Patent ID: 7006483

Claim:
A method for determining data rate for a communications channel comprising the steps of: sending a first message from a first station to a second station, the message indicating an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) data value of signals transmitted by the first station; receiving the first message at a second station; measuring a signal strength for signal received at the second station; computing a path loss estimate at the second station as the difference between the ERP data value that it received and the measured signal strength; measuring the transmit power level for signals transmitted by the second station; sending a one or more messages from the second station to the first station, the message indicating transmit power level information and the forward path loss information; receiving the transmit power level information and the forward path loss information at the first station, and calculating an amount of excess power available at the second station; and determining an acceptable data coding rate for transmission between the first station and the second station from the excess power available.