Patent ID: 7610024

Claim:
A wireless terminal for use in a communication system including a base station, the wireless terminal comprising: a transmitter signal processing chain including a switching module for coupling said transmitter chain to a plurality of antenna elements, said switching module configured to perform switching on signal boundaries corresponding to base station channel estimation memory reset points but not in between, said plurality of antenna elements including at least a first antenna element and a second antenna element each of which can be used independently; and a switching control module configured to control the switching module during a first period of time to switch between said first and second antenna elements on at least some signal boundaries corresponding to base station channel estimation memory reset points which occur during said first period of time to thereby change the antenna element used to transmit signals from said transmitter signal processing chain, each switch, during said first period of time, being preceded and followed by at least one dwell, a dwell being a period of time during which said wireless terminal uses a single set of tones to transmit signals to said base station, a different set of tones being used in immediately consecutive dwells during said first period of time.