Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum

(FHSS)

Asad Ali

FHSS – What is it?

A FHSS technique uses M different carrier frequencies that are modulated by the source signal

The whole bandwidth is divided into many smaller channels plus guard spaced between the channels

The figure in the next slide shows the general layout for FHSS

The bandwidth occupied by the source after spreading is BFHSS >> B

General FHSS Layout

FHSS

A pseudorandom code generator called pseudorandom noise (PN), creates a k bit pattern for every hopping period.

The frequency table uses the pattern to find the frequency to be used for this hopping period and passes it to the frequency synthesizer.

The frequency synthesizer creates a carrier of that frequency and then the source signal modulates the carrier signal.

Suppose we have decided to have 8 frequencies; then M = 8 and k = 3 The PN code generator will create 8 different 3-bit patterns.

FHSS

These are mapped to eight different frequencies in the frequency table.

Frequency selection in FHSS is shown in the next slide.

Frequency selection in FHSS

FHSS

FHSS

It can be shown that if there are many k bit patterns and the hopping period is short, privacy can be achieved

If an intruder tries to intercept the transmitted signal, he/she can only access a small piece of data because she does not know the spreading sequence to quickly adapt himself/herself to the next hop

FHSS has also an antijamming effect. A malicious sender may send noise to jam the signal for one hopping period but not for the whole period.

FHSS – Two variants

FHSS comes in two variants; Slow hopping and Fast Hopping.

In slow hopping, one frequency is used to transmit one or more bits

While in fast hopping, the frequency is changed one or more times while transmitting a single bit.

This is illustrated in the next slide.

FHSS – Two variants