ECE 474Radio and Wireless Systems
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Modern transmitter and receiver architectures, Noise and linearity in radio and wireless systems, Design considerations of RF/microwave subsystems, radio and wireless system designs, CAD tools for radio and wireless systems, Antennas, Radio wave propagation models, Indoor radio, Satellite communication, Personal communication systems (PCSs).
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- ECE375 - Electromagnetic Fields and Waves (0.50)
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Students must be in level 4A or higher
- Enrolled in H-Computer Engineering, or H-Electrical Engineering
- Must have completed the following:
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4576 | 0 / 42 | WTh 14:30–15:50 Jan 22 16:00–17:20 Feb 12 16:00–17:20 Mar 12 16:00–17:20 Apr 2 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1860 | 24 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LAB 201 | 4618 | 0 / 14 | Jan 25 08:30–11:20 Feb 8 08:30–11:20 Mar 8 08:30–11:20 Mar 22 08:30–11:20 Apr 5 08:30–11:20 |
| LAB 202 | 4619 | 0 / 14 | Jan 29 08:30–11:20 Feb 12 08:30–11:20 Mar 12 08:30–11:20 Apr 2 08:30–11:20 Apr 9 08:30–11:20 |
| LAB 203 | 5110 | 0 / 14 | Jan 18 08:30–11:20 Feb 1 08:30–11:20 Feb 22 08:30–11:20 Mar 15 08:30–11:20 Mar 29 08:30–11:20 |
| TUT 101 | 4577 | 0 / 42 | W 20:00–20:50 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
100% liked it54% easy93% useful
From 7 ratings and 4 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Interesting, but we have to work a little to connect the lectures with the tutorials and the lectures with the labs.
Jan 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Pretty good TE for tron. It covers basics of digital/analog modulation, insights on system level rf circuit and key parameters without going too low level on wave theory and stuff.
Feb 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Course covered practical aspects of wireless systems. Pretty straightforward, prerequisites are helpful but not necessary to understanding the content. Provides excellent background for those who are interested in the field.
Apr 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
System level RF front end. A review of 432. Comparing to 432, it is a cake.
Jul 2016 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
9 posts and comments in 7 threads mention ECE 474, April 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
Anyone taken ECE474 with Boumaiza ? 1 point, 0 comments
u/End-Resident: “Anyone taken ECE474 with Boumaiza ? Please DM me.”
u/jstar0918: “i took the grade version of ece 474, but we still have to do labs. i didnt have any background of communications and had to do 3 subjects that term so decided to take it. prof is awesome. hes gonna explain each and everything on board.. literally each and everything. …”
Spring 2022
ECE 373 for 4A TE 3 points, 3 comments
u/throw7369: “How hard is it? Is it doable without having done ECE 375 (i.e. no prior intro to smith chart and transmission lines)? Another option is doing ECE 474 in winter but I've heard that course is a lot harder.”
u/rapsforlife647: “Hey OP u/throw7369. Did you end up taking ECE 373 or 474? How were they?”
Spring 2021
Any suggestion between ECE 373 and ECE 360 1 point, 7 comments
“Hi, for the 3B ECE course selection, does anyone have suggestions between ECE 373 and ECE 360? Ramadan El Shatshat \-360 Raafat Mansour \- 373 Thanks for reply!”
u/Plane_Razzmatazz_143: “… Having spoken with Marco Iskander, iirc he mentioned that if you take ECE 473 (now 373) and ECE 474, that should give you a pretty solid foundation for RF interview questions. The CAD design aspect is very valuable too as its heavily used in industry. …”
Fall 2020
Macbook for ECE? 0 points, 9 comments
“Am I good to buy a MacBook for ECE or will it cause issues? My main concern is that it won't be able to run a lot of applications. …”
u/realbrokenlantern: “Many of my friends have a mac and it hasn't made them any less productive.”
u/Frozen-Penis: “… ECE 475 used ANSYS HFSS, ECE 473 used keysight ADS and ECE 474 used keysight systemvue. That said ADS and systemvue were available in ECE computer labs (E2 second floor) but HFSS had to be run on your own machine. …”
Spring 2020
What are your top 5 courses at Waterloo? 29 points, 43 comments
“After 3 years of this place, these were my favourite courses that I found (no particular order): CS 341 CS 251 MATH 135 MATH 239 ENGL 332 (Comics) I liked CS 341, MATH 135, and MATH 239 because they …”
u/Frozen-Penis: “ECE 474, ECE 477, ECE 318, ECE 124, HIST 230 in no particular order but if I had to pick 5 it's would be those 474 and 477 I found to be interesting technical electives and I enjoyed the change to more 'system-level' courses rather than the more 'low-level' content I'm used to …”
Winter 2019
The University of Waterloo is closed today, Tuesday, February 12 278 points, 87 comments
[deleted]: [deleted]
u/Frozen-Penis: “ECE 474”
Winter 2017
Me handing in ECE 474 Final 20 points, 4 comments
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
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- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
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