Customer Reviews

Radio-Frequency Electronics: Circuits and Applications

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Before purchasing this book I read all the previous reviews and I was very surprised at the disparate views expressed. As I read more and more of the book, I was amazed at the topics covered. While this book may not be ideal as a textbook, it is a book that could profitably be on the bookshelf of every RF engineer. Many textbooks will not even cover such useful topics as impedance matching, hybrid transformers, baluns, and coupled-resonator filters, all of which and much more are covered here. I wish I'd had this book sooner, it would have saved a lot frustration trying to find answers to my own questions over the last four years. I think those reviewers that did not recommend this book probably were comparing it to ordinary textbooks--I think it's true utility is for the practicing engineer.

This book is good for electrical engineers who need to review their knowledge. However, it will be better if there are some solutions or guides for problems in the back of the book.

This book is packed with very useful information on radio-frequency circuit design and it covers a wide array of topics: filters, power amplifiers, modulators, demodulators, waveguides, radars, as well as TV circuits and more. It's a great resource for researchers and practicing engineers. This book is primarily for experienced engineers because it assumes a lot of previous knowledge of electronics.

We use this book in refreshing/training all of our new engineers that will be working with RF magnetics. The book is written across a very broad variety of topics and is therefore lacking in penetrating detail as others have mentioned. Therin lies the books only real sin - that of trying to cover too much.

If, however, your quest is to dust the cobwebs or get your mind around the 'mysterious' world of RF electronics, this book will be very usefull. Jon's vast experience shows through in the diversity of information, not necessarily the depth of it, which is good for people like me that want to know a little of everything in order to properly frame what I am about to immerse myself in.

In the case of RF Electronics, I would highly recommend Chris Bowick's book "RF Circuit Design" as a companion to this book for those wanting more in depth information at the design/circuit level & for those seeking some more testing guidance to Joseph J. Carr's book "Practical Radio Frequency Test & Measurement". Lastly, if you are either HAM or magnetics-centric, I Highly recommend Jerry Sevick's book "Transmission Line Trasformers". These four books will give you a very solid library & if you are doing PCB layouts, spend the money on Tim Williams "Circuit Designers Companion", it will pay for itself in your first layout with a new engineer. In our experience, these have been the "Fabulous Five", so to speak, of RF Electronics.

I've read many books on the topic and it is amazing how often we realize that the author has no experience in the field. This is book is the perfect exception to that. While it may not be so easy for beginners, it offers insights that you will only come across if you work in the field for quite some years. Don't expect to be spoon-fed; you'll have to use your brain for a change. And yes, I did take the Cornell course when this book was in the form of some scattered notes and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I cannot see how any professor is willing to use a textbook that includes bare bone examples with no answers to questions. The layout is terrible, and the book assumes too much from the reader. Save your money and get something else.

If you're interested in this book, AVOID THE KINDLE EDITION and spring for a paper copy. The equations are rendered in a virtually illegible font. In more than 5 instances in the first chapter alone, plus signs (i.e., addition) are randomly substituted with forward slashes (i.e., division). If I weren't familiar with the formulae in question, I would've been hopelessly confused. Reading this book in electronic format is therefore next to useless. It's disappointing that no one at Cambridge University Press or Amazon thought to proofread the electronic format for accuracy and readability prior to putting it up for sale.

I've purchased several copies of this text because is is incredibly useful as a bridge from basic theory learnt by undergraduates to practical hardware. Those who want a detailed reference for low noise amplifiers or phase lock loops will be disappointed, but those who want enough information to build and understand their *first* low noise amp or their *first* PLL or their *first* mixer, are well advised to pick up Hagen's very useful book.

My only criticism is that I would have preferred the PLL or amplifier material to be contigious, rather than the "revisiting" approach selected by the author. This is a minor complaint.

This book received a very favorable review in the July 1997 issue of QST magazine (New Books, p. 43). QST is a monthly publication of the American Radio Relay League. The reviewer is Paul Danzer, Assistant Technical editor of the magzine. The reviewer felt that the comprehensivenes of the book made it more of a survey of its title, Radio-Frequency Electronics, as each of the 34 chapters contain between 5 and 12 pages. The reviewer praised the quality of the prose explication and the innovation and effectiveness of the illustrations. He concludes by commending the book as a good reference work, and "an attractive addition to your book shelf." The review is nearly two full columns and discusses the book in much greater detail.

I've just completed a course in RF design and realize that this is not text book for a class at all. The book does not show any detail or even clear about the information it brought forth. As a student, this text book does not give details for student to learn. I have never seen a text book that has virtually nothing to teach.Forgive me for giving an undesire review but I'm being honest, and this book does not deserve a Five-star. This is a misdirection of its contents.