Channel Coding
Due to the unstable nature of the radio media, especially in case of HF links a number of techniques have been designed to protect data and ensure a high degree of error free transmission. This is especially important for the transmission of encrypted information.
Channel coding is about improving performance by providing techniques which can be used to combat fading, jitter, noise and other perturbations which are properties of time-varying channels as radio channels.
To protect the data extra (redundant) information must be added to the (source encoded) data to be protected. Bits are either added to existing source code, or the source alphabet is converted into a completely new alphabet before channel transmission. In addition certain procedures, protocols, are used for the exchange of information.
Depending on the nature of the radio link – simplex, half-duplex or duplex - channel coding and protocols have been devised to detect and/or correct transmission errors.
Traffic between users may be handled in a number of ways depending on requirements and equipment available.