  We investigate a ring of $N$ FitzHugh--Nagumo elements coupled in
\emph{phase-repulsive} fashion and submitted to a (subthreshold) common
oscillatory signal and independent Gaussian white noises. This system can be
regarded as a reduced version of the one studied in [Phys. Rev. E \textbf{64},
041912 (2001)], although externally forced and submitted to noise. The
noise-sustained synchronization of the system with the external signal is
characterized.
