Comparison between adaptive OFDM and single carrier modulation with frequency domain equalization

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to compare multicarrier and single carrier modulation schemes for radio communication systems. In both cases the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and its inverse are utilized. In the case of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing), the inverse FFT transforms the complex amplitudes of the individual subcarriers at the transmitter into the time domain. At the receiver the inverse operation is carried out. In the case of single carrier modulation, the FFT and its inverse are used at the input and output of the frequency domain equalizer in the receiver. Different single carrier and multicarrier transmission systems are simulated with time-variant transfer functions measured with a wideband channel sounder. In the case of OFDM, the individual subcarriers are modulated with fixed and adaptive signal alphabets. Furthermore, a frequency-independent as well as the optimum power distribution are used.