[ NEC4WIN95 ] [ NT problems ] [ NEC4WIN ] Frequently Asked Questions on NEC4WIN95 Demo frozen on Splash window DECIMAL POINT Problem Error 50003, Not enough Memory is symptom of DLL problems (see below) Check DLL and OCX version Utility Missing DLLs or OCX at startup The libraries setup asked me to update my WinNT? Windows NT Installation problems Printer error message at startup, but I do not have a printer? Can't locate Printer Installation stops and reports "ComponentMoveData failed. Error 119" I can't download some files Uninstalling NEC4WIN95 Program complains about a DECIMAL POINT problem? NEC4WIN95 starts and stops immediately Sources are moving when I edit my file in geometry How do I stop long simulations? Can I model adaptation networks? Parallel RLC Loads and zero values How can I enter R in parallel RLC traps? General Questions Using Win95 and GRID.VBX out of date The program is crazy. I entered 3,795 and I get 3? I entered my first dipole but I have problems with the source and I have a pulse at one of the extremities? How are pulses inserted? How and where do I put the source? How do I insert a source in an end fed antenna or a vertical? General questions on modeling with MININEC I changed the ground but the impedance does not change Are crossed wires automatically connected? How do I model ground losses? Can I model wire/trap losses? (see this too) Frequently Asked Questions on NEC4WIN95 ### NEC4WIN95 NEC4WIN95 works with Win95, Win98, WinNT and Win2000. If you have problems check the list below. If you can't solve your problem send us an email and we will be glad to help you. ### Installation problems Missing DLLs or OCX at startup You may have forgot to download and install the libraries. Download and install one and only one of the two libraries below. VB5 run time libraries from this CD MSVBVM50.EXE from Microsoft The libraries setup asked me to update my WinNT? The VB5 library is a service pack 3 and contains SP3 OCX for Win95 and WinNT. Some WinNT users may have to install the NT service pack 3. That service pack is available for free from Microsoft . Download tip: DO NOT use a site near you when you download. If you have the choice, use sites in countries that are in other time zones and asleep at the time you are downloading. Windows NT Installation problems (Eval or Full) Windows NT security must be set to defaults allowing current user to install software. If your libraries are not up to date you will get these sequence of events and messages: 1st time you run NEC4WIN95 "Unable to locate DLL" The dynamic link library MSVBVM50.DLL could not be found in the specific path. C\ProgramFiles\Nec4win95;C\WINNT\system32;;C\WINNT\system;;C\WINNT\system32;;C\WINNT\;; Download vb5rtsp3.exe and after install you get "The OLE system files are in use and cannot be updated. The installation will restart Windows to update OLE. You must re-run the installation after Windows restarts to complete the installation" Restart WinNT and re-run vb5rtsp3.exe The program should run! Printer error message at startup, but I do not have a printer? This bug didn't exist before and seems to come from SP3 library (never occured to Microsoft that some users may not have a printer). Extra code will be added to correct this problem in next update. In the mean time you can fool the program by installing a dummy printer (anyone will do) even if you don't have a physical printer connected. Can't locate Printer Go to >Control Panel >Printers and reselect your default printer. Installation stops with "ComponentMoveData failed. Error 119" Some of the problems you could have: MFC40.DLL may be missing in \Windows\System. Download from Here You have the OCX in you \windows\system and it is READ ONLY. Check Properties by selecting the file then right click and select "properties". "Read Only" should be unchecked. You have multiple copies of some OCX on your system and your registry is pointing on one that is not in \windows\system One of the OLE dlls is corrupt or missing. The OLEs are used by the self registration process. Try to reregister manually the OCX above by going to <Start><Run> and type: REGSVR32 DLL-OCX name You should get "DllRegisterServer ... succeeded". I can't download some files Some browsers like Explorer, have problems to download files when clicking on links. Use the right mouse button and use the Save as or Save Target As to download the file. Uninstalling NEC4WIN95 NEC4WIN95 can be uninstalled like any true Win95 program. Go to control panel and select "install/uninstall" then click on NEC4WIN95 in the list of installed programs to uninstall. The program will be uninstalled and all files removed. If there are new files created in the directory, directory and files won't be deleted for security reasons. You will have to clean up manually. Answer No to "remove shared DLLs" even if windows tells you that they are not used by any other program. #### NEC4WIN95 problems Splash screen frozen The demo Splash screen should have two buttons at the bottom as in picture 1. If you don't see these two buttons and have a black border on the right and bottom side your display uses a LARGE FONTS setup and you should do the following to bypass or correct the problem: 1. Bypass by typing TAB TAB ENTER 2. Use small fonts on your display if possible. This problem does not affect the rest of the program. Program complains about a DECIMAL POINT problem? Check the page on the decimal point problem: DECIMAL POINT Program crashes and reports "Error 50003", "Not enough memory" These errors are generally caused by DLL and OCX that are not up to date. Check item below on how to check if all DLLs are here and if they are of correct version. Utility to check DLL and OCX versions Download and run the following program. This small DOS console program will dump the version of all DLL and OCX needed by NEC4WIN95. Compare to the list to see if your files are up to date and upgrade these DLLs if necessary. TSTDLL.EXE Utility
File Name in \system | Version:
msvbvm50.dll | 05.00.4319 (SP2)
MFC40.dll | 4.1.000
Asycfilt.dll | 2.30.4265
Comcat.dll | 5.0
Ctl3d.dll | 2,31,0,0
Ctl3d32.dll | 2,31,0,0
Oleaut32.dll | 2.30.4265
Olepro32.dll | 2.30
Stdole2.tlb | 2.30.4265
grid32.ocx | 1.0.2908
Threed32.ocx | 1.0.0000
ComCtl32.ocx | 6.00.8022
ComDlg32.ocx | 6.00.8169
Comct232.ocx | 6.00.8022
Regsvr32.exe | 5.00.1641.1
NEC4WIN95 starts and stops or crashes immediately This problem is generally related to a .INI problem. If you regenerate the INI from the ZIP and it works once then crashes on subsequent runs it is certainly an INI problem. Send us an email with a copy of the INI and we will solve the problem. If it is not an INI problem one of the OCX is not correctly installed. Sources are moving when I edit my file in geometry Sources are attached to pulse numbers, not wires. If you change the pulse number on wires after inserting sources or loads they will move to the new pulse location. Warning: Removing wires carrying sources or loads when these wires are at the end of a project can create phantom sources or loads. Try to delete the sources and loads before deleting wires. How do I stop long simulations? Click on the stop button in the main Window. If you are in one of the plots (Impedance, SWR, Gain, F/B), click first on the window to display the parameters dialog, this will stop computations. Then on click Cancel. Can I model adaptation networks? NEC4WIN95 is derived from Mininec and will simulate radiating structures but will have difficulties with electronic circuits. Loads placed in the antenna are OK but trying to simulate complex feed point adaptation networks is not recommended. You can however simulate center load adaptation (coil across feed point), hairpins, gamma match if you model them correctly. Best solution in most cases is to simulate the antenna without any matching. From the impedance you can use specialized programs to determine RLC matching network. Parallel RLC Loads and zeros A zero value in parallel loads means that the component is absent and will be ignored. How can I enter R in parallel RLC traps? The R in parallel RLC loads is not the Resistance of the coil but the parallel equivalent. The example below from exchanges with Tony Field, VE6YP and explains the process: This is a trap resonating at 7.2 Mhz: 8.2uh 2 ohms |------L L L L ---- R R R R -----| ---------| |---------- |------------- C C --------------| 59.59pf The parallel equivalent parallel circuit is: 68.8k ohms |------ R R R ------| | | | 8.2uh | -------|------L L L L -----|--------- | | |------- C C -------| 59.59pf The parallel resistance impedance is: Rp = QX where: Rp = resistive impedance at resonance Q = quality factor of the inductor X = reactance (in ohms) of either the inductor or capacitor Since we have (above) assumed that a resistance of 2 ohms for with a reactance of 371 ohms yields a Q of 185.5, then the resistive impedance at resonance is Rp = QX = 185.5 * 371 = 68.8k ohms And the parallel resistance is 68.8K! ### Frequently Asked Questions on NEC4WIN #### Installation problems Using Win95 and GRID.VBX out of date Q: The program reports that the "version of GRID.VBX is out of date". I am using Win95...what do you make of that? Normally Installation programs copy the DLLs and VBXs in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. If they find that the DLL/VBX exist already they check the date and version and do not copy outdated versions on top of new ones but this is not always true. You may have installed a software after NEC4WIN which used an "outdated" version of Grid.vbx so: 1. Rename the GRID.VBX found in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM to GRID.VBY 2. Copy the GRID.VBX in found \NEC4WIN to your \Windows\System directory. 3. Retry NEC4WIN it should work now. The program is crazy. I entered 3,795 and I get 3? Big chances that you using the European/French numerical notation with a comma "," as decimal separator and "." as thousand separator. The program works with US decimal number notation and does not recognize the comma very well. Go to your Setup International and change the decimal separator to "." and thousand separator to "," as in 1,234.56 and it should work. No need to change keyboard driver. ### NEC4WIN problems I entered my first dipole but I have problem with the source and I have a pulse at one of the extremities? Your height is zero. When Z=0 the wire is grounded and that is why a pulse was inserted at one of the extremities. You have two solutions: 1. Enter a height in the Height dialog (Antenna Options - Height). 2. Enter a height in the Z coordinates. After entering the height, look at the antenna and display the pulses. There should be no pulse at the extremities. If you want to simulate at different heights, solution 1 is better because you will be able to change the antenna height in the Far Field Plot window. How are pulses inserted? Pulses are inserted between segments, at wire connections and at ground connections (Z = 0). If your wire is not connected and not grounded you should have Segments minus one pulses. If you connect a new wire at the extremity a pulse is inserted at the junction between the two wires. A horizontal wire does not have pulses at the extremities. Check the beams and dipoles and you will see how pulses are positioned on the wire. You can experiment by creating a vertical and changing the height from inside the grid. Look at the antenna and pulses with View. You will see that when the bottom of the vertical is not touching the ground, there is no pulse there. The help file describes that in "Crash course in modeling". How and where do I put the source? Sources are inserted at locations where there are pulses, by specifying their pulse position (pulse number). You can find the pulse number by looking at the antenna in 2D or 3D and clicking on Pulse and Pulse# (In the grid click on Show). Pulses are displayed (blue dots) with their corresponding number. Once you have the pulse number, if you are in the grid type S, the sources input dialog is displayed. Enter the pulse number, don't bother with voltage and phase with simple antennas, just type Enter until you see the field Total Sources entered showing 1. Click on OK and that's it. If you go back to see the antenna in 2D or 3D you should have a red dot showing the source at the correct position. If you made a mistake, just click on the source/load column and change the pulse number to have the source at the correct location. How do I insert a source in an end fed antenna or a vertical? Vertical antennas are generally defined from Z0 = 0 to Z1 = height of antenna. Every time a wire is connected to the ground, a pulse is created at the connection and your source should be placed there. Click on View to look at your antenna, click on Pulse to see the pulses. If your antenna base is grounded you should have a pulse at the bottom. If there is no pulse there, that means that the lower part of your antenna is not at zero height (Z0 or height are not zero). Check the 20vert.n4w file to see how a vertical is defined! If you want to simulate a vertical raised above the ground you will have to create a ground connection by bringing a wire from the ground and connect this wire to the antenna. A pulse will be created at the connection and you will be able to insert a source at the connection. There is a catch however! The vertical section that you created to connect the antenna to the ground will be part of the radiating system and that will change the pattern. You can always try to insert an RF choke below the source but that is not a good solution. The solution is to create an artificial ground plane by adding in your simulation at least 2 or 3 radials connected to the base of the vertical and inserting the source at that junction. WARNING: If you use elevated radials, define the radials first, then the vertical section. It will be easier to find the pulse number that way. If you define the vertical section first, pulse one will be located one segment above the base and the pulse number at the base will be a little bit more difficult to find. ### General questions on modeling with MININEC I changed the ground but the impedance does not change In MININEC the ground is assumed to be perfect in Near Field or impedance calculation. It is used however in Far Field calculations and Zenith patterns will vary with changes in ground quality. Load the 20vert.n4w project and plot the zenith pattern. You will see that the TOA (Take off angle) is zero and that most of the energy goes horizontally. The impedance is 36 + j 1.2. Go to the main menu and change the ground (Antenna Setup - Ground) to Excellent, Average, Bad and watch how the TOA goes up with a lower quality ground. The impedance stays the same but Gain and patterns changed accordingly. Are crossed wires automatically connected? No they are not. Wires are connected when the end coordinate of one wire is equal to the beginning/end coordinate of another wire. How do I model ground losses? You have to insert manually an equivalent resistive load in the element. Look that the Beacon antenna. A load has been inserted at the base with 30 Ohms resistance and an L of xxx microhenries. The L is to bring the antenna to resonance, but the R is an estimated value of ground losses for a vertical with a less than perfect radial system. You can extrapolate ground losses from diagrams on radials system performance like the one derived from Jerry Sevick W2FMI (in ARRL Antenna handbook, search for Radials). Can I model wire/trap losses? Yes, by inserting in the wires a resitive load equivalent to the sum of RF losses, contact losses etc. Unless your antenna system is completely corroded or made of very thin wires, resistive losses in antenna elements are in the order of .1 to 1 ohms. This does not seem to be much but if your feed point impedance is in the order of 10 ohms that is a 1 to 10% loss!!! |
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