Methods and apparatus for calculating spatial processing strategies in adaptive antenna array processing systems. Reference signal quality, intersymbol interference, data processed and received signal quality can be determined by burst type or remote device type and used to determine a synthetic signal level for use in developing a spatial processing strategy. A synthetic signal have an isotropically distributed component can be added to the antennas in the array or the diagonal elements of the received signal covariance matrix to develop uplink and downlink spatial processing strategies. Different synthetic signals at different signal levels can be used to develop different uplink and downlink spatial processing strategies. The downlink signal level can be larger than the uplink signal level. Uplink and downlink processing strategies can be developed in substantially the same way.