A Software Tool for Quick Codes Analysis and Selection in Spread Spectrum Communication Systems

Spread spectrum communications rely on the selection of suitable sets of so-called spreading codes, also known as signatures, to ensure satisfactory system performance. Comparing different sets of spreading codes may be not a straightforward process, due to the amount of different code-related parameters that should be taken into account, and to the inherent differences in the codes generation algorithms. This paper presents a practical software tool to facilitate the evaluation and comparison of different families of spreading codes, under different parameters and constraints. Simulations to evaluate the selected signatures in a CDMA system, under AWGN or multipath channel, are also supported by the tool. The tool may be usefully applied in the design of communication systems and networks relying upon spread spectrum techniques.