The University of British Columbia

This paper proposes chip coding using convolutional codes for fast frequency-hopping spread-spectrum multiple-access (FFH-SSMA) systems. Its performance is evaluated and compared with that of repetition coding which is most commonly used in FFH systems. In our proposal, an information symbol is encoded by a convolutional code of rate 1/n and n chips are transmitted through a frequency hopper. We consider three models when perfect side information (PSI) is available, no side information (NSI) is available, and the ratio threshold test (RTT) is used. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the received signal are derived for asynchronous hopping systems. The performances of convolutional coding with threshold decoding and Viterbi decoding are presented under the constraint of fixed total bandwidth and information bit rate. In comparison with repetition codes, it is found that convolutional codes drastically enhance the system performance. It is identified that Viterbi decoding with RTT offers the most significant performance improvement