Frequency hopping synchronization and tracking in a digital communication system

There is disclosed an improved frequency hopping synchronization and tracking system for bit syncing and frame syncing a digital data signal as transmitted by a radio transmitter. A detection means responsive to incoming data samples representative of the phasing signal portion of the digital data signal partitions the data samples into alternating first and second sample sequences and correlates the samples against a frequency hop modulation code reference sequence to provide an initial data signal detection. A post-detection means responsive to the initial detection and to the frequency hop modulation code reference sequence correlates the incoming data samples and compares the spectral power of the correlated data samples to a threshold value to provide bit sync of the detected data signal. Tracking means responsive to the bit sync and to the input samples captures a frame signal and generates histograms of data bit transitions for producing an error signal indicative of the difference of the transmitted clock rate and the sampling position of the received bit. A clock means responsive to the error signal produced by the histogram process can be adjusted according to the error signal to enable sampling of each received data bit to occur relatively at the center of each bit to ensure reliable decoding or detection of a digital data signal in a noisy channel at the receiver.