Abstract: A system for symbol timing maintenance in a communications receiver, in one embodiment, employs a receive channel, including a demodulator and an analog-to-digital converter for generating a plurality of samples; a symbol timing statistic generator for generating a symbol timing statistic in response to a portion of the plurality of samples; a noise estimator for generating an estimate of a noise level in response to the plurality of samples; a reception interval determiner for determining a reception interval; and a control loop for generating a signal indicative of symbol timing error. In an alternative embodiment, the system may, in addition to or instead of the noise estimator, and reception interval determiner, employ a bandwidth tuner for tuning a bandwidth of the control loop in response to the signal indicative of the symbol timing error having been generated.

Abstract: A dispatch system and a cellular interconnect system are combined to form a single system in which dispatch and interconnect communications are made with use of common system equipment. Different system configurations are employed according to the number of cells in the system to minimize loss of cellular interconnect capacity arising from dispatch communication operations.