With IC transcievers, MMIC being available off the shelf, is there any need to employ RF Engineers when a manufacturer just bolts an RF Integrated circuit onto its product to wireless enable it?

Is this the way things are going? Doing it like this means there is no need to certify your product to radio regulations when the chip itself is already certified.

Nobody needs to really study RF, when they can buy one of these RF modules.

That's a ridiculous statement. There is more to RFengineering than low signal chips..., and how about EMC?, that's RF Engineering at the highest level.

We are still working with Kilowatts of RF, unfortunately with attitudes like the ones written by eswni the number of students coming in to RF Engineering who understand the high power side of the industry are decreasing.

Where does that leave the industry?, RF Engineers are getting older with no one coming out of university capable of replacing them...

Sorry if it sounded ridiculous, my statement came from another forum. But I do not perceive a shortage.
When you refer to high power side, it sounds like you mean the stage after amplification and prior to the antenna.

I must be missing something here - if we have no RF engineers we will have no-one to design the modules. We may not need many, but good RF designers are in serious demand because there aren't many around. Meanwhile all designers need some level of RF understanding as we all are likely to get involved with EMC issues.

What prompted your statement?

-------------------------
Andy Millar CEng MIET MCMI

http://www.linkedin.com/in/millarandy

I've been looking for RF engineering jobs and had some interviews. But to no avail. The last interview was with a manufacturer of Microwave waveguides of which I am yet to hear feedback. So its been mainly manufacturers of communications equipment where I've been looking.

I've set up my own website now with my profile, offering free RF engineering services.

Have you considered going along to the events organised by the RF and Microwave technical network? They provide good opportunities to network with industry and academics.

http://kn.theiet.org/communities/rf/index.cfm

Apologies if this message sounds like an advert! I honestly think it would be worth your time though.

A good idea. I'd like to find out if there are courses on how to use RF test equipment eg. spectrum analysers, VNAs.

Their LinkedIn group might be a good place to start:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups...mostPopular=&trk=tyah

The IET also run a RF to Millimetre wave measurement course, but I don't know if this will cover it:
http://www.theiet.org/events/2012/microwave.cfm

To be honest I think the topic title is not correct it should be "No opportunities in RF design engineering for graduates". Here is a list of facts from my experience in searching for a RFIC design role. I am expert in using RF design tools and also have an indepth understanding of design factors involved so I am not entirely a novice in design.

1. For every single design engineering job whether RFIC, MMIC, ICs etc they ask for years and years of experience. How can a graduate get experience? You might say graduate placements well thats a myth since 2007 or 2009. So RF design is not for recent graduates or graduates who had the misfortune of being turned away.

2. UK is the worst in Engineering jobs specially in RF so if you are thinking for doing an MSC in RF and microwave design mind as well forget the hopes of getting employed in that field same goes for telecommunications or computer engineering. If you do computer engineering you will end up working with webdesign.

3. Specially in the case of engineering job there isnt an effective way to hire an engineer. You cant test whether someone can design a microchip or an RFIC with a ECAD or ADS tool neither can is there any special examination designed to assess these skills. So the engineering sector employers are not qualified or should I say have a proper recruitment and selection process to hire engineers. So they just keep adding 2 years 100 years experience since thats the only way to select the right candidate which to me is nonsense.

4. Despite there being so many electronics engineers being fed up and ending up in IT there is some nonsense going around about young people not being interested in engineering, well I guess those kids are pretty right in their decision. The only reason any establishment is bothered about this is because they are just scared of loosing their business in providing useless education.

So in response to my friend eswnl sorry for late reply 1 year late but still i had to say these, I think the issue is not RF engineering jobs the issue is the situation of engineering in this country.

The problem is total lack of (financial) investment in engineering. The banks are not lending and investors would rather pile their money into property.