Intermittent Communication with a Fluctuating Signal

Intermittent transmission is proposed as a method to combat the effects of signal fading. Message error and average transmission rate are functions of operating bandwidth and threshold signal-to-noise ratio. The method is evaluated for Rayleigh-fading signals, using binary frequency modulation and phase modulation. One variable-bandwidth system is examined. The theoretical advantage (power gain>40 db for a binary error = 10-6) is reduced by practical limitations but should be nearly realized for some systems.