RF (radio frequency) engineering is a part of electrical and electronic engineering that deals with the design and application of transmission line, waveguide, electromagnetic field principles and antenna.
It is a large part of everyday life, although most people will never even have heard of it.
RF engineering is a highly specialized field that typically includes the following areas of expertise:
- Design of antenna systems to provide radiative coverage of a specified geographical area by an electromagnetic field or to provide specified sensitivity to an electromagnetic field impinging on the antenna.
- Design of coupling and transmission line structures to transport RF energy without radiation.
- Application of circuit elements and transmission line structures in the design of oscillators, amplifiers, mixers, detectors, combiners, filters, impedance transforming networks and other devices.
- Verification and measurement of performance of radio frequency devices and systems.
Radio frequency engineers are specialists in their respective field and can take on many different roles, such as design, installation and maintenance.
One area of special interest to RF engineers is electromagnetic theory (EM). This covers the basic principles of electromagnetism: experimental basis, electrostatics, magnetic fields of steady currents and electromagnetic induction, Maxwell’s equations, propagation and radiation of electromagnetic waves, electric and magnetic properties of matter, and conversation laws.
EM theory is an essential basis for understanding the devices, methods, and systems used for electrical energy. Both electric and magnetic fields are defined in terms of the forces they produce.
Radio frequency (RF) optimization also plays an important part in RF engineering. This is a process through which different soft and hard parameters of the base transceiver stations are changed in order to improve the coverage area and improve quality of signal.
RF optimization solutions can provide several benefits after the deployment of new RF power settings, such as:
- Voice quality is improved
- Call drop rates are lowered
- The load on the network achieves better balance delaying the need for carrier upgrades.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers RF Training – Advanced, a 2-day course that provides a multidimensional overview for professionals involved in the specification, procurement, design, testing, operations and optimization of next-generation wireless and communications systems.
This RF training course is an interactive hands-on program intended for anyone working in the area of radio frequency communications who requires a technical level of advanced RF principals applied to various communication technologies.
Additionally, Tonex offers 14 more courses in Basic and Advanced RF Training, including:
—RF Engineering Training (4 days)
—Cellular Networks Performance Workshop Training (3 days)
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.