An Enhancement of Existing RF Data Links Using Advanced Diversity Techniques

Abstract

The theoretical capacity of communication channel in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) as defined by Shannon's channel capacity theorem has been well understood since 1940s. This theorem bounds the bit error rate (BER) of RF data links achievable for a particular noise level. The development in digital technology over the last decade has made it possible not just to design devices that operate close to the Shannon's limit, but also to explore techniques, such as best source and best data selectors, for further improvements in performance of RF data links where frequency, spatial or polar diverse reception is possible. This paper discusses an approach to improving quality of data links using an advanced diversity technique that does not select one source at a time but aligns and combines soft values from each. It shows how the overall bit error rate of RF data link can be improved by combining signals from multiple receivers and/or transmitters. Test results showing practical performance improvements are presented and discussed.