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Guides
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- New Tools in AN-SOF: Selecting and Editing Wires in Bulk
- How to Speed Up Simulations in AN-SOF: Tips for Faster Results
- Enhancing Antenna Design Flexibility: Project Merging in AN-SOF
- AN-SOF Antenna Simulation Best Practices: Checking and Correcting Model Errors
- Setting the Radiation Pattern Center
- H-Field Option in Preferences
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- Can AI Design Antennas? Lessons from a 3-Iteration Yagi-Uda Experiment
- Modeling Common-Mode Currents in Coaxial Cables: A Hybrid Approach
- Beyond Analytical Formulas: Accurate Coil Inductance Calculation with AN-SOF
- Complete Workflow: Modeling, Feeding, and Tuning a 20m Band Dipole Antenna
- DIY Helix High Gain Directional Antenna: From Simulation to 3D Printing
- Design Guidelines for Skeleton Slot Antennas: A Simulation-Driven Approach
- Simplified Modeling for Microstrip Antennas on Ungrounded Dielectric Substrates: Accuracy Meets Simplicity
- Fast Modeling of a Monopole Supported by a Broadcast Tower
- Linking Log-Periodic Antenna Elements Using Transmission Lines
- AN-SOF Mastery: Adding Elevated Radials Quickly
- An Efficient Approach to Simulating Radiating Towers for Broadcasting Applications
- RF Techniques: Implicit Modeling and Equivalent Circuits for Baluns
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- Understanding the Antenna Near Field: Key Concepts Every Ham Radio Operator Should Know
- Evaluating EMF Compliance - Part 1: A Guide to Far-Field RF Exposure Assessments
- Evaluating EMF Compliance - Part 2: Using Near-Field Calculations to Determine Exclusion Zones
- Wave Matching Coefficient: Defining the Practical Near-Far Field Boundary
- AN-SOF Data Export: A Guide to Streamlining Your Workflow
- Export Radiation Patterns to MSI Planet
- Export Radiation Patterns to Radio Mobile
- Scilab Script for Plotting Level Curves
- Adjusting the Color Bar in AN-3D Pattern
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- Introducing the AN-SOF Engine: Power, Speed, and Flexibility for Antenna Simulation
- What’s New in AN-SOF 10? Smarter Tools for RF Professionals and Antenna Enthusiasts
- To Our Valued AN-SOF Customers and Users: Reflections, Milestones, and Future Plans
- AN-SOF 9.50 Release: Streamlining Polarization, Geometry, and EMF Calculations
- AN-SOF 9: Taking Antenna Design Further with New Feeder and Tuner Calculators
- AN-SOF Antenna Simulation Software - Version 8.90 Release Notes
- AN-SOF 8.70: Enhancing Your Antenna Design Journey
- Introducing AN-SOF 8.50: Enhanced Antenna Design & Simulation Software
- Get Ready for the Next Level of Antenna Design: AN-SOF 8.50 is Coming Soon!
- Explore the Cutting-Edge World of AN-SOF Antenna Simulation Software!
- Upgrade to AN-SOF 8.20 - Unleash Your Potential
- AN-SOF 8: Elevating Antenna Simulation to the Next Level
- New Release: AN-SOF 7.90
- AN-SOF 7.80 is ready!
- New AN-SOF User Guide
- New Release: AN-SOF 7.50
- AN-SOF 7.20 is ready!
- New Release :: AN-SOF 7.10 ::
- AN-SOF 7.0 is Here!
- New Release :: AN-SOF 6.40 ::
- New Release :: AN-SOF 6.20 ::
- Show All Articles (6) Collapse Articles
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- Types of Wires
- Wire Attributes
- Wire Materials
- Enabling/Disabling Resistivity
- Enabling/Disabling Coating
- Cross-Section Equivalent Radius
- Exporting Wires
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Models
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- Download Examples
- Explore 5 Antenna Models with Less Than 50 Segments in AN-SOF Trial Version
- Modeling a Center-Fed Cylindrical Antenna with AN-SOF
- Modeling a Circular Loop Antenna in AN-SOF: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Monopole Antennas Over Imperfect Ground: Modeling and Analysis with AN-SOF
- Helix Antenna in Axial Mode
- Yagi-Uda Array
- A Transmission Line
- An RLC Circuit
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- Pi Day Special: A Short Dipole with Radiation Resistance of 3.14 Ohms
- Modeling a Super J-Pole: A Look Inside a 5-Element Collinear Antenna
- The 5-in-1 J-Pole Antenna Solution for Multiband Communications
- Simulating a Multiband Omnidirectional Dipole Antenna Design
- The Loop on Ground (LoG) Antenna: A Compact Solution for Directional Reception
- Precision Simulations with AN-SOF for Magnetic Loop Antennas
- Advantages of AN-SOF for Simulating 433 MHz Spring Helical Antennas for ISM & LoRa Applications
- Radio Mast Above Wire Screen
- Square Loop Antenna
- Receiving Loop Antenna
- Monopole Above Earth Ground
- Top-Loaded Short Monopole
- Half-Wave Dipole
- Folded Dipole
- Dipole Antenna
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- Exploring an HF Log-Periodic Sawtooth Array: Insights from Geometry to Simulation
- The Lazy-H Antenna: A 10-Meter Band Design Guide
- Extended Double Zepp (EDZ): A Phased Array Solution for Directional Antenna Applications
- Transmission Line Feeding in Antenna Design: Exploring the Four-Square Array
- Enhancing VHF Performance: The Dual Reflector Moxon Antenna for 145 MHz
- Building a Compact High-Performance UHF Array with AN-SOF: A 4-Element Biquad Design
- Building a Beam: Modeling a 5-Element 2m Band Quad Array
- A Closer Look at the HF Skeleton Slot Antenna
- The 17m Band 2-Element Delta Loop Beam: A Compact, High-Gain Antenna for DX Enthusiasts
- The Moxon-Yagi Dual-Band VHF/UHF Antenna for Superior Satellite Link Performance
- Broadside Dipole Array
- Log-Periodic Dipole Array
- Broadband Directional Antenna
- Log-Periodic Christmas Tree
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- Nelder-Mead Optimization for Antenna Design Using the AN-SOF Engine and Scilab
- Evolving Better Antennas: A Genetic Algorithm Optimizer Using AN-SOF and Scilab
- Building Effective Cost Functions for Antenna Optimization: Weighting, Normalization, and Trade-offs
- Element Spacing Simulation Script for Yagi-Uda Antennas
- Automating 2-Element Quad Array Design: Scripting and Bulk Processing in AN-SOF
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Validation
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- Simple Dual Band Vertical Dipole for the 2m and 70cm Bands
- Linear Antenna Theory: Historical Approximations and Numerical Validation
- Validation of a Panel RBS Antenna with Dipole Radiators against IEC 62232 Standard
- Validating V Antennas: Directivity Analysis with AN-SOF
- Enhanced Methodology for Monopoles Above Radial Wire Ground Screens
- Validating Dipole Antenna Simulations: A Comparative Study with King-Middleton
- Dipole Gain and Radiation Resistance
- Convergence of the Dipole Input Impedance
The Settings Panel
Go to the Setup tab in the main window and select the Settings panel, Fig. 1.

The accuracy of the integrals involved in the calculations can be set in the Settings panel. The Quadrature Tolerance is the error in the evaluation of interactions between wire segments which are separated by a distance less than the Interaction Distance.
The Interaction Distance is the maximum distance in wavelengths between segments for which an error less than the Quadrature Tolerance is guaranteed in the integrations. The interaction between all wire segments further apart than the Interaction Distance is computed using a third-degree polynomial approximation to the involved integrals, which is more accurate for curved segments than the Hertzian dipole approximation used in the traditional Method of Moments. Therefore, the Interaction Distance could be set to zero for a faster simulation when wire segments are not too close to each other, but results will be less accurate. A convergence test for various values of this parameter is recommended.
For most cases, a quadrature tolerance between 0.1% and 1% and an interaction distance between 0.25 and 1.0 wavelengths will be enough for obtaining accurate results.
In AN-SOF, all calculations are done with double precision. The Matrix Size Threshold allows us to simulate big antenna problems when the size of the structure compromises the available memory space. For instance, by setting the Matrix Size Threshold to 4,000, the set of linear equations associated to the Z-matrix of the antenna system will be computed using single precision for a matrix size bigger than 4,000 x 4,000. This will impact the accuracy of the calculations but will save memory. In practice, the error will be not significant.
The Exact Kernel option allows us to use the exact Kernel for the Electric Field Integral Equation associated to the structure. This option must be chosen when relatively thick wire segments are used to describe the wire structure. If the Exact Kernel option is unchecked, an extended thin-wire approximation will be used for the kernel. If all wire segments are thin enough, then the computation will be a little faster using the extended thin-wire kernel. Refer to The Exact Kernel for further information.
In the Settings panel, the Reference Impedance for VSWR calculations can also be set. A default value of 50 Ohm is set.
Besides, the following options for the type of simulation are available in the Options box:
- If NGF is checked, the Numerical Green’s Function calculation is performed in the simulation, that is, the LU-decomposed matrix of the system is stored in a file in the first simulation. Then, by using the stored information, new simulations are performed faster than the first one. Check this option if you need to change the amplitude values of voltage/current sources frequently.
- If Load Impedances is checked, lumped impedances will be considered in the simulation. With this option all the lumped loads can be disabled or enabled at the same time.
- If Wire Resistivity is checked, the finite resistivity of the wires will be considered in the simulation. Any wire has its own resistivity in [Ohm meter] that can be set when the wire is drawn. This option allows us considering the whole structure as a perfect electric conductor when it is unchecked.
- If Wire Coating is checked, the coating materials of the wires will be considered in the simulation. Any wire has its own coating specified by a dielectric permittivity, magnetic permeability, and thickness, which can be set when the wire is drawn. When this option is unchecked, the wire coating will not be considered in the simulation.