Coherent auroral radar pulsation data are simulated for impulsively excited field line resonances (FLR) driven by a magnetospheric MHC cavity mode. These data are then analyzed according to three assumptions, namely, (1) that each radar time sequence is monochromatic with a frequency fixed over latitude, (2) that each radar time sequence is monochromatic with a frequency which varies with latitude, and (3) that each radar time sequence consists of the sum of two damped sinusoids for which the frequency of one varies and the other is constant with latitude. Pulsations corresponding to all three assumptions have been previously observed and described in the literature. The results indicate the degree to which these analyses can misdirect the researcher with respect to the excitation of the pulsation. The first two analyses can indicate the existence of a constant-frequency single-component pulsation when there exists, in fact, an additional period-varying component as well. The results also suggests that the variation of the period with time in these pulsations may be a useful detection criterion for cavity-driven FLRs. ¿American Geophysical Union 1990