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might think that the reflected signal and the direct signal are actually the same, the fact is
they arent. The reflected signal had further to travel, and it is therefore out of phase with
the direct signal.
It doesnt sound like there is any viable way to avoid these problems, but thats where the
magic of Frequency Hopping comes in. Who says that our conversation must remain on
the same physical channel and time slot for the entire time we are on a particular site? If
the network were able to move us from slot to slot, and from frequency to frequency, then
we could randomize the effects of interference.
Consider co-channel interference. Not all of the slots are in use on all of the physical
channels on each site where they are reused, so although slot 4 on channel 522 might be
clobbered by another conversation, slot 7 on channel 530 probably isnt. So, if we can
take each caller on a particular sector and jump them from slot to slot, and from
frequency to frequency, then each user runs a far lower risk of suffering from co-channel
interference. And when such interference does occur, chances are good that the error
correction algorithms can take care of it.
Now consider multipath. Due to the very high frequency of PCS service the wavelength
of the signals is extremely short (only a few inches in fact). That means the phase
difference on one channel will be quite different than on another. By jumping from
frequency to frequency we may only experience problematic multipath for very short
periods of time, once again giving the error correction algorithms the chance to clean it
up.
But does it work? From what Ive been able to gather from testing Microcell Connexions
in the areas where Frequency Hopping is implemented, and by comparing that to areas
where it is not, I would have to say that it works exceedingly well. It obviously does best
when site density is high, which explains why it isn't implemented everywhere. Rogers
GSM also implements Frequency Hopping across their entire network.
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