Back in the mid-1990's, Les Besser and I wrote a series of articles on RF amplifier design for Applied Microwaves and Wireless magazine (unfortunately this magazine is no longer in circulation). Since that time, Les Besser and Rowan Gilmore have written a two-volume textbook on RF circuit design that covers this topic as well as a great deal of background knowledge on working with RF circuits.
QUCS is a freeware circuit simulator that supports S-parameter analysis, among other types. It is available for Windows, Linux and OSX operating systems, with varying levels of support from the community.
This book is based on the first three days of the Applied RF Techniques I course from Besser Associates. Basic analytical tools such as S-parameters and the Smith Chart as well as passive components are covered. Active components are covered in Volume II.
Les Besser and Rowan Gilmore
