Disclosed is a high-efficiency amplifying device wherein a control signal for a power-amplifying unit is produced from an input signal in a pre-amplification stage, resulting in a reduced disturbance output signal with a constant efficiency in the amplifying device.

A low loss, fast switching, electronically tunable filter circuit which is microstrip compatible is obtained through the use of a resonant ring structure having two couplers, a low noise amplifier and a variable phase shifter. The tunable filter may advantageously be used in the receive channel of a transmit/receive module for phased arrays wherein the resonant frequency of the ring can be tuned anywhere in the operating frequency range so as to increase the dynamic range of the receiver.

AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System) ST (signalling tone) is detected by a tone detector in which samples of a demodulated signal are amplitude limited to remove click energy, and the limited signal is bandpass filtered, using a notch filter and summer, to limit it to the range of possible ST frequency. Power of the bandpass filtered signal is detected, and compared with detected power of a version of the bandpass filtered signal from which any sinusoidal signal has been eliminated, independent of frequency, to provide for ST detection. A function [x(k)+x(k-2)]x(k-2)-[x(k-1)+x(k-3)]x(k-3) for successive samples x(k) of the bandpass filtered signal is used for the sinusoidal signal elimination. The invention can also be used to detect other tones.

The high frequency tunable filter includes first and second oscillating circuits tuned by voltage-controlled varicap diodes and coupled together via coupling varicap diodes. The voltage-controlled varicap diodes for the tuning of the oscillating circuits and the coupling varicap diodes are controlled by an identical control voltage to obtain the tuning of the filter to its working frequency and to obtain the critical coupling of the two oscillating circuits. The filter finds particular application in the area of portable radio transceivers.

An apparatus for coupling signals to a transmission line, such as a power line (120). The apparatus comprises an input for receiving a wanted signal; a first coupler for coupling the wanted signal (V.sub.main) onto the line at a first position (Y); a cancelling means (W.sub.B, W.sub.R, W.sub.Y), coupled to the input, for deriving a cancelling signal (V.sub.aux) from the wanted signal; a second coupler for coupling the cancelling signal onto the line at a second position (X), spaced from the first position; wherein the wanted signal and the cancelling signal destructively combine in a single direction of propagation along the line while enabling the wanted signal to propagate in the other direction along the line. The apparatus can be used to minimise radiation from an unshielded part of an electricity distribution network, such as substation (100), or to allow re-use of a frequency band on other power lines.