Performance Analysis of Dual Branch Equal Gain Combining Over Correlated Lognormal Fading Channels

In wireless communication systems, the performance of the transmission link is significantly affected due to small- and large-scale fading effects. Log normal fading most accurately models these effects over large distances. Equal gain diversity combining or (EGC) is an effective technique for mitigating fading effects and improving the signal quality at the receiver. This study investigates the performance of EGC on dual correlated log normal fading channels. Lognormal summations and integrals are difficult to resolve into evaluable closed forms, which makes analysis of lognormal fading channels a task of magnanimous proportions. This text combats the above mathematical difficulty by deriving expressions for the average output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the Amount of Fading (AF), as these parameters turn out to be easier and more intuitive for the purpose of understanding combiner performance for the considered wireless system. A comprehensive analysis for the entire range of positive correlation values is made, with performance comparison between EGC, Selection Combining (SC) and Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) on both performance parameters considered.