Improving dual-hop amplify-and-forward cooperative mobile network based on path selection and STBC with pre-coding scheme

This paper presents a path selection algorithm in conjunction with (2,2) Alamouti's space-time block code with pre-coding scheme (STBC-PC) to improve the network performance of a dual-hop amplify-and-forward cooperative mobile network. STBC-PC is applied to this study in order to employ STBC with single antenna which is incorporated in any wireless portable devices, e.g., mobile stations and to achieve high gain. The path selection algorithm is designed to be used at the mobile station where is assumed to have the knowledge of all channel gains, hence it can be designed to maximize the channel capacity and to provide better network performance. The simulation results have been shown that the cooperative transmission with STBC-PC can achieve BER of 10–4 at the level of SNR about 17 dB which is lower level than the cooperative transmission without STBC-PC. Moreover, the proposed method can provide BER of 10–2 at SNR of 3 dB which is lower level the STBC-PC-based cooperative transmission without path selection.