Comparison of decoding algorithms of binary linear block codes in Rayleigh fading channels with diversity reception

The word error probability of binary linear block codes is evaluated in Rayleigh fading channels with diversity reception for three decoding algorithms: error correction (EC), error/erasure correction (EEC), and maximum likelihood (ML) soft decoding algorithms. The performance advantage of EEC over EC in the required average SNR decreases as the number of diversity channels increases. The performance advantage of EEC over EC does not depend on the specific value of word error probability although the advantage of ML soft decoding over EC increases for lower word error probability