A simplified analytical and simulation framework for evaluating BER of RS coded digital signal in Rician fading channels

In order to mitigate the deleterious effects of multipath fading in satellite wireless channels, forward error correction (FEC) techniques had been used for past several decades. Reed-Solomon (RS) coding is one of the preferred FECs for current satellite systems that experience deep fading. For satellite channels, often a direct path also exists along with the multipath components, and the attenuation due to fading can be characterized with Rician statistics. In this paper, we present simplified bit error rate (BER) expression of binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation using RS code in slow flat Rician fading. The analytical BER values have been validated through MATLAB based simulations. A detailed discussion on the development of the simulation code is also included.