heterodyne receiver
- noun
- /ˈhɛtərəˌdaɪn rɪˈsiːvər/
- Specialized
:
receptor heterodino
- And this was Armstrong again, the same guy who did the Super heterodyne receiver, which made AM broadcast radio possible.
Examples
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For most practical purposes, however, solid-state masers could not compete with parametric semiconductor heterodyne receivers.
Academic text (1993) -
In modern radio technology, a heterodyne receiver is essential for converting radio frequencies into more manageable signals.
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The engineer explained how the heterodyne receiver works to improve signal clarity during the demonstration.
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The heterodyne receiver allowed the researchers to analyze the weak signals from distant stars with greater precision.
Synonyms
2
3.9
A device that picks up wireless signals and turns them into sound or data
A radio that changes incoming signals to one fixed frequency to make them easier to receive
A radio that changes incoming signals to one lower frequency to make them stronger and easier to receive
A radio that changes incoming signals to one fixed frequency for easier processing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'heterodyne' specifies the signal-processing operation (generating sum/difference frequencies) and 'receiver' names the device that picks up signals, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer this is a receiver that performs heterodyning to produce an intermediate frequency. Although the term is technical, the noun–modifier pattern directly yields the intended meaning without idiomatic shift.
Etymology
Heterodyne receiver comes from the idea of mixing two tones. Imagine two musical notes played together and you hear a slow 'beat' that is not in either note. Early radios did the same by 'mixing' a local tone with the incoming signal to make a new, lower tone that is easier to handle, so a heterodyne receiver is a radio that mixes signals to make a simpler one.