Joint Timing Epoch Tracking and Channel Estimation for Alamouti Space-Time Coding in Rayleigh Fading MIMO Channels

We analyze the performance of a joint timing epoch tracking and PSAM-based channel estimation system in a frequency-flat Rayleigh fading MIMO channel. The receiver tracks a random timing drift via a timing error detector developed for n_T = 2 orthogonal space-time block coded MPSK systems with an arbitrary number of receive antennas. The detector´s S-curve has recently been shown to be independent of the channel state, resulting in system very robust in poor channel conditions. We evaluate the receiver´s tracking capabilities in conjunction with channel estimation and study the effects of the delay inherent to PSAM interpolation systems. Symbol error rate performance for a QPSK system is presented, with the results showing negligible performance degrades