Abstract: A method and apparatus for estimating channel conditions in a code-division multiple access (CDMA) communication system having a pilot signal and a traffic signal. The apparatus includes a pilot filter for generating channel estimates from the pilot signal and a circuit for reconstructing the traffic information bits after they have been decoded. A predictive channel estimation circuit generates predictive channel estimates from the original traffic signal demodulated by the reconstructed traffic information bits. A demodulator demodulates the traffic signal using the predictive channel estimates and the pilot signal channel estimates. By using the predictive channel estimates that contain signal energy from the traffic signal as a coherent reference, the channel conditions may be estimated more accurately than by using the pilot signal alone.

Abstract: The punctured pilot channel comprises information symbols of uncertain sign punctured into a sequence of pilot channel symbols of predetermined sign. The apparatus includes an information sign demodulation circuit for determining the sign of the information symbols in response to the pilot channel symbols. A continuous pilot generator generates a non-punctured pilot channel of predetermined sign from the information symbols and the pilot channel symbols. In a first embodiment, the information sign demodulator further comprises a dot product circuit for calculating a dot product of the pilot channel symbols and the punctured information symbols, and a threshold comparator for comparing the dot product to a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A system for displaying performance characteristics of a circuit in a telecommunications network. The system is adapted for use with a CDMA telecommunications network and includes a Markov call testing system for performance testing the telecommunications circuit. A computer stores the results of the performance test. Software running on the computer determines a subset of the results sufficient to reflect the performance of the telecommunications circuit. A monitor on the computer displays information corresponding to the subset. In the illustrative embodiment, the system further includes a method for determining if one or more receive antennas in the telecommunications network are balanced. The telecommunications circuit corresponds to a cell site modem chip in a base station. The subset includes a number of finger signal peaks. The number is determined by calculations performed on a scan set to determine a floor above which signal peaks are chosen for inclusion in the subset.