Getting Started

• Quick Start Guide
• AN-SOF Overview
• The AN-SOF Interface
• Preferences
• Tools in the Workspace
• Shortcut Keys
• File Formats
• The Conformal Method of Moments
• AN-SOF User Guide

Simulation Setup

• The Setup Tab
• Specifying the Frequencies
• Defining the Environment
• Far Field Parameters
• Near Field Parameters
• Defining the Excitation
• The Settings Panel
• Project Details

Drawing Wires

• Adding Wires

  • Line
  • Arc
  • Circle
  • Helix
  • Quadratic
  • Archimedean Spiral
  • Logarithmic Spiral
  • Tapered Wires
  • Importing Wires
  • Tabular Input of Linear Wires

• Editing Wires

  • Selecting a Wire
  • Modifying a Wire
  • Deleting a Wire
  • Modifying a Group of Wires
  • Deleting a Group of Wires
  • Wire Color
  • Wire Properties
  • Connecting Wires
  • Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Wires
  • Copying and Stacking Wires

• Types of Wires
• Wire Attributes
• Wire Materials
• Enabling/Disabling Resistivity
• Enabling/Disabling Coating
• Cross-Section Equivalent Radius
• Exporting Wires

Grids and Surfaces

• Adding Wire Grids/Solid Surfaces

  • Patch
  • Plate
  • Disc
  • Flat Ring
  • Cone
  • Truncated Cone
  • Cylinder
  • Sphere
  • Paraboloid

• Types of Grids and Surfaces
• Grid/Surface Attributes
• Modifying a Grid/Surface
• Deleting a Grid/Surface
• Grid/Surface Color

Sources and Loads

• Types of Excitations and Loads
• The Source/Load/TL Toolbar
• Adding Sources
• Editing Sources
• Adding Loads
• Editing Loads
• Enabling/Disabling Loads

Incident Field

• Excitation by an Incident Field
• Incident Field Parameters
• The 3D-View Interface

Ground Planes

• Adding a PEC Ground Plane
• Adding a Real Ground Plane
• Adding a Dielectric Substrate
• Connecting Wires to the Ground
• Removing the Ground Plane

Running Calculations

• The Run ALL Command
• Calculating the Current Distribution
• Calculating the Far Field
• Calculating the Near E-Field
• Calculating the Near H-Field
• Aborting the Calculations
• Numerical Green's Function
• Running a Bulk Simulation

Displaying Results

• Current Distribution

  • Plotting the Current Distribution
  • The List Currents Toolbar
  • Listing the Currents in a Segment

• Input Impedances

  • Listing the Input Impedances, VSWR, and S11
  • Displaying Smith Charts

• Load Impedances

  • Listing Load Impedances
  • Internal Impedance of a Source

• Far Field

  • Plotting 2D Far Field Patterns
  • Plotting 3D Far Field Patterns
  • Plotting the Far Field Spectrum
  • Power Budget
  • Radar Cross Section
  • Exporting the Far Field
  • Front-to-Rear and Front-to-Back Ratios

• Near Field

  • Plotting Near Field Patterns
  • Plotting the Near Field Spectrum
  • Exporting the Near Field

• Types of Results
• The Results Tab
• The Plots Tab

Transmission Lines

• Feed Line

  • Adding a Feed Line
  • Feed Line Results
  • Custom Line Options

• Adding Transmission Lines
• Custom Transmission Lines
• Connecting Transmission Lines
• Open and Short-Circuited Lines
• Editing Transmission Lines
• Modeling Coaxial Cables
• Adding a Custom Lossy Line

How-To Guides

• Setup Guide

  • How to Speed Up a Simulation
  • H-Field Option in Preferences
  • Setting the Radiation Pattern Center

• Modeling Guidelines

  • The Equivalent Circuit of a Balun
  • On the Modeling of Radio Masts
  • How to Merge Projects
  • How to Detect Errors in the Geometry
  • Element Spacing Simulation Script for Yagi-Uda Antennas

• Results Display

  • How to Export Data and Plots
  • The color bar in AN-3D Pattern
  • Plotting Level Curves
  • Export Radiation Patterns to Radio Mobile
  • Export Radiation Patterns to MSI Planet

FAQs

• Licensing FAQ
• Technical FAQ
• Troubleshooting

Background Theory

• The AN-SOF Calculation Engine
• Electric Field Integral Equation
• The Exact Kernel
• Conformal Method of Moments
• Excitation of the Structure
• Curved vs. Straight Segments

Linear Antennas

• Impedance of Cylindrical Antennas
• Convergence of the Dipole Input Impedance
• Dipole Gain and Radiation Resistance
• Enhanced Methodology for Monopoles Above Radial Wire Ground Screens
• Directivity of V Antennas
• Validating Panel RBS Antenna with Dipole Radiators against IEC 62232
• Simple Dual Band Vertical Dipole for the 2m and 70cm Bands

Curved Antennas

• Radiation Resistance and Directivity of Small Loops
• Input Impedance and Directivity of Large Circular Loops
• Gain of Helix in Normal Mode
• Gain and VSWR of Helix in Axial Mode