Volume 11, Number 3

Comparing Various Channel Estimation Techniques for OFDM Systems Using MATLAB

  Authors

Raghad K. Mohammed, University of Baghdad, Iraq

  Abstract

This paper compares the performance of various channel estimation techniques for OFDM systems over quasi-static channels using MATLab. It compares the performance of five channel estimation techniques, these are: decision directed (DD), linear interpolation, second-order interpolation, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) interpolation, minimum mean square error (MMSE) interpolation. The performance is evaluated in terms of two widely-used performance measures, namely, bit-error rate (BER) and the mean square error (MSE) for different levels of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The OFDM model is explained and implemented using MATLab to run different simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that the DD channel estimation provides the lowest BER and MSE as compared to interpolation techniques, at the cost of extra processing delay and comparatively sensitive to channel variations between OFDM symbols. Also, the MMSE interpolation outperforms all other interpolation techniques.

  Keywords

OFDM, pilot-based channel estimation, pilot allocation, direct decision, interpolation channel estimation, LS, MMSE, MATLab