Postdetection MRC diversity for pi /4-shift QDPSK mobile radio

Diversity reception using a postdetection maximal-ratio combiner (MRC) was experimentally investigated for pi /4-shift QDPSK signal transmission in Rayleigh fading environments. Two-branch postdetection MRC diversity reception provides a diversity gain, for a required E_b/N₀, of about 1.5 dB over selection diversity. It is also effective in reducing the impact of multipath channel delay spread. The average BER due to delay spread can be further reduced by a factor of about 1.5 times from selection diversity.