Sample Rate Conversion for Software Radio

Software radio terminals must be able to process different communications standards which are generally based on different master clock rates and thus employ different bit/chip-rates. A straightforward solution to cope with this diversity of master clock rates in one terminal is to employ dedicated master clocks for each standard of operation. Being too costly in most cases, this kind of solution moreover limits the applicability of a once realized and thus fixed terminal. The smart solution to this problem is to run the terminal on a fixed clock rate, and to perform digital sample rate conversion that can be controlled by software and thus, empowers the software radio concept.