> The following is a link to an IEEE paper that I found this morning
> which talks about (and references) analog frequency dividers.
> Apparently the application is high frequency (microwave) low power
> systems where digital dividers are not practical:
Specially designed systems that have oscillators phase-locked to f/2
are not very common accidents Mike. They take a lot of effort to get
working and special components. I'm not even sure they are practical
at HF.
The most important point is conventional amplifier systems, or non-
linear systems like unintentional diode junctions, can not generate
subharmonics. For example, a conventional transistor operates in a
low-Q low-impedance system **without** the required low-capacitance
low-loss high-Q resonant f/2 resonant circuit to pump. Even if you
had those components, it is very unlikely (probably impossible) to
pump the circuit with a conventional semiconductor device used in
PA's.
If you read the text of the paper you pointed out carefully you will
see the author dismisses the parametric divider as being difficult to
implement, and requiring Hi-Q components that "can not be implemented
in contemporary silicon technologies". He moves on to better
concepts.
I wouldn't worry much about seeing one pop up by accident, since they
are very difficult to intentionally construct.73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com
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