Propagation aspects of frequency-hopping spread spectra

The effect of frequency hopping spread spectra (FH-SS) on mobile channel characteristics is evaluated. Employing propagation studies, statistical analysis and simulation models, it is shown that the frequency-hopped channel displays improved characteristics when compared to the nonhopped case. Furthermore, the parameters specifically associated with the frequency-hopped channel are characterised, such as hop rate and system bandwidth. It is shown that the long-term channel statistics are unchanged by hopping. However, the short-term fading statistics are improved, and can be exploited to provide an overall increase in the quality of service. The short-term statistics of the frequency-hopped channel are derived, enabling prediction of the performance of FH-SS