Patent ID: 8229350

Claim:
A communications method for a vehicle consist comprising a lead powered vehicle having a first antenna associated with a first transceiver and a second antenna associated with a second transceiver and a remote powered vehicle having a third antenna associated with a third transceiver and a fourth antenna associated with a fourth transceiver, the method comprising: transmitting an outbound message from the first transceiver via the first antenna or from the second transceiver via the second antenna, the outbound message comprising a plurality of message bytes; receiving the outbound message at the third and the fourth antennas and the associated third and fourth transceivers; determining correct bytes and error bytes in the outbound message as received at the third transceiver; determining correct bytes and error bytes in the outbound message as received at the fourth transceiver; and assembling a reconstructed message using correct bytes from one of the message received at the third transceiver and the message received at the fourth transceiver.