Mmana-gal Antenna Files -

Each wire segment should be roughly 1/20th of a wavelength or shorter. Too few segments (e.g., using 2 segments on a 10m wire) yields invalid results. Too many (e.g., 100 segments on a 1m wire) slows simulation without benefit.

Final note: Always verify simulation results with a real-world VNA or SWR meter. Ground conditions, nearby objects, and height above real ground differ from ideal simulations.

To prepare MMANA-GAL antenna files ( ), you can use the software's built-in tab or manually edit the text-based file in a program like 1. Key Components of an .maa File A standard

file is a plain text document organized into sections defined by asterisks. www.f5swn.fr Title/Comment Section : Descriptive text about the antenna design. : The primary design frequency in MHz (e.g., 7.2 or 14.15). Wires Section ( ***Wires*** mmana-gal antenna files

Defines each wire element using three-dimensional coordinates: (start) and : The radius of the wire in millimeters. : The segmentation method used for calculations. Sources Section

: Defines the feed point (e.g., center of a wire or beginning of a wire). Ground and Material

: Settings for ground type (Real, Free Space) and wire material (e.g., Copper). 2. How to "Prepare" the Text Manually Each wire segment should be roughly 1/20th of

If you are generating the text outside of the MMANA-GAL interface, ensure you follow this structural logic under the ***Wires*** Declare Total Wires : Immediately below ***Wires***

, you must specify the total number of wire lines that follow. Coordinate Formatting

: Each line represents one wire. For a simple 40m dipole centered on the Y-axis at a height of 10m, the text would look similar to: 0, -10.0, 10.0, 0, 10.0, 10.0, 0.001, -1 (This defines a wire from at a height of , with a 1mm radius and auto-segmentation) 3. Working with Constants EFHW Antenna Simulation Using MMANA GAL Final note: Always verify simulation results with a

The real magic is optimization. MMANA-GAL’s optimizer modifies the .maa file automatically, but understanding the process helps.

Pro Tip: Always back up your original .maa file before optimization. The optimizer can produce unrealistic results (e.g., negative wire lengths) if constraints aren’t set correctly.

Open any .maa file in Notepad, and you'll see a few clear sections. Here’s an example of a simple 20m dipole:

* Dipole for 14.2 MHz
C frequency (MHz)=14.2
C comment=Wire diameter=2 mm, Copper
C wire_number=1
*---------- Geometry: 3 wires ----------
'wire' 1: 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 5.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.002, -1
'wire' 2: 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, -5.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.002, -1
'feed' 1: 1, 1, 1, 50.0
'symmetry' 1: 1
*---------- End --------------

MMANA-GAL is one of the most popular freeware antenna modeling programs based on the Method of Moments. When you are looking for "full feature" antenna files, you are typically looking for a comprehensive library that goes beyond the basic dipole and Yagi examples included in the default installation.

Here is a breakdown of where to find full-featured MMANA-GAL antenna files, what they include, and how to use them effectively.