Coverage region analysis for MIMO amplify-and-forward relay channel with the source to destination link

In this paper we study and analyze coverage region for half-duplex multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay channel with amplify-and-forward (AF) strategy at the relay station. By assuming mixed Rayleigh and Rician fading channels with two different relay station situations, we consider the objective of maximizing coverage region for a given transmission rate and find the optimal relay location in the sense of maximizing coverage region. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the coverage region and capacity bounds are shown for different fading cases and different relay station locations. Finally, we compare our results with previous ones obtained for decode-and-forward (DF) MIMO relay channel.