The transmit energy efficiency of long-range wireless communications from battery-powered unmanned systems over packet erasure channels is analyzed for space- and polarization-based multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architectures with and without linear precoding. Theoretical and emulation results generated from a hybrid hardware/software test bed indicate that when packet erasures are considered, 4 × 4 MIMO architectures with precoding can offer significant energy efficiency gains relative to nonprecoded MIMO systems. In the lower signal-to-noise ratio regime, we find that operating points exist for the different MIMO architectures that provide near maximum spectral efficiency while operating at a local minimum in energy consumption. At these operating points, transceiver operating times are determined for a range of battery capacities.
['Jun Chen', 'Thomas G. Pratt']
Transmit energy-efficiency for long-range wireless communications from battery-powered unmanned systems