On the Performance of an Automatic Frequency Control Loop in Dissimilar Fading Channels in the Presence of Interference

Two effects of a single interference on the performance of an automatic frequency control (AFC) loop are explained, and two measures, average switching rate and mean time to loss of lock, are presented to capture the impact of each effect. These measures are derived in closed-form expressions and single integral formulas in dissimilar fading channels with Rayleigh, Rician, and Nakagami-m distributions. The general case of modulated carriers as well as different special cases are considered. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effects of different fading scenarios on the performance of an AFC. The effect of maximum Doppler frequency on the performance of the AFC is also investigated.