LOS microwave channel simulation: A survey of models, realizations and new concepts

Channel simulation concepts and recent work in line of sight channel modeling and the hardware realization of these models in a channel simulator are reviewed. A new approach in which the channel simulator is realized at RF rather than at IF is discussed. The need for a standard performance measure for digital radios is discussed. Although bit-error rate (BER) is frequently used, this measure does not facilitate comparisons between tests conducted by different researchers because of differences in the ways that BER statistics are accumulated. The use of the synchronous error second and other performance measures are addressed.