Variable-rate coding for meteor-burst communication using punctured convolutional codes

Meteor-burst (MB) communication is an attractive means of beyond line of sight radio communication for many applications. Error control coding provides powerful means for addressing problems posed by the uneven distribution of received power observed with the MB channel. The author considers the use of variable-rate punctured convolutional codes for implementing an adaptive transmission scheme for MB communication. The scheme has been subjected to experimental verification by simulation. The validity of the approach is confirmed: for a given target bit error rate, a substantial improvement in throughput is observed with the adaptive scheme as compared to a fixed coding rate scheme.<<ETX>>