Frequency locked loops

Hey everyone

I've been scouring the internet looking for any information on frequency locked loops but it's been dismal at best. I'm not actually sure if a phased locked loop will do the same thing, but essentially I'm looking for something to automatically tune to a given frequency.

Is there a real difference between FLLs and PLLs? If so, where can I find information on this?

Additionally, I am trying to avoid use of modern chips like 4046s, instead preferring transistors, or even better, if possible, passive components only. I don't know if this is possible.

Could anyone help me shed some light on this?

I'm mostly interested regarding autotuning to a signal within a given bandwidth, such that the circuit would automatically retune itself to the strongest frequency.

A phase-locked loop is what you want. These have been described as actually being frequency-locked loops.

Amazon.com stocks many good books on PLLs. You might want to use the 4046 IC to get some experience and then switch to a discrete circuit design.

Take a look at the LM 565 chip