Guest Column: Get To Know Crest Factor And Its Influence On The Design Of OFDM-Based Systems

This article is the third in a series of quarterly guest columns by Justin Panzer, manager of product marketing, Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG. This installment is coauthored by Bernhard Kaehs, a senior development expert in the company's broadcasting division.

The exceptional performance of wireless communications systems and most recently television broadcasting is delivered in large measure by digital transmission technology and more specifically by higher-order modulation schemes such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). To understand the importance of crest factor in designing a system using OFDM, it helps to review its fundamental concepts and statistical background, as well as practical considerations to remember when creating a system design.