Best microwaves communication books according to redditors

> I signed up for an amateur radio licensing course

That's actually very relevant. This is the best way to learn a few EE junior-level fundamentals before you even take classes on them, and a majority of EEs and RF engineers are hams. It's an excellent way to network in the industry.

RFwise, the default answer around here is Pozar's Microwave Engineering book for some excellent theory, as well as Experimental Methods in RF Design for practical examples and projects.

I would also find a way to get HFSS/CST/FEKO through your university, either by taking courses and look for opportunities for research or independent study. Practically, build some ham radio antennas, get an RTLSDR (see /r/RTLSDR) and play around, build some cheap transmitter and receiver kits like the Pixie, and get involved with a ham club.

The indistury is strongly moving towards SDR and FPGA-based radio designs, so it might be wise to learn a bit VHDL/Verilog/FPGA programming, which is something I need to do. The industry uses a ton of MATLAB too.

If you are looking for a good RF internship/coop, I would look at Radio Observatories like the Very Large Array. If you meet Paul Harden (ham call NA5N) and mention you want to learn about RF design, he will blow your mind.

Pozar. Covers a good variety of the basics of RF.

If you are interested in doing anything in the microwave spectrum (which includes most modern communication standards), then Pozar is the book which everyone seems to have for the basics. The first couple chapters are super math heavy in deriving stuff from electromagnetics, but if simply learn the basics of transmission lines either from there or from another source, the following chapters mostly contain algebra, if I recall correctly.

Well, you can start at microwave engineering and work your way back to DC: Pozar

edit:

Antenna engineering is fun and mathy:

Balanis

Stutzmann and Thiele

This is a good introduction to high frequency stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Microwave-Engineering-David-M-Pozar/dp/0470631554

Pozar for passives: http://www.amazon.com/Microwave-Engineering-David-M-Pozar/dp/0470631554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324903362&sr=8-1

Gray and Meyer for actives: http://www.amazon.com/Microwave-Engineering-David-M-Pozar/dp/0470631554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324903362&sr=8-1

http://www.microwaves101.com if you are poor.

Pozar's Microwave Engineering is a great book.

Microwaves 101 is a great website. It has information on how to self-educate on the subject as well (book suggestions, etc.)

Intro to Airbourne RADAR is another nice book with a RADAR focus.

The Agilent Impedance Measurement Handbook is required reading IMHO.

There are quite a bit of great papers published by the big companies, for example Rhode & Schwartz, Agilent, Analog Devices, and so on. Once you learn about what the names of the subfields of focus are you can look for papers on a particular technology or simulation/testing/analysis method.

There's an online textbook for Essential Radio Astronomy, by Jim Condon and Scott Ransom, at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/course/astr534/ERA.shtml

It gives a general overview of the functioning of radio telescopes, with a lot of examples of the various design challenges that are faced by telescope builders, and a special focus of course on the GBT.

They also recommend Tools of Radio Astronomy as additional reading.

Ok...

Mean while might I suggest you give something like this a read.

https://www.amazon.ca/Microwave-Engineering-David-M-Pozar/dp/0470631554

It's publishers, not so much bookstores. Especially easy to see with advanced books/courses - not the intro calculus level ones, but specialized topics. For instance, as an electrical engineer, IEEE is a professional society that also helps publish a large number of the texts. Directly from Wiley-IEEE (again, the publisher) most of the books are still in the $150 range...often even after a 20-25% discount if you're an IEEE member.

And again, these are not the intro/100 level classes. Example. At least with the intro/100 level classes you can sometimes get a well-used, old edition, or international edition that's a lot cheaper...but this is a publisher thing to a decently large extent.

>The only God I advocated was the idea of the universe being God. And as we can both agree the universe exists, Id say thats your proof. Is the universe sentient? Benevolent? Honestly? I really dont give a shit.'

Let's break that down one more time. We are in agreement about the part where the universe exists. Good. Here is where we need to break it down and think logically.

>The universe exists. The universe is God. Therefore God exists.

This is my entire problem with your premise. You have to be trolling me but I'm bored anyway so I will continue to feed.

Simply assuming a claim is true does not serve as evidence for that claim. Asserting that, "The universe is God" does not make it a fact. Whereas, those 'pictures' are the basis of astronomical spectroscopy. Any idiot with a digital camera and $28 can go and confirm the conclusions drawn from the data himself.