On Feb 14, 8:18 am, "art" wrote:
On 13 Feb, 22:20, "Black Sheep"
wrote:

I am looking to purchase some antenna modeling software.
Can anyone make a suggestion as to which one they think is the best,
easiest to use and best value for the money.
Have you tried the free/demo version of EZNEC? "How To Use" that
antenna modeling program is well described in in HAM publications by guys
like Cebik http://www.cebik.com/amod/amod103.html. It is easy to
use even without outside assistance. I'd like to know why every ham with
antenna interest doesnt have a copy of EZNEC. Try the moseling
software at http://www.eznec.com/ then, if you have time, tell me
why it isnt of interest to you.


I would buy only programs that allow for variables in dimensions such
that the program can migrate towards more advantageous models.


I'm partial to 4nec2 (which is free) which uses the standard NEC2
engine underneath. It has variables and optimizers as well. It can
also fire up the NEC4 engine, if you have a copy of it.

While I wouldn't insist that hams use EZNEC, I do think that if you're
interested in antenna design, SOME modeling program is worth fooling
with. Original vanilla NEC is a bit archaic in it's interface
(punched cards and line printer output) but there's lots of front and
back ends (e.g. EZNEC, 4nec2, MultiNEC (from AC6LA), SuperNEC, etc.)
Some are free, some cost a little, some cost a lot. If you wind up
having to model BIG things (thousands of segments, dielectric media,
etc), then the pricier products are easier and faster. Most hams are
modeling things that are well represented by wires, so all the Method
of Moment (MoM) codes, of which NEC is an example, work pretty well.