Patent ID: 7450656

Claim:
A method, executed in a transmitter that has an M t plurality of antennas, where M t is an integer greater than zero, a coding element that is responsive to an applied segment of N symbols and creates a block of N+v symbols that are applied to each of said M t antennas, where v is equal to or greater than number of symbol intervals that a transmission medium through which said M t antennas transmit can effectively store, a coupling means between the coding element and the antennas, and a generator for developing pilot signals that are coupled to said antennas, comprising the steps of: said generator developing clusters of said signals with a sum of the signals in the clusters being less N, with said signals selected to result in clusters of pilot signals being transmitted by said M t antennas, where each of the clusters contains two or more of said pilot signals appearing in adjacent ones of said symbol intervals within said segment of N symbol intervals, and said clusters being essentially equally spaced throughout said N symbol intervals.