Equal-gain diversity receiver performance in wireless channels

Performance analysis of equal-gain combining (EGC) diversity systems is notoriously difficult only more so given that the closed-form probability density function (PDF) of the EGC output is only available for dual-diversity combining in Rayleigh fading. A powerful frequency-domain approach is therefore developed in which the average error-rate integral is transformed into the frequency domain, using Parseval's theorem. Such a transformation eliminates the need for computing (or approximating) the EGC output PDF (which is unknown), but instead requires the knowledge of the corresponding characteristic function (which is readily available). The frequency-domain method also circumvents the need to perform multiple-fold convolution integral operations, usually encountered in the calculation of the PDF of the sum of the received signal amplitudes. We then derive integral expressions for the average symbol-error rate of an arbitrary two-dimensional signaling scheme, with EGC reception in Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami-m (1960), and Nakagami-q fading channels. For practically important cases of second- and third-order diversity systems in Nakagami fading, both coherent and noncoherent detection methods for binary signaling are analyzed using the Appell hypergeometric function. A number of closed-form solutions are derived in which the results put forward by Zhang (see ibid., vol.45, p.270-73, 1997) are shown to be special cases.