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NTIA Report TR-03-403

Measurements of Channel Transfer Functions and Capacity Calculations for a 16x16 BLAST Array over a Ground Plane

June 2003

Peter B. Papazian, Yeh Lo, John J. Lemmon, Michael J. Gans

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Abstract: Wideband channel transfer function measurements were made for a 16-element transmit and 16-element receive, multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna array. The measurements were conducted using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) open area test site (OATS), allowing analytic calculations of the channel transfer functions. The H matrix for the BLAST array was then determined from measured data and the link capacity was calculated using information theory. The theoretical link capacity was then calculated and found to be 22.16 Bits/Hz/s for horizontally polarized antennas and 22.19 Bits/Hz/s for vertically polarized antennas. It was then found that the measured results agreed with the theoretical calculations with 5% error using horizontally polarized antennas and with <0.3% error for the vertically polarized case. The objective of this work was to verify that wideband measurements could be used to accurately measure H and predict the capacity of a MIMO channel.

Keywords: BLAST; capacity; H matrix; impulse response; information theory; MIMO; radiowave propagation; transfer function

Disclaimer: Certain commercial equipment, components, and software are identified in this report to specify adequately the technical aspects of the reported results. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, nor does it imply that the equipment or software identified is necessarily the best available for the particular application or uses.

To request a reprint of this report, contact:
Margaret Luebs, Publications Officer
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
Voice: (303) 497-3572
info@its.bldrdoc.gov

For technical information concerning this report, contact:
Peter Papazian, Electronics Engineer
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
Voice: (303) 497-5369
ppapazian@its.bldrdoc.gov

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