Analysis of maximal-ratio combining with transmit antenna selection in flat nakagami-m fading channels for arbitrary m

Abstract

In this paper, the error performance of an uncoded multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) scheme combining single transmit antenna selection and receiver maximal-ratio combining (the TAS/MRC scheme) is investigated for flat Nakagami-m fading channels with arbitrary values of m ges 1/2. The exact symbol error rate (SER) expressions are developed based on the moment generating function (MGF) method for M-ary phase-shift keying (M-PSK) and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM). The asymptotic SER analysis reveals a diversity order equal to the product of the m parameter, the number of transmit antennas and the number of receive antennas. Theoretic analysis is verified by simulation. These analytical results quantify the impact of the fading severity on the system performance, and provide guidance for system design.