A Simulation Tool to Analyse the TETRA Transceiver Performance in Adverse Propagation Conditions

Abstract

With growing demand for digital wireless communica tion systems, simulation tools are increasingly impor tant as means for fast, accurate prediction of system performance. The development of a software simula tion tool to analyse the performance of emerging stan dard Trans European Trunked Radio is described. It estimates the average Bit Error Rate of the communi cation link in a variety of propagation conditions, while incorporating different component subsystems in the chain. The modelling process of various components of the transceiver chain and the propagation channel is discussed; the resulting implementation is demon strated. To show the tool's use, the BER performance of TETRA with post-detection diversity under several propagation conditions has been evaluated, with an improvement in the range of 5 to 11.5 dB. System per formance is reported under Simulcast conditions, a transmission strategy that enables coverage of large, low-traffic areas. A model is incorporated using a novel approach that considers the effect of the multipath channel. A significant increase of the expected error floor is anticipated for normal operating conditions. Finally, the RMS simulcast channel delay spread was identified as a suitable parameter to characterise the most critical spots of the area covered.

Keywords

TETRA post-detection diversity Simulcast PMR simulcast channel modelling

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