Patent ID: 8432880

Claim:
A method for improving repeater-enabled group call coverage within a wireless communication network comprising at least an originator wireless communication device, a repeater device, and a plurality of target wireless communication devices, the method comprising: eavesdropping, by at least a particular one of the plurality of target wireless communication devices, on a wireless uplink channel between the at least one originator wireless communication device of a repeater-enabled group call and the repeater device and receiving at least one preamble slot, at least one synchronization slot, and at least one repeater request directly from the originator wireless communication device via the eavesdropped wireless uplink channel, wherein the particular target wireless communication device is within a wireless transmission range of the originator wireless communication device, thereby increasing a wireless coverage area of the repeater-enabled group call to a union of a coverage area of the repeater device and a coverage area of the originator wireless communication device; determining, by the particular target wireless communication device, whether a direct received signal strength indication (RSSI) of signals received directly from the originator wireless communication device via the eavesdropped wireless uplink channel is greater than a threshold; operating the particular target wireless communication device to receive the repeater-enabled group call directly from the originator wireless communication device via the eavesdropped wireless uplink channel, instead of on a repeater downlink channel of the repeater device where the repeater-enabled group call will also be made available by the repeater device, when the determining is that the direct RSSI of the signals received directly from the originator wireless communication device is greater than the threshold; and operating the particular target wireless communication device to receive the repeater-enabled group call from the originator wireless communication device via the repeater device on the repeater downlink channel of the repeater device, instead of directly from the originator wireless communication device via the eavesdropped wireless uplink channel, when the determining is that the direct RSSI signals received directly from the originator wireless communication device is not greater than the threshold.