Patent ID: 8254405

Claim:
A method of transmitting a signal in a time slot of a channel comprising a plurality of time slots, using a transmitter having a processor and a power amplifier, the method comprising: retrieving a reference ramp pattern from a memory; determining an output power level for the slot from a plurality of possible output power levels, each requiring a respective corresponding required ramp pattern, wherein the retrieving includes retrieving the same reference ramp pattern irrespective of the output power level; executing software on the processor to apply a scaling function to the reference ramp pattern in dependence on the determined output power level, thus generating a scaled ramp pattern corresponding to the required ramp pattern for that determined level; supplying the scaled ramp pattern to a control input of the power amplifier, to control the gain of the power amplifier during the time slot; and using said power amplifier, controlled according to the scaled ramp pattern, to transmit the signal in said time slot.