Abstract: A network access scheme enhances channel utilization under the ALOHA protocol by making use of the FM capture effect. The resulting network access scheme allows a transmitter to transmit a message simultaneously with other transmitters to a receiver without the need for retransmission when the message reaches the receiver with sufficient strength over the strengths of the other transmissions. In one embodiment, the network access scheme is applied to a wireless data network, which includes support to a two-way paging application. Another network access scheme combines the high channel utilization of the carrier sensing multi-access (CSMA) protocol with the FM capture effect to provide even higher expected channel utilization. The resulting network access scheme uses a channel access protocol ("CSMA/AT") which provides an adaptive threshold. An RF transmitter determines, using the adaptive threshold, whether or not to transmit its message.

Abstract: In a burst signal detecting apparatus, a first circuit is provided to detect a falling edge in a burst signal to generate a first pulse signal when a low level of the burst signal continues for a time period after the falling edge is detected in the burst signal. Also, a second circuit is provided to detect a rising edge in a burst signal to generate a second pulse signal when a high level of the burst signal continues for the time period after the rising edge is detected in the burst signal. The first pulse signal is logically combined with the second pulse signal to generate a burst signal detection signal. Each of the time periods is smaller than a minimum time period of one bit of the burst signal. The pulse width of each of the first and second pulse signals is longer than a time period of a predetermined number of bits of the burst signal.

Abstract: A J1 byte processing circuit is provided with a J1 byte latch pulse sampling circuit, which samples in preset periods a J1 byte latch pulse. The sampling circuit generates, in accordance with the sampled J1 byte latch pulse, a data acquisition request to instruct acquisition of a J1 byte from the path overhead of an SPE level signal of STS-1 with the J1 byte latch pulse sampled by the sampling circuit, and sends it to a microcomputer interface. The microcomputer acquires into it the J1 byte from the J1 latching section in accordance with the data acquisition request. This configuration reduces the processing load on the microcomputer, and thereby enables the microcomputer to execute other processes even during the collection of J1 bytes.