Microwave Journal
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The Book End

February 1, 1999

The Book End

Digital Communications: Design for the Real World

Andy Bateman
Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
221 pages plus CD ROM; $59.95, £24.95

Much of today's electronic communications utilizes some form of digital modulation. Communications equipment design engineers now must be thoroughly familiar with these techniques and their effects on system hardware and operation. This book is primarily for undergraduate students, however it is also an excellent source of basic information on digital communications techniques for practicing engineers who are unfamiliar with this area.

The material is primarily a mathematical description of modulation types and performance designed to provide the reader with an overview of the digital communications area. The CD ROM is an electronic format of the book with animated figures, linked cross references, hyperlinks to additional information on the World Wide Web, Matlab® code for simulations and answers to the problems in the text.

The book begins by presenting background material on time and frequency representation of digital signals, term definitions, and network and signaling protocols. Chapter 2 covers data transmission fundamentals, including multilevel signaling, channel capacity and factors that affect system design. Baseband transmission is examined in Chapter 3 as well as intersymbol interference, eye diagrams, filtering and partial response signaling. Chapter 4 describes sources and examples of channel degradation. Gain, phase and group delay distortion are discussed along with noise and interference. Chapter 5 deals with bandpass digital modulation and introduces amplitude-, frequency- and phase-shift keying. A comparison of binary modulation schemes is also presented. Chapter 6 details multilevel digital modulation and quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), differential QPSK and quadrature amplitude modulation. Coding theory and practice are covered in Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 presents multi-user modulation methods such as frequency-division multiple access, TDMA and CDMA techniques.

This book is written for any individual seeking a basic reference text on digital communications techniques. The material is presented in a concise and understandable manner for all levels of expertise.

To order this book, contact:
Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.,
One Jacob Way,
Reading, MA 01867
(800) 822-6339 or (781) 944-3700;

or Addison Wesley Longman Ltd.,
Edinburgh Gate,
Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE, UK
+44 1279 623623.

Radiowave Propagation and Antennas for Personal Communications, Second Edition

Kazimierz Siwiak
Artech House Inc.
418 pages plus software; $89, £71

Growth in PCS has been spectacular during the last two years. This second edition of Siwiak's book provides new material relevant to the personal communications device (PCD) in a PCS system. The newly added material includes multiple-access techniques in view of their radiowave propagation channel characteristics and a study of packet radio-access techniques. Methods of improving radio channel performance using diversity reception and transmission techniques are studied. Sections on receiver sensitivity measurements have been expanded to include transmitting device characterization, and new information is included on understanding compliance with RF exposure guidelines and regulations.

The book begins with a background of personal communications and electromagnetic fundamentals. Propagation channel engineering characteristics of several multiple-access signal protocols are presented and diversity reception techniques are described along with details of wave behavior in a multipath environment.

A section on antennas in PCS also has been expanded to provide better coverage of mutual coupling and a description of Yagi array antennas. PCD antennas are introduced and body proximity effects are considered, leading to an examination of compliance with RF exposure guidelines and regulations.

A section on radiowave propagation in personal communications details transmission line and spherical radiation, the satellite propagation problem and two-ray propagation models of open-area test sites. Finally, the urban and suburban propagation paths are studied.

The book is successful in its goal of providing an introduction to the antenna and propagation problems associated with communications propagation channel engineering. The subject is presented in an up-to-date manner that is easy to comprehend.

To order this book, contact:
Artech House Inc.,
685 Canton St.,
Norwood, MA 02062
(781) 769-9750, ext. 4002; or

46 Gillingham St., London
SW1V 1HH, UK
+44 (0) 171 973 8077.