Communications Systems

having spent 2 quarters of preparation in learning "signal and systems", we moved to this book for the 3rd quarter and got through 40% of it in 10 weeks at Caltech. It's one of the harder text books to read, only because it contains so much information in every section of every chapter. Following through all the formulas and derivation isn't always trivial, but when if you manage to do so, everything becomes crystal clear.

This book is excellent for a beginner in this subject. The author gives rigorous mathematical treatment as well as useful insights on difficult concepts. In my opinion, one of the best Communication Systems books ever written ! A must-have for a DSP or a Communications Engineer.

I read this book in my undergraduate course , and it is this book what makes me distinguished from normal students who still try to understand many things in communications theory. I suggest them to study signals & systems , probability and advanced maths first , then they may try to go deep in communications. Communications theory is not a childs game , so you have to be on the level to understand what Haykin says in that book !!

I think this is is one of the best introductory books on this topic and it has been used at tons of universities around the world. I felt so surprised that the previous comments were so bad, I think it might be because the previous readers are hobbists who want to pick up a book which let them read like "communication for dummies", or "teach yourself communications in 24 hours". This book is for those who want to know the principle behind all those communication devices and the reader MUST have knowledge about maths such like Fourier Transform.

This book was my introduction to analog comm. systems. I found it to be clear and expository. I am surprised by the other readers' mediocre reviews and petty diatribes. Admittedly, the book does contain several extraneous topics, but many are listed at the end for those who are interested. I think some derivations are left incomplete intentionally because the reader stands to learn more by verifying the results. I disagree that the book is written poorly. If one pages through a more advanced text, I think it would become quite clear that the level of 'Communication Systems' is introductory and NOT intended for professors and experts.Concessions: 1) I have enjoyed nearly every book on this subject. 2) My math background is much broader than the average engineering undergraduate.