Performance of noncoherent MFSK channels with coding

Computer simulation of data transmission over a noncoherent channel with predetection signal-to-noise ratio of 1 shows that convolutional coding can reduce the energy requirement by 4.5 dB at a bit error rate of 0.001. The effects of receiver quantization and choice of number of tones are analyzed; nearly optimum performance is attained with eight quantization levels and sixteen tones at predetection S/N ratio of 1. The effects of changing predetection S/N ratio are also analyzed; for lower predetection S/N ratio, accurate extrapolations can be made from the data, but for higher values, the results are more complicated. These analyses will be useful in designing telemetry systems when coherence is limited by turbulence in the signal propagation medium or oscillator instability.