Abstract: A method is disclosed for PN correlation and symbol synchronization of a spread spectrum signal at a receiver when a symbol boundary of the spread spectrum signal is not on a PN epoch or is otherwise unknown. The method includes the operation of modulating the spread spectrum signal with a PN code to form a potentially despread signal. The potentially despread signal can be integrated for a plurality of symbol times at a rate of N integrations per symbol time to form N symbol energies per symbol for a plurality of symbols. Each of the N symbol energies can correspond to a different symbol time hypothesis. The N symbol energies from the plurality of symbols can be added respectively to form N summed symbol time hypotheses. The Nth summed symbol time hypothesis having maximum power can be found. The Nth summed symbol time hypothesis can relate to a location of the symbol boundary.

Abstract: A free space laser communication system uses subcarrier multiplexing to prepare multiple data communication channels for impressing onto a laser carrier. Sending and receiving terminals mutually track to insure acquisition of the transmitted data signals.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for operating a synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (S-CDMA) radio frequency communication system having a host transceiver unit and a plurality of user transceiver units. The method includes an initial step of defining a super-frame to be comprised of N sequential frames of data. In the preferred embodiment N is equal to three. For a user transceiver unit that obtains access to the host transceiver unit a next step of the method receives frames of data transmitted by the host transceiver unit and initially aligns a receiver timing and a transmitter timing of the user transceiver unit to a super-frame boundary of the received frames. A next step transmits frames of data from the user transceiver unit to the host transceiver unit using the initial timing alignment.