Software defined radio (SDR) is an emerging form of radio architecture, which encompasses a wide range of design techniques in order to realize a truly flexible, and potentially future-proof, transceiver system. As a field, it is very broad, encompassing: systems design, RF, IF, and baseband analogue hardware design, digital hardware design, and software engineering. Covering all of these topics in sufficient detail to become a design reference would be a huge task, therefore, this book focuses on the former aspects of SDR, namely, systems design and RF, IF, and baseband analogue hardware design. It also includes an introduction to some of the digital hardware options for the baseband signal-processing element, although it does not attempt to provide detailed design information in this area. The emphasis on analogue hardware and digital conversion technologies stems from the current reality that the antenna plus analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) architecture often envisaged for future radio receivers (and similarly for the transmitter) is far away from becoming a reality in the main cellular communications bands. Indeed, there are some very significant challenges to overcome before this could ever be considered a realistic architecture for cellular applications, and these are highlighted in this book. Many of the techniques described in the book are still at the research stage and are presented as ideas for further development. Some of these techniques may never become a reality and may be superseded by alternative technologies; however, their presence in this book will hopefully stimulate such alternative ideas and further the development of the exciting field of SDR.