Simultaneous error performance of antenna pattern diversity and vertical space diversity on a 64 QAM-radio link

The results of a comparison of the simultaneous performances of antenna pattern diversity (APD) and vertical space diversity (VSD) on a 124-km-long microwave radio link are discussed. The experiment was conducted using a multimode feed system. In this radio hop, which is very dispersive and subject to strong lake reflections, antenna pattern diversity performed extremely well and better than vertical space diversity. It is shown that over an 18-month period, APD has yielded better error performance than VSD, mainly due to the greater improvements brought by APD against dispersive effects.<>