A data collection and evaluation method for determination of wireless
signal propagation from an incomplete set of measured data and for
modeling the system as a set of RF point sources located at the tower in
each cell. RF propagation measurements are collected according to the
present invention, by moving through the wireless system while collecting
signal strength data at a large number of locations throughout the
wireless system. Signals are received from multiple antennae at each
collection location. The present invention develops a non-directional RF
propagation model based upon the signals received from each antenna at a
particular cell site, the antenna directionality due to the design of the
antenna and the orientation of the collection location and the cellular
site. The digital identification information on the channel is decoded
and used to associate the measurement with an individual originating
wireless antenna and/or sector. The decoding process is limited by
interference and low signal levels, therefore, the resulting data will
have locations or entire areas where digital identification codes cannot
be determined and the signal origination antenna cannot be identified.
The RF propagation data is then analyzed to remove directionality of the
individual antennae and to determine the absolute value of the path loss
between the tower as an RF point source and a specific geographic
location.