Joint Timing Epoch Tracking and Channel Estimation for Alamouti Space-Time Coding in Rayleigh Fading MIMO Channels

We analyze the performance of a joint timing epoch tracking and PSAM-based channel estimation system in a frequency-flat Rayleigh fading MIMO channel. The receiver tracks a random timing drift via a timing error detector developed for n_T = 2 orthogonal space-time block coded MPSK systems with an arbitrary number of receive antennas. The detector's S-curve has recently been shown to be independent of the channel state, resulting in system very robust in poor channel conditions. We evaluate the receiver's tracking capabilities in conjunction with channel estimation and study the effects of the delay inherent to PSAM interpolation systems. Symbol error rate performance for a QPSK system is presented, with the results showing negligible performance degrades