We Laughed, We Cried… Radford Ruined An Otherwise Boring Afternoon…

OK, we were looking at a number of honey-do’s and wondering how to fulfill the promise of a boring afternoon by doing absolutely nothing. Then we remembered retrieving a copy of Tony Radford‘s new book, SATCOM Guide For The Technically Challenged directly from the author during a recent satellite trade show and decided to become doubly-bored!

Guess what? That didn’t happen! Radford‘s book is a humorous and insightful look into the satellite industry, specifically written for those who are non-technical and would like to learn more about the dynamic satellite industry. A prime primer is what Tony’s book has turned out to be, complete with all sorts of important topics that range from the characteristics of satellites, orbits and tracking, transmission particulars, as well as an industry overview. There’s also some advice as to how you, too, can enter this exciting and fascinating realm… especially if you have a sense of humor and would enjoy a career in the world of communications.

Some comments from others who have either read Tony’s book or attempted to microwave it with their oatmeal…

“I just read your book on the plane home. It is fantastic! I laughed a whole heap… I enjoyed the mention of how systems’ engineers still drive the same cars since high school. I actually had to sell my 300ZX after “only” 19 years of ownership and now have a 2007 mustang which “looks like” the cars from our high school days. Hey, I really love your Cobra…super hot car! Great work on the book! — Gerry“

“Just wanted to let you know I took your book home to read, because I am certain you wrote it for people like me. Anywho… I read the preface and several pages into the first chapter… but then lost it to my 15-year-old. I literally had to tell him to be quiet so many times last night because he was laughing out loud and waking the little kids up!! He did inform me before bed last night that I need to read it, but he is not allowed to share it with me… LOL”

“Need to purchase a few more copies of Tony’s book. Will be a good learning guide for our new hires.“

“Tony, I got the book yesterday, and it is really great! I love the phrasing and voicing…it’s definitely you, but it reminds me a bit of Anthony Bourdain. It is highly informative, and spoken with a command of the subject matter that’s coupled with humor which makes it memorable and lasting. I liked the epilogue where you talk of the aging satcom players… it’s true: people tend to stay there forever. Maybe I was the lucky one who got out? Ha. Having spent my first four years after leaving the military selling SATCOM products, it’s a nice refresher and helps me put the piece-parts back together… like I’d completely purged the phrases “ortho-mode-transducer”, “Klystron HPA”, “Gregorian”, “SSPA/TWTA” and “Cassegrain”! I used them all of the time, but since moving to telecom, I replaced them with SONET, Ethernet Private Line, Virtual Private Network, et al. Reading about SATCOM brought back tons of memories. Thanks.” — Bryan

“I was the only SATCOM person on the plane flying back to Chicago and laughing my — off as I read Tony Radford’s SATCOM Guide. I recommend that every company in the industry buy this book for every employee. It’s the best book yet. I am waiting for the movie starring Danny DeVito as Tony.”

To order this terrific tome, simply click on the book cover graphic… and enjoy! — The SatNews Editors…