Multichannel Reception of Digital Signals over Correlated Nakagami Fading Channels

We obtain generic expressions for the average error rate of multichannel reception of digital signals over correlated slowly varying Nakagami-m fading channels. The results are applicable to coherent detection with maximal-ratio combining as well as to diierentially coherent and noncoherent detection with post-detection equal-gain combining. Aside from extending previous analyses of diversity reception over correlated Nakagami-m fading channels to include the performance of M-ary modulations, these results provide equivalent forms for known expressions corresponding to the performance of binary modulations. Because of their simple forms, these results ooer a useful analytical tool for the accurate performance evaluation of various systems of practical interest.