How to build an optimal broadband channel sounder

Spatio-temporal channel information obtained via channel sounding is invaluable for implementing equalizers, multi-antenna systems, and dynamic modulation schemes in next-generation wireless systems. The most straightforward means of performing channel measurements is in the frequency domain using a vector network analyzer (VNA). However, the high cost of VNAs often leads engineers to seek more economical solutions by measuring the wireless channel in the time domain. The bandwidth compression of the sliding correlator channel sounder makes it the preferred means of performing time-domain channel measurements.