RF 101
Why 50 ohms, what a Smith chart is actually for, and how to read S-parameters without guessing. The RF groundwork every other track leans on.
Episodes
What this series covers
14 topics. Each one is an episode with its own worked examples.
- 01RF Fundamentals
- 02Frequency & Wavelength
- 03Impedance
- 0450 Ω Systems
- 05Transmission Lines
- 06Smith Chart
- 07S-Parameters
- 08VSWR
- 09Return Loss
- 10RF Filters
- 11RF Amplifiers
- 12Mixers
- 13Oscillators
- 14RF Front-End Architecture
Episode releases are announced on the community channels first. The topic list above is the committed scope for this series.
Resources
Material for this series
Notes, formula sheets and guides that stay useful after the episodes.
RF & Microwave Formula Sheet
One page: transmission-line equations, reflection coefficient, VSWR and return loss conversions, cascade noise figure, and the dB identities worth memorising.
Reading the Smith Chart
Where the chart comes from, how to move on it, and worked single-stub and L-network matches with the algebra shown alongside.
ADS — Matching Network Walkthrough
Build a matching network in ADS, verify it on the Smith chart, and check the result against the hand calculation.
Python for RF Engineers
scikit-rf, touchstone files, plotting S-parameters and automating a parameter sweep. Notebook included.
Antenna Project Starter Pack
Templates, a measurement log, a report skeleton and a verification checklist for a first antenna project.
Projects
Built with these ideas
LNA Input Matching Study
Simultaneous noise and power match on a low-noise amplifier input, where the two optima do not coincide.
Related Courses
Take it further
Structured programmes covering the same ground in more depth, with a deliverable at the end.
RF & Microwave Engineering
The full RF groundwork: transmission lines, the Smith chart, S-parameters and front-end architecture, each derived rather than quoted.
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Modules
- 8
- Certificate
- Yes
- Price
- Pricing on registration
Tools used: Keysight ADS · MATLAB · Python
Antenna Design with HFSS
Model, simulate and verify real antennas — and learn to tell a converged result from a pretty one.
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Modules
- 6
- Certificate
- Yes
- Price
- Pricing on registration
Tools used: Ansys HFSS · MATLAB