SDR lab report template

Use this template for every practical lab and final project report. The goal is to make each result reproducible, measurable and easy to review.

1. Lab title

Lab: <number and name>
Author: <name>
Date: <YYYY-MM-DD>
Hardware: <board, RF module, receiver, cables, attenuators>
Software: <MATLAB, Python, GNU Radio, HDSDR, Vivado, OS>

2. Engineering objective

Describe the practical problem in one paragraph.

Example:

Design and verify a digital mixer that shifts a complex baseband signal by a controlled frequency offset, then confirm the shift in the FFT spectrum and prepare the algorithm for FPGA implementation.

3. Signal and experiment parameters

Parameter	Value	Comment
Sample rate		Hz or MS/s
Signal bandwidth		Hz
Carrier / NCO frequency		Hz
Number of samples
Data type		float, int16, ci16, fixed-point
Window		rectangular, Hann, Blackman, etc.
FFT length
RF gain		dB
RF bandwidth		Hz

4. Processing chain

flowchart LR
    Input[Input samples] --> DSP[DSP block under test]
    DSP --> Metrics[FFT / SNR / EVM / BER]
    Metrics --> Conclusion[Engineering conclusion]

Add a second diagram when the lab includes hardware:

flowchart LR
    Model[Reference model] --> FPGA[FPGA / Zynq]
    FPGA --> RF[AD9363 RF frontend]
    RF --> RX[RTL-SDR / HDSDR]
    RX --> IQ[IQ recording]
    IQ --> Analysis[Offline analysis]

5. Reference model

Explain the Python/MATLAB model:

• input signal generation;
• mathematical formula or algorithm;
• expected spectrum or constellation;
• numerical assumptions.

6. Fixed-point and FPGA mapping

Item	Decision	Risk
Input word length		clipping / quantization
Coefficient word length		passband ripple / stopband leakage
Accumulator width		overflow
Scaling strategy		loss of dynamic range
Latency estimate		synchronization mismatch
Streaming interface		valid/ready stalls

7. Results

Insert IEEE-style figures and short explanations.

Figure checklist

• Axes have units.
• Frequency axis is centered or clearly defined.
• Legend does not overlap important data.
• Caption explains the engineering meaning.
• The script that generated the figure is referenced.

8. Metrics

Metric	Value	Method
SNR		signal/noise power estimate
EVM		RMS error vector
BER		bit errors / total bits
Frequency error		peak or estimator
Implementation error		floating-point vs fixed-point

9. Measurement notes

Describe the real setup:

• RF path: coax, attenuator or antenna;
• gain values;
• sample rates;
• recording format;
• observed overload or clipping;
• environmental assumptions.

10. Engineering conclusion

Write 3–5 bullet points:

• what worked;
• what limited accuracy;
• what should be changed for FPGA or RF implementation;
• what should be measured next.

11. Reproducibility

python <script>.py
matlab -batch "run('<script>.m')"
mkdocs serve

Attach or reference:

• source code;
• generated figures;
• IQ metadata file;
• commit hash;
• hardware configuration.