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Radio propagation software

Radio propagation software

Radio propagation software

(OP)
I have read several posts on what some people use for their propagation testing and I'll ask this. What programs are you using and have you tried others? I use Softwright and I've tested Radiosoft....is there a good reason to look at others? With the boom of Ethernet radios and 802.11 every vendor has a homegrown Excel version for prop and survey, is there a compelling reason to drop five to seven thousand dollars anymore? Let me know what you think.

RE: Radio propagation software

I know at least three sources or softwares, one of them is free. You may search the web for the following software names:

ITSHFBC (IONCAP, ICECAP)
PROPMAN
WINPROP

... or the following companies or institutions:

ITS (Boulder, USA)
Rohde & Schwarz (Munich, Germany)
Dr. Dambold (?, Germany)
Collins Radio Co. (still Cedar Rapids?, USA)

Several companies offer a free trial version which is handycapped somehow but will show what the software is capable to show.

I (as I am a single person, just on my own) prefer ITSHFBC.

73 de Andreé DD3LY

RE: Radio propagation software

We use PathLoss.
I looked into Softwright, and other higher end propagation analysis tools, and I found they were too expensive and too complicated for what I needed to do. If I needed to design an entire metropolitan cellular or SMR system, these higher end tools would fit the bill and justify their cost.
We also tried several vendor specific tools, and lower end propagation analysis tools, but were unimpressed. They rarely give much more than basic loss values and simple calculations.
We chose PathLoss because it was a cost effective, powerful tool that allowed detailed analysis of all the small projects we tackled, without all the extras we didn’t require.
They do not offer trial versions, but they do have good screen shots available on the website, (no too much help). They do have great tech support to aid in set up and operation.
I could not see paying $7K for a program when a $2K program fits my requirements.
Give ‘em a look, www.pathloss.com.

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