a method and system are presented for transmitting data along tubing in a borehole , comprising generating an acoustic signal using a transmitter at a first location on the tubing , and receiving the acoustic signal at a receiver at a second location on the tubing . the method and system further comprise : generating the acoustic signal at the transmitter at a first frequency and bit rate ; receiving the acoustic signal at the first frequency at the receiver and attempting to synchronize the receiver at the first frequency , and if the synchronization is successful , continuing to transmit the acoustic signal so as to pass the data from the transmitter to the receiver ; or if the synchronization is unsuccessful , adjusting the frequency and / or bit rate of the signal and repeating steps - on the basis of the adjusted signal .