Application of the Prony algorithm to predictive RAKE receivers in a multipath environment

The use of the Prony algorithm in a predictive RAKE receiver has been proposed, and it has been found that these predictive RAKE receivers perform particularly well at high Doppler frequencies as compared with similar receivers using alpha-trackers. Predictive RAKE receivers using the Prony algorithm would therefore be particularly effective for mobile communications involving high vehicle velocities or low sampling frequencies. It has also been found that the number of data points correctly decoded before the first error burst is very sensitive to the amount of noise on the taps, so that performance may be enhanced further if a way can be found of quantifying the value of the SNR on the taps during the training period, enabling the intervals between training periods to be optimised for a given level of performance demanded