Books for Prep | |
 - not for beginnersThe first part of the book presents compact, summarized mathematical descriptions of filters in general. This is intended as a review for readers already skilled in filter design. The second part of the book presents design equations for some common microstrip filters and one example each with simulated results. The last part of the book presents more detailed descriptions of recent research into topologies and materials. Many of these topologies are given in drawing form with simulated results and no mathematical description of how to design one for yourself. Rating:  - An Excellent BookI read this book from cover to cover. It's an excellent book. Covers a wide range of aspects; from basics to really advanced filtering techniques. Just brilliant. It is also quite useful for practical designing; full of fully-detailed design examples and synthesis methods. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, it will add alot to your knowledge. Beside, you can't get bored with it, as it's well-written and not that long; straight to the point. If you read it in-depth, you will find it quite robust (I disagree with the previous review!) and all the chapters are indeed well interlinked. The authors are both famous experts in this field and their research achievements can speak for them! Rating:  - Smoke and MirrorsThe authors start out with good intentions however they do not see them through to completion. For instance, the section in chapter 5 on hairpin filters refers you to parameter extraction techniques in chapter 8. Reading through chapter 8, nothing explicity refers you back to chapter 5. You are left on your own to figure out what in chapter 8 applies to chapter 5. Likewise with the section in chapter 5 regarding parallel coupled line filters. They refer you back to chapter 4, but chapter 4 does not explicity refer you back to chapter 5. The examples are incomplete at best and criminal at worst. The examples start out with adequate detail but then the usual academia smoke and mirrors trick is performed and voila you have the solution. Again the sections on hairpin and parallel coupled line filters (p130 and p128) show this. In summary this book is not worth your time or money. Rating: - Good bookObviously there aren't too many books on microwave filters. I can think of only two or three. So, this book is by default one of the top three. Anyways. Much of basic network theory in this book can be found in "Microwave Filters, Impedance-Matching Networks, and Coupling Structures". Also I suggest Pozar's "Microwave Engineering" for a good intro into the low pass-band pass filter conversions and look up tables. Also, many of the paragraphs are complete copy's of the author's (Hong and Lancaster) publications. So you really don't need 90% of this book. I did find interest in the book's chapter on coupling. Most of this chapter was good. The explanations in this chapter have helped me understand more modern filter design. Yet, I am still left with a few questions regarding coupling. The authors don't seem to have a real intuitive explanation about negative coupling vs. positive coupling. For example, they obtain the experimental results for a specific filter and say that one of the couplings (the electric) is negative because it "cancels out" the "positive" magnetic coupling. The authors just quickly say that it's due to the phase of the copuling, which leaves me with zero intuitive feeling. Then they use this result in later chapters for more advanced (multi-coupling filter networks) when they need a negative coupling.... So I looked at Bahl's "RF and Microwave Coupled-Line Circuits" but didn't find any explanation or anything about negative coupling. Anyways, my point is there is still much room for BETTER microwave filter textbook. this stuff isn't hard but we need a good TEACHER (like a B. P. Lathi from the communications world)to really write a good microwave filter book that is intuitivly satisfying and doesn't skip derivations. Oh, let me also say that Collins Fundamentals of Microwave Engineering book does a good job when it comes to explaining the conversion of a network with lumped elements to one with only K or J inverters. Hong and Lancaster's book only gives the results- NOT GOOD IN MY OPINION! But I do give this book 4 stars because it does help you understand microwave filters better and it is only one of a few books on this topic. page 1 of 1
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