Frequency hopping spread spectrum communication system

A node for a frequency hopping spread spectrum system, comprising means for compiling interference information indicative of the interference experienced in frequency bands of a frequency hopping channel over an interval, means for transmitting the interference information to another node;

• and means for receiving information indicative of the blacklisted frequency bands from the another node, wherein the compiling of interference information comprises:
• transmitting packets of information to the another node at a plurality of frequency bands;
• determining whether an acknowledgment is received from the another node that the respective packets of information were received by the another node;
• and
• maintaining a record of how often acknowledgments were received from the another node at each of the plurality of frequency bands.

A method of operating a spread spectrum radio communication system comprising a central node and a dependent node which communicate over a frequency hopping channel, comprising:

• the dependent node transmitting packets of information to the central node at a plurality of frequency bands;
• the dependent node determining whether acknowledgment is received from the central node that the respective packets of information were received by the central node;
• and
• the dependent node maintaining a record of how often acknowledgments were received from the central node at each of the plurality of frequency bands;
• and
• the central node, based on the interference information received from the dependent node, creating a black list of worse-performing frequency bands in the channel and transmitting information indicative of the black-listed frequency bands to the dependent node.