and some times
pure water. The affect dielectric materials have on electromagnetic waves are refractive
basis. This is probably why radio waves are refracted back to earth when it enters the
ionosphere. In my experiment I used a metal chain to investigate the attenuation occurring
when a wide range of frequencies in the X band is transmitted using a two horn antenna.
Career Episode 1 Nadeem Ahmad

[CE 1.3.2]
The second phase of my project was to design an experiment and implement it physically in
our communication lab to investigate my topic. After researching for a few weeks I decided
to use a two horn antenna to help me test my hypothesis. I was assigned a lab instructor
who helped me setup the equipment necessary to conduct my experiment. I used one end
of the antenna as my transmitter and the other end of the antenna as the receiver. A metal
chain of height 0.044m and width 0.018m, for one link, was placed in between the two
horn antennas. It should be noted that the two horn antennas had a 40cm distance
between them. The image below shows the actual experimental setup in our lab.

To conduct the experiment I had to first calculate the null frequency for the signal
generator I had to use the generic formula f = C / . The wavelengths chosen were 0.088m
(2x of height of one link of chain) and 0.036m (2x of width of one link of chain). The
respective frequencies found were 3.41 GHz and 8.30 GHz. These should be the range of
frequencies I had to test at which attenuation is dependent or not. But for this particular
experiment I chose to generate signals in the range of 6.7 GHz to 10 GHz with steps of 100
MHz. The received signal on the other antenna was connected to a power meter where the
received signals power was shown in dB. The experiment was repeated using NEC Win
simulator software using one link chain as the group of chains were conducting one
another.
[CE 1.3.3]
The third stage of my project was about recording the data and analyzing the results. I
recorded the received data and exported it into MATLAB for further inspection. I wrote a
code to plot the data to check whether the range of frequencies in the X Band attenuates
when a metal chain is placed in between the two horn antenna. The result is shown below.
Career Episode 1 Nadeem Ahmad

I did not expect to get this result as it shows that the signal does not attenuate as much as I
hoped at certain X Bands. This could be because of the links of chain conducting each other
causing a very small amount of attenuation. So I had to repeat my experiment again, this
time using a single link of the metal chain and not altering any other attributes using NEC
Win simulator. The graph below shows the revised results of the received power.

Here I saw a promising result, that is signal attenuation occurs in the range of null
frequencies. The final result after this experiment concludes that attenuation caused by the
metal chain did not depend on the frequency because I suppose I laboratory equipment
were not sensitive enough to get accurate results. Although simulating the same
experiment using NEC Win simulator gave a promising results at null frequencies.

[CE 1.3.4]
After successfully conducting the experiment and simulating the experiment in NEC Win
simulator I submitted my findings to my faculty. He reviewed the project thoroughly before
approving the completion of my project. My faculty then instructed me to write a report for
my experiment and submit it before an assigned deadline. I submitted my report and finally
completed the project.

[CE 1.4] Summary

This project was my first time experimenting with a lab equipment setup by me. It helped
me understand how to generate a high frequency signals which was used for this particular
experimentation. I really learned a lot for this project as it tested me to find why my
experiment initially failed to give proper results, and later got the result I hoped for. So, the
final verdict is that signal attenuation was frequency dependent.
Career Episode 1 Nadeem Ahmad