Using RF communications, bluetooth, wifi, 2.4GHz etc. is getting increasingly common for small projects, however the RF component side, antenna etc. is rather a mystery to me and a bit of a case of make it look like the application schematics and hope for the best. I wonder if anyone could recommend a good book on the topic to give me a better feel for it.
But a book written in the old way, lots of pictures, practical information and simple to understand, rather than the modern academic type page after page of unexplained equations and theory with no real practical implementation?

 

Books by Joe Carr are excellent, his RF Components and Circuits might be just what you are looking for.

 

Thanks Yaakov.. I will look into it!

 

Hello,

This Radio Amateur shop might also have some interesting books for you:
https://www.box73.de/index.php?cPath=33_35_50

Bertus

 

Thanks bertus!

 

I believe this to be the best book for you.

Electronic Communication. Sixth Edition or International Edition. Shrader.

Amazon~50 bucks for paperback. Use to be 10 bucks for hardcover, price is going up.

I used the second edition in college. But it was mostly tubes. Later editions are solid state.

Simple, explained algebra and explained trig. For applied engineering. All math is explained and no calculus.

The best self explanatory textbook for electronics, for regular people, ever.

 

This book is a classic that I've used often here to explain RF concepts.
https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/...ies-ir-frequencies.130731/page-3#post-1079598
https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/does-transmition-line-radiate.132934/#post-1104477

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.177615/page/n2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...d_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

 

Thanks nsaspook, I will have a read of that one. Maybe im getting old fashioned, but I do find they used to explain thing more clearly and simply in the old books!

 

I didn't realize Joe Carr had died.

Apparently, it is not so easy to get his books right now. But Amazon has this one: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Circuit-Design-Tab-Electronics-ebook/dp/B000T81T4Y

Also the RSGB might have the one I suggested in their online store...

 

Thanks nsaspook, I will have a read of that one. Maybe im getting old fashioned, but I do find they used to explain thing more clearly and simply in the old books!

The basics of EM hasn't changed but higher math academics with much less practical experience have glossed over the algebraic topology solutions too quickly in favor of vector calculus solutions that are intuitive to mathematicians but much less so to practicing field engineers who find it useful to mentally visualize things as physical machines and forces in space. The modern field theory approach is exquisitely powerful when coupled with modern computers but it's not the best method when a pen and paper is all you have to make something work. Yes, it's not optimized to the n-th degree but will work at 95% of the best solution.

http://www.setileague.org/articles/ham/maxwell.pdf