A computer-implemented method of providing time reference synchronization for an aircraft system, comprising: receiving, by one or more computing devices associated with a data acquisition system of an aircraft, a signal comprising time synchronization information, wherein the signal comprises a first signal portion and a second signal portion; wherein the first signal portion comprises a preamble portion, a time reference portion, and a post-amble portion, and wherein the second signal portion comprises a time synchronization portion; wherein the preamble portion comprises one or more first signal cycles, the time reference portion comprises one or more second signal cycles, and the post-amble portion comprises one or more third signal cycles; filtering, by the one or more computing devices, the signal comprising the time synchronization information to distinguish the first signal portion and the second signal portion from noise associated with the signal; verifying, by the one or more computing devices, whether the signal is encoded with time synchronization information by determining whether the one or more first signal cycles, the one or more second signal cycles, and the one or more third signal cycles are above one or more thresholds, wherein the one or more thresholds are indicative of whether the signal comprises the time synchronization information; identifying, by the one or more computing devices, the time synchronization information based at least in part on the first signal portion and the second signal portion; and synchronizing, by the one or more computing devices, a set of data acquired by the data acquisition system with the time synchronization information; wherein the signal comprises a high frequency carrier wave comprising one or more cycles (317, 318, 319), wherein at least one cycle (317, 318, 319) is amplitude shift keyed. receiving, by one or more computing devices associated with a data acquisition system of an aircraft, a signal comprising time synchronization information, wherein the signal comprises a first signal portion and a second signal portion; wherein the first signal portion comprises a preamble portion, a time reference portion, and a post-amble portion, and wherein the second signal portion comprises a time synchronization portion; wherein the preamble portion comprises one or more first signal cycles, the time reference portion comprises one or more second signal cycles, and the post-amble portion comprises one or more third signal cycles; filtering, by the one or more computing devices, the signal comprising the time synchronization information to distinguish the first signal portion and the second signal portion from noise associated with the signal; verifying, by the one or more computing devices, whether the signal is encoded with time synchronization information by determining whether the one or more first signal cycles, the one or more second signal cycles, and the one or more third signal cycles are above one or more thresholds, wherein the one or more thresholds are indicative of whether the signal comprises the time synchronization information; identifying, by the one or more computing devices, the time synchronization information based at least in part on the first signal portion and the second signal portion; and synchronizing, by the one or more computing devices, a set of data acquired by the data acquisition system with the time synchronization information; wherein the signal comprises a high frequency carrier wave comprising one or more cycles (317, 318, 319), wherein at least one cycle (317, 318, 319) is amplitude shift keyed.