5 comments about Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, 3rd Edition.

1. This is quite possibly one of the biggest books on antennas ever written. The information is presented in a clear and concise manner, and you can easily find what you need. There is all sorts of information on new antennas and the derivations for many equations are presented clearly. There is enough material to give all other books page envy, and therefore, it earns a rating of 5 stars.



2. The author has done a good job of scouring the antenna literature and summarizing all of the equations in one place. The problem is the lack of any discussion about what the equations mean. I am reminded of the definition of a college education given by Prof. McWhorter of Stanford, "the process of the professors notes becoming the student's notes without having passed through the mind of either."
   
   If you are an experienced antenna designer, this book will be of help. If you want to learn from scratch, try the 50 year old book by Kraus.



3. This book presents a great overview of many different types of antennas, as well as some theory behind them. It would be nice if it had coplanar waveguide fed antennas, along with more generalized theory. Overall, though, it is a great collection of work that has been done with antennas so far, along with graphs and radiation patterns of both numerical calculation methods and actual antenna measurements.



4. Obviously from the other reviewers this book has collected a lot of very good antenna information. However, reading this book as a student new to the subject, I regularly found myself mislead or just simply lost. I know this can be a result of the subject matter (always a potential when diving into EM fields and their applications), but I believe it was more due to how the book is written and laid out.
   
   I regularly found that the organization and connection/discussion of the information left much to be desired. The motivation for many of the issues is very unclear, usually non-existent.
   
   Also, Balanis regularly changes nomenclature or coordinate systems (again, without motivation or warning. This leads the cut&paste feel and, as a student newer to this field, is very confusing). An example is the patch antenna development. For the rectangular patch, Balanis has x direction normal to the patch surface (very non-standard for the literature) but then he returns to the standard z direction normal to the patch for the circular patch.
   
   In summary, Balanis is probably a good reference, but confusing for use as a text.
   
   (Can any other reviewers recommend other good teaching books on antennas??)



5. It was a very nice book. there was no difference between it as a used book and a new one.

4 comments about The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications 2008: 2008 (Arrl Handbook for Radio Communications).

1. The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications (formerly known as the Radio Amateur's Handbook) has been around since the early 20th century. It has always been both technical and practical. My only criticism, and it is from a personal viewpoint, is that in recent years there is more technical detail and fewer practical projects, but don't let that stop you! Indispensable.



2. "The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications" is a classic never equaled in the discipline. It is the most compact, practical assmeblage of notes on radio frequency communication in existence.
   
   While the 'A' in ARRL stands for 'Amateur' don't let that fool you. I am an electrical engineer of 25 years professional experience. My specialty is electro-magnetic compatibility or EMC. I and many of my associates, (some with PHd's in electrical engineering) refer to this book when it comes time to apply theory and get something operating. ARRL makes a systematic effort to keep this important reference current with the latest technological developments.
   
   This book is great if you're trying to build your first ham set or doing more advanced professional work.



3. With the searchable CD-ROM, you can find and read about anything in the printed edition, and makes everything really easy to find fast. I LOVE it!!
   
   Section on DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING is a great balance between theory, math (just enough to get us by!), and actual practical applications. You can actually understand it without the heavy Differential Equations and Calculus... and come away with a decent understanding of DSP.
   
   An off-shoot of DSP is the SDR (Software Defined Radio), and that is covered in here too. What it is, how it works, and actual implementations. This is an evolving Leading Edge Technology item, so of course, things are changing on a daily basis... but it's still a great way to get started if you're new to SDR's.
   
   Thank you, ARRL! For making keeping up with Electronics Technology something the rest of us can manage with your very timely help.



4. This is a great book for understanding many aspects of radio communication and RF. It contains practical information with a minimum of theory. It starts from the basics and works up to more complex topics. If you want to get into ham radio, this will be an excellent reference. Also, engineers and technicians will find this invaluable as well.

2 comments about Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering.

1. I used to sell solar electric PV systems as an ARCO Solar dealer back in the early 1980's. At the time no one could pronounce the name of the technology, and most thought is was angel dust. Solar powered calculators were just coming in, same with watches. Solar powered emergencyy freeway phones were 15 years away, unheard of at the time.
   This technology is the most fascinating and yet due to cost, the most frustrating of all the renewable energy technologies. It is not widely used in mainstream electrical production, yet will fill vital niches in the renewable energy portfolio of any advanced economy.
   
   The big energy companies have spent big bucks on research and have patents in all directions, yet the most widely sold solar cell modules use twenty year old technology.
   
   Now that Germany has finally taken the plunge in supporting solar in a big way, other countries are taking a second look. California's governor tells the German chancellor that "we will do it even better." So the interest in the technology is growing.
   This book is a bridge between the Popular Science or Scientific American articles and the chaotic science papers so much in vogue among academics trying to publish-not-perish. It is readable, for an educated individual who has some high school science.
   Once you are over the rahrah and want to know "How does it actually work? or Could I get into manufacturing? this book will help. Trying to get answers to these questions is tough. No way will the marketing staff at BP Solar or Sharp or Shell tell you how they manufacture solar cells and assemble them into modules. So you wander in a sea of science papers, some in expensive collections like the IEEE proceedings or the obscure conference papers. Perhaps you stumble across the US DOE ENREL web site, or the patent information. But without the foundational knowlege, it is all hard to evaluate. So now comes the Wiley Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering. Take the time to use the "look inside" feature to see the table of contents. The writing style varies, each chapter is written by a different author. What unifies the presentation is that it is understandable. You will read some paragraphs three times but hey, this isn't Jules Verne. Yes it will take some effort, and you definitely need to know at least high school chemistry and physics, but when you really want to know something, you will find a way. So how to justify the cost? Well it comes out to 4 cents a page. And based on the used book prices, you can resell it later if you care to. The down side? Most of the research that is digested here is 2002 or earlier, but hey, some of the basic physics is over 100 years old, so there is quite a bit of catching up to do. I have not found another intermediate to advanced level book with the understandable detail this one offers. And something that gets you up to speed with state of the art 2002 does provide a good foundation for the field.
   
   Now if I could only find a solar cell manufacturing cookbook... lets see-- 99 parts silicon, two parts boron one part phosphorous, heat the oven to 1150 degrees and stir ever so slowly.. pull the taffy out with a crystal and let it cool for eight hours, slice with diamond dust and sprinkle with silver and tin. Wrap in tedlar,place under glass. Serves millions, should not spoil even in full sun for 25 years...yup it is angel dust.



2. This Handbook is a collection of writings by many authors with expertise and experience in the field of solar photovoltaics. It brings the reader an excellent brief review of the history of PV, exposes the reader to just the right amount of theoretical foundation behind the workings of PV, and doles out to the reader fair amount of practical advice in the makings of PV products that eventually provide clean - and green - electricity to the humankind. It covers different types of photovoltaic products, from crystalline to amorphous based on the Group IV semiconducting elements and their various compound forms. In addition, this Handbook also offers insights into the economics of photovoltaics in an increasingly environment-aware society.
   
   If there is a place where this Handbook could be improved, I think the editor could find more industrial practitioners of photovoltaic products to offer more hands-on advice about how to make a better - more efficient - solar cell.
   
   Overall, this is an excellent handbook and could serve as a good reference to anyone who's interested in solar PV.

4 comments about Professional iPhone and iPod touch Programming: Building Applications for Mobile Safari (Wrox Professional Guides).

1. This book contains quite some materials from the book you can also find them in Apple's documentations. It also has quite some details on Joe Hewitt's iUI framework. But generally speaking, it lacks more detailed explanation (on CSS, AJAX, JavaScript). Here's the dilema: if you are an experienced CSS and JavaScript developer, you will find it lacking the depth. It barely scratches the surface of what real AJAX-powered iPhone applications can do. If you are somewhat a newbie developer, you will need more explanation on the subject. Unfortunately, this book falls in-between the above 2 scenarios.
   
   After all, this is the first and only book on iPhone programming, it's a nice start for anyone that's interested.



2. It's just a basic web app which are a combile of AJAX and CSS. Not much new.



3. I've never owned a Mac (until now) and never done any development for that platform. While this book doesn't intend to cover the recently released iPhone SDK (it was published before the SDK's release), it does provide excellent coverage of web-based development for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). It leverages a free, open-source library to take much of the grunt work out of it, but also provides detailed code samples and examples and enough information so you could probably do it without the library should you desire. If you're interested in making your site look and feel like an iPhone app, this book will get you there. You should understand HTML, CSS and, preferably, a modicum of Javascript to get the most out of the book.



4. This book was a great start for something I am hoping to do on a regular basis, iPhone development.

No comments about The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications 2009 (Arrl Handbook for Radio Communications) (Arrl Handbook for Radio Communications).

2 comments about FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples: Xilinx Spartan-3 Version.

1. This is one of the best introductory VHDL books out there. Even though it does not focus on the VHDL Language itself it does demonstrate the use of VHDL and the hardware design methodology via practical design examples. All explanantions are clear and easy to follow. The design examples provided in the book are very practical (UART, PS2, VGA controller). The examples themselves are designed using the hardware design methodologies presented (FSM-based and FSMD-based). Finally the Picoblaze section in the textbook is the best treatize of the picoblaze micro that I've seen this far.
   
   For those interested in a more rigourous treatment of the VHDL language, design methodology and synthesis issues (but not practical examples) I also highly recoommend "RTL Hardware Design Using VHDL: Coding for Efficiency, Portability, and Scalability" by the same author.



2. I have been looking for a book like this for 2 years now. It is the first book I know of that is actually written about a current development board. The author does a great job of teaching you many of the basic concepts you need to get going. I hope that people at Xilinx stand up and take notice of what the author has done. If you ask me, Xilinx's marketing or technical support department should have written this book. If you want to get involved with fpga development, then buy this book and the development board. I'm recommending this book to several other software engineers as well as some of my students. Well done Prof Chu!

2 comments about Repeater Directory Pocket 2008/2009 (Arrl Repeater Directory) (Arrl Repeater Directory).

1. Same old directory, but a bit bigger. I prefer the smaller book of the past, but appreciate the larger type in this one. For me, a thicker book of smaller size would fill both needs.



2. The ARRL repeater directory is accurate, but the march of technology makes hard-copy directories like this increasingly archaic, though they're still handy to have in the car. In addition to the myriad of repeater directories published online by the various frequency coordination groups (which will be most up-to-date and accurate), there is directory software available that can be used in conjunction with radio programming software to maintain customized radio memory lists - handy when traveling. The best directory software is ARRL's TravelPlus, which can be found here: TravelPlus for Repeaters: Ver. 12.0. (This version was current at time of this review - please check to see if a more recent version has been published.)

5 comments about CMOS VLSI Design: A Circuits and Systems Perspective (3rd Edition).

1. This edition is as useful as the earlier editions. Besides providing insight on almost all the topics of VLSI, the third edition also addresses several issues related to the sub-micron technology.



2. I recently taught a senior undergraduate/first year graduate introductory course with VLSI with this book as the text. I found this book to be confusing and frustrating to the students. In order to lecture on VLSI topics in what I thought was a logical order, I had to jump around in the text book. My main complaint is that the book is organized more like an encylopedia and not like a textbook. As such I think it makes a very good reference for those with previous training or experience in the VLSI field, but confusing and unhelpful for those learning the field for the first time.
   
   Oddly, the second edition of Weste (Weste and Eshragian) is far better organized and much more coherent in its development of topics within VLSI. I found myself often going back to the second edition when I was preparing lectures.
   
   A second complaint is that the book introduces logical effort as a primary topic early on in the discussion of switching delays, in my opinion at the expense of discussion of the fundamental circuit mechanisms in switching delay (which again are discussed in detail in Weste 2nd Ed). The emphasis on logical effort continues throughout the text. Again, a choice that is reasonable if your audience is experienced engineers but not for an introductory course.
   
   I will probably change texts for next year, most likely to the text by Rabaey et al, which appears to be much better organized for an introduction to VLSI. In sum, Weste 3rd edition might make a good text for a second or third course in VLSI, or a good reference for practitioners in the field, but not a good text for a first course in VLSI.



3. Good book covering CMOS VLSI design. Excellent turtorial on Verilog in the appendix.



4. Comprehensive treatment of the subject, very clear and easy to understand. Also has advanced topics.



5. After just going over the first few chapters, have found that book does live up to it's title. It's a good book to have handy when designing basic chips.

5 comments about Nikon D70 Digital Field Guide.

1. Forget the manual that came with your camera. This book has everything you need to know and more. It just doesn't show you how to turn your camera on and use the functions. It shows you how to really use your camera to get fantastic photos.
   
   The writing style is very entertaining and conversational. Not a ton of "techie" speak. Best of all is the size of the book. It is just the right size to go in my camera bag and not take up a lot of space. I carry it everywhere.
   
   In a nutshell...if you own a Nikon D70...BUY THIS BOOK!



2. This book is designed as 30% how to operate the camera and 70% how to use the camera to take pictures in various situations. The first part of the book (the 30%) is a brief overview of things you would probably learn in the camera operators manual, with some tips that are a nice touch to help you understand practical applications of the camera settings. But the author notes that you need to go the Nikon user manual for more in-depth descriptions of the camera's operaton in some areas. This is probably true, but I found the book provided a fairly complete discussion of the camera operation and I could operate without the manual.
   
   In the 70% of the book, as I see it, the author takes on other aspects of photography and using the camera to take "great photos". He begins with the basics of photography (aperature, shutter speed, ISO, etc.) Then he discusses things such as using different lenses and their effect, how to use the external flashes and how to set up lighting. He delves into things such as how to work with auto focus, and depth of field.
   
   He then discusses the various types of photography (e.g.night photography, photographing children, photographing landscape, night scenes, on-line auction photography, etc) and gives some very practical tips for taking the pictures as well as specific things to do to set up the picture and ensure the camera is set properly; Things such as having help from a parent and sibling to help relax a child during a photo session. The author also takes you through the software that Nikon provides, and offers suggestions on other options (some less costly...free) for doing some of these same tasks. The author provides a candid snapshot of the software packages, telling you their capabilities and limitations. This includes the Nikon software. Finally, a glossary is provided that de-mystifies the language of photographers. I found the book to be unbiased, informative and properly named "Field Guide".



3. This book is well written in easy to understand terms. It provides greater detail than the owner's manual and give examples to help one understand. I recommend this book to anyone who recently purchased a D70/70s either new or used. The book explained why my auto show photos were terribly under exposed, the built in flash is far too weak, leading my purchase of an external flash.
   
   I am happy with the book and sometimes refer back to it when photographing in unfamiliar circumstances. -G



4. This book is way more informative than the manual. Not only does it cover all the capabilities of the camera, it covers the when to use them, and the why to use them. It also covers various types of photography, & the settings you use. I am a hobbyist photographer so I found this book extremely informative. I take along in my backpack, & have used it for reference frequently in the month since I purchased it.



5. Digital Field Guide is an outstanding companion to the official manual that came with Nikon D70s camera. This book is in two large sections. First section thoroughly describes all the buttons and options in the camera body as well as lens. The other section gives valuable tips on how to shoot perfect, professional-style photographs. I discovered many new features in my D70s while reading this book and was amazed how easy it is to take great photos with these easy-to-understand instructions.

5 comments about CCNP BCMSN Official Exam Certification Guide (4th Edition) (Exam Certification Guide).

1. This was the only source I used for the exam. While it did a pretty good job at covering everything, I did notice questions on the exam that I know for a fact were not covered in the book. I'm not sure if those questions counted toward my score, but I do believe I answered them correctly anyhow. The CD that came with the book was a waste of time. The quiz chapters were out of order and had some content that wasn't even in the book (Multicasting amongst other things.) I am hoping for better quality out of the BCSI book I'm about to read.



2. Haven't finished the book yet, but so far not that great. The writting does not keep your attention, but maybe it will get better. Have only gone through 2 chapters so far.



3. Covered most of the content I encountered on the exam and wasn't as verbose and dry as some other Cisco Press titles I've read. I was glad that I had first hand experience with the ADU and ASTU since this was on the exam but not in the book.



4. The actual exam and the content depth of this book are in completely different worlds. The exam questions are very deep and complex while the book only superficially covers each topic and spends a great deal of time on commands which make only a minimal appearance on the actual exam.
   
   The test "simulator" questions on the included CD-ROM are simplistic and way to easy compared to the actual test which gives you a false sense of security. You will know it when you are hit on the side of the head by the real test and it will be like wow, what happened, I scored 95% or higher on the CD-ROM simulations.
   
   In addition, many of the questions on the actual test aren't even covered in the book. Believe me, I went back to the book after taking the test and the topic detail WAS NOT IN THIS BOOK.
   
   I would not waste my money on this book if you are going to use it to prep for the real test. Save your money and buy real test study material online.
   
   You will be extremely disappointed with this "study" guide.



5. This is an excellent material for those who want to get Cisco CCNP certification. Also contain a very useful and update topics of networking.