Parallel acquisition of multicarrier direct-sequence spread-spectrum signals in partial-band interference

The frequency diversity of multicarrier direct-sequence signaling can potentially offer robust performance in frequency-selective channels. This paper focuses on the acquisition of multicarrier signals in channels containing fading and partial-band interference. The maximum-likelihood decision rule for parallel acquisition in frequency selective fading and partial-band interference is derived. Several simpler, near-optimal decision rules are also discussed. The performance of these decision rules is compared to that of equal-gain combining for multicarrier acquisition. Results show that the decision rules designed specifically for partial-band interference give significantly better performance.