Comparison of joint phase/timing tracking loops for a coherent frequency hopped spread spectrum receiver

Quantifies the performance degradation of a coherent frequency hopped spread-spectrum system due to phase tracking error. A ML (maximum likelihood) joint phase/timing tracking loop is compared with an ELG (early-late gate) timing tracking loop. The performance of a first-order ML loop operating in the presence of jamming is obtained numerically, with the effect of decision error on data included in the analysis. The overall probability of error is only slightly degraded from the perfectly synchronized case, and the mean time to loss of lock shows that the system is capable of working in an environment of severe jamming