PCS band direction-of-arrival measurements using a 4 element linear array

A four-element array system for continuously acquiring direction-of-arrival data is described. The system allows for the collection of much larger data sets than previously published. Large data sets give a move realistic statistical description of the propagation environment applicable to "smart" fourth-generation broadband mobile wireless communications systems. A mobile experiment (drive route) in the PCS band was conducted in a largely suburban neighborhood. The measured impulse responses were used to estimate the multipath pattern using two blind direction-of-arrival estimation methods, the parallelogram method and the normalized maximum likelihood method. The results show that the parallelogram method better estimates the line-of-sight direction and the direction-of-arrival of the main beam in the azimuth delay power spectrum. The normalized maximum likelihood method better identifies isolated, narrow spikes in the azimuth delay power spectrum.