A characterization of indoor space and frequency diversity by ray-tracing modeling

In this paper, the performance of space and frequency diversity techniques at 1800 MHz in an indoor environment are investigated. Three linear signal combining techniques are considered: signal selection (SEL), maximal ratio combining (MRC), and equal gain combining (EGC). The computations of received fading envelopes are performed by means of an analytical model, based on a three-dimensional ray-tracing (RT)/uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) technique; the reliability of the adopted approach is confirmed by comparison with some test measurements. The electromagnetic field components are adequately processed to obtain the single branch and combined signal envelope. The results show the very significant benefits that can be achieved both in terms of diversity gain and diversity advantage for both diversity techniques. Antenna spacings of about 0.75-1 lambda are nearly sufficient for achieving optimum performance, whereas frequency separation on the order of 10 MHz is needed for sufficiently decorrelated transmission on the two carriers.