Fast acquisition method for GPS L1/L2C software receivers

GPS modernization program offers a new civil signal on L2 band, which together with the legacy L1 C/A drives the development of dual frequency receivers for civil applications. The acquisition of L2C takes much time comparing with that of L1 signal. Under the assumption that the GPS signal is strong enough for detection this paper suggests a fast acquisition method for the dual L1/L2C GPS signals for software receivers and compares the performance with that of other methods.