Noisy channel avoidance method in a digital communication system

There is disclosed in a frequency hopping digital communication network having a multimode radio transmitter for transmitting a data signal and a multimode radio receiver tuned for receiving the same, the multimode transmitter and receiver operable in a first standard mode and a second enhanced mode, each mode having a late-net acquisition library period and an in-net acquisition library period, a method for obtaining a non-noisy frequency channel over which to receive the data signal transmitted across the radio network. The method comprises the steps of successively averaging signal samples received over a particular frequency channel and time interval corresponding to the receiver mode and library period to determine the noise level of the particular reception frequency channel. The averaged signal samples are then compared to a predetermined noise threshold to determine whether the frequency channel is noisy. If the frequency channel is determined to be noisy, the receiver is tuned to a new reception frequency channel, the new frequency channel being selectable from a group of permissible frequency channels and responsive to the receiver mode and library period and in a predetermined sequence. The steps are repeated until the noise threshold is no longer exceeded.