High-resolution spread spectrum channel sounder for wireless communications systems

This paper presents a new commercial wide-band channel sounder (SARACOM). This instrument measures the complex envelope of the channel impulse response by the use of a sliding correlator. The principles and benefits of this technique are briefly reviewed. The hardware architecture of the system is explained. The choice of key parameters such as chip rate, pseudonoise sequence length versus sounder performance are discussed and verified by laboratory tests. Measurement results in the 2.45 GHz band in a large indoor environment are then presented in order to demonstrate the performance of the equipment in a realistic situation. The capabilities of the post-processing software are then illustrated.