Effect of pulsed interference on an ASK receiver

Wireless communication is vulnerable to intentional electromagnetic interference, and therefore it is important to understand the interfering mechanisms. In this paper we investigate the effect of pulsed interference - as compared to continuous interference - on a receiver of digital amplitude modulated signals. To correctly receive the signals, a threshold estimate has to be computed for the proper detection of the symbols. The threshold estimate is based on average received power over an arbitrary length of time. We show that the effect of pulsed interference on the threshold estimate is severe, as compared to that for continuous interference. For this reason, pulsed interference can be more disruptive than continuous interference on a wireless link. This conclusion is confirmed by bit-error-rate measurements on a wireless receiver of amplitude-shift keying modulated signals.