Switched-Diversity FSK in Frequency-Selective Rayleigh Fading

This paper presents the measured performance of a 64 kbit/s switched-diversity FSK receiver subjected to simulated frequency-selective Rayleigh fading. The single receiver input is switched between two, three, or four uncorrelated Rayleigh-fading signals whenever the instantaneous receiver output falls below a threshold. The optimum level of this threshold relative to the mean signal level is relatively insensitive to frequency selectivity and vehicle speed. A nearly optimum threshold may be determined using an AGC amplifier and fixed comparator. Switched diversity is a powerful tool for combating frequency selectivity and Rayleigh fading. Two-branch switched diversity can achieve 10
^-2
BER, with 6 dB lower SNR than that needed without diversity. In the absence of frequency selectivity, two-branch switched diversity can perform within 3 dB SNR of maximal-ratio diversity and within 1 dB of selection diversity. Switched diversity can achieve BER's lower than the irreducible single-channel BER produced by frequency selectivity. Four-branch switched diversity typically requires 4 dB lower SNR to achieve a given BER than does two-branch switched diversity.