AN-SOF has released its latest version, 8.20, which brings significant enhancements to improve the software’s accessibility and performance.

The new release builds on the improvements made in version 8, with a focus on two key areas. Firstly, it provides an intuitive way to access data, making it easier than ever before to interact with graphs and results. Secondly, the calculation engine has been improved, ensuring greater accuracy and reliability. In addition, math libraries are now embedded in the software, eliminating the need to install external packages.

With AN-SOF version 8.20, users can expect a faster, more powerful, and more accessible experience.

Download FREE Trial >

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

Explore AN-SOF’s interactive User Guide > for comprehensive guidance on using the Antenna Simulation Software.

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

✅ New Plots tab where we can quickly see the input impedance, VSWR, gain, Front-to-Rear, and Front-to-Back ratios as a function of frequency, with various visualization controls (grids, points, markers, etc.).

✅ The different parts of tapered wires are identified with alternating colors to better distinguish the wires of which they are composed.

✅ Click on a column header in the Results tab to display a plot immediately.

✅ New 3D Rotation button on the toolbar to easily rotate the view by moving the mouse.

✅ Combo-boxes now have “memory”. Select the frequency or angles to display polar diagrams and the next time you do so the same values will be pre-loaded.

✅ Users who use the comma as the decimal symbol can now import NEC files that use the period as the decimal separator. Go to Tools > Preferences > Options and check the option “The comma is set as the decimal symbol”.

✅ New Preferences window in AN-Smith to change the display of graphics in the Smith chart (line width, fonts, background, points).

💡 TIP 1: Double-click on the AN-SOF or AN-3D Pattern workspace to center the view in the window.

💡 TIP 2: Check “Show Points” in the Preferences window of AN-Polar to see the points on the radiation pattern lobes.

💡 TIP 3: Check “Equal Scales in 2 Plots” in the Preferences window of AN-XY Chart to display the left and right axes with the same scale.

Enjoy it!

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

This version of AN-SOF has new functions and options:

• ARRL-style scale in polar plots. Radiation pattern slices in decibels can be displayed on the classic ARRL log scale. This facilitates the comparison between the results obtained from AN-SOF and data published in magazines and in the antenna literature.
• Front-to-Rear (worst-case) and Front-to-Back (180-degree) ratios are indicated on polar plots.
• Export radiation patterns in MSI Planet format. See how here >.
• Improved Preferences window in the AN-XY Chart app, where we can set scales, units, line thickness, points, marks, and grids on rectangular charts.
• Visualization of the wire segments in the workspace. Check the “Show Segments” option in the Preferences window to see the segments.

Tip: double click on table items to instantly display plots.

REQUEST AN-SOF 7.90 TRIAL VERSION >

Enjoy AN-SOF!

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

• Quickly view input impedance, VSWR, directivity, gain and efficiency in the new Results tab.
• Click the Export Results button on the toolbar to export this data to a spreadsheet.
• The wavelength is now displayed in the Frequency panel while entering the operating frequency.
• Automatically close all charts when exiting AN-SOF or keep them open to analyze the plots. Go to Tools > Preferences > Options and check “Close charts when exiting AN-SOF”.
• A great strength of AN-SOF is the documentation. Explore the new User Guide here >.
• Coming soon: our online Knowledge Base!

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

Explore the new AN-SOF User Guide >, where you will find detailed information about its many features, as well as step-by-step examples and tips to help you quickly move forward with your antenna modeling projects.

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

• More compatibility for those who use the NEC format: RP, LD, GM, GS, GH, GA, and EX5 commands can now be imported into AN-SOF. 
• The Note panel now displays an error report when importing NEC files.
• New Zin button on the toolbar for quick access to input impedances and VSWR.

Enjoy!

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

• See how the radiation pattern changes with frequency in AN-3D Pattern. The near field heatmap and current distribution can also be viewed dynamically by changing the operating frequency.

• You can chat directly with technical support by going to the Help menu in AN-SOF (only available for the licensed version).

Enjoy this new version!

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

AN-SOF 7.10 is now available for download!

• Access the input impedance and VSWR easily by going to the Main menu > Results. This avoids selecting the segment where the source is located to access the input impedance.

• NEC designs of antennas over real ground can now be imported directly into AN-SOF by means of the GN command. The complete real ground description can also be exported to a NEC file.

• The GN command can also be exported to a Scilab .sce file to develop scripts and run bulk simulations.

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

• Run bulk simulations and process multiple input files with just one click. We have chosen the NEC format for the input files as it is a standard adopted by many users. Forget about running the simulations one by one, run them all at once.

• Import a single input file as a bulk simulation and get all the output data in one step. All computed parameters are saved as CSV files (power budget, gain, input impedance, VSWR, far and near fields, etc.).

• Export AN-SOF designs to Scilab format (*.sce files) and easily develop scripts that generate multiple descriptions with variable geometric parameters.

And last but not least, in this link > you will find the model of a Yagi-Uda antenna with variable element spacing. Follow the instructions therein and run the scripts to get the gain of a 3-element Yagi antenna as a function of the element spacing.

Enjoy!

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

We can highlight the following improvements:

• Tabular input of linear wires as well as sources and loads. AN-SOF has many tools to make drawing wires an easier task. However, for those who prefer to enter wires in spreadsheet format we have added a tabular entry.

• List of recently open projects in the File menu. Access the last projects you have been working on much faster going to main menu > File > List of recently open projects.

• Zoom in and out by rotating the mouse wheel (or using the touchpad in a laptop with two fingers). You can continue to zoom by first clicking on the magnifying glass icon and then moving the mouse, but using the mouse wheel is more direct.

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!

• Radiation patterns plotted in AN-Polar can now be exported as *.ant files. The *.ant format can then be imported into the Radio Mobile propagation software. See the format description here: http://www.g3tvu.co.uk/Antenna_Plots.htm. Versions 1 and 3 are implemented in AN-SOF 6.20.

• See how to export radiation patterns from AN-SOF to Radio Mobile here: https://antennasimulator.com/downloadpro/Export_from_AN-SOF_to_Radio_Mobile.pdf. For 1 slice polar plot, an azimuth pattern must be chosen (theta = const). For 2 slices polar plot, slice 1 must be azimuthal (theta = const) and slice 2 must be zenithal (phi = const). The Full 3D option must be selected in AN-SOF Configure tab > Far-Field panel.

• Exportation of linear wires in DXF format has been added. DXF files can then be read by Autodesk viewer at https://www.autodesk.com/viewers/all-viewers/compare

Blog > Antennas and Beyond!