How is ECC taken into account?

Altair Forum User

In MIMO simulations, how does WinProp take the Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) into account? If I specify antenna gain patterns and antenna locations, is that enough or do I need to specify more details? What happens if I specify the same location for two antenna of a MIMO system?

MartinV_20771

WinProp does NOT determine ECC from patterns and separation. The user has to specify a value for the MIMO interstream interference ratio. For instance, when the ECC is 0.01, you specify 20 dB. The ECC can be determined with a tool like FEKO in which the details of the antennas and their 'platform' are accurately modeled and simulated. If you don't know the ECC, 20 dB is often a reasonable value to start with.

For antenna separation, ideally you specify the actual distance. Most users place the antennas on the same site, but then with slightly different positions. However, if you place both in exactly the same position, nothing bad happens, because the ECC is specified separately.