This book is strongly recommended; it is a new and almost unique tool for the radio engineer. NEC-2 was developed at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories and is available as a free download. It was later somewhat eclipsed by NEC-4. This book is a comprehensive document explaining and showing how to use NEC-2 to design directional antennas. Much of the material included can be used in connection with NEC-4 programming.

Apart from the very clearly and explicitly presented method of using NEC-2, the book includes a CD that demonstrates its use and provides a usable tool for directional antenna design. But it does not stop there. NEC-2 tends to be less than user friendly to the broadcaster; therefore, this book leads the user by the hand through the various steps in creating a DA, and also makes it possible to fine tune an existing DA by investigating each portion of the design and achieving the best possible circuit values. Computer application is easy, does not require the use of Fortran and the program runs happily on XP.

Included in this valuable book are many applications and test questions. The answers to these questions will be found in the CD together with explanations. It is obvious that the book was written by an engineer for the engineer engaged in the design and operation of directional antenna systems.

The author has had a long broadcast career and entered the field in 1946. He later became manager of broadcast systems engineering for Collins Radio. He is now retired after participating in many FCC actions and international coordination projects.