Network diagnostic system for analyzing performance of a radio network during functional over-the-air operation

Abstract

An apparatus determining network health comprising base stations in bidirectional communication with radios, each having an identifier and transmitting a signal including the identifier. First and second health determining radios each receive the signal during normal over-the-air operation of radio and determine if the radio is authorized and, if so, determine the identifier, time-separated signal waveforms that are compared, operating characteristics from the compared waveforms, and a current location of the radio. Each of the radios determine health of the radio based on packet sniffing, a frequency deviation, or a range of deviations by analyzing the operating characteristics. After analysis results sent to the master controller from the radios indicate that the authorized radio is healthy, the master controller determines from the analysis results that a geographically unhealthy location of the network exists within the geographic area from which the authorized healthy radio transmitted the signal.