Patent ID: 8817802

Claim:
A method of hitless switching over a communications link, the method comprising: transmitting, by a first modulator to a remote receiver, a first carrier signal having a first center frequency; enabling, by a second modulator to the remote receiver, transmission of a second carrier signal having a second center frequency while the first modulator is transmitting the first carrier signal; increasing, through the second modulator, a power level of the second carrier signal while the first carrier signal is transmitting; simultaneously decreasing, through the first modulator, a power level of the first carrier signal while the power level of the second carrier signal is increasing; maintaining a predetermined power equivalent bandwidth (PEB) of the communications link while the power level of the second carrier signal is increased and the power level of the first carrier signal is simultaneously decreased; maintaining the predetermined PEB of the communications link while adjusting at least one of a modulation factor and a FEC rate of the first carrier signal as the power level of the first carrier signal is lowered; and disabling transmission of the first carrier signal to the remote receiver when the power level of the second carrier signal reaches a predetermined level.