Abstract
In this paper, we propose a joint decoding scheme called AC-MAP decoder for multiple input single output (MISO) wireless cooperative communication network that consists of single source, single relay, and single destination. The proposed scheme is based on both Alamouti combining (AC) scheme and maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoder and is used to estimate the data at the destination. The AC-MAP decoder is optimal in the sense that it minimizes the end-to-end bit error rate (BER). In order to analyze performance of the proposed decoder, we derive a closed form expression for the upper bound (UB) on the end-to-end error probability. Distances between system nodes, transmit energy, and channel noise and fading effects are considered in the derivation of the UB. Numerical results show that the closed form UB is very tight and it almost coincides with the exact BER results obtained from simulations. Therefore, we use the derived UB expression to study the effects of the relay position on the BER performance and to find the optimal location of the relay node.