Principles of Communications and Networking

The critical role of communications and networking in the defense community has been widely recognized.  The field is both broad and dynamic; while progress proceeds at a phenomenal pace, new issues and problems arise almost as fast. The underlying principles, however, change either slowly or not at all.  A conceptual understanding of these principles can help those who work in all aspects of the field see the forest through the ever-changing trees. The course presents an introduction to the technical concepts that underlie the field: analog and digital communications, packet and circuit switching, voice and data networks, and the physics of radio, terrestrial, and satellite links.

OBJECTIVE

This course is intended to provide an overview of the key principles of communications and networking theory, using operational and developmental military communications systems to illustrate these principles.  This is not an instruction course on how to design or operate specific systems, although it can help all technical professionals understand the nuances of their systems better. Rather, the objective is to provide a mixed technical and non-technical audience with a conceptually rigorous technical foundation.  It deliberately covers a very wide array of topics, based on the view that in the future all forms of military communications and networking will be tied more closely together, and thus a broader understanding will be of use to all. If successful, this course will further allow the graduates to converse more intelligently with subject-matter experts, and pave the way for further learning in more specific areas. While equations are kept to a minimum, the concepts presented are rigorous.   

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Those who have responsibilities for planning, acquiring, managing, monitoring, operating, and/or regulating communications or networking programs or systems in a military-oriented environment. The course is specifically intended for those who do not have an extensive formal background in the principles of communications but find themselves in a position where such a background would prove useful. It should also be of interest to engineers trained in other areas, and communications specialists seeking to review and expand their knowledge of the theory and practice of military communications. 

COURSE OUTLINE

Day 1: Wire Line Communication

• Electricity and Communications
• Electricity and Magnitism Physics
• Voice Over Wire via Electricity
• Waves and Superposition
• Transmission of Signals
• Modulation and Multiplexing
• Digital Signals
• Fiber Optics and SONET

Day 2: Shannon’s Law; Introduction to Networking

• Bandwidth and Digital Signals
• Nyquist and Bandwidth Efficiency
• Shannon’s Law
• Networking and Voice Networks
• Data Networks, Including Ethernet
• Packet Networks and the Internet
• Quality of Service

Day 3: Radio Communication

• Physics of Electromagnetic Radiation
• Antenna Principles; Dipoles
• RF Propagation
• Radio Systems: HF and AM, VHF and FM
• Digital Modulation and Radios
• MIDS, Link-16, and Spread Spectrum Techniques
• Channel Encoding, Part 1

Day 4: Satellite Communication

• The Link Budget Equation
• Signal Power and Antenna Gain
• Noise and the Signal to Noise Ratio
• Channel Encoding, Part 2
• Narrowband Satellite Communications
• Wideband Satellite Communications
• Protected Satellite Communications

Day 5 (half day): Special Topics

• Antenna Beam Forming and Nulling
• Transformational Comm: JTRS
• Transformational Comm: TSAT 

LECTURER

Dr. Lawrence N. Goeller

Larry Goeller is a civilian working for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, in the office of Programs Analysis and Evaluation (OSD/PA&E), as an analyst for the Cost Analysis Improvement Group (CAIG). Prior to joining the government in 2004, he worked as a contractor for ASD/NII’s Communications Directorate, and before that as an analyst for the Air Staff in the area of military satellite communications. He obtained his doctorate in physics from Rice University in 1986.

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COURSE LOCATION:          4400 Fair Lakes Court, Fairfax, VA 22033.   Directions to AFCEA Headquarters

HOURS OF COURSE:          8:30am – 4:30pm Monday through Thursday

                                                    8:30am – noon  on Friday

DRESS CODE:  Business Casual

MEALS:  No meals are supplied by AFCEA.  For a listing of local restaurants please see Restaurants Near AFCEA .

PARKING:  AFCEA has parking available on site.  Please do not park in any space that has a reserved sign.  The auditorium entrance is located on the right end of the building.  AFCEA personnel will be available for check-in beginning at 7:30am. 

AIRPORT & HOTELS:  This information is located at AFCEA Travel Info.  Dulles is the closest airport and there are several local hotels that provide our course attendees with special rates. 

SPECIAL NEEDS:  AFCEA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  Please email pdc@AFCEA.org  to make arrangements.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please cancel by email to pdc@afcea.org

• -          For full refund, AFCEA must receive cancellation seven days prior to start of class
• -          For 50% refund, AFCEA must receive cancellation between seven days and one day prior to start of class
• -          There will be NO REFUNDS for “no shows” or cancellations received after the day prior to start of class.