The Art of [RF] Electronics - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: garboui
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2016, 10:21:34 pm
content: Is there an RF focused equivalent to The Art of Electronics?

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2016, 08:26:18 am
content: This one is very instructive for analog RF design, doesn't cover microwaves or fancy rf modules thoughhttps://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Design-Second-Christopher-Bowick/dp/0750685182

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2016, 12:25:48 pm
content: IMHO the ARRL handbook is pretty useless for RF design. It is more for radio amateurs to setup antenna's and such. For real RF design work you need a book which goes deeper into the theory.

author: garboui
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2016, 03:03:47 pm
content: Quote from: MasterTech on August 20, 2016, 08:26:18 amThis looks sweet, gonna order it. (more suggestions still welcome.Quote from: nctnico on August 20, 2016, 12:25:48 pmThat was my suspicion with the AARL books. My work generally incorporates 433-2.4GHz. As all my knowledge with working with and designing RF into products is experiential I want the book to fill in all the gaps that I have missed from not being formally trained in RF.

author: Georgi
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2016, 05:22:47 pm
content: I find this book pretty interesting and informative when it comes to rf electronicshttps://www.amazon.com/Radio-Frequency-Electronics-Applications-Jon-Hagen-ebook/dp/B002S3UBHO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1471715341&sr=8-5&keywords=cambridge+radio+frequency+electronics

author: 4CX35000
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2016, 07:20:22 pm
content: Quote from: garboui on August 19, 2016, 10:21:34 pmYou will find that you need to use multiple books as the subject can be vast to learn depending on the area you want to work in. Older books tend to concentrate on valve technology such as Triodes, Tetrodes and Klystrons, while modern books concentrate on transistor technology (Bipolar and FET technology).Chris Bowick book has already been mentioned, but below is my list of useful books and introductory books.Experimental Methods in RF Design by Hayward, Campbell and Larkin.RF Design Guide by Vizmuller.Complete Wireless Design by SayreThe Electronics of Radio by RutledgeRF Design Basics by Fielding ZS5JFMore advanced booksHigh Speed Digital Design by Johnson and GrahamHigh Speed Signal PropagationMy tip is to get familiar with LCR networks using polar and rectangular form and biasing transistors at DC levels. Chris Bowick book is a good place to start but it does have the odd gap, but he has released a update version of his book, so those gaps may have been filled or edited out. My book is a brown cover which must be 20 year old now. Don't worry too much about the Smith Chart, Bowick book discusses the chart in reasonable detail.Regards

author: kg4arn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 20, 2016, 07:35:38 pm
content: A book that I rarely see mentioned but is one of my favorites (and I have most all the ones mentioned above) is:Radio Receiver Designby Kevin McClaning and Tom Vito.It's a theory book but very readable. I literally could not put it down.Another book which is out of print:Introduction to Radio Frequency Designby Wes HaywardAnything Hayward has written is instructive and worth reading.

author: garboui
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 05:03:02 pm
content: Quote from: 4CX35000 on August 20, 2016, 07:20:22 pmTo narrow it down more. I am not planning on building my own discreet Tx/Rx but more of getting the knowledge of being able to integrate at the chip level (RFIC->PA->filters-->antenna matching), and not boff it up to badly on the first go around.I am already beginning to get some comfort with antenna matching but as it is with learning anything, the more you begin to know the more you realize you dont know. I have RF test and measurement equipment at my disposal so I am fortunate to not be limited here.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 09:20:50 pm
content: I'll second Haywards's book and say get some pdfs of various editions of the RSGB microwave and UHF\VHF Handbooks. OLDER editions of the two volume Motorola RF transistor handbooks have well written app notes on matching and biasing transistors, including the Smith Chart techniques.That, and download HP Appcad from the Woodshot site.Steve

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 21, 2016, 10:43:31 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on August 20, 2016, 12:25:48 pmIt is fairly useless in this age and day...To top it off; in this day and age most of the "Art" is gone...

author: jopie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 06:28:05 am
content: I came across "Secrets of RF circuit design" by Joseph J. Carr.It starts out with a description of RF components and already in chapter 5 you will build your own receiver with a NE602 (ugh).QuoteI agree... :sad:Regards,Joop PG4I

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 12:20:52 pm
content: While I'm nowhere near expert level, I have a few books on the shelf, the older RSGB books are useful as they're discrete component focussed but my two favourites are (as mentioned by others)Experimental Methods in RF Design by Wes HaywardandSecrets of RF Circuit design by Joe CarrJoe Carr had a bit of a thing about the NE602 chip, he seemed to regard them as the 555 of the RF world and who am I to argue.While his choice of that chip might be derided by many, the basics still apply.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 01:02:29 pm
content: Quote from: MasterTech on August 20, 2016, 08:26:18 amAnother vote for this one. It's a really good balance between practical and theoretical knowledge. I think there are pdfs of it knocking about. There's a really good section on Smith Charts too if that's what floats your boat.Too many books in this domain are academics demonstrating their maths chops with little if any real demonstrated practical application. (This is not just in RF, it's the result of a continual push to get things published so they climb the greasy pole of academia.)Not altogether sure about ham books, it's a bit of a crap shoot: I've many dozens of them collected over the years, but they tend to be recipe based with little derivation. No harm in that, but many of the projects are simply not reproducible, and you only find that out after the event. They have their place, but I'd be wary of them.

author: bicc1306
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2016, 07:05:24 am
content: Here is a List of books which can really help you.https://www.goodreads.com/book/similar/556821-the-art-of-electronics

author: MagicSmoker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2016, 11:29:35 am
content: Another vote here for Bowick's book, and I also recommend, "Radio Frequency Transistors," by Dye, Granberg and Leighton.Hmm... just checked pricing on Amazon - it's a bit steep, all things considered. If you have to just get one book then get Bowick's.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2016, 02:54:46 pm
content: Abebooks.com is wonderful for obtaining good RF and Electronics books cheap. Lets you feel good about learning while keeping good stuff out of the landfill. I've picked up a few "priceless gems" for next to nothing. A lot of the basics and technical history has never made it onto the Web. Knowing about old tech makes it much easier to make new tech."bowick rf" as a keyword term brings up both the old editions and a new updated book covering modern concepts at Abebooks.Steve

author: Kelbit
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2016, 08:52:41 pm
content: Quote from: MasterTech on August 20, 2016, 08:26:18 amAdding another vote for Bowick. Great book, covers the fundamentals in a really accessible way. Good balance between theory and practice.

author: kazam
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2016, 09:22:19 am
content: Pozar - Microwave EngineeringDense stuff but if you need the theory it's all in there.The problem with RF is that you can't really simplify too much. It is what it is.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2016, 01:38:32 am
content: The grandaddy of them all:MIT Rad Labhttps://www.jlab.org/ir/MITSeries.html

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2016, 02:13:12 am
content: The ARRL Handbook is a helluva lot more useful and relevant than people are giving it credit for here.Also suggest checking out Lee'sPlanar Microwave Engineeringbefore jumping all the way into Pozar. Bowick is good but Lee is more comprehensive.The WWII-era Rad Lab volumes are of great historical interest but not very useful for newcomers.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2016, 10:26:29 pm
content: Yes, when I was a student, I found the ARRL handbook to be a fabulous resource when looking for 'real' circuits to study.It sometimes lacked a bit of theory for some of the circuits but they were proven circuits and could be built and/or simulated and studied. Also there were LOTs of circuits like this in the book. It was a long time ago but there weren't that many books that could match it in this respect.Try buying a (cheap) used copy from each decade because I think stuff gets omitted after a while. I haven't seen a modern ARRL handbook though. The last one I read was published in 2007. The first one was a 1981 (but it might have been 1982 or 1983, I can't remember) copy and it eventually fell apart because I read it so often when I was a student. I still have the 1989 copy in hardback and this is still in one piece. The older copy was softback and ended up falling apart into several pieces with loose pages falling out all the time.I also had an old electronics/comms design book written by Doug Demaw and this suffered a similar fate. I read it so much it fell apart. I think this is a compliment to the usefulness of these old books

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2016, 10:44:03 pm
content: I will also recommend reading Bowick. I still have my old 'home' copy here but my works copy eventually got borrowed/lost. It's a classic reference book for all RF designers but you have to be careful of the various errors in the book. I did once keep a list of the errors many years ago and sadly, some of them are still in the second edition.'Introduction to RF Design' by Hayward is another useful book that I will also recommend and so is the 'RF Design Guide' book by Peter Vizmuller. But these books are expensive. Vizmuller is a great 'shortform reference' book to have but I think it is overpriced. I think our works copy was very expensive indeed. I bought my copy of Hayward about 20 years ago on a promotion from the RSGB where they sold it for a fraction of the normal price. I think you can buy used copies of Hayward quite cheaply nowadays.

author: DenzilPenberthy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 09:53:05 am
content: Pozar was the course textbook when I did RF stuff at Uni but the Bowick book is the one I bought and have actually used a lot since doing it for a living.

author: setq
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 10:10:31 am
content: There's a literal ton of useful stuff in the Tektronix Concepts series on Spectrum Analyzers as well:http://w140.com/tekwiki/images/5/53/062-1055-00.pdfThis references the MIT books Alex Eisenhut linked to above.Even their vertical amp text has some good stuff regarding high frequency amplifiers, compensation and linearityhttp://w140.com/tekwiki/images/f/fd/062-1145-00.pdfI have a copy of EMRFD and I don't rate it. Perhaps I was spoiled with the old Heath training manuals many years ago (they are really good), but I prefer some more direction and structure to the information provided. Plus there's too much hidden magic in it and the engineering isn't particularly rigorous.The Bowood text looks decent. I'll grab a copy of that when the time comes.To be honest, the lack of a decent book on the subject (and my refusal to foot the cash for a canned rig and the fact I'm unsociable) is probably why I'm not a ham

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:34:37 pm
content: Compensation networks hmmm, a topic I was just looking information on

author: czorgormez
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2016, 06:42:23 pm
content: https://www.amazon.com/Microwave-Engineering-David-M-Pozar/dp/0470631554

author: Garan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 29, 2016, 10:16:16 am
content: Planar Microwave Engineering by Thomas Leehttps://www.amazon.com/Planar-Microwave-Engineering-Practical-Measurement/dp/0521835267The Design of CMOS Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits by Thomas Leehttps://www.amazon.com/Design-Radio-Frequency-Integrated-Circuits-Second/dp/0521835399Electronic Filter Design Handbook by Arthur Williams and Fred Taylorhttps://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Filter-Handbook-McGraw-Hill-Handbooks/dp/0071471715Build your own Transistor Radios by Ronald Quanhttps://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Transistor-Radios-High-Performance/dp/0071799702Electronics from the Ground Up by Ronald Quanhttps://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Ground-Up-Designing-Inventing/dp/0071837280The two books by Ronald Quan have interesting RF projects and also use enough math to describe the theory well.

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2016, 10:54:19 am
content: For some RF theory Ron Bertrand's is pretty goodhttps://www.amazon.com/Radio-Theory-Handbook-Beginner-Advanced/dp/1534696121(though more for the amateur or technician - less so for engineer)I reviewed it atOther includehttp://www.qsl.net/vk2tip/and Talking Electronicshttp://www.talkingelectronics.com/te_interactive_index.htmlYou will find what you need and it does not purport to be complete. However Talking Electronics will sometimes go down an interesting tangent that sheds some light on some aspect of RF's mystery.Then maybe the more advanced books - it's always desirable to have several on a particular topic.

author: FlyingHacker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2016, 05:00:15 pm
content: Quote from: AF6LJ on August 21, 2016, 10:43:31 pmIs it not still useful for HF, where most of the amateur traffic is? Sure, it's not going to be much use with SHF or higher stuff.

author: Alexei.Polkhanov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2016, 11:11:06 pm
content: Quote from: kazam on September 06, 2016, 09:22:19 amI would +1 this one. Excellent book.There are no RF-focused book that matches "The Art of Electronics".I found surprisingly useful and interesting mix of theoretical and practical knowledge in this book: "Frequency Synthesizers: From Concept to Product". It was unexpected surprise.(https://www.amazon.com/Frequency-Synthesizers-Concept-Microwave-Hardcover/dp/1596932309)Second surprise of a kind was "Radio Frequency Transistors: Principles and Practical Applications". It covers much more than transistors and very practical.(https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Frequency-Transistors-Principles-Applications/dp/B010DVAKD2/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478214307&sr=1-12&keywords=Radio+Frequency+transistors)I am NOT an RF engineer. I like theory but I also like to see my home built stuff actually WORKING.

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:59:27 am
content: Quote from: Alexei.Polkhanov on November 03, 2016, 11:11:06 pmThe closest books to that description that I've seen would be Lee'sPlanar Microwave Engineeringand Besser and Gilmore'sPractical RF Circuit Design(which is a two-volume series).The Granberg and Chernakin books you mentioned are good too. If Chernakin appeals to you, you should also check out Daniel Talbot'sFrequency Acquisition Techniques for PLLs. It's written very much in the same spirit.