Abstract: A communications system and network wherein communications links between subscribers are established by retrodirective oscillating loops between each subscriber and a node station. Provision is also made for establishment of retrodirective oscillating loops between nodes so that remotely located subscribers can communicate. Information is transmitted between subscribers by using a mixing process in the node whereby information transmitted from one subscriber to a node is transferred to a carrier signal transmitted between nodes or between a second node and another subscriber. A sampling technique is also described for use in the node which greatly minimizes the amount of apparatus required to implement the mixing process.

Abstract: A digital multiplexer accommodates a large number of voice channels per digital channel through use of an improved statistical coding technique. Analog information on the voice channels is encoded into multibit digital words by PCM encoders and the bit position at the output of each PCM encoder is staggered such that a predetermined bit in each word is presented at different times to encoder outputs. The multibit digital words are converted to multibit digital code words and the code words are in turn converted into a PAM signal for transmission over a communications highway. Bit staggering advantageously allows the use of a minimum number of PAM signal levels in comparison to prior art techniques.

Abstract: A communications system and network wherein communications links between subscribers are established by retrodirective oscillating loops between each subscriber and a node station. Provision is also made for establishment of links between nodes so that remotely located subscribers can communicate. Information is transmitted between subscribers by using a mixing process in the node whereby information transmitted from one subscriber to the node is transferred at the node to a carrier signal transmitted between the node and another subscriber.