Amplify-and-forward relay based spectrum sensing with generalized selection combining

Diversity reception schemes are well-known effective techniques for mitigating the adverse effects of multipath fading in wireless mobile channels. This paper analyzes the performance of an amplify-and-forward (AF) relay-based cooperative spectrum sensing system with generalized selection combining (GSC) over a Rayleigh fading channel and compare the results with those of the conventional diversity combining schemes such as maximal-ratio-combining (MRC) and selection combining (SC). Novel closed-form expression has been derived for the average detection probability over the independently and identically distributed (i.i.d) diversity paths. Receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) and the average detection probability versus the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) curves have been presented for different scenarios of interest.