Patent ID: 8194594

Claim:
A method for transmitting a signal, comprising: performing a space-frequency block coding process on a plurality of broadcast channel symbols for a plurality of space areas and a plurality of subcarriers to generate a plurality of coded symbols; applying a plurality of precoding vectors corresponding to the space areas to the coded symbols to generate a plurality of first symbol groups respectively corresponding to a plurality of antennas; using the subcarriers to transmit the respective first symbol groups through the antennas; applying frequency switching transmission diversity to a plurality of synchronization channel symbols; applying the precoding vectors to the synchronization channel symbols to generate a plurality of second symbol groups respectively corresponding to a plurality of antennas; using the subcarriers to transmit the respective second symbol groups through the antennas, wherein the synchronization channel symbols include partial information on a number of the antennas, and the plurality of broadcast channel symbols include other information on the number of the antennas; and using the partial information and the other information to estimate the number of the antennas of a base station.