Burst and symbol timing synchronization for the upstream channel in broadband cable access systems

We describe a robust time and burst synchronization strategy for data over cable transmission systems. The strategy includes coarse and fine timing and involves a total of 7 steps. Analytical analysis of false alarm and detection error probabilities is also accomplished. We study the influence of a parameter (called contrast threshold) on the performance and we take into account frequency and sampling time errors. It is shown that a successful synchronization is guaranteed by fixing the contrast threshold between 3 and 4 dB while operating at moderate signal-to-noise ratios.