Patent ID: 8903324

Claim:
A method of determining a distance to a source of passive intermodulation (PIM) in a radio frequency (RF) transmit/receive system, comprising: generating a first signal with a first frequency in a transmit band of a RF transmit/receive system, the first signal being generated at a first power; generating a second signal with a second, swept frequency in the transmit band of the RF transmit/receive system, the second signal being generated at the first power; wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are chosen so that the source of PIM within the RF transmit/receive system will generate a third order harmonic signal having a swept frequency that falls at least partially within a receive band of the RF transmit/receive system; obtaining the third order harmonic signal in the receive band of the RF transmit/receive system; determining whether the third order harmonic signal has a magnitude that exceeds a noise threshold; and performing the following when the magnitude of the third order harmonic signal exceeds the noise threshold: generating a third signal with a third frequency in the transmit band of the RF transmit/receive system, the third signal being generated at a second power higher than the first power, generating a fourth signal with a fourth, swept frequency in the transmit band of the RF transmit/receive system, the fourth signal being generated at the second power, wherein the third frequency and the fourth frequency are chosen so that the source of PIM within the RF transmit/receive system will generate a harmonic signal of a higher order than the third order harmonic signal having a swept frequency that falls at least partially within the receive band of the RF transmit/receive system, obtaining the higher order harmonic signal in the receive band of the RF transmit/receive system, and calculating PIM magnitude and a distance to the source of PIM using the higher order harmonic signal.