A system uses signals received from actual user equipment (UE) to build in real time a reception pattern for base stations in a cellular communication system. Each UE is assigned a unique tone to broadcast so that a controller can analyze radio coverage by analyzing which base stations received signals from each UE in a coverage area. Cellular base stations necessarily have overlapping coverage and are assigned unique channel access values to avoid repeating values from overlapping cell sites. As overlaps change in real time, in response to live events, traffic jams, site outages, and new sites, signals received from UEs in the coverage area provide a real time view of system coverage. This allows better allocation of channel access values than prior art historical performance indicators using base station and controller call errors.