Variable dwell-time code acquisition for direct-sequence spread-spectrum systems on time-variant Rayleigh fading channels

Variable dwell-time code acquisition based on multiple-dwell or sequential linear tests is investigated for direct-sequence spread-spectrum systems on time-variant Rayleigh fading channels. Unlike in the conventional additive white Gaussian noise channels, the channel memory incurred by fading renders the exact analysis of the acquisition systems extremely difficult, if not impossible. In this paper, a novel method is developed to evaluate the mean acquisition time of the acquisition systems very accurately. The effects of Rayleigh fading are evaluated, and comparisons are made between double-dwell and sequential linear tests. Numerical results show that Rayleigh fading may result in 1-4-dB loss in performance, and the sequential linear test can outperform double-dwell test by a margin of 1-2 dB. The analytical results are verified by computer simulations.