Patent ID: 8437769

Claim:
A method for transmitting a message from a mobile station, said method comprising: said mobile station determining a distance between said mobile station and a primary base transceiver station (BTS); said mobile station measuring a primary signal strength of a primary pilot signal transmitted by said primary BTS and a secondary signal strength of a secondary pilot signal transmitted by a secondary BTS; said mobile station selecting a preamble length from among at least a first preamble length and a second preamble length, wherein said second preamble length is greater than said first preamble length, by a process comprising (i) comparing said distance to a threshold distance, (ii) if said distance is greater than said threshold distance, said mobile station selecting said second preamble length, and (iii) if said distance is less than said threshold distance, said mobile station determining whether said primary signal strength exceeds said secondary signal strength by more than a threshold signal strength; and said mobile station transmitting said message with a preamble, said preamble having said selected preamble length.