Hello, Pete!

Well, good news, indeed!
YES, sync detection is important.
I think my priorities would be as
follows:

1. QUIET front - end. No synthesizer noise.
2. GOOD filter(S). If you I can only have one,
6 KHz with tight skirts would be very good.
3. GOOD audio. That doesn't have to be expensive.
4. The aforementioned Synchronous Detection.
Reading your words about having a Synch.
Detector that "follows the signal down into
the noise" makes me grin from ear to ear!

I think that, with a quiet front end, my unamplified
four - foot loop will do wonders. I am, from time to
time, plagued with noise, so I think a part of the
design philosophy should be a quiet synthesizer design.
That, coupled with a good passive antenna, makes for
some really easy listening. I've learned from Mark
Connelly and John Doty that signal to noise ratio is
everything!

VY 73s,

Steve Lawrence
Burnsville, MN
(Posting from work via Google, so this might not show
up for a couple of days)