Demodulation improvement analysis of FEC quasi-coherent CPM

Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) schemes are advantageous for low-power radios. The constant envelope transmit signal is more efficient for both linear and non-linear amplifier architectures. A standard, coherent CPM receiver can take advantage of modulation memory and is more complex than a coherent Phase Shift Keyed receiver. But the CPM signal can be demodulated non-coherently and still take advantage of the trellis structure inherent in the modulation. Prior analyses of several different non-coherent CPM schemes have been provided with many providing coherent or near coherent performance. In this paper we will discuss a new, reduced complexity decoder that improves upon the noncoherent performance. In addition, this new algorithm generates soft decision metrics that allow the addition of a forward error correction scheme (an outer code) with coherent equivalent performance gains.