MRCS -- selecting maximal ratio combined signals: a practical hybrid diversity combining scheme

This paper presents and investigates a general diversity combining scheme, here named MRCS, in which maximal-ratio combined signals are chosen on a selection combining basis. This combining method has a simple implementation and a tractable analytical formulation that can be directly applied to situations in which site selection exists. A general analysis of the probability distribution (reliability), level crossing rate, and average fade duration at the output of the combiner is provided, along with examples for a Nakagami-m fading environment. The main result of the present work, however, is the derivation of an exact, easy-to-evaluate closed-form expression for the mean signal-to-noise ratio at the output of the combiner. Such an expression is applicable for conditions in which the product of the number of maximal-ratio combining branches and the Nakagami-m parameter is an integer and it generalizes a result presented elsewhere in the literature. The formulations derived here find a direct applicability in the dimensioning of practical wireless networks.