10 Best Radio Frequency Courses and Certifications Online

Radio frequency technology and its applications have been rapidly advancing in recent years, making it essential for individuals and professionals to stay up-to-date with the latest knowledge and skills. Online courses offer a convenient and accessible way to deepen your understanding of radio frequency technology, its principles, and real-world applications. In this article, we will explore some of the best online courses that cover essential topics in radio frequency technology and help you gain a competitive edge in the industry.

Here’s a look at the Best Radio Frequency Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Radio Frequency Courses and Certifications Online

1. RF Basic Concepts & Components Radio Frequency- Entry Level by Rahsoft RF Certificate – Orange County, California (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

RAHRF101 is an entry-level course that serves as a prerequisite for the Rahsoft RF Certificate Program. The program includes several courses on RF design, including RF Fundamentals, Basic Concepts Components, Modulation and Digital Communications in RF, RF Design Theory and Principles, and more. The course is designed for electrical engineers, technicians, and other employees of an RF-related company who want a general idea of basic RF concepts.

The course covers fundamental topics discussed in the RF industry and serves as a crash course for those who need a refresher on RF topics within a few hours. The course is based on an industry approach rather than an academic one, ensuring the most updated materials needed in the industry are provided. Ahsan Ghoncheh, the Co-Founder and Technical Adviser, consults with different RF engineers at Broadcomm, Qualcomm, Apple, and Skyworks to build practical curriculum and topics needed and in demand in the industry.

The course instructor is Ata Sarrafi, and the advisor is Ahsan Ghoncheh. The course includes various sections, ranging from an introduction to Rahsoft and the instructor to frequency, noise, power, transceiver, transmitter, receiver, antenna, filters, components, low noise amplifiers, mixer, VCO and oscillators, and more. Each section includes lectures and quizzes, with some lectures including previews.

The course culminates in the Rahsoft RF Certificate Program, which includes several courses that build upon the concepts from RAHRF101. Rahsoft is excited to be taking students on this journey to becoming an RF expert and encourages anyone with further questions to contact them.

2. RF Microwave & Transmission Line Theory – RAHRF200 by Rahsoft RF Certificate – Orange County, California (Udemy)

Course RAHRF200, titled “RF Microwave & Transmission Line Theory”, is an offering by Rahsoft RF Certificate based in Orange County, California. The course aims to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge in RF microwave and Radio transmission line theory and principles.

This course is the third in the series of Rahsoft RF Certificate courses and is a 200 level course. However, it is recommended for students to take the earlier courses in the series, although it is not mandatory.

RAHRF200 covers the fundamentals of microwave and transmission lines, with a focus on practical problem-solving. This is done through calculation and ADS Keysight software. The course is divided into several sections, which include transmission line theory, Smith Chart, impedance matching, micro strip lines and EM simulation, and layout design and EM simulation.

Students can access lecture notes and download them before the course begins. The course offers a comprehensive learning experience that is both theoretical and practical.

3. Modulation in Communication System for RF Engineers RAHRF152 by Rahsoft RF Certificate – Orange County, California (Udemy)

The RAHRF152 course titled “Modulation in Communication System for RF Engineers” provides a comprehensive understanding of both analog and digital modulation techniques. The course is designed to simplify complex concepts and provide practical examples to help students understand the fundamental principles of modulation. The course is a part of the Rahsoft Radio Frequency Certificate, and successful completion of the course earns a second certificate from Rahsoft for free.

The course begins with an introduction to modulation in communication systems and the importance of this topic. It covers baseband and passband concepts, demodulation, and career prospects in the communication system field. The course then delves into the various aspects of modulation, including detectability, bandwidth, power efficiency, and bit error rate.

The analog modulation section of the course covers amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), and phase modulation (PM). It also includes a detailed explanation of the installation and use of the GNU Octave open-source software used in the course. The digital modulation section covers bit rate, baud rate, binary, and M-ary data, Nyquist formula, and channel capacity. It also includes a comprehensive overview of amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), and phase shift keying (PSK) techniques.

The course also covers topics such as inter-symbol interference (ISI), signal constellation, quadrature modulation, and QPSK or 4-PSK modulation. It provides software examples and simulations to help students understand these concepts better. The course covers the advantages and limitations of QPSK and pi/4 QPSK modulation techniques and their demodulation BER.

Overall, the RAHRF152 course offers a simplified approach to understanding modulation in communication systems. It is an excellent resource for RF engineers and anyone interested in pursuing a career in the communication system field.

4. Introduction to RF Design Theory and Principles – RAHRF201 by Rahsoft RF Certificate – Orange County, California (Udemy)

The RAHRF201 course, titled Introduction to RF Design Theory and Principles, is part of the Rahsoft RF Certificate Program available in Orange County, California. This course aims to prepare students for RF interviews at companies such as Apple, Broadcom, Qualcomm, and Skyworks. The course is available both on-campus and online through Udemy or Rahsoft’s website.

RAHRF201 goes in-depth on the principles of Radio Frequency (RF) Design Theory. The course book is RF Microelectronics by Behzad Razavi. The course developers emphasized understanding the concepts rather than simply providing formulas. Upon completion of the course, students will have a thorough knowledge of RF principles.

RAHRF201 is helpful for engineers and technicians who want to change gears towards Radio Frequency. This course has helped engineers survive complicated phone and onsite interviews of Fortune 500 RF companies and gain salaries on their early careers from 70K~120K.

The course covers topics such as power, MOS transistor, non-linearity, noise, sensitivity and dynamic range, and RLC circuits. The lectures are broken down into sections for ease of learning. The lectures are available both on-campus and online, and students can count this course towards the Rahsoft RF Certificate.

5. RF Design Architecture of Receiver Transmitter & Transceiver by Rahsoft RF Certificate – Orange County, California (Udemy)

Course Title: RF Design Architecture of Receiver Transmitter & Transceiver

The RAHRF409 Radio Frequency Transceiver System Design Course is offered by Rahsoft RF Certificate in Orange County, California. It is a complete course on designing Receiver, Transmitter, and Transceiver Architecture. The course discusses various blocks in designing these systems, explains the characteristics of each design, and different approaches. It also provides various examples to help students understand the topic in a better way.

The course has a pre-requisite of RAHRF101 and RAHRF201, and students are recommended to take these two courses before starting this one. RAHRF409 is counted as a core course in the Rahsoft RF Certificate program.

The course is divided into three main sections, namely Introduction, Receiver, Transmitter, and Transceiver. Each section covers different aspects of the topic, and students are expected to have a deep understanding of the subject matter by the end of the course. They are also able to view, understand, and analyze Transceiver blocks.

6. RFIC Design Software Advanced Design System (ADS)RAHRF209L by Rahsoft RF Certificate – Orange County, California (Udemy)

The RFIC Design Software Advanced Design System (ADS) RAHRF209L course, offered by Rahsoft RF Certificate in Orange County, California, provides students with the opportunity to become a hands-on Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit Engineer expert in simulation with ADS Keysight/Agilent. Students are encouraged to take the RAHRF101 and RAHRF201 courses or have a complete understanding of the course curriculum prior to enrolling in RAHRF209-L. This four-week online course allows students to download the free one-month ADS software and practice practical RFIC simulations using examples and PDKs provided in the course.

It is important to note that software licensing policies and the contract with Keysight restrict students from specific countries from taking this course. The curriculum of the course includes different sections such as Getting Started with ADS, Simulation, Matching using ADS, ADS Optimizer, and EM Simulations. The course covers various topics such as DC simulations, AC simulations, transient simulations, S-parameter simulation, harmonic balance simulation, and LNA simulation, among others. The curriculum also includes a section on impedance matching of wideband and the use of Smith Chart tool for impedance matching.

The course emphasizes the importance of students having prior knowledge or experience in RAHRF101 and RAHRF201 before enrolling in RAHRF209-L. However, the course is accessible to students who meet the necessary prerequisites. By the end of the course, students are expected to become experts in analyzing designs through practical RFIC simulations.

7. RF Basics and Components – Radio Frequency for Engineers by TELCOMA Global 70,000+ Students! (Udemy)

The RF Basics and Components – Radio Frequency for Engineers course, offered by TELCOMA Global, provides comprehensive coverage of radio frequency (RF) concepts and components related to wireless communication. RF refers to the rate of oscillation of electromagnetic radio waves in the range of 3 kHz to 300 GHz and the alternating currents carrying radio signals. The course includes modules on RF basics, RF behavior, basic system components, circuits and signals, modulation, and RF filters.

The course covers RF basics, including transmitters and receivers, analog signals, frequency, and digital signals. It also covers RF behavior, such as loss and gain, insertion loss, skin effect, free space loss, and reflection. Basic system components are discussed in two parts, including transmitters and receivers, antennas, amplifiers, filters, mixers, and sources.

The course also covers circuits and signals, including semiconductors, diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits (MMIC), as well as circuit technologies, including lumped and distributed circuits, discrete, hybrid, and MMIC circuit technology, subassemblies, and cavities. Modulation is discussed, including types of modulation and modulators and demodulators.

Other components covered in the course include RF adapters, ADC, attenuators, capacitors, charging and discharging of capacitors, stray capacitance, capacitors in parallel and series, alternating current in a capacitor, capacitive reactance, quality factor, RF chokes, circulators, connectors, couplers, crystal oscillators, DC blocks, RF delay lines, detectors, diplexer, frequency doublers, RF front-end modules, hybrid couplers, impedance matching pads, RF inductors, isolators, limiters, mixers, frequency multipliers, phase shifters, power dividers, RF switches, terminations, transistors, VCO, wireless charging receiver IC, and wireless charging transmitter IC.

8. RFID Programming and Security Master Class by Arsalan Saleem, Secure Techware (Udemy)

The RFID Programming and Security Master Class is a course that focuses on teaching participants how to program RFID tags using ACR122u and STM8 Microcontroller. The course is instructed by Arsalan Saleem, Secure Techware. RFID, which was first invented by Russian Spy Harry Stockman, is being utilized by numerous industries such as Walmart, McDonald’s, Amazon, and the American Army. The course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of RFID technology and its potential applications.

The course is divided into several sections, starting with an introduction and an overview of RFID technology. Participants will learn about the data blocks, value blocks, and sector trailer of RFID Mifare Classic Cards using ACR122u. The course will also cover programming the same cards using STM8 microcontroller.

The security of RFID cards will also be discussed in detail in the course. Participants will learn about offensive security and will gain insights into cracking RFID tags using Proxmark3. The course will provide detailed information on how to clone Mifare cards on Magic cards and how to make RFID cards fully secure by overcoming such attacks.

Finally, the course will conclude with a real-world practical example of RFID tags that complies with market standards. The course content includes the following sections: 00-Introduction, 01-Understanding RFID, 02-Quick Overview of Arduino, 03-Working with HF RFID Cards Using Arduino, 04-Understanding Mifare Classic RFID Tags, 05-Reading Writing Mifare Classic Using (ACR122u), 06-Reading Writing Mifare Classic Using (MFRC522-STM8), 07- Finding Vulnerabilities in Mifare Classic Using Proxmark3, 08-Creating Real World Example Using Mifare Classic and MFRC522.

The course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of RFID technology and its security concerns.

9. Essentials of Advanced Radio Frequency IC Design by Sanjay Moghe (Udemy)

The Essentials of Advanced Radio Frequency IC Design course, instructed by Sanjay Moghe, is designed to enhance skills in RF circuit design and enable learners to create their own RF circuits. The course covers various topics such as the applications of RFICs at a system level, RF parameters, analysis of RF circuits and transmission lines, impedance matching, and power measurement.

Moreover, the course delves into the Integrated Circuit Fabrication process, Foundries, PDKs, and the basics of VLSI technology. Learners will also learn about CMOS and its role in RF design, as well as the RF Power Amplifier and its different architectures and topologies.

The course provides learners with knowledge that is widely applied in most wireless and telecommunication companies designing wireless products. The course is suitable for those interested in RF Design and those seeking job opportunities in wireless product companies.

The course is divided into sections that include About Us, Introduction to RF, RF Basics, Radio Frequency Parameters, VLSI and IC Design, RF IC Fabrication and Foundries, CMOS and RF Design using CMOS, Power Amplifier (PA) Design, and Low Noise Amplifiers.

10. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) by The Art Of Service (Udemy)

The course titled “Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)” is an introductory course that aims to provide learners with an understanding of RFID technology, including its present and future applications. RFID is a technology that utilizes radio waves to transmit data from an electronic tag or label, which is attached to an object, to a reader for identification and tracking purposes.

The course will cover various topics, including the advantages and disadvantages of RFID, how it works, and its usage in different applications. The course is divided into several sections, including the introduction to RFID, tags and devices, how RFID works, RFID applications in access control, industry, transportation, tracking, mobile phones, credit cards, passports, and others, and the future of RFID.

The course resources include online reading materials, videos, and quizzes to help learners understand the course content better. Upon completion, learners will receive a Radio-Frequency Identification Certification, which will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of RFID technology.