Terrain dependant hop count selection for transparent relay transmissions
In this Letter, the selection of the best hop count for a particular topography, in the context of enhanced connectivity using multi-hop transparent relay communication is addressed. Based on the coefficient of variation and the terrain specific fading severity factor of the distribution, it is possible to estimate the optimal hop count that can provide the required performance at detector. Two distribution models, which can adequately characterise the terrain fading effects on empirical data are considered for performance comparison. The results are useful in selecting branches, with low variability and optimal hop count for connectivity, in multi-stream switched diversity combining systems.