Convolution Code and Error Correcting Capability

[chingkui]

Anyone know how to calculate the error correcting capability for a convolution code? My boss basically is giving me pressure to come up some answer by the end of this week... I won't have time to read things deep...
My first question is: For a particular convolution code with a rate k/n, is there a fixed number e of errors that the code can correct and that when the number of errors exceed e, the code cannot be corrected? Does the number of error correctable depend on the location the error occurs? (e.g. will it be the case that a convolution code can correct 3 errors that occur far apart from each other, but cannot correct 3 errors that are next to each other?)

Please let me know asap, thanks. It will be a frustrating week...

 

[berkeman]

I'm no help with the answers without doing some review reading myself. But here's a good place to start reading at Wolfram if it helps you:

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Error-CorrectingCode.html

 

[Rogue Physicist]

For a quick crash course on Error Correcting Codes,

try this: A Commonsense Approach to the Theory of Error Correcting Codes by Benjamin Arazi (MIT press 1988 England)

This might get you through the difficulty of trying to learn in a few days what normally takes a lot longer!