Convolutionally interleaved PSK and DPSK trellis codes for shadowed, fast fading mobile satellite communication channels

Using a model from the literature, the performance of convolutionally interleaved phase-shift-keying (PSK) and differential phase-shift-keying (DPSK) trellis codes for digital speech transmission over shadowed mobile satellite communication channels is determined by computer simulation. First the characteristics of fading channels are examined and analyzed in terms of the probability distributions of amplitude, phase, and burst errors. A statistical method, using a histogram approach, is utilized along with the simulations of fading channels to generate these probability distributions. A test for channel burst error behavior is presented. A periodic convolutional interleaver/deinterleaver to be used with trellis coding to combat slow fading in digital, shadowed mobile satellite channels is designed. This interleaver ha less than half the time delay for the same bit error performance than a block interleaver. The results show that the periodic convolutional interleaver provides considerable improvement in the error and time delay performance of mobile satellite communication channels for up to average shadowing conditions as compared to other techniques