Radio can be an effective communication medium. Often it is desirable, sometimes necessary, to implement radio communications for at least part of a communication network. However, before starting any design, the decision to use radio should be well investigated and justified. Once committed to implementing a radio system, the system design team should consider using computer tools to assist them in the design process. A variety of tools are available from several software vendors. Computer generated path profiles, 3D terrain representations, and coverage plots were tools introduced to the reader. Designers can channel time saved into other tasks such as creative problem solving. The reader is advised to not diminish the importance of the human element in the radio system design process. A knowledgeable radio system designer must screen and analyze all data generated by the computer to ensure that it is consistent with real-world expectations. Field investigations and system testing round out the design process. The theoretical results of the computer tools used should be verified and not simply taken at face value.