On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 20:12:48 GMT, Owen Duffy wrote:

Didn't Don Stoner describe a synchronous detector way back. I think I
remember reading an article in the mid sixties in "The Sideband
Handbook" or similar.

I was about 15 then, so a detector that had something like 17 bottles
in it seemed overkill when I was copying CW and SSB on an AM receiver
(ie diode detector) with BFO.

The appeal being an all-mode detector (including DSBSC), but
synchrounous detectors didn't seem to catch on in comms receivers,
well not until DSP detection... well I don't recall coming across them
anyway.

Hi Owen,

17 bottles indeed. That seems to strike a resonant chord in the
ganglia because my construction was on a utility box of about 3" x 9"
x 15" (not counting power supply requirements). We were working from
a printed article certainly; and to confirm your recollection, there
was a list of modes that could be detected that was long.

My perception of the resurgence of interest in synchronous detection
(it seems to have many names) is that a considerable body of knowledge
evaporated in the 70s and 80s to leave only fragments of what this
detector was useful at.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC