Detectability of spread-spectrum signals

Methods of detecting spread-spectrum signals without knowledge of the pseudorandom code used to generate the signal are described. Exact and approximate methods of calculating relationships among detection probability, false-alarm rate, and signal-to-noise ratio are given for radiometers and for channelized pulse-detection systems. The detection performance of the radiometer is compared graphically with that of pulse-detection systems, for two different kinds of pulse-detection decision rules. Detection performance as a function of certain signal parameters is shown to be very different for a pulse-detection system than for a radiometer, and this difference in behavior provides a basis for selecting signal parameters that minimize the probability of detection. The reasoning that underlies the selection process is explained, and the process is outlined for each of several signal parameters.