Experiments on the Regeneration of Binary Microwave Pulses

The chief advantage of a transmission system employing binary pulses resides in the possibility of regenerating such pulses at intervals along the route of transmission to prevent the accumulation of distortion due to noise, bandwidth limitations and other effects. This makes it possible to take the total allowable deterioration of signal in each section of a long relay system rather than having to make each link sufficiently good to prevent total accumulated distortion from becoming excessive. This has been pointed out by a number of writers. 1 2 W. M. Goodall 8 has shown the feasibility of transmitting television signals in binary form. Such transmission requires a considerable amount of bandwidth; a seven digit system, for example, would require transmission of seventy million pulses per second. This need for wide bands makes the microwave range an attractive one in which to work. S. E. Miller 4 has pointed out t h a t a binary system employing regeneration might prove to be especially advantageous in waveguide transmission. 1 B. M. Oliver, J. R. Pierce and, C. E. Shannon, The Philosophy of P C M , Proc. I. R. E., Nov., 1948. 2 L. A. Meacham and E. Peterson, An Experimental Multichannel Pulse Code Modulation System of Toll Quality, B. S. T. J . , J a n . 1948. 3 4