On numerical optimization of communications system design

The limiting factor in the use of computer tools for the design of communications systems is often the amount of human intervention needed, rather than the actual computation time. A technique is presented by which a large proportion of the low-level decision making is delegated to the computer, thereby allowing the designer to concentrate on the engineering aspects and higher-level tradeoffs. The implementation described can be used with existing design programs (e.g., transmission simulators). The possibilities and limitations of the technique are discussed, and several examples of its application are given