Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

EEE 438 : Wireless Communication Laboratory

Experiment 3

Channel Models for Wireless Communication Systems

Objective:
 To simulate various wireless channel models including large-scale and small scale fading
 To evaluate bit error rate (BER) of BPSK modulations over various channel models

Theory:
In wireless communications, propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves radiated into atmosphere are
governed by three different modes of physical phenomena: reflection, diffraction, and scattering. These
phenomena make the propagation of radio wave a less predictable process, whose intensity varies with
different environments at different instances.

Path-loss in a communication channel is defined as the ratio of the transmit power to the receive power.
From an estimated path-loss, coverage range of a communication system can be approximated. From
Friis free-space propagation equation, path-loss is deterministic and can be given in far-field region (d ≥
df = 2D2/λ, df >> D, df >> λ, df is the Fraunhofer distance, D is the largest physical dimension of the
antenna) as below

Here, Pt is the transmit power, Pr is the received power at a distance d, Gt is the transmit antenna gain, Gr is the
receive antenna gain and λ is the wavelength of radiation.
However, wireless channel is random in nature due to non-additive fading and additive noise resulting in
significant signal variation than that predicted by deterministic model as shown in Fig. 1. The fading
phenomenon can be broadly classified into two different types: large-scale fading and small-scale
fading. They can be further sub-divided as shown in Fig. 2.

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 Fig. 1: Path-loss components.

Fig. 2: Classification of fading channels.

 Large-scale fading: It represents the average signal power attenuation or the path-loss due to motion
over large areas. This phenomenon is affected by prominent terrain contours (hills, forests,
billboards, clumps of buildings, and so on) between the transmitter and the receiver. The receiver is
often said to be “shadowed” by such prominences. The statistics of large-scale fading provide a way
of computing an estimate of path loss as a function of distance. This is described in terms of a mean-
path loss and a log-normally distributed variation about the mean.

 Small-scale fading: It refers to the dramatic changes in signal amplitude and phase that can be
experienced as a result of small changes (as small as a half wavelength) in the spatial positioning
between a receiver and a transmitter. Small-scale fading manifests itself in two mechanisms: time-
spreading of the signal (or signal dispersion) and time-variant behavior of the channel. For mobile-

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 radio applications, the channel is time-variant, because motion between the transmitter and the
receiver results in propagation path changes. Channel can also changes due to the motion of objects
(e.g., vehicles, pedestrians) in the channel. The rate of change of these propagation conditions
accounts for the fading rapidity (rate of change of the fading impairments).

Lab Task 1: Large-Scale Fading

Free-space path-loss model [equation (1)]: 

(1)
Log-distance path-loss model:

(2)

d0 is the reference distance, which can be 1 km for a cellular system with a large coverage (e.g., a cell
radius greater than 10 km), 100 m for a macrocellular system with a cell radius of 1 km or 1 m for a
microcellular system with an extremely small radius.
Log-normal shadowing path-loss model:
A log-normal shadowing model is useful when dealing with a more realistic situation.

(3)
Here, Xσ ~ N(0, σ2) is a Gaussian random variable with a zero mean and a standard deviation of σ.
There exists many empirical path-loss models derived through physical measurement emulating various
large-scale fading channels.

Tasks:
Using MATLAB, simulate and compare the free-space path-loss model, log-distance path-loss
model (n = 2, 3, 6) and the log-normal shadowing (n = 2, σ = 3 dB) path-loss model. Other common
parameters, f = 1.5 GHz, Gt = Gr = 1, do = 100m. To compare, plot path-loss in dB over a distance
of 1 km.

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 Fig. 1: Sample results for Lab Task 1.
Lab Task 2: Small-Scale Fading Channels
Fading is the rapid variation of the received signal level in the short term as the user terminal moves a
short distance. Small-scale fading is attributed to multi-path propagation, speed of the transmitter, speed
of the receiver, speed of surrounding objects, and the transmission bandwidth of signal. Power delay
profile (PDP), mean excess delay, RMS delay spread, coherence bandwidth, coherence time and
Doppler spread characterize the extent of time dispersion and frequency dispersion in a channel.
Depending on the extent of time dispersion (due to multi-path propagation) or frequency dispersion (due
to Doppler spread), the frequency-selective fading or time-selective fading is induced respectively.

In general, the propagation environment for any wireless channel in either indoor or outdoor may be
subject to LOS (Line-of-Sight) or NLOS (Non Line-of-Sight). Probability density function (pdf) of the

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received signal amplitude in the LOS environment follows the Rician distribution, while that in the
NLOS environment follows the Rayleigh distribution.

Rayleigh distribution:
PDF of Rayleigh random variable X with parameter σ is as follows

(4)
where E[X2] = 2σ2 = average power of X. Notation for Rayleigh random variable: X~Rayleigh(σ).
Now, X can be generated using any of the following formulas (5)-(7)

(5)
where Z1 ~N(0,1) and Z2~N(0,1).

(6)
where Z1 ~N(0, σ2) and Z2~N(0, σ2).

(7)
where U ~ U(0,1)

Rician distribution:
PDF of Rician random variable X is as follows

(8)
where I0(z) is the modified Bessel function of the first kind with order zero. Here, E[X 2] = 2σ2 + c2 =
average power of X and Rician factor K = c2/2σ2. Notation for Rician random variable: X ~ Rice(c, σ).
If c = 0 is set, Rician distribution becomes Rayleigh distribution, i.e., Rice(0, σ) = Rayleigh(σ). Now, X
~ Rice(c, σ) can be generated using either of the following formulas

(9)

where Z1 ~N(0, σ2) and Z2~N(0, σ2).

(10)

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where Z1 ~N(μ1, σ2), Z2~N(μ1, σ2) and 2 2.
1 2

Tasks:
(a) Using MATLAB, (i) draw the pdf and cdf of Rayleigh distributed random variables with σ =
1/sqrt(2) and 1. (ii) draw the pdf and cdf of Rician distributed random variables for K = -40dB and
15 dB with σ = 1/sqrt(2). (iii) Is there relation among the results found in (i) and (ii)?
(b) If your transmitted signal is a square pulse of an amplitude = 1 V, draw the received signal
amplitude in a Rayleigh (assume σ = 1) and Rician (K = 15 dB, σ = 1) channels for 100 channel
realizations. Ignore large-scale fading.
(c) Which of this two channels in part (b) seems better for wireless communications? Explain with
justification.

Fig. 2: Sample results for Lab Task 2.

Lab Task 3: IEEE 802.11 Channel Model (Indoor Multi-path fading channel)
Indoor channels tend to be static due to extremely low mobility of the terminals inside the building.
Even in the indoor channel environments, however, the channel condition may vary with time and
location, which still requires a power delay profile (PDP) to represent the channel delays and their
average power. In fact, the indoor channels are usually modeled under the assumption that they have
either static or quasi-static channel conditions.
IEEE 802.11b Task Group has adopted the exponential model to represent a 2.4 GHz indoor channel. Its
PDP follows the exponential model. Here, each channel tap is modeled by an independent complex
Gaussian random variable with its average power that follows the exponential PDP, while taking the
time index of each channel tap by the integer multiples of sampling periods. In other words, the
maximum number of paths is determined by the RMS delay spread στ and sampling period Ts as follows:

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 (11)
Assuming that the pth channel tap has a mean of 0 and variance of σp2, its impulse response is given by

(12)
where Z1 and Z2 are statistically independent and identical Gaussian random variables, each with N(0,
σp2/2). The maximum excess delay in IEEE802.11 channel model is fixed to 10στ. In this case, the power
of each channel tap is given as

(13)

where σo2 is the power of the first tap, which is determined so as to make the average received power
equal to one and thus can be given by

(14)
Tasks:
Consider 10,000 channel realizations and στ = 25 ns and Ts = 50 ns.
(a) Using MATLAB, plot the average channel power (tap wise) obtained from simulations with
that of the analytical values.
(b) Plot channel frequency response for the IEEE 802.11 channel model.
(c) Is this channel a frequency-flat or frequency-selective fading channel? Explain.
(d) Draw the time-domain channel characteristics for each of the taps for 100 channel realizations.

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 Fig. 3: Sample results for Lab Task 3.

Lab Task 4: Outdoor Wireless Channel Models (Consider Doppler spread)

As opposed to the static or quasi-static nature of the indoor channel, outdoor channels are typically
characterized by time variation of the channel gain, which is subject to the mobile speed of terminals.
Depending on the mobile speed, time variation of channel gain is governed by Doppler spectrum, which
determines the time-domain correlation in the channel gain. When the bandwidth of the transmitted
signal is much larger than the Doppler spread, the effects of the Doppler spread are negligible at the
receiver. Furthermore, outdoor channels can be both frequency-flat and frequency-selective.

We will simulate the Clarke/Gans outdoor channel model as outlined in Fig. 2. The Clarke/Gans model
has been devised under the assumption that scattering components around a mobile station are uniformly
distributed with an equal power for each component. Following model generates a frequency-flat
channel with the Rayleigh distributed magnitude.

Fig. 4: Block diagram for Clarke/Gans model

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Tasks:
Consider, Doppler frequency (maximum Doppler shift / Doppler spread) fm = 100 Hz and a
sampling period Ts = 50 μs.
(a) Using MATLAB, plot the (i) time-domain channel characteristics, (ii) pdf of magnitude and
(iii) pdf of phase.
(b) Explain the salient features of the above plots.
(c) If you increase the Doppler frequency, what will be impact on these three figures? Explain
through simulation results.

Fig. 5: Sample results for Lab Task 4.

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Lab Task 5: BER for BPSK Modulation over various Wireless Channels
Consider that a receiver is located at a random distance from a transmitter in a rectangular area of 4×6
km2 having no LOS path. Distance between the transmitter and the receiver is uniformly distributed. The
transmitter is located at the center with a transmit power of 5 W at a frequency of 2 GHz and channel
bandwidth of 180 kHz. Assume AWGN with PSD N0 = -174 dBm/Hz.
(a) Plot the average received power at the receiver with distance (vary distance as 200:200:5000
m) considering all the large-scale and small-scale fading channels discussed in this lab sheet.
(b) Plot BER with SNR at a fixed distance of 0.5 km for all the large-scale and small scale fading
channels discussed in this lab sheet. Vary transmit signal power as 5:5:40 W (noise power fixed)
for varying SNR.
(c) Repeat part (b) considering both large-scale fading (mean = 0 dB and standard deviation σ = 4
dB for indoor and 8 dB for outdoor) and Rayleigh small-scale fading (Doppler spread fm = 100 Hz)
for the channels discussed in Lab Task 3 and Lab Task 4.

Fig. 6: Sample results for Lab Task 5 simulated considering only small-scale fading (Rayleigh fading
with σ2 = 1, no Doppler spread), and AWGN with zero mean and unit variance.

References:
[1] MIMO-OFDM Wireless Communications with MATLAB - Y. S. Cho, J. Kim, W. Y. Yang and C. G. Kang.
[2] Contemporary Communication Systems Using MATLAB - J. G. Proakis, M. Salehi and G. Bauch.

Prepared by:
Dr. Md. Farhad Hossain
Professor
Department of EEE, BUET

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