How I learned to love the trellis

Shows how the Viterbi decoding algorithm (VDA) can be used for signal equalization and detection in a way that is quite different from the usual equalization approach of adjusting a received signal via filtering to "reverse" the distortion. With the VDA, the receiver "adjusts itself" so as to make good data estimates from a distorted sequence of waveforms. The main goal of this article has been to provide insight as to how the VDA works and why it is a useful tool for equalizing and detecting signals that can be modeled as outputs from an FSM.