3 comments about Microwave Transmission Networks : Planning, Design and Deployment.

1. I'm a technical trainer in the microwave industry. This book provides me with a lot of information that it is not usually available in one single cover. This is a must have reference source.



2. I had to purchase this book for a course being given by the author. I have been in the industry for over 20 years and I have never had so much information packed into one reference book, ever. This book is extremely easy to read and it gives you a very comprehensive understanding of all the terms, formula's, and theories associated with MW Engineering. Do yourself a favor, buy the book, take the one of the authors seminars. Your career will be positively affected.



3. This book provides an excellent overview of microwave engineering within the industry. It is well written and laid out in an introduction to deployment fashion. Excellent discussion on link budget development and a thorough view of availability versus reliability within the microwave path. I like how the author introduces you to the basic fundamentals of microwave networks and then moves into planning, design, and deployment. If you design or work with microwave radios, this book should be on your shelf as a right hand tool. The book has been an excellent reference to me for developing software and microwave link budgets. Great job!

2 comments about Testing for EMC Compliance: Approaches and Techniques.

1. Mark and Ed have put together an extremely useful tool for EMC testing. This book guides you through all you will need to know to confidentally test your product. The information on test techniques is current for today's test equipment. If you do not have your own test facilities I highly recommend this book so that you can better understand what your contract test house can and will do for you. I am so pleased with the content of this book that I have purchased one for each of my technicians.



2. [[ASIN:ASIN Testing for EMC Compliance: Approaches and Techniques]]
   
   This is a great opportunity for those enginneers, students and professionals who wants to learn more about the EMC/EMI testing compliance appoaches. Mark Montrose and Edward Nakauchi wrote this book in a very simple way to understand the problems caused by conducted and radiated RF as per as other problems related to this subject.

No comments about Introduction to electricity.

5 comments about From Edison to Enron: The Business of Power and What It Means for the Future of Electricity.

1. As you consider Enron's Kenneth Lay going to trial, "From Edison to Enron" provides the necessary historical context. Unlike any of the other Enron books, Richard Munson's explains where Enron fits within the power business. Munson also provides good portraits of Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Samuel Insull, who has amazing simililarities to Ken Lay, although 70 years ago. This is a really good book.



2. Electricity is perhaps our most important industry. It certainly is our largest. It also is our least understood. That's where Richard Munson provides such a valuable service. He offers an engaging historical overview -- with first-rate profiles of Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Samuel Insull, George Norris, and other industry giants -- and he also provides an insightful review of the current issues and challenges facing the electricity business. This book is a real resource for university history as well as business (and even engineering) classes, and it offers an entertaining read for the general reader interested in the environment and the economy.
   
   I was particularly taken by Munson's comparison of Samuel Insull -- an energy tycoon of the 1920s and 1930s -- and Enron's Kenneth Lay. The author reveals both men's accomplishments and deceits, but he also highlights how each brought change to the industry.
   
   Munson also is effective when he discusses the potential for improvements in the power business. While noting the industry's stagnant efficiency, pollution, and lack of reliability, he argues for removing the regulatory barriers that were developed over the last century to promote and protect monopolies, which have had no incentive to innovate. He describes clearly several innovative technologies and profiles some of the entrepreneurs trying to bring those innovations to the market. Munson is even handed, showing how some utility executives as well as environmental activists are protecting the status quo and blocking efficiency.
   
   The book is well written, effectively integrating information from history, politics, as well as engineering. It is the best business book of the last year.



3. Electrification is the single greatest achievement in the 20th century. Electricity revolutionized commerce and transportation and improved both the standard of living and the quality of life for all who had access to it. Economic progress without it would be slow and tortuous. Like water in any society, electricity has become a critical resource (or rather, service) in modern society, and like any other critical resource, it is subject to often intense politics.
   
   Edison set the stage when he perfected the humble light bulb, and Tesla got things moving when he discovered the interesting properties of alternating current and the transformer. Edison also put into play the first combined heat and power plant, for which many today (including the author) feel is the future of electricity. However, these knaves fail to acknowledge that on the one hand, electricity is high-grade energy, one that can be used far from its source of production, while heat is low grade energy which must be put into play immediately where it is produced. Lord Kelvin and Westinghouse, seeing the benefits of alternating current, each played a role in setting the stage for centralized, monopoly electricity production. However, it was Samuel Insull who championed for the formation of the traditional, investor-owned-utility (IOU) that most every ratepayer is familiar with today. A slew of politicians, from Democrat FDR to Republican George Norris, turned electricity into a populist cause, and basically ensured that the CEO of every IOU henceforth would be a rabid Republican.
   
   Some say that the greatest technological achievement of the 20th century belongs to computers, or to antibiotics, but these individuals overlook one important thing. Electricity is the great enabler, as it allows people to free themselves from the whims of natural rhythms, escape lives of tedium and drudgery, and above all, achieve a level of convenience and prosperity unheard of in recorded history.
   
   The key thing here is convenience. Electricity made possible a whole slew of appliances, from the humble stove and refrigerator to the mighty microwave and washing machine, that made life easier for all who access to it. Once it was proven safe and (more or less) reliable, the key thing then was to ensure access to service for all that needed it or wanted it. This was the operating paradigm up until 1970 or so, when things first began to change. Given the state of the technology in that period, transmission and distribution of the electricity presented itself as the key stumbling block, and given the massive investment required to make access available to all, it seemed logical to let one supervised player control all aspects of the service, from generation to transmission and distribution. In return for earning a known return for his investment, this player agreed to strict regulation in exchange for the exclusive right to provide the service to consumers in a given area.
   
   The author seeks to make the case that the technology has progressed to the point where consumers can be their own producers of electricity, and meet their own needs. He neglects to tell the reader that electricity consumers have had this ability for at least four decades now, and the reason that most do not pursue production is because it is more convenient (and cheaper) to let the utility do it for them. Those that need to produce can produce, but most of us do not need to produce what we consume. The author also claims that the traditional IOUs hamper innovation via their monopolistic position and practices. While true to some extent, he neglects to inform the reader of a few things, particularly the fact that most consumers, especially residential ratepayers, do not want innovation; they want the convenience of power at preferably cheap rates.
   
   Because of the populist nature of electricity, for the longest time, business has been in effect subsidizing residential ratepayers via high rates, and only recently has this state of affairs reversed, in part because of greater competition brought about by the rise of the merchant generator and innovative (but not necessarily new) technologies. Nowadays, you essentially have two classes of ratepayer- business and residential. Like most commentators on the subject, the author is openly more interested in the welfare of the business ratepayer (who without a doubt has benefited from de-regulation, seeing prices come down by more than half in some cases), while neglecting the plight of the friendly neighborhood, wage-earning, rent-paying residential ratepaying schmuck (who without a doubt has been the loser in deregulation, seeing her prices actually go up). These two ratepaying classes take access for granted, and nowadays have very different concerns and priorities. The over-riding concern of the residential ratepayer is the same then as now- convenience (about all they know about the service is vaguely who to send the bill to... most months!). The business ratepayer has two concerns- lowering his costs thus increasing his profits, and ensuring a steady, reliable supply of energy to ensure that he can deliver his good or service so as to thus avoid lost business.
   
   Perhaps the author's biggest omission is this: electricity is a commodity that it seems no one, either the business or residential consumer, wants to shoulder the full cost for. This key omission holds considerable horrors for anyone looking to be involved in this industry (especially on the investment side). In sum, the experience with (electric) utilities has shown that competition is indeed good for some, particularly big business consumers, and innovation, though very cool and sounding very nice, takes a back seat to both convenience and cost concerns for business and residential customers alike.



4. Richard Munson offers a unique and entertaining look at the 20th century by tracing the efforts to capture and capitalize on electricity. His profiles of Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Nikola Tesla, Samuel Insull, and others are first rate. He also clearly documents how this unique form of energy has changed our lives and altered our landscapes.
   
   Munson paints a clear-headed critique of our outmoded and inefficient electricity system. He also offers a balanced view of the opportunities for efficiency and innovation.
   
   If you can read but one energy book -- particularly in light of concerns about pollution, climate change, reliable supplies, and economic development -- I strongly recommend "From Edison to Enron."



5. This book contains a number of factual errors.
   To site a few:
   pg. 57 "Illinois Senator (and future president) Willian McKinley... When Frank Smith declared he would run against McKinley, Insull opened up his pocketbook and provided more than $25,000, a substanital sum in the 1920s." What!?! McKinley was from Ohio, not Illinios. He served in the House and as Ohio's governor. He was never a senator. And he was assassinated in 1898.
   
   pg. 119 "Eron... declared bankruptcy on December 2, 1997" Wrong. Enron declared bankruptcy in 2001.
   
   pg. 108 "providing energy payments from utilities that rose from 5.6 cents per kilowatt in 1984 to 10.1 cents in 1983 and even to 15 cents in 1998" Huh? that doesn't make sense. Did this book have an editor?
   
   There are way too many errors in this book to take it seriously.

5 comments about Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility (Wiley Series in Microwave and Optical Engineering).

1. This book is excellent. The author has the unique ability to cover the subject in great detail including all the theory, but yet make the reading very easy and enjoyable. I was amazed that I could read 750 pages of advanced and new material in a few weeks. The book unfortunately has many errors and typos which prevents me from giving it 5 stars.



2. Starting first with the negatives, of which they are four. First, do not be fooled by the title word "introduction." This is NOT a book for beginners, but rather senior engineers. If you are new to EMC this is not the book for you. Second, information relative to FCC/CE requirements is dated. Also, some tests relative to CE compliance are not covered. Third, though there are many diagrams, there are almost no pictures. In many cases I found a picture, as opposed to a diagram would have been far more explanatory. Lastly (though it does not bother me in the least, but I thought you would like to know), the book has numerous typos through out its 752 pages.

   Ahhhhhh, but what the book is, IS ABSOLUTLY WONDERFUL! As an experienced design consultant, I found information in this book that I have not, and could not find anywhere else. The author has A COMMAND of the subject and it shows. Compared to my peers, I consider myself fairly well versed in the subject of EMC as it pertains to design and debug, but I took a back seat when reading. It was useful even re-reading the things I already knew. The author always offered a new insight. Funny, but after I finished (and it took a while to read) my first thought was "I would really like to meet this guy - to personally request a sequel." For what it is, THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENT, well worth the asking price.




3. I consider that this book is a very good start point to introduce oneself into the EMC topic. Clear and pedagogic with a lot of numerical examples and well chosen exercises.



4. This book makes learning EMC as easy as counting one to three. Very logical, easy to understand, and makes you to think how EMC can be fun and challenging. A very good reference book, easpcially if you love to see things simplified mathimatically.



5. This book is excellent. The author has the unique ability to cover the subject in great detail including all the theory, but yet make the reading very easy and enjoyable. I was amazed that I could read 750 pages of advanced and new material in a few weeks.
   
   The 130 page! chapter on crosstalk is a Masterpiece. It is the crowning chapter of the book. There is nothing like it anywhere else. Almost everything the author covers is done better than in any other place. For example, signal spectra is covered in hundreds of books, yet the author has an original way of calculating spectra based on Dirac delta functions which I have never seen before; he covers the tricky subject of partial inductance beautifully, etc.
   
   I feel like the other reviewer who wants to shake the author's hand if he meets him.
   
   This review is a partial repeat of an old review under the name "reader". It was for the first edition. I assume the typos are corrected.

5 comments about 3,000 Solved Problems in Electrical Circuits.

1. As a sophomore taking my first Circuit Analysis class I found that the my text didn't have much examples or problems to solve at the end of each chapter. Schaum's was the solution, it's a great practice guide, especially when it comes to solving circuit analysis where the possible problem combinations are infinite and only practice will enable you to master the basics of circuit analysis.
   It's also great for preparation before an exam. If you think you're ready for a test, I'm sure Schaum's will prove you wrong.



2. I wish that all study guides were as useful as this one. In each topic area the author starts with simple problems, so the student can get the hang of what is going on, and progresses to the more complicated. I used this guide a number of years ago when I was taking undergraduate electrical engineering classes, and I still think of it as an important friend.



3. Really unbelievable... The first two problems have the WRONG answers.

   1. "3" megohm is not equal to "2" M Ohm. Besides, there's an "a" after the "g" in megaohm. Geez, two typos in the first question.

   2. .000000001 F = 1.0 nanofarad, not picofarad as the writer claims. How can anyone trust his answers on the difficult questions when he gets the easy ones wrong?

   If the problem is with typos then get a proofreader before it gets to the printer. Electrical engineering is a difficult subject as it stands. Circulating books like this makes it still harder to master the subject!




4. A good book - problems are a bit simple, but when practising calcutating routine skills, they are a great help. Few typos are a nuisance, but they are easy to spot (see the other reviews).



5. Honestly, this book should be called "3,500 Problems in Electrical Circuits" - the 3000 problems presented along with the 500 errors in their solutions. Buyer beware - unless you're confident in your circuit skills and just want to solve problems - be careful! This book has incorrect solutions from missing terms to magically appearing factors of 10 to misspellings (even misspelling Newton! which is the equal of scientific sacrilege). Many of the circuit drawings are not even clean CAD drawings but cruder hand drawings...
   
   All of this shows a clear lack of attention, review and editing - so unless you wish to perform these functions, move on! This is the product of a cram session overnighter in order to get a paycheck... The value equivalent of "Britney Spears Guide to Class and Refinement"...

3 comments about Electromagnetic Compatibility Handbook.

1. I originally rated this book 1 star but not because of materials. It was for a poor qulality of paper that CRC used to publish this book. I still think
   paper on this book S...ks but the subjects and depth of material is outstanding.



2. Mr. Kaiser is an authority on EMC and this book brings together a career of research in this field. Materials from his other accessible works are included. Likely the most complete assembly anywhere of EMC/EMI reference tables, charts, and comparative test results. A best value - to own the same coverage one would expect to buy several texts.
   
   One suggestion is to print the next edition on a different thin paper, perhaps vellum. A higher cost would be justified in improved page opacity and strength, and probably permanence. Not at all a handbook, it's a thick single-volume encyclopedia, and a keeper.



3. The book covers a lot. See the Table of Contents. The main thing to note about this book is the writing style. It is incredibly easy to read and learn from. Even seasoned professionals will find plenty to justify the purchase. I think its strongest usage should be with EE students. I recommend it highly for EE students as it covers much more than straight EMC material. Like circuit analysis, transform operations, circuit design,electromagnetic theory. It takes time to explain many everday things in good detail as examples of theory application.
   True the paper is thin. You can see through it to the content on the other side but you quickly get used to this. Suggestion for the next edition is break it into two volumes and use better paper.

5 comments about Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, Vol. 1.

1. The book in my opinion coming from a calculus III student is very rigorous and one needs to have a firm foundation on Mathematics I would say about calc III or better to even try to read this book. So far I have just started but every page is exciting because he goes into a deep explanation of what is happening and going on physically and mathematically. Not to mentioned his work is very organized.



2. Whenever I teach a course which touches on electric or magnetic phenomena I find myself going through this book. It works well with the early chapters of Jackson, in particular, and Smythe. Maxwell knew the subject thoroughly, up to the 1870s (and much of this material has since dropped out of courses and almost out of memory), his thinking was both profound and clear, and he may well be the best writer on physics in the English language. His proofs are economical and elegant. Oh yes - this book is still a good reference for the treatment of spherical harmonics and multipole expansions in Cartesian coordinates.



3. There's alot of interesting stuff here. Very informative about history yes, but it is still probably the best text on eletromagnetic theory. There is some advanced math in here. I only read part of it for a research project(its huge). From this(and the equation contained within) came the basis for all of modern physics. Maxwell's equations are inconsistent in some ways with classical mechanics. To compensate, physicists had to create relatvity and quantum mechanics. Maxwell's work was not all new stuff. He took other people's theories and summed them up in his book. He then predicted the existence of EM waves and such .



4. I suggest that some reviewers miss the significance of Maxwell's book Electricity and Magnetism.
   
   First, it introduced "Dimensional Analysis" which is the standard against which ALL physics models must be tested.
   
   Equations are maths.
   Units are politics.
   Dimensional Analysis is physics.
   ( If a model doesn't fit Maxwell's Dimensions, it is not correct.)
   
   Secondly, Maxwell established the framework for Quantum Mechanics when he showed that statistics, rather than two-body math, is required to model multi-body systems.
   
   Thirdly, Maxwell established the framework for modern atomic theory by postulating dimensionless points, and assembling the
   points into atoms, molecules, and larger structures, while leaving room for finer complex assembles of points such as quarks and neutrinos.
   
   Fourthly, Maxwell laid the ground work for the Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distributions, which are slight modifications of Maxwell's distribution to account for the separation of matter into two classes, bosons and fermions.
   
   Fifthly, Einstein's much touted paper on Brownian movement is a variation of Maxwell's more comprehensive treatment of the
   velocity distribution of particles.
   
   Just as most historians parrot Herodotus, most physicists parrot Maxwell, but none come close to the masters.
   Maxwell was the fountainhead of modern physics, and this book is his best.



5. It's reading such a book we can understand how powerfull was the 19th Century scientific thought. Maxwell, was a genius as was Newton and Einstein, his book is didactic and clear. A must have.

5 comments about Introduction to Radar Systems.

1. These comments are ref. to the second edition.

   Simply a great primer for a new Design Engineer. Explains clearly the basic prinicipals and equations used in Radar technology. If you get to know the stuff explained in this book, you will not have any difficulty about the terms used by the Radar gurus, such as Radar Cross-Section, Radar equations, radar signal returns, received power, fluctuations in Radar Cross-section, S/N ratio of the received signals etc. Virtually everyone that works in a Radar industry would have read at least some sections in this book.




2. I was in the USAF for 9 years and am now studying for a degree as an electronics technician. While in the service, I worked a variety of radar jammers and receivers and this volume has pieced together very well that is going on at the other end of the radar. While I learned how radars worked, I learned more how to exploit weaknesses, not the ins and outs of how exactly they were supposed to work. This book was very helpful in enhancing my knowledge of radar, and is an invaluable reference in my library.



3. This book is one of the best introduction to Radar can be found in the market. I get the 2002 third edition. It is a good book for those who are new to the subject. However, it maybe somewhat dated and not that sufficient for those who want to do further research in particular radar area.



4. I find this book very professional educationally, the book starts in clever, easy, baby steps to trigger the reader's mind and to attract him to the radar technology, this is in the first half of the book. the second half boosts the reader with well organized advanced radar systems. The book is excellent for communication as well as electomagnetics and antennae students, the book finds the way to balance this issue.



5. This is a good introductory book about radar. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about radar.

5 comments about Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer's Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves.

1. B. Blake Levitt makes the scientific and medical aspects of electromagnetic fields easily accessible to those of us who are not scientists or physicians. Most fascinating was her insightful chapter "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know and Why." She also traces persuasive evidence of links between EMFs and 20th century ailments such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease, and cancer. ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS distills a vast amount of research alerting us to health dangers. It also offers specific suggestions to reduce the impact of EMFs in our homes, workplaces and communities. Our family has become better-informed consumers by relying on this book. Thank you Ms. Levitt for empowering your readers to gain control over an issue with increasing repercussions in all our lives.



2. I am a research scientist with a background in psychosocial epidemiology who became interested in the impact of electromagnetic waves on physical, mental and emotional health when I was confronted with applications to construct telecommunications towers in our newly adopted home town. My ideas and information from physics courses were both rusty and dated. Moreover, in postgraduate work I had learned enough about environmental impacts on fetal and child development, neurological functioning, and sleep cycle disruption to be concerned. I wanted to efficiently come up to speed on theories about the waves' effects and peer-reviewed data that tested those theories. Ms. Levitt's book provided an extremely comprehensible and yet responsible orientation to the mechanisms by which electromagnetic waves operate, the research on their impact that was available as of its writing, and the political and economic influences of industry and governmental forces. PLEASE have her update it with the inclusion of the research of the last few years. Solid research findings are supporting her arguments at an escalating rate and they deserve to be disseminated. The public health hazards of unmonitored electromagnetic waves (especially in the rapidly proliferating rf frequencies) are real and an educated public is our best protection against their potential damage.



3. As an author of a book on a related subject (magnetic healing), I know firsthand how challenging it is to write in a user-friendly fashion about the complex subject of electromagnetic fields and their effect on health.

   B. Blake Levitt's extraordinary commitment of time and effort has resulted in a work that makes this complex subject easy to understand. Not only has she succeeded in explaining the untoward health effects of EMFs, but she also gives her readers a look into the complex political and commercial forces that have led to our current state of affairs.

   Faced with the potential of a cell phone tower being placed directly overhead in my high-rise apartment building, I used Ms. Levitt's book as a study guide and subsequently consulted her for additional background information. I have no doubt that this information was key in holding off the installation of the tower.

   This book is a "must read" for anyone concerned about EMFs -- and everyone should be!




4. This book is not written for the lay person. It should be listed as more of a reference manual.



5. I am an MIT engineer (BSME MIT, 1978) and Author of When Technology Fails, and I highly recommend this book. Just like the title says, this is really the no-nonsense guide to evaluating the true hazards of EMF, and what you can do to control your local environment and personal habits to reduce your exposure to potentially dangerous levels of EMF. Written by an award winning nationally acclaimed science journalist, you can trust that the information in this book has been well researched and documented. If you are one of those unfortunate people who have developed Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS), meaning that you feel ill around computers, wireless routers, and other high EMF electronics, then the actions that you will need to take, in order to feel healthy again, will be miles beyond those of the average person, and this book will help you to start on your road to recovery. Highly recommended!