Abstract: A data signal stream includes, in a noisy signal channel, periodic word synchronization characters, and each such stream is preceded by a burst of predetermined bit rate information. An approximate bit rate timing signal is derived from the data stream and utilized for producing an initialization pulse when the predetermined bit rate information is detected. In addition, the approximate bit rate timing signal drives a digital phase-locked loop which is preset by the initialization pulse to a digital circuit state defining operation at the nominal frequency of the approximate bit rate timing signal. A stable bit clock signal provided by the phase-locked loop controls the operation of further circuits which are responsive to the baseband data stream for providing an indicator pulse each time that a synchronizing character appears in the data stream.

Abstract: In a radio communication system of the cellular type wherein sets of communication channels are reused in different adjacent sets of cell areas within a common mobile communication service area, each cell base station utilizing a given set of channels in common with other base stations is assigned a different supervisory tone to be modulated on all of its channels. Any mobile unit receiving such channel transponds the modulated supervisory tone and sends it back to the base station. At each base station the transmitted and received supervisory tones for any given channel are compared to produce an indication of whether or not the sending mobile unit is actually communicating on the transmitted channel of the same base station. At each mobile unit, reference tones are generated which are spectrally located between adjacent ones of the possible supervisory tones for the mobile communication area, and the spectral position of a received tone with respect to the reference tones is determined.