Patent ID: 8019338

Claim:
A reconfigurable radio communication subsystem, comprising: a first radio communication unit communicatively coupled to a first antenna and a second antenna, the first and second antennas operable in a first frequency band; a second radio communication unit communicatively coupled to a third antenna and either one of the first antenna or the second antenna, the third antenna operable in the first frequency band; a first antenna subsystem communicatively coupled to the first radio communication unit and communicatively coupled to a fourth antenna operable in a second frequency band; and a second antenna subsystem communicatively coupled to the second radio communication unit and communicatively coupled to the fourth antenna; wherein the first and second radio communication units each include: one or more reconfigurable voice/data functions operating in the first frequency band; one or more voice/data functions operating in the second frequency band; and a radio communications system management function, wherein the first radio communication unit and the second radio communication unit each further include one of: an avionics data communications router function; an audio management function; or both the avionics data communications router function and the audio management function, and wherein cross-connecting buses communicatively coupled the first radio communication unit and the second radio communication unit.