On Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:23:27 -0500, wrote:

Things aren't what they used to be: The 'Quantum' on technical books is
now $100 +/-, so I think twice before buying.

I charge $75/hr for my work. If a $100 book will generate 1.33 hrs of
billable labor, or save me about 3 hours in wasted time, it's break
even. Anything over that is profitable. The only problem is that I'm
not a professional antenna designer and don't generate much revenue
from antenna projects. Still it's a good way to justify splurging on
books. Incidentally, I make sure I have a least one consulting job
per year so that I can justify deducting the book costs on my taxes.

How much new is there in HF; VHF and UHF antennas anyway?

Ummm.... UWB, Fractal Antennas, MIMO, direction finding, disguise
antennas, telematics antennas, sectored systems (WiMax), etc. It may
not be new to those in the industry, but they're new to me. Instead
of looking at what's new in antennas, look at what problems need to be
solved that involve antennas. Low visual impact, cram multiple
interfering radios inside a cell phone, limited tower space
(combiners), 4x4 MIMO in a USB dongle?, etc.

If it is new; it's not going to be in a book but rather in a journal
like the IEEE Antenna and Propagation.

Most of the articles in Antennas and Propagation are mathematical and
don't reduce easily to hardware implementations unless one has the
inclination; time and an available machine shop.

True, but the math offers a great clue on how they work. At this
time, an IEEE membership, plus Ant and Prop subscription will burn
about $200/year. I covered the costs in a previous rant at:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.amateur.antenna/msg/ba3e3273c2f1b5d6
I'm still trying to find a cheaper alternative buy joining the friends
of the local university library.

I tend to buy used from amazon.com but generally if I know in advance
what I want. Their "What's Inside" can be helpful though.

Yep. Also Google Books.

I have a couple of favorite antenna books and go to those when in need
but generally rely on the basic equations relating wavelength and
frequency and then cut-and-try.

Try antenna modeling with any of an assortment of programs.
http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Software/Antenna_analysis/
Cut and try works ok for low frequency antennas, where large errors
are easily tolerated. Don't try that at microwave frequencies, where
the tweaks are in fractions of a millimeter.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558