Customer Reviews

Telecommunications Primer: Data, Voice, and Video Communications (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had to come up to speed on the current telecom technology now. This book answered my needs with a thorough intro to the latest technologies including (gasp!) clear illustrations and enough detail to convey understanding without drowning me in arcane details. The glossary is especially well done. It is not a simple minded survey leaving out the important details; instead it provides clear definitions and directs the reader who needs more info with useful references.

It is indeed a primer. If you need all the hideous (glorious?) details, get Freeman's magnum opus.

The author put a lot of "facts" in this book. However, there are few explanation and no references. He describes many detail specifications that makes this book read as more likely a handbook. It's so easy to find out the differeces if we compare it with Tananbaum's or Stallings' computer network books, the laters are written in a teaching oriented form that readers are guided to understand basic theory and architecture. And of course, there are numerous references for both students and instructors to find out where those contents are originally from, or what to read for further studies. The lack of refernce is a big drawback for Carne's book. It's really abnormal. No matter if I were the instructor or the student I won't pick this book for textbook or self-learning. Even if I need handbook for reference, I'll choose either Freeman's books or just get a Newton's Telecom Dictionary for fast check. By the way, the graphs in the book are really rought and ugly.

I have looked at many books that cover a wide variety of topics in telecom but didn't find one that covered everything and gave functional details. Digital Telephony (by Bellamy) is good if you are solving differential calculas problems and it still does not give enough details (functional engineering wise).

The title says PRIMER but it is a good detailed reference also and illustartions and diagrams are very helpful. I am writing as a telecom software developer ofcourse.