Enabling/Disabling Coating

Similar to the resistivity toggle, AN-SOF provides a global master switch for wire insulation. This allows you to quickly assess the velocity factor and dielectric loading effects of your coating without having to manually remove the insulation from every wire in your model.

How to Toggle Coating

To switch between bare wires and insulated wires:

1. Navigate to the Setup tab in the main AN-SOF window.
2. Locate the Settings panel (Fig. 1).
3. To Enable Insulation: Check the Wire Coating box. AN-SOF will apply the permittivity, permeability, and thickness values you assigned in the Materials tab of the Draw dialog.
4. To Disable Insulation: Uncheck the Wire Coating box. The software will treat all wires as bare conductors, effectively setting the coating thickness to zero for the entire simulation.

Technical Impact

• Resonant Frequency: Insulation typically increases the capacitance of the wire, lowering the resonant frequency. By toggling this setting, you can see exactly how much the insulation “electrically lengthens” your antenna.