MTECS-2008

Performance Assessment of Adaptive Equalizers for

Indoor Mobile Channels
Mohd Israil1 and M. Salim Beg2
1
AMU, Aligarh, Email:- israilsaifi@gmail.com
2
AMU, Aligarh, Email:- msalimbeg@yahoo.co.uk

channel the time delay spread is generally inverse of the

Abstract— The effect of inter symbol interference (ISI) in
communication systems can be done through equalization. This
paper deals with the performance of the linear and nonlinear
equalizers for some fading channels such as those found in
indoor mobile radio environments. A linear equalizer gives the
good performance in case those channels, where the ISI is not
too severe but it is not enough for severe ISI case. It can be seen
that the nonlinear equalizer gives much better performance than
linear equalizer. This paper also discusses the channel with
different path and different amount of ISI present in the signal.
Index Terms: — Channel Impulse Response, Equalization,
Multipath Fading,
frequency. When the time delay spread is large, the adjacent
signal may interfere with each other, causing intersymbol
interference (ISI). And therefore the system gets degraded.
The ISI becomes more when the delay spread is
approximately 30% or more of the duration of the signal
duration. The 4-QAM signaling is used in this work which is
generated by inphase and quadrature phase suppressed carrier
modulation. It is assumed here that the detectors know all
about the channel i.e. perfect channel estimation is assumed.
This assumption is made because the objective of this study is
to assess the performance of detection processes in combating
signal, fading and intersymbol interference.

I. INTRODUCTION Pat
h2

T he multipath problem in the mobile communication

system is caused by the reflection and scattering from
buildings, hills and other obstacle along with the radio Buildi
ng
path. Radio waves arrive at the mobile radio receiver from the
base station via many different paths, with different time Direct
delay as shown in the fig. 1. The path1, path2 and path3 are Path

coming from the base station via LOS, reflection and

Mobile
refraction. These paths will combine vectorally at the Pat
Terminal

receiver. Since these are with different phase so at the Base h3

Station
receiver side will get the constructive as well as destructive
interference depending upon the phase relationship among the
incoming signal [3-6]. In this work worst case scenario is
considered. Tall
Buildings
It is to be noted that when the receiver moves from one
location to other, the phase relationship between the
components of the various incoming signal changes. Along
with this, it is to be noted that there will be Doppler shifts of
the frequency component within the received signal due to
the relative motion between the transmitter and receiver. The
time difference of the first and last replica of the signal is
known as multipath delay spread or time delay spread of the Fig. 1. Multipath Radio wave Propagations

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II. MODELING OF THE MOBILE FADING CHANNEL

Generally for generating the multipath fading channel
Tapped Delay Line (TDL) channel model is used. A tapped
delay line (TDL) is a delay line with at least one tap is
illustrated in fig. 2.
III. EQUALIZATION
Equalization compensates the intersymbol interference
(ISI) created by the multipath within time dispersive channel.
Equalization must be adaptive in mobile environments, since
the channel is generally unknown and time varying [6, 8].
A synchronous serial 4-QAM data transmission system is
considered in this work. Signal at the input to the transmitter
filter is

∑ s δ(t-iT),
i
i

Where si = ±1±j represents the data symbol. If the impulse

response of the linear baseband channel is y(t), sampled
impulse response will become yh δ(t – hT). It can also be
represented by the (g+1) component vector:

V = [yi,0 yi,1 yi,2 yi,3 .........yi,g] (1)

where yi= y(iT) and yi=0 for i<0 and i>g . In the form of z-
transform, it is given as:

Y(z) = yi,0 + yi,1 z -1 + ..........+ yi,g z –g (2)

Fig. 2. Tapped Delay line model for generating Multipath channel

The received signal is

A delay-line tap extracts a signal output from somewhere r(t) = ∑ s y(t-iT) + w(t)
i
i (3)
within the delay line, optionally scales it, and usually sums
with other taps for form an output signal. Depending upon the Where w(t) represents the additive white Gaussian noise
variety of terrain including built-up urban and suburban/rural waveform with zero mean and variance σw2. At the input the
areas, the channel may have several significant resolvable of the equalizer, r(t) is sampled at t=iT to give the received
paths with independent fading. The amplitude of these signal samples.
resolvable paths is Rayleigh distributed and the phase is
g

∑
uniformly distributed [6]. This paper addresses such ‘worst
case’ models of mobile channels. The idea is that if a receiver ri = si-h yi,h + wi (4)
h =0
can be designed to have a good tolerance to such a worst case
design of a channel, then it is unlikely to have a poor
performance over any practical channel that may be
encountered in a mobile [6]. These samples {ri} are fed to the equalizer whose output
goes to the threshold detector.
Fig. 2 shows channel model where input fed to the tapped
delay line. The number of taps is equal to the number of the
reflected signal reaching to the receiver via different fading
paths. Output of the signal would be distorted, noisy and with A. Designing of Linear Equalizers
intersymbol interference. Each of the Rayleigh fading paths is
generated simply from two Gaussian noise sources q1(t) and
The equalizer removes the ISI from the received samples
q2(t). Each q1 (t) and q2 (t) are two statistically independent {ri} such that the signal at the threshold detector input
real-valued [3], Gaussian random waveforms, each with zero becomes
mean and the same power spectral density, q1 (t) and q2 (t) are
generated independently by passing Gaussian noise source xi ≈ si + ui (5)
from two separate but identical filter. In this works five pole
Bessel filter is used [9-10].
Where ui is a function of the noise samples, and si is the
data symbol to be detected. The resultant signal at the output
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of the equalizer xi is then easily detected by a threshold

detector [8].
Linear equalization is a process of linear filtering of the
distorted signal by a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, or
transversal filter. In this work a 10 tap linear equalizer has
implemented in the form of a feed forward transversal filter as
shown in Fig. 3. The designing of an equalizer basically
finding the coefficients C0, C1, C2,….,Cm-1. It can be seen that
the sampled impulse response of the equalizer is given by an
m-component row vector C = [C0 C1 C2 ........Cm-1].
Therefore, the z-transform of the sampled impulse response of Fig.4. Nonlinear Equalizer
equalizer is
The corresponding sample value at the output of the
multiplier is
C(z)=C0+C1z–1+C2z-2+........+Cm-1 z –m+1 (6) g

ri/yi,0 = si + ∑ si-j (yi,j/yi,0) + (wi/yi,0)

j =1
g

ri/yi,0 = si+ ∑ si-jvj + wi/yi,0 (9)

j =1

Where: vj = y i, j/y i, 0
Si = symbol to be detected
wi/y i,0 = noise component
g

∑ Si-jvj = intersymbol interference

j =1

Fig. 3. Model of linear feed forward transversal equalizer The sampled impulse-response of the baseband channel,
sampler and multiplier is

1/y i, 0 V = 1 v1 v2 …… vg (10)
The equalizer essentially acts as the inverse of the channel
Y(z) in order to cancel out the distortion (ISI). Thus, Assuming that 1/yi, 0 V and the two possible initial values of
si are known at the receiver, the output signal from the linear
feed forward transversal filter in Fig. 6 is
Y (z)*C (z) ≈ 1 (7) g

∑j=1
si-j' vj , where si-j' is the detected value of si-j.
This equation shows that channel and equalizer together
produced no distortion in the channel. Thus, the signal at the detector input at t=iT is
g

B. Nonlinear Equalizer xi = ri/yi,0 – ∑ j=1

si-j' vj (11)

Non-linear equalization is one in which the detector is g g

used within the feedback path as shown in Fig. 4. Since the
detector is a highly nonlinear device, therefore equalization
= si + ∑
j=1
si-j vj + wi/yi,0– ∑j=1
si-j' vj (12)
becomes nonlinear. Non-linear equalizer uses decision
And with the correct detection of each si-j, such that
directed cancellation of intersymbol interference (ISI). The
si-j' = si-j for j=1,2,….g , then equation (13) becomes
received sample value at the input to the multiplier in Fig. 4,
at time t=iT, is
xi = si + wi/yi,0 (13)
g
ri = si yi,0 + ∑
j=1
si-j yi,j + wi (8)
IV. DATA TRANSMISSION OVER FADING CHANNEL
This paper is considering three cases of the fading channel
with various power delay profiles and number of paths
introduced in the channel. In this paper single path, two paths
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with equal as well as unequal power distribution and three Rayleigh Channel (CH 12)
paths with equal power and unequal power distribution is Parameter Theoretical Value Practical value
considered. In indoor mobile radio communication system the Mean of Rayleigh Path 1 0.7927 0.8043
relative motion between transmitter and receiver is small and Mean of Rayleigh Path 2 0.3965 0.3912
therefore the values of Doppler spread would also be less. In Variance of Rayleigh 0.1717 0.1954
this work the carrier frequency 900 MHz while the mobility Path1
is 2 m/s for worst case channel while using Doppler Variance of Rayleigh 0.0429 0.0472
frequency spread are 6 Hz. Path2
Mean of q1 0 0.0860
CH10 is the flat fading (single path) fading channel,
CH11 is a two path fading channel with equal power Mean of q2 0 0.0073
distribution, CH12 is two path fading channel with power Mean of q3 0 0.0062
distribution [80% 20%] CH13 is a three path fading channel Mean of q4 0 0.0160
with power distribution [70% 20% 10%] carrier frequency Variance of q1 0.4 0.4000
900 MHz. Channel CH11 and CH13 are the worst case Variance of q2 0.4 0.4352
situation of the channel where the ISI present in the signal
Variance of q3 0.1 0.1000
will be equal to the signal power.
In the single path fading there is no need of equalizer so Variance of q4 0.1 0.1000
the received signal sample can be directly given to the
threshold detector. The parameters like mean variances of the
channel CH10 are given in table 1. Performance of CH10 is
given in fig. 5 and fig 6.. The theoretical and simulated
parameters of CH11, CH12 and CH13 are given in the table 2, Table 4
table 3 and table 4 respectively, whereas their BER Simulation Results of Three-Path
performance curve of the above channels given in the fig. 5 Rayleigh Channel (CH 13)
for linear equalization and in fig. 6 for nonlinear equalization . Parameter Theoretical Value Practical value

Mean of Rayleigh Path 1 0.7415 0.7252

Table 1
Simulation Results of Single-Path Mean of Rayleigh Path 2 0.3963 0.3941
Rayleigh Channel (CH 10)
Parameter Theoretical Value Practical value Mean of Rayleigh Path 3 0.2802 0.2782

Mean of Rayleigh Path 0.8862 0.8787 Variance of Rayleigh 0.1502 0.1939

Variance of Rayleigh 0.2146 0.2132 Path1
Path Variance of Rayleigh 0.0429 0.0457
Mean of q1 0 -0.0344 Path2
Variance of Rayleigh 0.0212 0.0232
Variance of q2 0.5 0.4882 Path3
Mean of q2 0 0.0368 Mean of q1 0 -0.1314
Variance of q2 0.5 0.4646
Mean of q2 0 -0.0243

Mean of q3 0 -0.0265
Table 2
Simulation Results of Two-Path Mean of q4 0 0.0178
Rayleigh Channel (CH 11)
Parameter Theoretical Value Practical value Mean of q5 0 0.0238
Mean of Rayleigh Path 1 0.6267 0.6230
Mean of Rayleigh Path 2 0.6267 0.6230 Mean of q6 0 0.0057
Variance of Rayleigh 0.1073 0.1127
Path1 Variance of q1 0.35 0.3500
Variance of Rayleigh 0.1073 0.1127 Variance of q2 0.35 0.3500
Path2
Mean of q1 0 -0.0014 Variance of q3 0.10 0.1000
Mean of q2 0 0.0023
Mean of q3 0 0.0014 Variance of q4 0.10 0.1000
Mean of q4 0 0.0023
Variance of q1 0.25 0.25 Variance of q5 0.05 0.0500
Variance of q2 0.25 0.25
Variance of q3 0.25 0.25 Variance q6 0.05 0.0500
Variance of q4 0.25 0.25

Table 3
Simulation Results of Two-Path
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Fig. 5 BER Vs SNR curve for linear equalizer
Figure 6 shows the performance curve for the CH10,
CH11, CH12 and CH13 of Nonlinear Equalizer, while the
figure 7 gives the comparison in the performance of the linear
and non linear equalizer for the channel CH12.
Fig. 6: BER Vs SNR Curve for Nonlinear equalizer for CH10, CH11, CH12
and CH13
Fig. 7: Comparison of linear and nonlinear equalizer for channel CH12
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V. CONCLUSION
The paper has presented modeling and simulation of indoor
mobile radio fading channels with frequency 900 MHz.
Various Parameters of the channel such as mean, variance
and fading rate have been checked and verified through
computer simulation in order to enhance the validity of the
results. Data has been transmitted over the fading channels
using 4-QAM. Performance of the communication system
using 10 tap linear equalizer as well as nonlinear equalizer
has been assessed in terms of the BER Vs SNR curves
obtained for various cases.
For the worst case model of the channel, such as what is
considered in this work, it is found that the performance of
the linear equalizer is not very satisfactory. Thus for the worst
case type of channels used in this work, it is suggested that
some other error mitigation techniques such as channel
coding should be used in conjunction with linear equalizers.
However, it has been shown that the linear equalizer shows
improved performance when the channel intersymbol
interference is relatively smaller.
In order to get a better performance for data transmission
over channels with worst case ISI channels, nonlinear
equalizers have been found to give relatively better results.
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