Early History of Single-Sideband Transmission

Abstract

This paper briefly reviews wire and radio art at the time of the invention of the single-sideband method of transmission. Recognition of sidebands, realization that either sideband contains the entire information and that the carrier wave conveys none, and the experimental discovery of homodyne reception, all preceded the invention. The method was first employed commercially in carrier telephone systems. Narrow resonance characteristics and limited transmitting power necessitated elimination of one sideband and carrier in the first transoceanic radio telephone system. Successful application to hf radio systems and superior performance under fading conditions resulted in general adoption of single sideband for long-haul services.