Customer Reviews

Satellite Communications, 2nd Edition

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

 

 

This book is very suitable for either an undergraduate EE student, or an interested laymen with modest communications knowledge (i.e. HAM radio, etc..). Roddey's writing style is fairly clear and crisp, and other reviewers are on the mark.

The technical content is fairly thorough for introductory
to intermediate purposes. However, this is definately not a "reference" or "bible" type book; nothing too exotic is contained therein.

The book has some nicely written chapters on general communications theory (i.e. channel capacity, etc..),
however, the content and treatment is skimpy.
If your interested in satellite communications but
don't know much about die-hard communications theory,
you'd be better of getting a companion book specifically
for that purpose [i.e. Sklar or Proakisl; both authors
have books called "Digital Communications"].

All in all, the book delivers what it promises and is
worth the price... Probably one of the top 4 books to
get on Satellite Communications... Also look into
[Timothy Pratt book; Gerard Maral book; and also Tri T Ha for those looking for a much more advanced book].

While the book covers a wide range of topics and does a fairly good job at introducing the reader to satellite communications; there are many glaring errors contained in this edition.
Many of the equations given are incomplete or simply wrong. Many of the chapter problems have similar problems and nearly every section has incorrect chapter answers given in the back of the book.
Professionals with a grasp of the material may find the book useful however students and those new to the material will have trouble following the mathematical concepts due to misleading equations and incorrect examples given throughout the book.

I am a communications engineer and I found the comm section of this book superbly written. The presentation is crystal clear and examples illuminating. A rare book that keeps theory to a minimum and conveys the maximum amount of practical knowledge. I recommend it highly. You may also see my other recommendations in the communications area at my website ....

Roddy has written the definitive reference on Satellite Communications. All the main topics are covered here including orbital mechanics, on board systems, ground stations and link analysis. Topics are covered in sufficient detail but in easy to understand format appropriate for self study. Digitally processed payloads are also covered here, but I would have liked to see information on recent trends in on board switching, ATM over satellite and TCP/IP over satellite. I would also have liked to see more information about mobile systems and networking over LEO systems. These omissions do not detract from the overall quality, rather, they are sugesstions for future revisions of the text. Another suggestion would be to move the references from the back of the text to the end of each chapter. The basic content here is solid!

Roddy should be ashamed of this publication. As a third edition textbook, one would hope the that numerous typos and VERY NUMEROUS mathematical operation errors would have been corrected by now. Roddy switches symbols from example to example, sometimes even within the same example!!!! Mathematical constants such as the speed of light, circumfereance of the earth, etc... are very often wrong. After reading 10 chapter's of this book, I have learned not to take any of Roddy's published standards at face value and I google them all for accuracy. This is very hard text to learn from unless you already know the 3-4 synominous terms that Roddy might use to explain the principles he is trying to explain. There is also a lot of "poof" calculations, where everything is thrown into mathcad and a result pops out. Not a good textbook for beginers or intermediates.

Mr. Dennis Roddy's book is an amazing introduction to the daunting field of Satellite communications. His layout and explainations are easy to understand, for both amateurs and experts alike. This is a great introductory book for any budding satellite engineering or someone interested into the "hows and whys" of satellites.

The inclusion of problems and exercises also extends the flexibility of this book for use as a TEXTbook for undergraduate or graduate satellite engineers. Even if you're not a student, the problems will give your grey-matter a workout. Buy it, if the price suits you.

As most text books usually are, this book is slow reading. However, it is very thorough and covers the subject completely.

This is the book we needed for a total understanding of the Satellite Systems. Easy to read, easy to understand, from basic concepts as the Kepler Theory to up to date technologies, as digital satellite communications. Maybe the mathcad equations should be replaced by normal format equations, with an appendix regarding the mathcad work. Recommended for those who want to understand thoroughly about this matter, or for a college course on the subject. I will recommend the book to the Satellite Systems teacher at the University I teach.

Roddy writes in an easy to follow style and includes many examples and exercises. The examples and exercises are oriented towards using MathCad as a tool as well. Get this book if you need enlightenment on the fundamentals of satellite communications.