Direct-sequence spread-spectrum communications for multipath channels

Direct-sequence spread spectrum has been adopted for many current and future cellular CDMA communication systems, and it is also used widely for military communication networks and systems. One of the motivations for employing direct-sequence spread spectrum is its ability to combat fading due to multipath propagation. The use of direct-sequence spread spectrum to resolve multipath signals is discussed and illustrated. The role of a rake receiver is described, and tradeoffs in the selection of the chip rate for the spread-spectrum system are discussed.