Analysis of multipath channel fading techniques in wireless communication systems

Multipath fading occurs in any environment where there is multipath propagation and there is some movement of elements within the radio communications system. This may include the radio transmitter or receiver position, or in the elements that give rise to the reflections. The multipath fading can often be relatively deep, i.e. the signals fade completely away, whereas at other times the fading may not cause the signal to fall below a useable strength. Multipath fading may also cause distortion to the radio signal. As the various paths that can be taken by the signals vary in length, the signal transmitted at a particular instance will arrive at the receiver over a spread of times. This can cause problems with phase distortion and inter symbol interference when data transmissions are made. As a result, it may be necessary to incorporate features within the radio communications system that enables the effects of these problems to be minimized. This paper analyses the effects of various types of multipath fading in wireless transmission system.