'Errors-and-erasures' decoding performance of RS coded DS-CDMA using M-ary orthogonal signalling

| In this contribution we investigate the performance of RS coded DS-CDMA using M-ary orthogonal signalling over multipath Rayleigh fading channels. `ErrorsAnd-Erasures (EAE)' RS decoding is considered, where erasures are declared based on the joint Maximum Output and Ratio Threshold Test (MOR-TT). Two classes of diversity reception techniques suitable for noncoherent M-ary detection are invoked, namely either Equal Gain Combining (EGC) or Selection Combining (SC) and their related performance is evaluated for both uncoded and coded DSCDMA systems. The performance of the proposed MORTT technique is compared to that of the Ratio Threshold Test (RTT) and the Output Threshold Test (OTT), as well as that of `Error-Correction-Only (ECO)' decoding. The numerical results show that when using EAE decoding, RS codes of a given code rate are capable of achieving a signi cantly higher coding gain than without erasure information. Furthermore, the MOR-TT technique outperforms both the RTT and the OTT techniques.