Performance of generalized selection combining over Weibull fading channels

The literature is relatively sparse in performance analysis of diversity combining schemes over Weibull fading channels, despite the fact that the Weibull distribution is often found to be suitably fit for empirical fading channel measurements. In this paper, we capitalize on some interesting results due to Lieblein on the order statistics of Weibull random variables to derive exact closed-form expressions for the combined average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well as amount of fading (AF) at a generalized selection combining (GSC) output over Weibull fading channels. We also use some simple AF-based mappings between the fading parameters of the Weibull distribution and those of the Nakagami, Rice, and Hoyt distributions to obtain the approximate but accurate average SNR and AF of GSC over these types of channels. The mathematical equations are validated and illustrated by some numerical examples for scenarios of practical interest.