Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] RF Circuit design for front ends.

[Tim Pozar]

On Thu, Jan 01, 2004 at 10:08:56PM -0800, Eric Blossom wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 02, 2004 at 03:19:52PM +1100, Rob Judd wrote:
> > Krysztof,
> > 
> > The Art of Electronics, Horowitz and Hill. I'd put it up next to the
> > ARRL Handbook in terms of essential books for any electronics
> > experimenter.
> 
> The Art of Electronics is fabulous.  It's not specifically about RF,
> but walks through pretty much everything else.  The discussion of
> various transistor configurations and rules of thumb for how to think
> about them is worth the price alone.

Very well written.  For RF I would point to ARRL handbook for some
basics.

A suggestion for RF is "RF Circuit Design" by Christopher Bowick
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0750699469>. I love it as
it speaks to me in much the same way as Art of Electronics.

Some Amazon reviews...

        Rf Circuit Design by Christopher Bowick, February 28, 2003
        Reviewer: bicqtran from San Jose, CA USA  

        This is an excellent practical design guide for RF engineers.
        It treats the components as lumped elements and covers most
        of the important issues like impedance transformation,
        matching networks, and practical amplifier design. You can
        approach RF either thru the wave or circuit analysis. If
        you dont have either the patience and curiosity to dwelve
        into the whys, then this book is for you. A solid understanding
        of RF requires an in depth knowledge of Maxwell equations
        and their application to the boundary conditions.  For the
        mathematically inclined I would recommend the Microwave
        Engineering by David Pozar.  Missing in the book RF circuit
        Design are topics dealing with distributed elements,
        microstrip and slot line designs which become very important
        in the Ghz range where even IC pad's reactance is large,
        and wavelength can approach 1mm.

        Bowick's RF Circuit Design Should Be On Your RF Bookshelf,
        December 23, 1997
        Reviewer: A reader  

        An excellent, concise, introduction to RF circuit design.
        The emphasis is on the practical aspects relating to RF
        circuit design. The first chapter covers components at RF
        frequencies, a subject often overlooked by unwary designers.
        Impedance matching, filters, and an introduction to the
        Smtih(c) Chart are covered in the text. RF small signal and
        power amplifier design is also explained. The text does an
        excellent job of taking the reader from the device data
        sheet to a practical RF circuit design using concepts
        developed throughout the book. Technicians and hobbyists
        as well as engineers may benefit from the book's straight-forward
        writing style. Bowick has kept the mathematics as simple
        as possible, one only needs algebra and minimal complex
        number (covered in appendix) theory understanding to work
        the many problems and examples.  This book is used by several
        companies specializing in RF circuit design training as a
        textbook for their introductory classes. A must for anyone
        who is new to the RF design field and wants to come up-to-speed
        quickly. I recommend the book highly to all, it has been
        an invaluable resource for me.

Tim
-- 
  Snail: Tim Pozar / LNS / 1978 45th Ave / San Francisco CA 94116 / USA
               POTS: +1 415 665 3790  Radio: KC6GNJ / KAE6247
   "Be who you are and say what you feel because the people who mind
    don't matter and the people who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss