Spread spectrum communication system with frequency-separated message and reference signals

A method and apparatus for implementing a spread spectrum communication system of the "transmitted reference" type provides both multipath and interference protection with little complexity. Need for a local reference is avoided by transmitting a reference that the receiver can use to perform despreading. In general, the transmitted reference system sends both a message signal and a reference signal to the receiver. The message signal contains the information to be communicated, which has been spread through multiplication with a wide band "spreading waveform". The reference signal consists of the spreading waveform itself which the receiver call use to despread the message signal and recover the information.