A code acquisition circuit for acquiring code synchronization between an n-chip spreading code of a received spread spectrum radio signal and an n-chip local reference code generated by a code generator within a receiver, includes a variable delay means which operates to introduce a delay shift into the said received radio signal. A correlator operates to correlate n-chips of the local reference code with n-samples of the received signal communicated thereto, and generates a correlation signal representative of a result of the correlation. A code acquisition controller operates in combination with the correlation signal to maintain the delay shift for at least one correlation and thereafter to change the delay shift, wherein the delay shift is a fraction of one chip period.