Even if you don't buy the ARRL Antenna course, you can buy the $39.95 "ARRL
Antenna Book" which comes with a customized version of EZNec with models of
every antenna discussed in the book.

I started with EZNEC using the customized (and somewhat crippled) ARRL
version, but the program was essentially free with the ARRL book. When I
decided that I wanted to model my own designs and save the modifications
that I made to existing ARRL files, I bought the full program (which can
still open and manipulate all the ARRL models).

-larry
K8UT
"John Ferrell" wrote in message
...
On 27 Apr 2007 12:18:57 -0700, wrote:

I've been 'googling' for a MININEC-based antenna modeling program (or
programs) and I've decided a guy could get old and grey before he was
through looking at all the offerings. I've kind of (based on web page
descriptions) compiled a short list of candidates as follows:

MMANA by JH3HHT
EZNEC by W7EL
NEC-Win Pro by Nitanny Scientific

Is anyone here using any of those, especially NEC-Win Plus? Can
anyone recommend one that they KNOW is better than the ones on my
list? I have $450 budgeted for this but I might consider something a
little costlier if it were overwhelmingly better.

73, RDW

EZNEC has a free demo. I compared that against what I could glean from
the advertising info of the other candidates. EZNEC allows me to think
about antennas while I am using it rather than think about
programming.

EZNEC has saved me a lot of labor with my "antenna habit". EZNEC and
Nittany Scientific products are used in the ARRL antenna course. That
course is a good value as well.

John Ferrell W8CCW
"Life is easier if you learn to
plow around the stumps"