Synchronization by pilot signal

We propose a novel approach for code acquisition in a code-division multiple access (CDMA) communication system. The essential assumption is that the pilot signal of the desired user is available. If the codes are exactly orthogonal, the method can be derived from an optimization criterion. Using the pilot signal, the performance can be greatly improved without increasing the computational complexity. Simulations show that our method clearly outperforms the minimum variance method, eigenvector-based MUSIC, and matched filter