IMPROVED DECODING FOR A CONCATENATED CODING SYSTEM RECOMMENDED BY CCSDS

The concatenated coding system recommended by CCSDS uses an onter (255,233) Reed-Solomon code based on 8 b symbols, followed by the block interleaver and an inner rate [FORMULA OMITTED] convolutionsal code with memory 6. Viterbi decoding is assumed. Two new decoding procedures based on repeated decoding trials and exchange of information between the two decoders and the deinterleaver are proposed. In the first one, where the improvement is 0.3–0.4 dB, only the RS decoder performs repeated trials. In the second one, where the improvement is 0.5–0.6 dB, both decoders perform repeated decoding trials and decoding information is exchanged between them. © 1990 IEEE