Abstract:
A radio communication system includes at least one receive antenna for receiving communication signals, processing circuitry for processing the received communication signals and repeating the signals for further transmission, and at least one transmit antenna for transmitting the repeated signals. The processing circuitry is operable for receiving an input regarding the current geographic location of the communication system. The processing circuitry is further capable of recording measurements and data regarding the operation and use of the radio communication system and its operating environment including where and when the measurements and data were taken. The processing circuitry further provides a user interface and capabilities to analyze and visualize the recorded information to diagnose problems and optimize performance. Additionally, the recorded information can be transmitted to a remote server where can be used to determine optimal operational settings for other radio communication systems when they are operating in the same location where the measurements were taken, and these operational settings can be transmitted to these other radio communications systems prior to their use in these locations.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in part of and claims the filing benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/427,347 to Thomas Kummetz entitled “System for Automatic Configuration of a Mobile Communication System” and filed on Apr. 21, 2009, which application is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to radio communication systems, such as repeaters and distributed antenna systems generally as well as, more specifically, to communication systems for mobile radios that operate in a mobile environment having changing conditions and changing locations. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Repeaters, distributed antenna systems, and similar systems are communications systems that are used to extend wireless coverage into areas where the radio signals from base stations (BTS) are often very attenuated or absent. Those areas might be inside buildings, in tunnels, located in shadowed areas that are behind mountains or in underground train systems, as well as other isolated areas. Generally, applications for such communications systems involve installations where the repeater or distributed antenna system is immobile and is mounted in a permanent location. That is, it is a fixed installation. 
     In other applications, the area that has limited penetration of the RF signals is mobile. That is, the repeater or distributed antenna system is installed in a moving or mobile system such as a train, a ship, a car, a bus or an airplane. This application presents unique performance issues not encountered in fixed installations. 
     When a repeater or distributed antenna systems (DAS system) is used in a mobile application, the environment in which it is operating is constantly changing. As the repeater or DAS system moves through different areas, the wanted and unwanted signals processed by the repeater or DAS system change in level as it nears and then moves away from the sources of those signals. Additionally, the signals processed by the repeater or DAS system can change in frequency as the system passes in and out of the range of different signal sources. Repeaters and DAS systems used in these environments are designed to accommodate these changes, but certain combinations of signals at specific locations may cause a system to function poorly. 
     Another unique characteristic of mobile applications of repeaters or DAS systems is the rate at which its operating environment can change. In fixed installations, the environment is usually quite static and any changes can be accommodated through slow adaptation of the repeater or DAS system. However, in mobile installations the signal environment can be very dynamic, and the conditions that require modified operation may exist for only a short period of time. Therefore, a repeater or DAS system used in a mobile installation must adapt very rapidly if it needs to accommodate those changes. Typically, a repeater or DAS system adapts its operation in a reactive manner. In other words, it modifies its operation after it detects the conditions that require a change in its operation. Operating in a reactive manner in slowly changing environments is acceptable, but in rapidly changing mobile environments operating in a reactive manner can lead to poor performance because the condition may have come and gone before the system is able to react to the change and to modify its operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An integrated measurement and analysis system for radio repeaters and distributed antenna systems that utilizes location data and other information to enhance the diagnostic and optimization capabilities of repeaters and distributed antenna systems used in mobile installations is provided. The system includes a controller that continuously determines the current geographic location of the system from an input. The controller records the location of the system along with other measurements taken at that location. The resulting database of location-dependent measurements facilitates the diagnosis of location specific performance issues and improves the ability of the system to optimize its performance while in these different locations. 
     Embodiments of the invention integrate the measurement and analysis means along with location information to detect the presence of, and diagnose the source of, location-specific performance problems when repeaters or DAS systems are used in mobile applications. Embodiments of the invention improve the performance of a repeater or DAS system used in a mobile environment by implementing mechanisms to maintain a historical database of past operating conditions at different locations, thereby allowing the repeater or DAS system to anticipate the environmental conditions in a particular area prior to entering that area, enabling the repeater or DAS system to proactively adapt its operation as it enters that area instead of reactively waiting until after entering that area. In addition to storing the location-based historical information in a local database, it can also be transmitted to a central system that serves other mobile repeaters and/or DAS systems that will operate in the same areas, enabling those devices to anticipate the operating conditions in areas in which they have not already operated. 
     In one specific embodiment, a communication system is provided that includes at least one receive antenna for receiving communication signals and processing circuitry for processing the received communication signals. The system further comprises at least one transmit antenna for transmitting the processed signals. The processing circuitry utilizes at least one configurable setting in the processing of the received communication signals, each configurable setting being adaptable for varying the operation of the processing. The processing circuitry is operable to receive information regarding a current geographical location of the system and selectively adapt the at least one configurable setting of the system based upon the current location information. 
     In another specific embodiment, a communication system is provided that includes at least one receive antenna for receiving communication signals, processing circuitry for processing the received communication signals, and at least one transmit antenna for transmitting the processed signals. The processing circuitry is operable to log data associated with the received communication signals and the transmitted processed signals in at least one temporal log file, then continue the logging a predetermined amount of time after detecting a fault associated with the system. The processing circuitry is further operable to store the data in the at least one temporal log file into at least one log file in response to the detection of the fault. 
     These and other advantages will be apparent in light of the following figures and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a mobile communication system for use in a mobile environment having an adaptive mobile system consistent with embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is a diagram illustrating the components of one embodiment of an adaptive mobile system configured in the mobile communication system of  FIG. 1 : 
         FIG. 2B  is a diagram illustrating the components of an alternative embodiment of an adaptive mobile system configured in the mobile communication system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to capture signal characteristic data with the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1 , as well as display that signal characteristic data relative to location; 
         FIG. 4  is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information about a signal characteristic of a signal captured by the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  in relation to location; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to filter data for specific signal characteristics gathered by the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  and display information associated with that filtered data to a user; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to filter data for a specific location associated with the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  and display information associated with that filtered location; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to selectively activate logging in the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to selectively activate logging in the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  based upon that system&#39;s location; 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to selectively activate logging in the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  based upon detect a fault therein; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate an error or raise an alarm based upon input and output signal characteristics of signals associated with the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate an error or raise an alarm based upon a signal characteristic of a signal as well as a comparison of that signal characteristic to a previously determined signal characteristic of a previous signal associated with the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information about locations detected by the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1 , as well as signal characteristics of signals associated with those locations; 
         FIG. 13  is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information associated with the mobile communication system of  FIG. 1 , and particularly at least one adaptive mobile system thereof; 
         FIG. 14  is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information associated with one adaptive mobile system of the mobile communication system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a screenshot of a screen for a user to view information associated with a plurality of adaptive mobile systems of the mobile communication system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  in advance to an expected event and/or condition; 
         FIG. 17  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  in advance to at least one signal characteristic of a signal detected by that adaptive mobile system and an expected event and/or condition; 
         FIG. 18  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  in response to a mapping of signal characteristics and/or the known location of at least one base station; and 
         FIG. 19  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations to identify hot spots and optimize the change of configurable settings of the adaptive mobile system of  FIG. 1  in response to such identification. 
     
    
    
     It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of embodiments of the invention. The specific design features of embodiments of the invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes of various illustrated components, as well as specific sequences of operations (e.g., including concurrent and/or sequential operations), will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. Certain features of the illustrated embodiments may have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate visualization and clear understanding. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hardware and Software Environment 
     Turning to the drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  is an illustration of an exemplary mobile communication system  10  that includes at least one adaptive system  12  in a mobile installation, such as an adaptive mobile repeater or an adaptive mobile distributed antenna system, for example, to facilitate communication between one or more base stations  14  and one or more mobile devices  16  that are in use in a mobile platform or moving environment, such as a train  18  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Although the adaptive mobile system  12  is shown on a train  18 , the adaptive mobile system  12  (hereinafter, “system”  12 ) may be disposed in any other appropriate mobile environment, such as in a plane, ship, or automotive vehicle. 
       FIG. 2A  is a diagrammatic illustration of components of one embodiment of a system  12   a  (hereinafter, “repeater”  12   a ). The repeater  12   a  includes a donor antenna  20  that communicates (e.g., transmits, receives, and/or transceives signals) with one or more base stations  14 . The repeater  12   a  further includes a coverage antenna  22  that communicates signals with one or more mobile devices  16  in the mobile environment (e.g., inside the compartments of train cars). The coverage antenna  22  consists of one or more antennas that are coupled through a signal splitter and/or combiner. Another form of the coverage antenna  22  is a leaky feeder cable as it is frequently used in confined areas such as tunnels, buildings, etc. 
     In some embodiments, the repeater  12   a  includes at least one controller  24   a  coupled to a memory  26 . Each controller  24   a  is typically implemented in hardware using circuit logic disposed on one or more physical integrated circuit devices or chips. Each controller  24   a  may be one or more microprocessors, micro-controllers, field programmable gate arrays, or ASICs, while memory  26  may include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, and/or another digital storage medium. Memory  26  is also typically implemented using circuit logic disposed on one or more physical integrated circuit devices, or chips. As such, memory  26  may be considered to include memory storage physically located elsewhere in the repeater  12   a , e.g., any cache memory in the controller  24   a , as well as any storage capacity used as a virtual memory, e.g., as stored on a mass storage device (not shown) coupled to the controller  24   a.    
     The controller  24   a , in some embodiments, is configured to capture and record information associated with either the repeater  12   a  and/or the at least one base station  14 , and to use this information to maintain or selectively vary or adapt the settings of the repeater  12   a . For example, and in response to the captured information, the controller  24   a  may adjust the power and/or attenuation of the signals received by the donor antenna  20  and/or coverage antenna  22 . Moreover, and also in response to the captured information, the controller  24   a  may adjust a filter to amplify and/or attenuate the signals received and/or communicated by the donor antenna  20  and/or coverage antenna  22 . In some embodiments, the controller  24   a  is further configured to store the captured information in the memory  26 . Such information may include the power of signals received and/or communicated by the repeater  12   a , the quality of signals received and/or communicated by the repeater  12   a , the frequency of signals received and/or communicated by the repeater  12   a , the signal types received and/or communicated by the repeater  12   a , the particular networks the repeater  12   a  is communicating on, an identity of a base station  14  the repeater  12   a  is communicating with, the location of the base station  14  the repeater  12   a  is communicating with, the location of the repeater  12   a  when data is captured, the time that the information is captured, the usage of the repeater  12   a  (e.g., the number of mobile devices  16  currently utilizing the repeater  12   a  to communicate), and/or a identification of the repeater  12   a  (e.g., a serial number, a model number, a network identifier), as well as other mobile environment information, mobile network information, and/or other information. In alternative embodiments, the repeater  12   a  may not receive an indication of the location of a base station  14 . Rather, the repeater  12   a  may self-determine the position of the base station  14  based on other captured information and/or a pre-configured indication of such a location. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the controller  24   a  communicates with at least one external device, peripheral device, and/or data source using at least one appropriate interface  28 . In particular, the repeater  12   a  is configured to receive data through at least one user interface  36  (including, for example, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, and/or other user interface) and/or output data through at least one output device  32  (including, for example, at least one display, speakers, and/or another output device). Additionally and/or alternatively, the repeater  12   a  is configured to receive data from, and transmit data to, at least one computing system  37 . In particular, the computing system  37  is configured to receive the output data from the repeater  12   a  and display it in a web-based interface, such as a web browser. Similarly, the computing system  37  is configured to accept user input in the web browser and provide that input data to the repeater  12   a.    
     In some embodiments, the repeater  12   a  is configured to receive location data from at least one location identifying device, such as a global navigation satellite system receiver, and more particularly a GPS receiver device  34 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2A . In further specific embodiments, the repeater  12   a  is configured to receive data from additional measurement devices, such as clocks and/or speedometers, as well as temperature, humidity, altitude, and/or other measurement devices that may be associated with the mobile environment and/or an outdoor environment. As such, those measurement devices may also communicate with the repeater  12   a  through the interface  28 . Although not illustrated, a network interface—such as for a local area network (e.g., a wired network) or short-area wireless network (e.g., an 802.xx standard wireless network)—or another peripheral interface (e.g., a USB interface) may be coupled to, or incorporated in, the at least one interface  28  (e.g., to communicate with the computing system  37 ). As such, information collected by the repeater  12   a  may be downloaded from the repeater  12   a , or information uploaded to the repeater  12   a . For example, and not intended to be limiting, such information may include repeater configuration data, a database that includes base station information and more specifically their location information, as well as other system  10  parameter, software, and firmware data. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the repeater  12   a  is configured to communicate with both a user interface  36  and an output device  32 . In alternative embodiments, the repeater  12   a  is configured to receive and output data through a device that is operative as a user interface and output device in combination, such as a touch screen display (not shown). Also as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the repeater  12   a  is configured to communicate with a location determining device, such as the GPS receiver device  34 . In alternative embodiments, the GPS receiver device  34 , another global navigation satellite system receiver, or another location determining device, is incorporated within the repeater  12   a  and/or directly connects to the controller  24   a.    
     In exemplary embodiments, the memory  26  of the repeater  12   a  is configured with program code to provide user interface components on the output device  32 . As such, this graphical user interface (“GUI”) program code  38  may allow for a user to input or output data to the repeater  12   a , as well as allow the user to configure the settings of the repeater  12   a  (e.g., such as to instruct the system  12   a  to selectively gather information). It will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art that the memory  26  may be configured with additional program code to implement embodiments of the invention. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the repeater  12   a  further includes at least one automatic gain control circuit  39  (illustrated as, and hereinafter, “AGC”  39 ), or at least one alternative signal characteristic modification circuit, to modify the power, modify the gain, filter, modulate, or otherwise adjust at least one signal characteristic of at least one received and/or transmitted signal. In this manner, the controller  24   a  is configured to dynamically change the configurable settings of the repeater  12   a  to react to current and/or future conditions. 
       FIG. 2B  is a diagrammatic illustration of components of an alternative embodiment of an adaptive mobile system  12   b  in the form of a distributed antenna system (hereinafter, “distributed system”  12   b ), wherein the distributed system  12   b  operates as a master unit, or hub, to communication with a plurality of remote coverage antennas or coverage antenna units  22   a - 22   c . As illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the distributed system  12   b  includes a controller  24   b  configured to control appropriate interface circuitry  40  for handling signals associated with the plurality of coverage antennas  22   a - 22   c  to operate the distributed system  12   b  as is known in the art. As such, controller  24   b  is only be configured to receive signals from base stations  14  on the donor antenna  20 , process the signals, and transmit a plurality of signals on the plurality of coverage antennas  22   a - 22   c , but the controller  24  is also configured to dynamically change the configurable settings of the distributed system  12   b  to react to current and/or future conditions 
     Embodiments of the invention advantageously provide location information to all data and signal characteristics, enabling a user to determine the location of a system  12  (e.g., either a repeater  12   a  or a distributed system  12   b ) and to reference that location to determine faults, errors, and/or other information within the context of the location. Advantageously, as location determination functionality is integrated into the system  12 , extra and/or after-market equipment does not need to be attached to the system  12 , and the system  12  gathers the information as part of its normal logging routines. 
     Thus, embodiments of the invention utilize location information from a GPS receiver device  34  or other source of location information to tag all measurements with the location of the base station  14  and/or system  12  when the measurement or other type of data is recorded in one or more log files. Additionally, these measurements are time stamped, as is typically done with measurement data. 
     In some embodiments, the location data and the measurement data are stored in separate files. By maintaining a common time reference or synchronized time references, the location of the base station  14  or system  12  when each measurement was taken can be determined. 
     Data recorded by the system  12  may be utilized to generate plots, graphs, and other representations of the data by the repeater, or otherwise exported for analysis or display by the computing system  37 . Specifically, when measurements are viewed by the user, the location information can be used to enhance the data visualization thereof. For example, the location of the base station  14  or the route of the system  12  can be displayed via a two dimensional representation, and the magnitude of measurement data can be reflected by changing the color of a line that represents that route. Alternatively, a three dimensional representation can be used, with the X and Y axes used for the latitude and longitude of the route, and the Z axis used for the magnitude of the measurement data. In that way, and in accordance with the invention, system performance may be monitored and analyzed and problems can be diagnosed and isolated. For example, if system performance degrades, the location information may be used to determine if the system  12  presents the problem or if an external base station  14  presents the problem, or both, for example. 
     For example, the information captured by the system  12  includes the system&#39;s geographical location. For diagnostic purposes, the system  12  also captures indications of the quality of signals received from the one or more base stations  14  (e.g., the power, the gain, the frequency, the number of signals, the carrier-to-interference ratio or “C/I”, the error vector magnitude or “EVM”, the modulation error ratio or “MER”, the beacon type), the geographical location of the base station  14 , the cell global identifier (or “CGI”) of the base station  14 , indications of the quality of signals sent to one or more mobile devices  16  (e.g., the power, the gain, the frequency, the number of signals, the carrier-to-interference ratio, the error vector magnitude, the modulation error ratio, the beacon type), indications of the quality of signals received from one or more mobile devices  16  (e.g., the power, the gain, the frequency, the number of signals, the carrier-to-interference ratio, the error vector magnitude, the modulation error ratio, the beacon type), indications of the quality of signals sent to the one or more base stations  14  (e.g., the power, the gain, the frequency, the number of signals, the carrier-to-interference ratio, the error vector magnitude, the modulation error ratio, the beacon type). In turn, the CGI of the base station may include the mobile country code (MCC), the mobile network code (MNC), and/or cell identifier (CI) associated with the base station  14 ). Furthermore, information regarding a group to which that system  12  is assigned is also captured. The speed of the mobile environment is also captured. Additionally, the system  12  may be configured to determine information associated with the environment inside and/or outside the mobile environment (e.g., including the temperature, humidity, and/or altitude thereof). Inasmuch as capturing a beacon type (e.g. GSM, CDMA, UMTS), or beacon protocol information (e.g., BCCH, MNC, MCC, CID, BCC, NCC), the system  12  may be configured to determine both the beacon types of signals it processes (e.g., signal types for which the system  12  is configured to receive and/or transmit) as well as the beacon types of signals it doesn&#39;t process (e.g., signal types for which the system  12  is not configured). 
     For example,  FIG. 3  is a flowchart  100  illustrating a sequence of operations to display data associated with the system  12  along a route of the system  12 . In particular, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 3  may be used to display the magnitude of a signal characteristic of a signal received by the system  12 , such as that signal&#39;s received power, along a route of the system  12 . In some embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 3  is executed by the system  12 , and thus the system  12  is configured to generate a display of a signal characteristic along a route. In alternative embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 3  is executed by a computing system  37  separate from the system  12 , with that computing system being configured to generate the display. Thus, the system  12  captures data, including its location and signal characteristics along the route it travels (block  102 ). The system  12 , or a separate computing system  37 , then displays the route of the system  12  along with a magnitude of at least one signal characteristic of a signal received by the system  12  (block  104 ). In particular, the display may include a two dimensional representation of the route of the system  12  with the magnitude of the signal characteristic displayed as a color gradient along the route, or the display may include a three dimensional representation in which the X and Y axes are used for the latitude and longitude of the route, while the Z axis is utilized for the magnitude of the signal characteristic. 
     As such,  FIG. 4  is an illustration of a power versus location screen  110  (hereinafter, a “PVL” screen  110 ) that may be generated consistent with embodiments of the invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the PVL screen  110  indicates the power of signals received by at least one system  12  in relation to a location, and in particular in relation to a route  112  of a train  18 . Specifically, the PVL screen  110  illustrates a plurality of locations and the received power level of signals as detected by the at least one system  12  and displays the power level of signals as a color gradient on a two dimensional plot. In some embodiments, the PVL screen  110  is configured with an overlay or image  114 , such as a satellite image, relief image, street image, map image, and/or another image (e.g., from the memory  26  or an online location, such as an online map service) to provide context for the user to view characteristics of signals in the context of a location. Furthermore, and as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the PVL screen  110  may illustrate, in the image  114 , the locations of one or more base stations  14  that may communicate with the at least one system  12 . 
     In some embodiments, the PVL screen  110  may be interactable. For example, the PVL screen  110  may be configured with user interaction capture components to determine if a user clicks on a location, such as a location on the image  114 , to display information associated with the selected location (e.g., the received power level at the selected location). 
     The availability of location information enhances the ability to determine areas where specific problems occur. For example, after capturing the data, a user may filter the data for signal characteristics outside a specified range and/or above or below a specified threshold. The location of these measurements can be included to allow the user to determine where the trouble occurs so they can modify a network to improve performance.  FIG. 5  is a flowchart  120  illustrating a sequence of operations that can be executed by the system  12  or a separate computing system  37  to isolate locations at which signals received by the system  12  outside a specified range and/or above or below a specified threshold, as well as to determine the specific location information associated therewith, base stations associated therewith, and the locations of participating base stations. As such, the sequence of operations filters log data for at least one specified signal characteristic of a signal outside a specified range and/or above or below a specified threshold (block  122 ). For example, the filtering may include filtering log data associated with the power of received signals to determine which signals are outside a specified power range, filtering log data associated with the power of received signals to determine which signals are above or below a power threshold, and/or filtering log data associated with the gain applied to received signals to determine which signals are above and below a gain threshold. The sequence of operations then determines the location of the system  12  when it experienced the at least one signal characteristic that results from the applied filter (the at least one “filtered signal characteristic”) (block  124 ). In this manner, the location of the mobile system  12  when it experienced that filtered signal characteristic is determined. 
     In some embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 5  identifies at least one base station  14  that interfaces with the system  12  and outputs the signals received by the system  12  and associated with the at least one filtered signal characteristic, as well as the location of that at least one base station  14  (block  126 ). In this manner, a user can determine which base stations  14  are providing signals associated with the filtered signal characteristics as well as their respective locations. Thus, a display may be generated that indicates at least one filtered signal characteristic, a respective location of the at least one filtered signal characteristic, at least one base station  14  associated with at least one filtered signal characteristics, and/or a respective location associated with the at least one base station  14  (block  128 ). 
     Alternatively, when problems are identified at a certain location, the database can be filtered with the location of the area that reported the problems, and the measurements for this area can be examined to identify the source of problems. For example,  FIG. 6  is a flowchart  130  illustrating a sequence of operations that can be executed by the system  12  or a separate computing system  37  to filter data for specific locations associated with the system  12  and display information associated with those specific filtered locations. Thus, log data can be filtered for information associated with a particular location (block  132 ) such that at least one signal characteristics associated with that filtered location is displayed (block  134 ). In addition, at least one base station  14  that transmits signals received by the system  12  at the filtered location, as well as the location of that base station  14 , can be determined (block  136 ). Thus, the determined base stations  14 , along with their determined locations, can be displayed (block  138 ). 
     Signals received by the system  12  can be decoded along with the location of the system  12  when the data is decoded. For example, a system  12  can decode the coordinates of the base station signals it receives and/or retransmits, along with other identification information to identify which base station signals are being repeated at any particular location. 
     The capture of data for the location and/or measurement information can be selectively turned on and/or off by a user, configured to run continuously such that they loop through an allocated memory space, and/or configured to run in response to a predetermined event and/or condition. For example,  FIG. 7  is a flowchart  140  illustrating a sequence of operations to determine whether to commence logging of data in the system  12  consistent with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the system  12  initially determines whether logging has been selectively activated by a user (block  142 ). When the logging feature has not been activated by a user (“No” branch of decision block  142 ), the system  12  again loops to detect when logging has been selectively activated (block  142 ). When the logging has been activated (“Yes” branch of decision block  142 ), the system  12  activates diagnostic and location logging and logs data associated with the system  12 , such as the location, speed, and direction of travel of the system  12 , the signal characteristics of at least one signal received by the system  12  from at least one base station  14 , the signal characteristics of at least one signal transmitted by the system  12  to at least one mobile unit  16 , the signal characteristics of at least one signal received by the system  12  from the at least one mobile unit  16 , the signal characteristics of at least one signal transmitted by the system  12  to the at least one base station  14 , information about the base station  14 , information about the mobile unit  16 , information about an inside or outside environment associated with the system  12  (e.g., the environment inside or outside a mobile environment) and the time that the data was logged (block  144 ). Specifically, the system  12  logs the information in one or more data structures (e.g., files, databases, or tables in a database). The system  12  then determines whether logging has been deactivated (block  146 ). When the system  12  determines that logging is not deactivated (“No” branch of decision block  146 ) the system  12  continues to log data and again loops to determine when the logging feature has been deactivated (block  146 ). When the system  12  determines that logging has been deactivated (“Yes” branch of decision block  146 ) the system  12  deactivates logging (block  148 ). 
     An additional related feature is location-based triggering of data capture. To debug certain problems, it may be required to record very frequent measurements or measurements consisting of a very large set of data. It is not practical to leave these measurements running continuously because they would quickly fill available memory  26 . Thus, users have the ability to define an area where these measurements would be activated. When the system  12  is within the user-defined area, data capturing is enabled. When the system  12  leaves the area, data capturing is disabled.  FIG. 8  is a flowchart  150  illustrating a sequence of operations to activate and/or deactivate logging based on a determined location of the system  12  consistent with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the system  12  initially determines its location (block  152 ) and then determines whether to activate logging based on the location (block  154 ). As such, the system  12  may analyze the determined location with respect to at least one predetermined location at which to initiate logging. Thus, when the system  12  determines that there is a match between the current location and the predetermined location such that logging should be activated (“Yes” branch of decision block  154 ) the system  12  activates logging (block  156 ). After determining that logging should not be activated (“No” branch of decision block  154 ) or after the system  12  has activated logging (block  156 ), the system  12  determines whether to deactivate logging based upon the determined location (block  158 ). For example, the system  12  may be configured to log data only along a certain portion of a route, or otherwise in certain areas. As such, the system  12  may analyze the determined location with respect to at least one predetermined location at which to deactivate logging (block  158 ). Thus, when the system  12  determines that logging should be deactivated (“Yes” branch of decision block  158 ), the system  12  deactivates logging (block  160 ). After determining that logging should not be deactivated (“No” branch of decision block  158 ) or after the system  12  has deactivated logging (block  160 ), the system  12  loops to block  212  to determine its location. 
     In the specific environment of a system  12  it is very difficult to troubleshoot a fault in the coverage of a mobile network as several specific factors may need to be reproduced. These include (1) the position of the system  12 , (2) the current coverage from a base station  14 , and (3) the mobile unit  16  scenario inside of the mobile environment, among others. As the specific conditions that cause a fault cannot easily be reproduced, a means is provided to capture information at the instant a fault occurs. This requires drive test-like capabilities for the internal logging and diagnostics which are able to identify the source and condition during the fault without the need to take any additional measurements after its occurrence. Thus,  FIG. 9  is a flowchart  162  illustrating a sequence of operations to selectively activate logging in response to detecting a fault consistent with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the system  12  continuously logs data into one or more temporal files (block  164 ) then determines whether a fault has occurred (block  165 ). When a fault has occurred or is detected (“Yes” branch of decision block  165 ) the system  12  continues to log data associated with the fault for a preset amount of time (e.g., such as about one minute) in the one or more temporal files (block  166 ) then stores the data in the temporal files as one or more respective log files in the memory of the system  12  (block  167 ) in response to detecting a fault. However, when the system  12  determines that a fault has not occurred (“No” branch of decision block  165 ) the system  12  determines whether a predetermined period of time has expired (block  168 ). When the predetermined period of time has expired (“Yes” branch of decision block  168 ) the system  12  deletes the data in the one or more temporal files (e.g., by deleting the actual data in the files or simply deleting the files) (block  169 ) and the sequence of operations returns to block  164 . However, when the predetermined period of time has not expired (“No” branch of decision block  168 ) the sequence of operations returns to block  164 . In this manner, the system  12  is able to selectively log data for a short period of time before a fault as well as a short period of time after an fault. It does this by logging data into the one or more temporal files, then storing the one or more temporal files when there is a fault. Otherwise, data associated with the one or more temporal files is deleted. Thus, a user may be able to determine exactly what was occurring at the system  12  just before the fault, at the time of the fault, and just after the fault along with the location and conditions of the system  12  and its environment. In alternative embodiments, the system  12  may be configured to begin logging as soon as a fault is detected and keep logging for a predetermined time period after that fault is detected. As such, the system  12  may only detect information associated with that fault as well as information shortly after that fault is detected. 
     Embodiments of the invention implemented at the system  12  level provide the system  12  with location based diagnostics capable of determining the cause of a coverage malfunctions for end users in a mobile environment. Its internal algorithm is able to analyze all information related to the input and the output of the system  12  and can further determine the cause of possible failures to either the base stations  14  external to the system  12  or the system  12  itself at any time and location. Furthermore all operating conditions can be fully documented with log file. 
     One exemplary procedure to determine a fault in the coverage of a mobile network involves the following steps: (1) the determination of input signals, their frequency, quality (C/I, EMV, or MER), signal strength, and signal type with data identifying the beacon associated with those input signals (BCCH, MNC, MCC, CID, BCC, NCC, etc.) (2) the determination of output signals using the same list of parameters as in (1), (3) comparing parameters determined in (1) and (2) and raising alarms if they differ by more than a predetermined margin (which, in some embodiments, is likely to indicate problems with the system  12 ), and (4) comparing parameters in (1) with either previously determined data or a predefined threshold and raising an alarm condition if the difference is above or below a threshold or previously taken data plus or minus some margin. It will be appreciated that similar measurements may be taken for both downlink and uplink signals and/or time slots simultaneously to identify possible problems in the uplink signals at the same time. 
     An additional function allows the complete analysis of the mobile network coverage in the donor path in every location of the mobile network. The system  12  acts as an autonomous drive test tool that, if provisioned with enough memory space, allows the continuous analysis of the conditions of the mobile network. With its location sensors, the system  12  can even compare previous coverage levels and quality with current values and signal an alarm in case of significant changes. Alternatively, the analysis might only be limited to a certain geographic zone and triggered by the location of the system  12 . This allows the specific monitoring of previously identified problem zones. 
     For example,  FIG. 10  is a flowchart  170  illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate alarms and/or errors when signal characteristics of signals received and transmitted by the system  12  vary by more than a predetermined margin consistent with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the sequence of operations determines a signal characteristic of a signal received by the system  12  (block  172 ) as well as a signal characteristic of a signal output by the system  12  (block  174 ). The system  12  then compares the input and output signal characteristics (block  176 ). In particular, the sequence of operations compares the input and output signal characteristics and determines if they vary by more than a predetermined margin (block  178 ). For example, a system  12  may suffer an internal error when the power of output signals of the system  12  (e.g., to the mobile units  16  or to the base stations  14 ) are significantly less than power of the input signals (e.g., respectively from the base stations  14  or from the mobile units  16 ). When the signal characteristics vary by more than the predetermined margin (“Yes” branch of decision block  178 ) an error and/or alarm is indicated (block  180 ). When the signal characteristics do not vary by more than the predetermined margin (“No” branch of decision block  178 ) or after an error and/or alarm is indicated (block  180 ), the sequence of operations ends. 
     Also for example,  FIG. 11  is a flowchart  190  illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate alarms and/or errors when a signal characteristic does not meet a predetermined threshold and/or when that signal characteristic varies from a previously determined signal characteristic of a different signal consistent with embodiments of the invention. In some embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 11  is executed by the system  12 , and thus the system  12  automatically determines alarms or errors. In alternative embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 11  is executed by a computing system separate from the system  12 , which separately indicates alarms or errors. In particular, the sequence of operations determines a first signal characteristic of a first signal and compares that first signal characteristic to a predetermined threshold (block  192 ), then determines if the first signal characteristic is acceptable with relation to the threshold (block  194 ). For example, the signal characteristic may be a power of the signal, and the threshold may be the minimal power at which an intelligible signal can be repeated by the system (which may be a repeater  12   a  or a distributed system  12   b ). As such, when the first signal characteristic is not acceptable (“No” branch of decision block  194 ) an error or alarm is indicated (block  196 ). When the first signal characteristic is acceptable (“Yes” branch of decision block  196 ) the first signal characteristic is compared to a corresponding second signal characteristic of a second signal that has been previously determined (block  198 ). When the first and second signal characteristics vary by more than a predetermined amount (“Yes” branch of decision block  200 ), which may indicate a problem with the system  12 , an error or alarm is indicated (block  196 ). When the characteristics do not vary by more than a predetermined amount (“No” branch of decision block  200 ), or after an error or alarm is indicated (block  196 ), the sequence of operations ends. 
     In some embodiments, information is generated from the log data that documents current and past performance of a system  12 . In particular,  FIG. 12  is a location/trace screen  210  that illustrates the location of a system  12  and its related signal characteristics. In some embodiments, and as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , a user may select a particular instance of data in a GPS trace location area as at  212  (e.g., a particular value in the “GPS TRACE” area) and view the signal characteristics associated with that selected instance of data in an RF trace location area as at  214  (e.g., in the “RF TRACE” area). In this manner, a user can manually view location data and signal characteristics associated therewith. However, this is often time consuming. In specific embodiments, for each instance of data in the GPS trace location area  212  (as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , there are four instances of data), the location/trace screen  210  indicates a local timestamp of the data generated by the system  12  at the time the data was captured in the column labeled “TIME,” as well as a coordinated universal time (“UTC”) timestamp reported from the GPS receiver device  34  at the time the data was captured in the column labeled “UTC.” The location/trace screen  210  further indicates, at the time the data was captured, the latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and radial direction reported by the GPS receiver device  34  in the respective “LATITUDE,” “LONGITUDE,” “ALTITUDE,” “SPEED,” and “DIRECTION” columns. In addition, the location/trace screen  210  further indicates the number of satellites that the GPS receiver device  34  receives signals from (or “views”) in the “VIEW” column, as well as the satellite “fix” in the “FIX” column. The values for the satellite fix are “00” for no fix, “10” for a 2D fix, and “11” for a 3D fix. Finally, the location/trace screen  210  further indicates the horizontal dilution of precision (as calculated by the controller  24  of the system  12  or as calculated by the GPS receiver device  34 ) in the “HDoP” column. The horizontal dilution of precision uses the geometry of the satellites to determine the level of precision in the signals therefrom and may range on a scale from 1.0 (the best possible reading) to 25.0 (the worst possible reading). 
     In addition to the GPS trace area  212 , the location/trace screen  210  also includes the RF trace area  214  that indicates signal characteristics associated with a particular instance of data. As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the first instance of data in the GPS trace area  212  has been selected, resulting in the RF trace area  214  being populated with signal characteristics associated with that particular instance of data. In specific embodiments, the RF trace area  214  includes a “MESSAGE” column to indicate the type of message received, a timestamp of the local time the instance of data was logged in a “TIME” column, as well as an indication of which module of the system  12  (e.g., which repeater  12   a  or distributed antenna system  12   b ) reported the data in a “MODULE” column. Additionally, the RF trace area  214  includes a frame indication of the data in the signal in a “FRAME” column (which may range from 0 to 10000) and a frame sequence indication of the data in the signal in a “FRAME SEQ” column (with the frame sequence being incremented when there is a change in the gain of the signal above a predetermined level, each repeater  12   a  and/or distributed antenna system  12   b  of the system  12  tracking its individual frame sequence). The RF trace area  214  additionally includes a count of the remaining trace measurements for multiple message traces in a “TRC COUNT” column. 
     In some embodiments, the RF trace area  214  further includes a group indication of the number corresponding to a subband “group” from which the data is reported in the “GROUP” column as well as a gain indication of the group in dB in a “GAIN” column. The RF trace area  214  further includes a peak received signal strength indicator for the group in dB full scale units (“dBfs”) in a “Pk RSSI dBfs” column, a peak received signal strength indicator for the group in dBm in a “Pk RSSI dBm” column, a predicted received signal strength indicator for the group in dBfs in a “PRED RSSI dBfs” column, a predicted received signal strength indicator for the group in dBm in a “PRED RSSI dBm” column, an average value of the received signal strength indicator in dBfs in an “AVG RSSI dBfs” column, and an average value of the received signal strength indicator in dBm in an “AVG RSSI dBm” column. 
     Additionally, embodiments of the invention allow the automatic generation of predefined reports documenting the current and past performance of the system  12 . For example, a report of the coverage signal level with an indication of the most probable location of a base station can be shown on a map display, such as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Moreover,  FIG. 13  is an illustration of a log file selection and information screen  220  (“file screen”  220 ) that may be displayed by an output device in which a user may select files to upload to view information associated therewith. As illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the file screen  220  includes a file selection module  222 , a system selection module  224 , a group selection module  226 , a view selection module  228 , a front-end trace selection module  230 , a group trace selection module  232 , and a preview module  234 . The file selection module  222  allows a user to specify log files to load to view information associated therewith. In particular, the file selection module  222  allows a user to load up to three log files. In some embodiments, the program code for the file selection module  222  looks for the log files in a particular directory of a system  12  and/or computing system such that the user can simply type in the name of the log files. In alternative embodiments, the program code for the file selection module  222  includes calls to a file selection utility, such as a Windows® file selection dialog box, to specify which files to include. As illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the user has loaded a sample log file (e.g., “SAMPLE.TXT”) that contains sample information about at least one system  12 , a location log file (e.g., “GPS_DATA.TXT”) that contains location information associated with at least one system  12 , and a modification log file (e.g., “MODINFO.TXT”) that contains information about the modification of the configurable settings of the at least one system  12 . The user loads at least one log file by selecting a “Load File(s)” button  236  or clears selected log files by selecting a “Clear” button  238 . 
     In the system selection module  224 , the user may select a specific system  12  (e.g., a specific repeater  12   a  or distributed antenna system  12   b ) to view information associated therewith. Similarly, in the group selection module  226 , the user may select a group of systems  12  to view information associated therewith. In particular, a plurality of systems  12  may be configured on a particular mobile environment. A subset of these systems  12  may be configured into a group. For example, the train  18  may be configured with four systems  12  (e.g., four homogenous or heterogeneous systems  12 ). The two systems  12  closest to the front of the train  18  may be configured in a first group, while the two systems  12  closest to the rear of the train  18  may be configured in a second group. As such, a user may view information about a plurality of systems  12  individually or in defined groups. One having ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that a user may view information about the plurality of systems  12  together. The user clears a selected system  12  by selecting a “Reset” button  240 , or clears a selected group of systems  12  by selecting a “Reset” button  242 . In the view selection module  228 , the user may select an option from a drop down selection  244  to view a graph or histogram, such as in the preview module  234 , as a separate figure, or a subplot that includes selected information. 
     In the front-end trace selection module  230 , the user may select a trace to view associated with a system  12 . For example, the user may select to view a graph of the gain of signals received by a particular system  12  over time, the received power of signals received by the system  12  over time, a histogram of the received power of signals received by the system  12 , as well as a histogram of received power changes for signals received by the system  12 . The user may select to view the disclosed information by selecting corresponding check boxes in the front-end trace selection module  230 . In addition, one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the user may select additional data to view, such as the change in gain of signals received by the system  12  over time, the received power prediction error of the system  12  over time (e.g., the predicted error in power of signals that will be received by the system  12  over time, such as during the time when that system  12  is moving along a route), the received power of signals received by the system  12  in relation to a time or location, and a figure illustrating BCCH information associated with the system  12  in relation to a time or location. 
     In the group trace selection module  232 , the user may select a trace to view associated with a system  12 . For example, the user may select to view a graph of the gain of signals received by a group of repeaters over time, the received power of signals received by the group of systems  12  over time, a histogram of the received power of signals received by the group of systems  12 , as well as a histogram of received power changes for signals received by the group of systems  12 . Similarly to the front-end trace selection module  220 , the user may select to view the disclosed information by selecting corresponding check boxes in the group trace selection module  232 . In addition, one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the user may select additional data to view, such as the change in gain of signals received by the group of systems  12  over time, the received power prediction error of a group of systems  12  over time (e.g., the predicted error in power of signals that will be received by the group of systems  12  over time, such as during the time when that group of systems  12  is moving along a route), the received power of signals received by the group of systems  12  in relation to a time or location, and a figure illustrating BCCH information associated with the group of systems  12  in relation to a time or location. 
     The user may generate plots, subplots, figures, or other histograms by selecting the “Generate Report(s)” button  146 , or clear plots, subplots, figures, or other histograms by selecting the “Clear Axes” button  148 . 
     In some embodiments, a user can view various additional measurements from a system  12 , such as breakdowns of specific signal characteristics over time or histograms associated therewith. For example,  FIG. 14  is an illustration of a system screen  250  that illustrates the gain of signals received by a system  12  over time in a first plot  252 , the received power of signals received by a system  12  over time in a second plot  254 , as well as a histogram indicating the received power of signals received by the system  12  in a third plot  256 . Alternatively, the user can view various information about a group of systems  12 . As another example,  FIG. 15  is an illustration of a group screen  260  that illustrates a histogram of the power of signals received by a first group of systems  12  in a first plot  262 , a histogram of the power of signals received by a second group of systems  12  in a second plot  264 , as well as a histogram indicating the power of signals received by a third group of systems  12  in a third plot  266 . 
     Typically, one of the challenges of designing a system  12  is designing an effective automatic gain control circuit, such as AGC  39 , that reacts quickly to changing donor signal levels, but not reacting so quickly as to impair the signal fidelity or adversely affect the power control loop that operates between the base stations  14  and mobile units  16  that communicate through the system  12 . Typically, the AGC circuits  39  or algorithms operate by reacting to changes in the received signal strength. Embodiments of the invention improve AGC circuit  39  performance by providing a system  12  that anticipates changes in signal strength using the location of the system  12  and the path it is taking along with the location of the sources of the signals it is repeating along with stored profiles of the typical received signal strength in the area through which the system  12  is moving. 
     The system  12  anticipates received signal strength changes as it moves through different areas based on previously determined measurements and location information it recorded during prior passages through the same areas or otherwise obtained from the computing system  37  or another system  12 . The system  12  is configured to use this past information to proactively make appropriate AGC changes in expectation of the signal changes occurring instead of after the fact. This increases the average dynamic range of the system  12  because it needs to maintain less margin for changes in received signal strength, and it reduces the probability of clipping or saturating in the signal path. Additionally, the time averaging parameters of the AGC algorithm are lengthened or shortened depending on the expected rate of signal strength change based upon the current speed and/or location of the system  12 . 
     The expected signal strength is obtained through several methods in accordance with features of the present invention. One embodiment of the invention decodes geographic coordinates transmitted by the signal sources and make adjustments based on location. The system  12  decodes these coordinates, and by comparing the coordinates of the signal source (e.g., base stations  14 ) with the coordinates of the system  12 , the system  12  anticipates how the signal level of the received signal will change due to the change in distance between the transmitter and receiver. 
     Another embodiment of the invention involves the system  12  learning how the signal levels change relative to the location on the system  12 . Oftentimes, a system  12  follows a well-defined path (for instance if the system  12  is in a train  18 ). The system  12  can generate and maintain a signal level vs. location database to help it anticipate received signal levels as it travels a particular path. Alternatively, the signal strength vs. location database may be uploaded to the system  12  from an external source. This can be a general data base, covering all the areas where the system  12  might be located, or a more specific database tailored for the specific path that the system  12  would follow. This database could also include the location of the base stations  14  of the signal sources that will be received by the system  12 . 
     Another embodiment uses features from other embodiments combined. Signal vs. location information can be measured and recorded by a system  12 , as well as the decoded locations of the signals received by the system  12 , and then this data is periodically uploaded to a central location where the data from many systems  12  can be gathered and analyzed to produce a combined signal strength vs. location database. This combined data base can then be downloaded in whole or in part to system  12 . 
     Thus,  FIG. 16  is a flowchart  270  illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of at least one system  12  in response to a location, speed, and/or direction of travel of the system  12  along with its relation to the location of a base station  14  consistent with embodiments of the invention. In some embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 16  is executed by a system  12 , and thus the system  12  automatically makes the adjustment to its configurable settings. In alternative embodiments, the sequence of operations of  FIG. 16  is executed by a computing system separate from the system  12 , wherein the results of how to adjust at least one setting of the system  12  are loaded into the system  12  once determined. In particular, the sequence of operations determines the location, speed, and/or direction of travel for at least one system  12  (block  272 ) and determines the location of at least one base station  14  that communicates with the system  12  at the location that has been determined for the system (block  274 ). The sequence of operations then determines whether to change a configurable setting of the system  12  based on expected changes in distance between the system  12  and the base station  14  that is in contact with the system (block  276 ). For example, if the system  12  is moving toward a base station  14 , it may be advantageous to reduce the gain applied to signals received from the base station  14  as the system  12  moves toward it to reduce signal noise, prevent signal interference, and/or protect the components of the repeater. Correspondingly, and also for example, if the system  12  is moving away from a base station  14 , it may be advantageous to increase the gain applied to signals received from the base station  14  as the system  12  moves away from it to increase the power of the repeated signals. In the above examples, the rate of change of a setting of the system  12  may be based upon the speed of the system  12  relative to the base station  14 . For example, the faster the speed of the system  12  relative to the base station  14 , the faster the adjustment of its setting. 
     Thus, when the sequence of operations determines to change a system  12  setting (“Yes” branch of decision block  276 ), an adjustment of at least one configurable setting of the at least one system  12  based upon how at least one signal characteristic of at least one signal from the at least one base station  14  will change due to the expected change in distance between the at least one system  12  and the at least one base station  14  is indicated and/or made (block  278 ). For example, the gain of the system  12  may be increased as the system  12  moves away from the base station  14 , the gain of signals received by the system  12  may be decreased as the system  12  moves away from the base station  14 , the system  12  may filter more noise from signals as the system  12  moves away from the base station  14 , etc. When the sequence of operations determines not to change a system  12  setting (“No” branch of decision block  276 ) or after an adjustment has been indicated and/or made (block  278 ), the sequence of operations may proceed back to block  272  to determine the location, speed, and/or direction of travel for the system  12 . 
       FIG. 17  is a flowchart  280  illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of a system  12  in response to a measured or determined location, speed, and/or direction of travel of the system  12  and the signal levels and characteristics that are associated with that measured or determined parameter. For example, a signal level versus location database might be implemented. Various different measurement parameters or characteristics versus location might also be maintained in a database. 
     In some embodiments, the measurements/determinations and sequence of operations of  FIG. 17  are executed by a system  12  to generate and maintain a database of measurements, and thus the system  12  automatically makes the adjustment to its configurable settings based on those earlier measurements. In alternative embodiments, the measurements/determinations and sequence of operations of  FIG. 17  to generate and maintain the database, is executed by a computing system  37  separate from the system  12 , wherein the results are then uploaded into the memory of system  12  once determined. In particular, the sequence of operations determines the location, speed, and/or direction of travel for at least one system  12  (block  282 ) and measurements are made to determine the signal characteristics of at least one signal to and/or from at least one base station  14  (block  284 ). This information is stored in memory or a database to be used in the future by the system  12 . Then, during operation, the system  12  uses the stored information and determines what the future or upcoming signal characteristics will likely be for the mobile system in its travels based on the earlier measured and stored data (known future signal characteristic) and based upon the determined location, speed, and/or direction of travel (block  286 ). Thus, the system  12  compares the one or more current signal characteristics to the one or more stored or “future” signal characteristics and determines whether to change a configurable setting of the system  12  based upon a difference between the current and future signal characteristics (block  288 ). 
     For example, the sequence of operations may determine that, at a particular location and along a particular direction of travel, a future characteristic of a signal indicates that its received power will increase. Thus, it may be advantageous for the system  12  to reduce the gain applied to that signal proactively to reduce signal noise, prevent signal interference, and/or protect the components thereof. Alternatively, and also for example, the sequence of operations may determine that, at a particular location and along a particular direction of travel, a future characteristic of a signal indicates that its power will decrease. Thus, it may be advantageous for a system  12  to increase the gain applied to that signal proactively. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the rate of change of a setting for the system  12  is based upon the speed of the system  12  relative to the location of the future signal characteristic. For example, the faster the speed of the system  12  relative to the location of the future signal characteristic, the faster the adjustment of the system  12  setting is implemented to adapt. 
     As such, when the sequence of operations determines to change a system setting (“Yes” branch of decision block  288 ), an adjustment of at least one configurable setting of the system  12  is indicated and/or made (block  290 ). For example, the gain of the system  12  may be increased when future signal characteristics indicate that the power level of a received signal is low. Or the gain for signals may be increased when future signal characteristics indicate that future signals to be encountered by the mobile system require less attenuation. When the sequence of operations determines not to change a repeater setting (“No” branch of decision block  288 ) or after an adjustment has been indicated and/or made (block  290 ), the sequence of operations may proceed back to block  282  in a loop to determine future adjustments based on the stored information. 
     In another embodiment, measured and stored data from multiple systems for a particular location is used by the system. That is, data from the multiple systems is gathered, analyzed, determined with respect to location, and stored in a database. The combined database is then downloaded in whole or in part to the system.  FIG. 18  is a flowchart  300  illustrating a sequence of operations to indicate or make an adjustment to at least one configurable setting of a system  12  in response to a measured or determined location, speed, and/or direction of travel of the system  12  and the signal levels and characteristics that are associated with that measured or determined parameter based upon a mapping of data from multiple systems. In particular, the system  12  determines the location, speed, and/or direction of travel for at least one system  12  (block  302 ). Then, using stored database information from multiple systems, the system  12  determines at least one future signal characteristic based upon the location, speed, and/or direction of travel of the system  12  and based upon the known mapping of future signal characteristics or known locations of base stations  14  (block  304 ). The system  12  then determines whether to change at least one configurable setting of the system  12  based upon the mapping or determined location of at least one base station  14  (block  306 ). For example, when the sequence of operations determines that a system  12  is entering an area that the mapping indicates is associated with higher signal strength, or is closer to at least one base station  14 , it may be advantageous for a system  12  to apply less gain to a signal proactively to reduce signal noise, prevent signal interference, and/or protect the components thereof. Correspondingly, when the sequence of operations determines that a system  12  is entering an area that the mapping indicates is associated with lower signal strength, or is further away from at least one base station  14 , it may be advantageous for a system  12  to increase the gain of the system  12  proactively. As such, when the sequence of operations determines to change a system  12  setting (“Yes” branch of decision block  306 ), an adjustment of at least one configurable setting of the system  12  based upon the mapping and/or location of at least one base station  14  is indicated and/or made (block  308 ). When the sequence of operations determines not to change a repeater setting (“No” branch of decision block  306 ) or after an adjustment has been indicated and/or made (block  308 ), the sequence of operations may proceed back to block  302  in a loop determine future adjustments based on the stored information. 
     To reduce the size of the signal strength vs. location database, it may be preferable to identify ‘hot-spots,’ which are areas where the signal strength is very high. These hot-spots are typically relatively small areas very close to the base stations  14 . When the system  12  moves through these hot-spots, the signal strength can change very rapidly, so by identifying these areas the AGC algorithm can be optimized for rapid signal changes when the system  12  enters a hot-spot. As such,  FIG. 19  is a flowchart  310  illustrating a sequence of operations to optimize the algorithm to change configurable settings in hot spots. In particular, a system  12  identifies a hot spot based upon a signal strength or known location of the hot spot (block  312 ). In response, the system  12  optimizes its algorithm to change configuration settings while in that hot spot (block  314 ). This optimization may include increasing the speed at which the system  12  determines signal characteristics, increasing the speed at which the system  12  compares current signal characteristics to future signal characteristics and/or mappings, turning off logging of data to reduce the computational requirements of the system but still monitoring signal characteristics to determine whether adjustments to configuration settings are necessary, and/or similar measures. 
     Thus, a system  12  consistent with embodiments of the invention can anticipate changes in signal characteristics by using the location of the system  12 , its speed, and/or the path upon which it is traveling as well as the location of base stations  14 , stored indications of changing signal characteristics, and/or additional factors to adjust configurable settings associated therewith. A system  12  consistent with embodiments of the invention can react quickly to changing signal levels, and be configured to react with such a speed as to prevent impairing signal fidelity or otherwise adversely affect a power control loop that operates between base stations  14  and mobile units  16  that communicate through the system  12 . It will be appreciated that the changing of the configurable settings may include additional considerations of temperature, humidity, and/or other environmental information. For example, when the weather is excessively hot and/or humid and a future characteristic of a signal indicates that the power of the signal should be increased, the system  12  may increase the power of the signal past a normal amount due to the weather being hot and/or humid. Correspondingly, when the weather is excessively cold and/or dry and the system  12  is moving toward a known location of a base station, the system  12  may decrease the gain of the signal from the base station past a normal amount due to the weather being cold and/or dry. 
     A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the environments illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A,  2 B, and  3 - 19  are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. In particular, the system  12  may include fewer or additional components and/or be communicably coupled to more or fewer components consistent with alternative embodiments of the invention. Indeed, a person having skill in the art will recognize that other alternative hardware and/or software environments may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the system  12  may be configured to interface with an alternative location identifying device other than the GPS receiver device  34 , such as a radio navigation system device, or an alternative satellite navigation system, such as the GLONASS system and/or the forthcoming Galileo and/or COMPASS navigation systems. Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the system  12  may include additional data structures, such as databases, data tables, and/or other data storage components. As such, other alternative hardware and software environments may be used without departing from the scope of embodiments of the invention. 
     The routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module or sequence of instructions executed by one or more repeaters or other computing systems have been referred to herein as a “sequence of operations,” a “program product,” or, more simply, “program code.” The program code typically comprises one or more instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices in a repeater or computing system, and that, when read and executed by one or more processors of the system  12  or computing system  37 , cause that system  12  or computing system  37  to perform the steps necessary to execute steps, elements, and/or blocks embodying the various aspects of the invention. 
     While embodiments of the invention have been described in the context of fully functioning repeaters, distributed antenna systems, and computing systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of computer readable signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable signal bearing media include but are not limited to physical and tangible recordable type media such as volatile and nonvolatile memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM&#39;s, DVD&#39;s, etc.), among others, and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links. 
     In addition, various program code may be identified based upon the application or software component within which it is implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature. Furthermore, given the typically endless number of manners in which computer programs may be organized into routines, procedures, methods, modules, objects, and the like, as well as the various manners in which program functionality may be allocated among various software layers that are resident within a typical computer (e.g., operating systems, libraries, APIs, applications, applets, etc.), it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the specific organization and allocation of program functionality described herein. 
     Furthermore, while embodiments of the invention has been illustrated by a description of the various embodiments and the examples, and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative example shown and described. In particular, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any of the blocks of the above flowcharts may be deleted, augmented, made to be simultaneous with another, combined, or be otherwise altered in accordance with the principles of the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants&#39; general inventive concept. 
     Other modifications will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention lies in the claims hereinafter appended.