Diversity is usually used to overcome a phenomenon called Multipath distortion.It uses two identical
antennas,
>located a small distance apart, to provide coverage to the same
physical
>area.
>
>Multipath Distortion
>Multipath interference occurs when an RF signal has more than one path
>between a receiver and a transmitter. This occurs in sites that have a
>large amount of metallic or other RF reflective surfaces.
>
>Just as light and sound bounce off of objects, so does RF. This means
there
>can be more than one path that RF takes when going from a TX to and RX
>antenna. These multiple signals combine in the RX antenna and receiver
to
>cause distortion of the signal.
>
>Multipath interference can cause the RF energy of an antenna to be
very
>high, but the data would be unrecoverable. Changing the type of
antenna,
>and location of the antenna can eliminate multipath interference.
>
>One can relate this to a common occurrence in one’s car. As one pull
up to
>a stop, one may notice static on the radio. But as one moves forward a
few
>inches or feet, the station starts to come in more clearly. By rolling
>forward, one moves the antenna slightly, out of the point where the
>multiple signals converge.