Method of testing and simulating communication equipment over multiple transmission channels

A method of simulating the effects of a plurality of channels on a signal, comprising the steps of:

• a) acquiring a state transation matrix for each of said plurality of channels, where each row in the state transition matrix represents a signal state, where each column in the state transition matrix represents a transition state, where each entry in the state transition matrix represents a probability of transitioning from state to state, and where the entries in a particular row in the state transition matrix sum to one;
• b) acquiring an error matrix for each of said plurality of channels, where each row in the error matrix represents a signal error, where each column in the error matrix represents a signal state, and where each entry in the error matrix represents a probability of occurrence of the corresponding signal error while the signal is in the corresponding signal state;
• c) selecting one of said plurality of channels;
• d) selecting one of the states as the state of the signal;
• e) receiving the signal;
• f) generating a first random number between 0 and 1;
• g) determining the state to which the signal transitions by comparing the first random number to entries in the row of the state transition matrix of the corresponding channel that matches the state of the signal;
• h) transitioning the state of the signal to the state determined in the last step;
• i) generating a series of random numbers, where each random number in the series is between 0 and 1, and where each random number in the series corresponds to a signal error;
• j) determining what errors, if any, to inject into the signal by comparing each number in the series of random numbers to its corresponding entry in the column of the error matrix that corresponds to the state of the signal, wherein the errors include lost signal, replacement of the signal with another signal, adding an extra signal to the signal, replacing a bit in the signal with an error bit, shifting the phase of the signal, misreading the signal, and channel delay;
• k) if one of the errors determined in the last step is a lost signal then discarding the signal, not injecting any other error into the signal, selecting another of said plurality of channels if initiated by user, setting the state of the next signal selected to the state to which the previous signal transitioned, returning to step (e) if another channel is selected, and transmitting the signal if another channel is not selected;
• and
• l) injecting the errors determined in step (j) into the signal, selecting another channel if initiated by user, returning to step (e) if another channel is selected, setting the state of the next signal selected to the same state to which the previous signal transitioned, and transmitting the signal if another channel is not selected.