Abstract: A spread-spectrum system having a transmitted data rate determined by an error rate syndrome at a spread-spectrum receiver. Data are demultiplexed into a plurality of data channels, and spread-spectrum processed as a plurality of spread-spectrum channels. A combiner combines the plurality of spread-spectrum channels as a code-division-multiplexed signal. At a receiver, the code-division-multiplexed signal is despread into a plurality of despread channels. A multiplicity of adders, which is electronically controlled by an adder-control signal, adds several of the despread channels to generate a multiplicity of added channels. A syndrome signal is generated from an error rate of the multiplicity of added channels. From the syndrome signal, a desired-data rate is determined for the spread-spectrum transmitter.