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 , wherein at least one cycle 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 , wherein at least one cycle is amplitude shift keyed. <EOS>