PRECISION SYNCHRONIZATION TO A SWITCHING SATELLITE USING PSK SIGNALS.

A technique for synchronizing ground stations to a switching satellite is described which uses three steps called the coarse search mode, the fine search mode and the tracking mode. It is shown that coarse search synchronization can be achieved using two different methods and that in particular the coded search signal using the PSK multi-frame sync sentence offers advantages in faster acquisition time and less interference. In the fine search mode, an analog technique is described and a brief description of the loop behavior is presented. Finally, a technique for providing a tracking mode is described using analog control which accounts for satellite motion.