Welcome to NEC4WIN v1.5 A user-friendly implementation of MININEC running under WINDOWS ------------------------------------------ For the latest information about NEC4WIN and accompanying files. Read this file with NOTEPAD (maximize the window for clarity). Note: This Shareware version is not just a Demo, it works ! It has however one limitation: only the projects distributed as examples can be loaded. You can still enter manually new antennas, simulate them, save projects in ASCII, plot and print all diagrams, etc. Distribute this version freely as long as you follow the rules outlined in the Help file. To get a fully functional version Register. WARNING: ======= The ZIP file found on Internet DOES NOT include VBRUN300.DLL. This DLL is available from these locations: ftp.winsite.com in the win3/util directory http://www.csum.edu/cwis/winworld/vbasic.html Copy VBRUN300.DLL to you windows/system directory. ----------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- 1. Program Highlights 2. Installation 3. Running the program 4. How to Get Help 5. Limitations 6. Register ------------------------- 1. Program Highlights ------------------------- NEC4WIN runs on 386 PCs, but we recommend a 486 or a Pentium for best performances and speed. A minimum of 4 Mbytes of memory is required. The program runs under Windows 3.1 and should function with most types of video cards and graphic printers supported by windows. The user interface is fully Windows oriented. Except Wire entries, all commands can be done using the Mouse. Calculations and plot are done in REAL TIME. The Antenna can be entered at zero height, and the height entered separatly using the keyboard or the Mouse. Use the Mouse to change the height, ground type, or almost anything else. Go to , click on or and the pattern is plotted. This could take a few seconds for a simple antenna to a minute or more for complex antennas. The delay is in geometrical proportion to the total number of segments used. Plot options allow you to change the grid, draw -3 dB radius etc. On plot diagrams the left column displays the results: Impedance, Lobe(s) angle and width, SWR, etc. Spinners (small up and down arrow) placed on the button bar of the Plot Field Window allows you to change heights and angles using the mouse. 3D display of antenna and currents, with possibility of rotating the antenna, zooming in and out, zooming currents, printing the 3D view. Orthogonal display of the antenna with dimensions, segments, sources and loads displayed. Possibility to "measure" with the mouse. Selection of the ground under the antenna is simplified to the extreme. A set of buttons allows you to select predefined grounds, from PERFECT to BAD. You can also enter manually conductivity and dielectric constants, if you want. SWR calculation using a 50 Ohms source by default, but you can select any other value from the interface "Option-Coax" or by using the command "Coax" followed by the value of the impedance in the Project. Standards MININEC outputs are available and dumped into a log file. This includes the description of the wires, segmentation, fields and antenna currents, plus the calculations performed. Compute menu option to dump in the log file the Far Field, Near Field and currents. Angles, increments are user selectable à la MININEC. Units are user selectable: Inches, Feet and Meters. Wire size can be entered as AWG wire size in . All entries defining antenna and environment are saved in a N4W Project. Project Files are saved in ASCII and can be edited with NOTEPAD or any ASCII editor. They contain all parameters you entered or modified from the interface. Options allows setting of Units, Default Wire Size in different units including AWG, saving defaults in INI file. The INI defaults are loaded at startup, or reloaded with . --------------- 2. INSTALLATION --------------- Installing NEC4WIN on your hard disk: -------------------------------------- From distribution floppy disks: ------------------------------- 1. Select File|Run from Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.1x, or Windows NT. 2. Enter A:SETUP (or B:SETUP) on the input line. 4. Fill in the directory field, and SETUP will create the Windows groups and install NEC4WIN. Alternative installation is: 1. From the Windows File manager, select the distribution floppy. 2. Click on SETUP.EXE. 3. Specify the drive and directory for the target. Installing from ZIP files: ------------------------- 1. Decompress in a temporary directory the N4WZIP.ZIP (or execute autoextract N4WZIP.EXE). You end up with a number of files as listed below. the .XX_ are windows compressed files used by the program SETUP. 2. Perform the installation as explained above 3. Remove all setup files from the temporary directory. --------------------------------------- Files on the distribution floppy or ZIP --------------------------------------- 20DIP N4_ 411 01-01-96 12:00a 20VERT N4_ 266 01-01-96 12:00a 21DIP N4_ 318 01-01-96 12:00a 40INVV N4_ 423 01-01-96 12:00a 40INVV2 N4_ 365 01-01-96 12:00a 80DIP N4_ 211 01-01-96 12:00a B10M3EL N4_ 382 01-01-96 12:00a B10MINCH N4_ 352 01-01-96 12:00a B40M2EL N4_ 204 01-01-96 12:00a BEAM144 N4_ 446 01-01-96 12:00a CMDIALOG VB_ 10,865 03-10-92 12:00a COMMDLG DL_ 54,547 03-10-92 12:00a DDEML DL_ 23,971 03-10-92 12:00a DDRR N4_ 676 01-01-96 12:00a DIP10M N4_ 258 01-01-96 12:00a DMS N4_ 405 01-01-96 12:00a GRID VB_ 27,975 03-10-92 12:00a K5RPMAG N4_ 971 01-01-96 12:00a LISEZMOI TXT 11,060 01-01-96 12:00a N4WDLL DL_ 13,256 01-01-96 12:00a N4WSET EX_ 14,200 01-01-96 12:00a NEC4WIN EX_ 101,496 01-01-96 12:00a NEC4WIN HL_ 77,496 01-01-96 12:00a NEC4WIN IN_ 634 01-01-96 12:00a QUAD1EL N4_ 334 01-01-96 12:00a QUAD1ELX N4_ 258 01-01-96 12:00a QUAD2EL N4_ 571 01-01-96 12:00a README TXT 9,638 01-01-96 12:00a SETUP EXE 19,056 03-10-92 12:00a SETUP LST 42 01-01-96 12:00a SETUPKIT DL_ 3,657 03-10-92 12:00a SHORT80 N4_ 677 01-01-96 12:00a THREED VB_ 33,489 03-10-92 12:00a VER DL_ 6,714 03-10-92 12:00a VBRUN300 DL_ 276,684 03-10-92 12:00a <--- Not included on Internet 35 file(s) 692,308 bytes ------------------------ 3. Running from Windows ------------------------ Click on the NEC4WIN blue icon. The main window is displayed and you can open one of the demo projects found in the NEC4WIN directory or go directly to You will be prompted for a project name. To see how the antenna looks use or better <3D..> Display wire list and dimensions with . Unless you want to stare at long lists of numbers use the PLOT command. Plot displays the Azimuth (Horizontal) and Zenith(Vertical) fields. You can select Logarithmic or Linear display, and print the results. The "Compute" menu item provides access to far or near fields and currents calculations. Results are dumped in a log file which can be printed later. IMPORTANT --------- NEC4WIN contains a context sensitive help activated by F1 or by HELP. When you do not know what a menu item does, or what buttons do Press F1. ------------------ 4. HOW TO GET HELP ------------------ 1. Electronic mail Internet: mboukri@ulix.net CompuServe: 71061,154 2. Phone Call (514) 626 5002 3. Mail Madjid BOUKRI ORION Microsystems 197 Cr. JONCAIRE, Ile Bizard Quebec, CANADA, H9C 2P7 =============== 5. Limitations =============== NEC4WIN is a Windows version of MININEC. The internal algorithms for calculating impedance and fields are based on MININEC3 algorithms. It is written in Visual Basic and the speed of execution ... let's say, could be improved. Routines, intensively used in impedance calculations were moved to a "C" DLL to improve speed. All MININEC limitations apply to NEC4WIN: Any antenna with horizontal wires lower than 1/4 will give inaccurate results. This is not dramatic most of the time, but in some specific cases, results could be quite off the mark (Check K5RPMAG.NEC a model of "Magnetic Slot Antenna") especially if the number of segments is too small. For more information on MININEC limitations: . MININEC: The other side of the sword, QST, Feb. 1991 . Beginner's Guide to computer Antenna modeling programs by L.B. Cebik W4RNL, ARRL Antenna compendium #3 . Modeling HF antennas with Mininec, John Belrose VE2CV, ARRL Antenna compendium #3 =================== 6. How to Register =================== This version can be used as it is, but you will have to reenter manually your antenna parameters everytime, because this version prevents you from loading user projects files. When you register you get the latest version of NEC4WIN without introduction screen and user file lock(s). Registration is US$30.00. Click on in the help contents screen, then to get all information on how to register and to print an order form. Comments, Suggestions? contact me via e-mail on Internet or CompuServe. TKS, 73's Madjid BOUKRI VE2GMI -------------------------------------------------- Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Inc.