Enhanced Methods of Cellular Environment Detection When Interoperating with Timed Interfers

A method of obtaining information from a GSM beacon using apparatus including a receiver and a signal analyzer, the receiver having access to a set of the beacon's GSM bursts for discrete periods, the discrete periods having a timing relative to the GSM burst such that the discrete periods eventually include a subset thereof which together overlap an entire GSM burst and

• the method comprising the steps performed in the apparatus of:
• in the receiver,
• accessing the forward cellular band during the discrete periods and in the analyzer,
• identifying the beacon from the beacon's GMSK modulation characteristics;
• identifying a subset of the discrete periods that overlaps an SCH burst of the beacon's GSM bursts;
• using information from the subset that overlaps the beacon's SCH burst to acquire a timing for another kind of GSM burst belonging to the beacon;
• identifying a further subset of the discrete periods that overlaps the other kind of bursts;
• and
• obtaining the information from the further subset which overlaps the other kind of bursts.

A method of obtaining information from a CDMA beacon belonging to a CDMA frequency channel using apparatus including a receiver and a signal analyzer, the receiver having access to a set of the beacon's pilots for discrete periods, the discrete periods and the CDMA beacon both being locked to GPS and the discrete periods having a timing relative to the CDMA beacon such that the discrete periods eventually include a subset thereof which together overlap the pilot PN offset fields for the pilots and

• the method comprising the steps performed in the apparatus of:
• in the receiver,
• accessing the forward cellular band during the discrete periods and
• in the analyzer,
• determining whether a particular pilot PN offset field overlapped by a subset of the discrete fields field is in use;
• and
• if the particular pilot offset field does contain a pilot PN offset number, using correlation with other subsets of the discrete fields that overlap the pilot PN offset number to determine the pilot PN offset number.

A method of using a baiting beacon to interrogate a wireless device in a cellular environment which is being interfered with by an interfering signal, the interfering signal ceasing during discrete intervals that are known to the baiting beacon, signals of the baiting beacon being subject to interference by a reactive interferer during the discrete intervals, and

• the method comprising the steps performed by the baiting beacon of:
• selecting a feature of the signal which will cause the wireless device to respond to the baiting beacon in spite of the interference and which does not require that the beacon signal during the discrete intervals;
• and
• interacting with the wireless device at times other than during the discrete intervals using the feature.