Good Practical Book on RF?

[sean0118]

Hi everyone,

I have the Art of Electronics (it's great) and I'm currently reading High Speed Signal Propagation: Advanced Black Magic (also great). 


But I'm also looking for a practical book that's a good introduction into the world of RF.


From looking at other threads, I've made this list:

Microwave Engineering - Pozar
ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook
Radio and electronic reference texts - Terman
RF Circuit Design - C Berwick Bowick
RF Components and Circuits - Joseph J. Carr 


Can anyone second these or suggest any others?

If there are books that focus mainly on receivers that would be great as well (I'm much more likely to build a receiver as a project). Also, I know RF covers a huge frequency range, but I don't have a project in mind at the moment so I can't narrow it down further.


Thoughts? 

 

[T3sl4co1l]

Nothing offhand, but some general advice:

If you can do wideband, RF is a cakewalk.

The main things you'll be doing are filtering (there are standard filter designs and calculators out there), mixing (OTC from Minicircuits or etc., or build your own from anything), amplifying (MMICs, or build your own), and generally ensuring that all the impedances are correct.

That last part is key.  RF is all about impedances, and over what ranges they're valid.  Filters only work when they're matched.  Amplifiers only reach peak performance (power/gain or noise -- which are usually nearby, but not quite equal) when matched properly.  Tuning inductors and junction capacitances interact with the local or system impedances to determine bandwidth; and parasitic resonances (e.g., resonant modes of coils, standing waves of transmission lines) can accidentally provide additional bandwidth beyond the intended range.

The other part is much more numerical than physical: the band plan must be chosen carefully, so that harmonics and mixer products do not conspire to produce spurs and images in the tuning range.  Harmonics and mixer products are all integer ratios, sums and differences, so you essentially need to anti-solve a Diophantine equation (because, if the equation happened to be true within the passband, you get an image there -- you need it to be false, as much as possible).

But impedances are the big deal.  Once you know impedances, and get a feel for how inductors and capacitors transform resistance and reactance, you begin to recognize transformation networks in stock circuits, and can easily recognize and calculate what the local or system impedance should be.

(Note: the distinction between "system" and "local" arises because, say, you might prefer to use 50 ohm transmission line between subcircuits.  But, the amplifier's output impedance might be 1kohm or something.  So you need a matching network or transformer to go between them.  If one stage is immediately going on into some other oddball impedance (like a very low impedance emitter, or a modest impedance base or gate), you might as well transform it in one step without touching system impedance at all.  "System impedance" doesn't really mean anything between stages like this -- but usually you aren't transforming too gross a ratio, so you can still think of the average impedances (note: geometric average) to keep a mental tab on expected voltages, currents, inductances, etc.)

Tim

[commie]

You will need a bit of higher formal education and lots of experimental breadboarding, ask yourself lots of questions regarding rf electronics and find the answers with your prototyping experiments on your scope screen.

You have listed one good book...RF Circuit Design - C Berwick

[edavid]

ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook

The RSGB Handbook is good too, if that's easier for you to find.  You probably only need one or the other.  It definitely doesn't have to be the latest edition.

Radio and electronic reference texts - Terman

Maybe a little too old.

RF Circuit Design - C Berwick

Bowick, not Berwick.  Note that the 2nd edition is not any better than the 1st, so you can save some money by getting the 1st.

If there are books that focus mainly on receivers that would be great as well (I'm much more likely to build a receiver as a project).

Experimental Methods in RF Design - Hayward, Campbell, & Larkin
Communications Receivers - Ulrich Rohde

[Melt-O-Tronic]

I disagree that the Terman books are too old.  They're still quite valid and packed with useful information in a well-presented manner.

IMO, the two most helpful resources to me have been Reflections III by Walter Maxwell and Experimental Methods in RF Design.  Specifically, Reflections III contained the "aha" bits for me that turned the light on and let me start understanding RF more intuitively (I still have a long way to go).

[vk3yedotcom]

Agree with Experimental Methods for RF Design.

Apart from the ARRL & RSGB Handbooks, some basic very stuff is in ham study manuals.

Also videos by W2AEW. https://www.youtube.com/user/w2aew

[Melt-O-Tronic]

TOTAL agreement here on W2AEW's videos.  Alan's style of teaching is an ideal match for my style of learning.  I can't express enough how immensely useful I find his work.

[T3sl4co1l]

Oh, speaking of old books, RDH4 has some good stuff.  The math is light and simple, typical of the knowledge of the era, and the demands of the practical engineer.  Of course, it's oriented towards tube stuff, but all that applies directly to MOSFETs (for RF amplifiers, you need to know grid capacitance and resistance, power gain is limited by operating area and voltage gain is limited by the equivalent of plate resistance (channel length modulation effect)).

Tim

[sean0118]

Thanks for the replies everyone,  I appreciate it, sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. 

If you can do wideband, RF is a cakewalk.

Hmmm, yeah I'm not too sure exactly what wideband is...   I guess I know where to start now.

But impedances are the big deal.  Once you know impedances, and get a feel for how inductors and capacitors transform resistance and reactance, you begin to recognize transformation networks in stock circuits, and can easily recognize and calculate what the local or system impedance should be.

Ok good to know, I'm still getting the hang of impedances and transmission lines etc, but W2AEW's videos are helping! 

RF Circuit Design - C Berwick

Bowick, not Berwick.  Note that the 2nd edition is not any better than the 1st.

I'm not sure how I did that, I'm going to assume the thread I read was wrong, yeah lets go with that... 

I think I'll get a copy when one comes up for the right price on eBay. But, I'm not sure how beginner friendly it is? I don't know a lot of the RF terminology so I really need something that breaks it down for me.

Experimental Methods in RF Design - Hayward, Campbell, & Larkin
Communications Receivers - Ulrich Rohde

Thanks, I'll look into them, along with the RSGB Handbook you mentioned.

IMO, the two most helpful resources to me have been Reflections III by Walter Maxwell and Experimental Methods in RF Design.  Specifically, Reflections III contained the "aha" bits for me that turned the light on and let me start understanding RF more intuitively (I still have a long way to go).

Thanks, I'll check those out as well.


Now I'm going to go watch some more of W2AEW's videos. 

[all_repair]

TOTAL agreement here on W2AEW's videos.  Alan's style of teaching is an ideal match for my style of learning.  I can't express enough how immensely useful I find his work.

+ 10,

[richard.cs]

If you want something with practial projects take a look at "Crystal sets to sideband" http://www.wa0itp.com/crystalsetsssb.html

[sean0118]

Wow, thanks Richard, that link is going to keep me busy for awhile, Chapter 13 is a tempting idea for my next project.

[vk3yedotcom]

One approach, similar to that in the Crystal Sets to Sideband book, is to start of really simple and crude with some very basic stages.

Eg:

1. Outside HF antenna - preferably at least 20m of wire as high as possible

2. Earth for above

3. Crystal set for AM broadcast band

4. One transistor audio amplifier to drive a crystal earpiece or similar

5. Another crystal set to pick up shortwave signals

6. Antenna coupling unit

7. Local oscillator / BFO

The last is a really fun addition that improves sensitivity on AM and allows CW / SSB reception and therefore hams etc.

Surprisingly good reception is possible on the lower HF bands with just one active transistor stage in the signal chain - from antenna to earphone.

And because you've got them in separate units you can experiment with tight & loose coupling, examine the effect this has on adjustments and tuned circuit behaviour and signal levels etc.

The following two videos demonstrate this:

[w2aew]

Thanks for the ++ votes on my videos - much appreciated!!

I would second the recommendations for the ARRL Handbook, the Experimental Methods in RF Design (known affectionately as EMRFD), as well as SSDRA (Solid State Design for the Radio Amateur), and the Bowick book. I would also add the Electronic Filter Design Handbook by Williams & Taylor if you want/need to design filters, and I also kinda like the Secrets Of RF Design by Joseph Carr.