Radar Principles for the Non-Specialist, Third Edition (Paperback) [Paperback]

Major General John C. Toomay (Author), Paul Hannen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1891121286 | ISBN-13: 978-1891121289 | Publication Date: January 1, 2004 | Edition: 3

Radar Principles for the Non-specialist, Third Edition continues its popular tradition: to distill the very complex technology of radar into its fundamentals, tying them to the laws of nature on one end and to the most modern and complex systems on the other. It starts with electromagnetic propagation, describes a radar of the utmost simplicity, and derives the radar range equation from that simple radar. Once the range equation is available, the book attacks the meaning of each term in it, moving through antennas, detection and tracking, radar cross-section, waveforms and signal processing, and systems applications. At the finish, the reader should be able to do an acceptable, first-order radar design, and to critique the designs of others. Students, engineers, scientists, and managers will benefit from this book.

New to this edition: Every section of each chapter was revised in some way. The more noticeable enhancements are the additions of equation numbers, more numerical examples, table and figures showing many of the concepts numerically, and exercises for almost all the concepts. These enhancements make the book easier to learn from (and teach out of).

Key Features of the Book
Concise, self-contained chapters for quick and easy comprehension of concepts.
A practical glossary to help readers look up and apply key radar terms.
The 294 pages include 97 figures, 6 tables, 253 equations, and 61 exercises.
Numerous exercises that reinforce the concepts and their real-life application.
A comprehensive solution set (Mathcad and RTF files) for the vast majority of the exercises is available from the publisher upon request.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Major General John C. Toomay is a systems engineering consultant for government and industry. He has more than 25 years experience in research and development and managed major radar programs in the U. S. air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He has served on the Board of Directors of Texas Instruments and the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and has lectured and written frequently on defense technology, systems, and policy. He currently resides in Carlsbad, CA. Mr. Paul Hannen has extensive experience in radar systems, electronic combat, survivability assessment, and modeling and simulation. He is presently a Systems Engineer with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Dayton, Ohio, and an Adjunct Professor with Wright State University. Previously, he worked as an electronics engineer with the USAF Avionics Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Mr. Hannen received a BS (1979) and MS (1981) in Systems Engineering from Wright State.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: SciTech Publishing; 3 edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891121286
• ISBN-13: 978-1891121289
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction for non-experts, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Radar Principles for the Non-Specialist (Paperback)

Quite simply, the book is true to its title. This book is intended for scientists, engineers, mathematicians, managers, and other college-educated persons who need to interact intelligently with radar experts. J.C. Toomay's book won't make you an expert, but the consise, focused chapters will quickly acquaint you with the radar concepts you need to contribute in development or analysis of systems that include elements of radar technology. One note of caution is that this book does treat a very technical subject, and although Toomay doesn't spend pages deriving radar equations, the reader will need a good understanding of integral calculus and fourier analysis to get the most out of his book. A solid background in engineering or physical science is a thorough prerequisite for getting the most out of this book.

Highly recommended as an introduction to radar technology for those who don't plan to go back to college for a Masters degree in electrical engineering.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pound for pound one of the best, July 9, 2002

By 

Alan A. Thomas "pcss" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radar principles for the non-specialist (Hardcover)

This book has the fewest errors and least misleading information on radar and propagation pound-for-pound of any books on electromagnetism I have seen. It outclasses Skolnik et al. It will not be found suitable for academic instruction because it is way too concise and is not threaded with obtuse mathematical premise as is wont of high level education, eventhough it has questions and answers with each chapter. This is your little book of big radar and electromagnetics.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Small but excellent, September 17, 2003

By 

R. Stoner "stob" (Lincoln) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radar Principles for the Non-Specialist (Paperback)

The book appears small possibly insignificent; however, it contains a wealth of data invaluable to both military consultant, technical manager or boffin. As a resource it is nigh on perfect. It complements the Introduction to Radar book by Skolnik by offering the complex arguments within radar in an understandable format, allowing the reader to dive deeper into the subject area using Skolnik's tome.
Worth the money by far.