Marconi Instruments Limited

John Michael Reeve

John Norman Wells

A frequency synthesizer for producing a tunable frequency output signal. The synthesizer includes a tunable frequency oscillator having a tunable output signal and including: a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for generating an output signal; a harmonic generator coupled to the VCO for generating a plurality of harmonics of the VCO output signal; and a tunable bandpass filter coupled to the harmonic generator and having an output for selectively passing any one of the VCO output signal harmonics which constitutes both the tunable output signal of the tunable frequency oscillator and the tunable frequency output signal of the frequency synthesizer. The synthesizer further includes a variable device coupled to the tunable bandpass filter for reducing a frequency of the tunable output signal of the tunable frequency oscillator for generating a reduced frequency output signal; and a phase detector coupled to the variable device for producing an error signal in dependence of a comparison between the reduced frequency output signal and a predetermined reference signal, the phase detector further being coupled to the VCO of the tunable frequency oscillator for creating a phase locked loop for controlling the VCO output signal based on the error signal.

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Hitchin, United Kingdom

John Michael Reeve