The apparatus contains a counter that is synchronized to the reference time in the mobile station. The counter counts sampled chips of the radio signal to produce a count. The apparatus further includes a controller that controls the processing of the radio signal, activates the processing of the radio signal when the count matches a begin count, and deactivates the processing of the radio signal when the count matches an end count, wherein the begin count and the end count are determined by a signal processor as a function of the time frame offset of the radio signal with respect to the reference time in the mobile station.