Diversity with distributed decisions combining for direct-sequence CDMA in a shadowed Rician-fading land-mobile satellite channel

The performance of two diversity schemes with distributed decisions combining is analyzed and compared with that of the selection and maximal ratio-combining schemes for binary-phase shift keying (BPSK) direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) in a shadowed Rician-fading land-mobile satellite channel. In the first scheme of distributed decisions combining, the combiner collects only the binary branch decisions to make the data decision. In the second scheme, the combiner makes the data decision using the branch decisions and the channel states. Both symmetrical and asymmetrical diversity branches are considered. Based on optimal likelihood ratio testing, a new data decision rule is devised for the detection of the spread-spectrum signals in the DS-CDMA system. Upper bounds are employed for the performance evaluation of the diversity combining schemes when the bit error probability is difficult to compute. Numerical results are presented for the satellite channel under light, average, and heavy shadowing.