Abstract: Methodology, and associated circuitry, for encoding and decoding signals utilize combined time-signal path diversity techniques that trade-off bandwidth for autonomy of communications and simplified signal processing, thereby improving reliability.Transmitter (800) processes an incoming data stream by partitioning the stream into contiguous blocks. Each block is encoded into a data frame for transmission over one or more paths comprising the medium interconnecting the transmitter and receiver. Frame encoding is effected by generating an array of pulses distributed in time as well as distributed across the paths.Receiver (100) is generally arranged as a correlation detector in that the receiver only responds to the particular time-signal path pattern for which it is configured. Sensors in energy transfer relation to the one or more paths are positioned at detection points on the paths in correspondence to the time-space pattern of the receiver.