Wireless device calibration for implicit transmit beamforming

A method of calibrating a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

• generating, at a calibration station, a first channel descriptor based on a first sounding packet received, at the calibration station, from the wireless communication device via a first radio frequency (RF) communication channel from the wireless communication device to the calibration station, the first channel descriptor corresponding to the first RF communication channel;
• transmitting, with the calibration station, a second sounding packet via a second RF communication channel from the calibration station to the wireless communication device;
• obtaining, at a processor device, the first channel descriptor;
• obtaining, at the processor device, a second channel descriptor corresponding to the second RF communication channel, wherein
• the second channel descriptor was generated, at the wireless communication device, based on the second sounding packet, and
• the second channel descriptor was obtained, from the wireless communication device, via a communication link separate from the second RF communication channel;
• generating, using the processor device and based on the first channel descriptor and the second channel descriptor, calibration coefficients indicative of one or both of (i) phase imbalance between a receive RF chain and a transmit RF chain at the wireless communication device, and (ii) amplitude imbalance between the receive RF chain and the transmit RF chain at the wireless communication device;
• and
• sending the calibration coefficients from the processor device to the wireless communication device so that the wireless communication device can use the calibration coefficients to compensate for the one or both of (i) the phase imbalance between the receive RF chain and the transmit RF chain, and (ii) the amplitude imbalance between the receive RF chain and the transmit RF chain at the wireless communication device.