"gareth" wrote in message ...
I feel that I understand something when I can explain it to
a rank amateur such that they will also understand it, but
one thing I have yet to understand is the purpose of the quenching
action in superregeneration, apart from thequenching itself.

How does the quenching of an oscillating stage yield a detector
that works for AM, FM and / or SSB, when the quenching frequency
is supersonic, and neither at the RF nor the AF frequencies?

You know as kids, during WWII, we played around with single O1A's in regens and learned that if one could control the amount of feedback there was a point just prior to bursting into oscillation, the gain (sensitivity) was incredible! (at night, the Mexican super stations could be heard anywhere in the US)
Controlling the feedback at that super critical amount was almost impossible. As others related, antennas swinging in the wind, or "hand capacity" to the front panel were among the problems.
There were a few articles published (wish I could remember those sources) that brought up the "super regen" where the gain or feedback was modulated around that critical spot. This, apparently allowed the gain of this one tube monster to rapidly go just into oscillation and back out of oscillation, at this super high gain condition in bursts at near an audio frequency rate........ isn't this the effect called "quench"?
I'll bet Mr. Black could set me straight on that!

Oh, but the simple, one tube versions were noisy! noisy! noisy! That characteristic rushing noise which quickly identified a properly operating superegen, like the little "lunch boxes" was awful! Sorry about wasting so much of your time!

Old Chief Lynn, W7LTQ