Error Performance of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Systems on Non-Selective Fading Channels

The effects of fading on the performance of a spread spectrum multiple-access communication system using direct sequence modulation are investigated. General series expansions are developed for the average probability of error and specific results are given for the irreducible error rate associated with propagation over independent Rician fading channels or correlated Rayleigh fading channels. Simple single-term approximations for the irreducible error rate, which are proportional to the second moment of the cross-correlation between the spreading codes employed by the users, are derived for these cases.