A method for a wireless communications assembly of a transmitting station, the method comprising: receiving primary data to be transmitted to a receiving station; selecting a data rate at which to transmit the primary data; selecting a mode associated with the data rate, the mode defining a modulation scheme and a target code rate, wherein the modulation scheme is a π/2-8-PSK scheme and the target code rate is one of 2/3 or 5/6; generating encoded data of the primary data, including modifying an error correcting block format having a predefined code rate to generate the encoded data at the target code rate; wherein the error correcting block format has an information portion and a parity portion, and wherein generating the encoded data comprises: populating a shortened information portion of the information portion with at least a portion of the primary data; populating a filler portion of the information portion with filler data; and populating the parity portion of the error correcting block format with parity data, the shortened information portion and the parity portion defining a shortened error correcting block format; wherein a ratio of an information portion length of the information portion to a block length of the error correcting block format matches the predefined code rate, and wherein a ratio of a shortened information portion of the shortened information portion length to a shortened block length of the shortened error correcting block format matches the target code rate; and extracting at least a portion of the encoded data for modulation of a carrier signal and transmission to the receiving station. receiving primary data to be transmitted to a receiving station; selecting a data rate at which to transmit the primary data; selecting a mode associated with the data rate, the mode defining a modulation scheme and a target code rate, wherein the modulation scheme is a π/2-8-PSK scheme and the target code rate is one of 2/3 or 5/6; generating encoded data of the primary data, including modifying an error correcting block format having a predefined code rate to generate the encoded data at the target code rate; wherein the error correcting block format has an information portion and a parity portion, and wherein generating the encoded data comprises: populating a shortened information portion of the information portion with at least a portion of the primary data; populating a filler portion of the information portion with filler data; and populating the parity portion of the error correcting block format with parity data, the shortened information portion and the parity portion defining a shortened error correcting block format; wherein a ratio of an information portion length of the information portion to a block length of the error correcting block format matches the predefined code rate, and wherein a ratio of a shortened information portion of the shortened information portion length to a shortened block length of the shortened error correcting block format matches the target code rate; and populating a shortened information portion of the information portion with at least a portion of the primary data; populating a filler portion of the information portion with filler data; and populating the parity portion of the error correcting block format with parity data, the shortened information portion and the parity portion defining a shortened error correcting block format; wherein a ratio of an information portion length of the information portion to a block length of the error correcting block format matches the predefined code rate, and wherein a ratio of a shortened information portion of the shortened information portion length to a shortened block length of the shortened error correcting block format matches the target code rate; and extracting at least a portion of the encoded data for modulation of a carrier signal and transmission to the receiving station.