I'd appreciate any recommendations for an inexpensive Smith chart based
program which can be used for the design of basic matching networks and
the like. I'm looking for something along the line of MicroSmith or
WinSMITH, neither of which is any longer available.

Thanks,
Roy Lewallen, W7EL

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.radio.amateur.antenna.]
On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:25:45 -0700, Roy Lewallen wrote:
I'd appreciate any recommendations for an inexpensive Smith chart based
program which can be used for the design of basic matching networks and
the like. I'm looking for something along the line of MicroSmith or
WinSMITH, neither of which is any longer available.


http://www.jcoppens.com/soft/linsmith/index.en.php

See also:

http://education.tm.agilent.com/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=5

using a JAVA-enabled browser. Pretty neat, that.

73
Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux
38.24N 104.55W | @ config.com | Jonesy | OS/2
*** Killfiling google posts: http://jonz.net/ng.htm

Thanks for the suggestions, but I see I need to be more specific about
what I need.

I'm looking for a Windows-based program that runs on a local machine
rather than remotely as at a web site. The objective is to find a
program for EZNEC to write input files for, so that its frequency sweep
impedance data can be easily and directly imported into the Smith chart
program for visual analysis and to aid in designing narrow and broadband
matching networks for antennas. EZNEC originally did this for
MicroSmith, then WinSMITH input file writing was added when MicroSmith
became unavailable. Now WinSMITH is also unavailable, so I'm looking for
another one which I can adapt EZNEC to.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

On Apr 12, 11:25 am, Roy Lewallen wrote:
I'd appreciate any recommendations for an inexpensive Smith chart based
program which can be used for the design of basic matching networks and
the like. I'm looking for something along the line of MicroSmith or
WinSMITH, neither of which is any longer available.

Thanks,
Roy Lewallen, W7EL


Hi Roy,

Darn, sorry that WinSMITH is no longer available. Hope you'll
continue to support that format for those of us with that program.
Based on what I just found, I don't have any reason to quit using it.

You might try LLSmith from http://tools.rfdude.com/RFdude_Smith...t_program.html.
I don't like it as much as WinSMITH, but it looks like it does
somewhat similar things. I found it via a Google search, which led me
among other places to http://www.sss-mag.com/smith.html and
http://www.circuitsage.com/matching.html. The latter one provided the
link to LLSmith. I think I have a useable version of Motorola's Smith
chart program somewhere, but the version I just downloaded is pure
garbage from my point of view; it may work but it's so awkward that
it's worthless to me.

Cheers,
Tom

K7ITM wrote:

Darn, sorry that WinSMITH is no longer available. Hope you'll
continue to support that format for those of us with that program.
Based on what I just found, I don't have any reason to quit using it.

You might try LLSmith from http://tools.rfdude.com/RFdude_Smith...t_program.html.
I don't like it as much as WinSMITH, but it looks like it does
somewhat similar things. I found it via a Google search, which led me
among other places to http://www.sss-mag.com/smith.html and
http://www.circuitsage.com/matching.html. The latter one provided the
link to LLSmith. I think I have a useable version of Motorola's Smith
chart program somewhere, but the version I just downloaded is pure
garbage from my point of view; it may work but it's so awkward that
it's worthless to me.

Thanks, I'll look those up. Negative recommendations are as useful as
positive ones, so thanks for those too.

Don't worry, EZNEC will continue to write your choice of either
MicroSmith or WinSMITH files as well as whatever program I choose for
their successor.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

On Apr 12, 11:25 am, Roy Lewallen wrote:
I'd appreciate any recommendations for an inexpensive Smith chart based
program which can be used for the design of basic matching networks and
the like. I'm looking for something along the line of MicroSmith or
WinSMITH, neither of which is any longer available.

Thanks,
Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Additional comment: if you write impedance files in standard network
analyzer format, they can be used by a lot of programs. I believe you
can find fairly detailed descriptions of the .s1p format on the web.
In particular, RFSim99 can read such files and use them in a 1-port
representation. It will even do an automatic L match to an impedance,
and will display S11 on a Smith chart. (But I'm remembering a problem
if you write them in dB format, something about that RFSim99 uses
10^(dB/10) instead of 10^(dB/20) to convert them to linear before it
uses them...)

Cheers,
Tom

On Apr 12, 1:40 pm, Roy Lewallen wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions, but I see I need to be more specific about
what I need.

I'm looking for a Windows-based program that runs on a local machine
rather than remotely as at a web site. The objective is to find a
program for EZNEC to write input files for, so that its frequency sweep
impedance data can be easily and directly imported into the Smith chart
program for visual analysis and to aid in designing narrow and broadband
matching networks for antennas. EZNEC originally did this for
MicroSmith, then WinSMITH input file writing was added when MicroSmith
became unavailable. Now WinSMITH is also unavailable, so I'm looking for
another one which I can adapt EZNEC to.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

OK, I gotta quit looking at Smith chart stuff...

Are you sure WinSMITH is no longer available? See http://www.scitechpub.com/WinSmith.htm.
Looks pretty current to me. My 2.0 version was provided on floppy,
and I see they've gotten into the 21st century and have it on CD-ROM.

Cheers,
Tom

Roy Lewallen wrote:
I'd appreciate any recommendations for an inexpensive Smith chart based
program which can be used for the design of basic matching networks and
the like. I'm looking for something along the line of MicroSmith or
WinSMITH, neither of which is any longer available.

Thanks,
Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Try SmartSmith for Windows by W9DMK.

Bob, w6nbi

--
When replying direct, remove the Z in my email address.

On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:25:45 -0700, Roy Lewallen
wrote:

I'd appreciate any recommendations for an inexpensive Smith chart based
program which can be used for the design of basic matching networks and
the like. I'm looking for something along the line of MicroSmith or
WinSMITH, neither of which is any longer available.

Thanks,
Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Hi Roy,

There is a very slick one Switzerland:
http://www.fritz.dellsperger.net/downloads.htm
from Dr. Fritz Dellsperger.

It, like your software, has a free but limited use. Getting the full
use one is rather more obscure as there is nothing mentioned at his
site as how to get a key or otherwise obtain full use (more than a
limited number of points). Somewhere, there was the suggestion of
accommodating a user if they emailed, but that never worked for me.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Roy Lewallen wrote:
I'm looking for a Windows-based program that runs on a local machine
rather than remotely as at a web site.

Somebody tell Roy that Robert Lay, W9DMK, has a
SMARTSMITH program that may or may not be what
he is looking for and may or may not be
EZNEC compatible.

http://www.qsl.net/w9dmk/
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com