Spread spectrum communications system with transmitted reference

A low complexity and low cost transmitted reference spread spectrum communications system provides several methods of generating a suitable wideband carrier, a method for combining the wideband carrier with a narrowband modulated wideband carrier, and a number of implementations of a simple, inexpensive receiver for the transmitted reference communications system. The transmitter includes a balanced modulator for modulating a wideband spreading signal with a narrowband message signal to generate a wideband carrier. A signal combiner combines the wideband carrier with a narrowband modulated wideband carrier to generate a transmitted reference spread spectrum signal. The receiver includes a selectable time delay device (21) having a plurality of taps for receiving a detected received signal from the transmitter. A tap selector (22) selects a delayed signal from the selectable time delay device. A mixer (23) combines output signals of the selectable time delay device and the tap selector, and a leaky integrator (24) receives the mixer output signal and controls the tap selector. The leaky detector generates the narrowband message signal.