A search for good convolutional codes to be used in the construction of turbo codes

Recursive systematic convolutional encoders have been shown to play a crucial role in the design of turbo codes. We recall some properties of binary convolutional encoders and apply them to a search for good constituent convolutional codes of turbo codes. Tables of the "best" recursive systematic convolutional encoders found are presented for various rates, together with the average bit-error probability performances of some turbo codes using them.