To install the 4nec2 or 4nec2X program, follow the below steps.
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1) Extract the setup_4nec2.exe program from the 4nec2v53.zip file and copy or move
it into a temporary folder.
2) Double click the setup_4nec2.exe program. This wil automatically install 4nec2.exe
and other required files used by the 4nec2 default package.
3) If real-time 3D rendering is required, extract the setup_4nec2X.exe program from
the 4nec2X53.zip file and move or copy it into a temporary folder.
4) Double click the setupX.exe program. This wil automatically add the 4nec2X.exe
program and other extensions to the your ../4nec2/exe folder.
5) BE SURE YOU SPECIFIED THE SAME FOLDER WITH THE 4nec2X INSTALL (e.g. C:\4nec2)
AS SPECIFIED WITH THE DEFAULT INSTALL.
6) Double click any *.nec file, select 'Other' in the 'Open with' window and browse
for your ..\4nec2\exe\4nec2.exe program to automatically start 4nec2 when
double-clicking any *.nec file.
7) When using 4nec2 together with a licensed Nec-4 engine instead of the default
public-domain Nec-2 engines, read below item C) first.
8) When using 4nec2X together with Multinec, please rename the file 4nec2X.exe to
4nec2.exe
9) In case of difficulties running the 4nec2(X) program, please read the below notes.
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!! ==> With version 5.3 and later one can use hardware-acceleration provided by your
graphics-card to speed-up the 3D visualization and view the geometry structure
in real-time 3D. To use this provision you must run the 4nec2X extended version
executable. This 4nec2X executable is available through the 4nec2X*.zip
file.
Although this real-time rendering is available for all systems ranging from win-
dows-95 to the latest -XP systems it is recommended to use it only on systems
which incorporate one of the more modern graphics-cards. This because the older
cards might not be compatible with the graphics-software used by 4nec2X.
If this is the fact you probably have to stick on the 4nec2 standard version,
but before deciding to do so, please check if your desktop color-setting
is set to 256 colors. If so, please change to 16 bit colors and try again.
To be able to run the 4nec2X eXtended version, the microsoft DirectX software
installed on your system (used for 3D rendering) must be Version 8.0 or later.
The check your current version, use 'DirectX-version' on the 4nec2 'Help' menu
or run the GetDxVersion.exe program, located in the ..\4nec2\EXE folder.
If DirectX version 7.x or before is installed, please download the latest
DirectX version from www.microsoft.com and install this on your system. Most
modern computer-systems (2001 and up) should have an 8.0 or later version
already available.
Note that, according the microsoft website, after installation of DirectX8.1
or later this version can not be removed anymore, so read carefully what is
written about this on the microsoft DirectX download-page
If you are still experiencing problems, be sure you are using the latest
drivers belonging to you graphics-card. Consult the manufacturers website
to check for this.
The DirectX based 4nec2 version does not run on windows-NT, because windows-
NT does not allow the installation of the DirectX package.
You can get additional DirectX diagnostic information by running/opening the
DXDIAG tool from 'Start->Run' on the windows task-bar.
FURTHER IMPORTANT GENERAL NOTES:
a) If the 4nec2 help file can not be found after pressing the <F1> key, browse
to the ...\4nec2\exe folder and select the 4nec2.hlp file.
b) When key's F6 (Edit input-file), F8 (View output file) and/or 'Help->Nec2 user-
manual' won't work you probably have a different path to the Notepad, Wordpad
or Word text editor's. You may customize these by changing the folder settings
in the 'Settings->Folders->xxx editor' menu on the 'Main (F2)' window.
To locate your Notepad, Wordpad or Word text editor executables: NOTEPAD.EXE,
WORDPAD.EXE or WINWORD.EXE use: 'Start->find->files or folders' on your
windows task-bar.
c) When using 4nec2 with a Nec-4 engine it is required to copy a number of Nec4
engine-files from your NEC4 CD into the ..\4nec2\exe folder, these are:
nec4d600.exe, nec4d1200.exe, nec4d2000.exe, nec4d3600.exe and nec4d7500.exe
After this, click 'Settings->NEC-engine->Nec4d*.exe' on the 'Main' window
to let 4nec2 know it must use the Nec4d*.exe executable instead of the default
nec2d(XS)*.exe files to calculate results.
Place your Nec4UsersMan.pdf file in the ..\4nec2 folder for easy access
through the 4nec2 Help function.
Note however that Nec-4 is a licensed product, so no Nec4 engines are included
in the 4nec2 package. A Nec-4 license and corresponding executable files can
be purchased at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (LLN)
Due to the fact that the Nec4d*.exe files as delivered on the LLN-CD are not built
with command-line argument and/or input(file) redirection support the starting and
file-name interfacing between 4nec2 and the Nec4d*.exe engines is somewhat cumber-
some. You could contact Jerry Burke at LLN to see if he is willing to create a
special Nec4d*.exe file including command-line support for you or you could compile
your own Nec4d*.exe file using the freeware G77 fortran-compiler. If so, let me
know and I will include the command-line support for the Nec-4 engine into 4nec2.
Because ot the above it's possible that after a system (re)boot, the first time
the Nec4d engine is called an exception is generated due to a time-out when loading
the Nec4d program file. You can avoid thsi by doing a single manual start of the
Nec4d*.exe executable, so it's loaded in your system cache.
Note also that the author of 4nec2 did not have the possibility to test all
differences between Nec2 and Nec4 himself because of above license issues, so
if you are using Nec4 and you think you found a Nec4 related problem, please
let me know.
d) The Nec-2 calculations for the 4nec2 program are handled by so called Nec-2
engines. In this package two different types of engines are available:
1) the original nec2d engine by Jos Bergevoet, and 2) the nec2dXS engines.
Both engines have their (dis)advantages.
Both nec-2 engine uses different nec2d(XS)***.exe's for increasing number of
segments. With version 5.0 or later the required executable is automatically
selected by 4nec2 according the total number of segments specified in your
*.nec input-file.
The largest number of segments you can run on your system depends on the 'big-
gest' executable that can be run on your system. For the original nec2d engine
this depends on the amount of physical/RAM memory available on your computer.
If RAM is not enough a "not enough memory-error" is generated, and you will
have to lower the number of segmetns in your modell. Note however, that when
a certain executable should just run (see 4nec2 help for more info), but there
is too much memory in use by Windows or other programms, more obscure errors
like "Error opening input file" could be generated.
For the original nec2d engine, the 'smallest' exe that can be used also seems
related to the amount of RAM. When using a 'simple' nec input file with few
segments in combination with a 'small' exe, but with a big amount of RAM, a
message "Program requires MS-DOS mode,...." might be displayed. If this is the
case, increase the number of segments in the 'nr of segments' setting, till
the message no longer appears. On the other hand, don't specify a far too big
setting, because this will decrease calculating performance.
The largest number of segments that can be run on your system with the more
recent Nec2dXS engine depends on the amount of time you have. When the amount
of RAM is not enough to do the calculations additional disk storage (virtual-
memory) is used by the nec2dXS engine. However this is much, much slower than
when using physical/RAM memory
Nec2d (dis)advantages:
+ Faster when using the Optimizer/Evaluator.
+ For 'small' exe's faster than for 'big' ones (same nr-seg)
+ Especially suited for the 'older' windows-95/98/NT systems.
- Reduced precision when using SomNec ground inside frequency loop.
- Does not run on Windows-XP or Windows-2000/2003.
- Can not use temporary disk-storage to increase max number of segments.
Nec2dXS (dis)advantages:
+ Runs on all Windows systems.
+ Max nr of EX and TL cards increased from 30 to 99 (Version 5.0)
+ Maximum precision when using SomNec ground with frequency loop.
+ No separate executable required for SomNec ground calculations.
- Due to start-up time, slower when using Optimizer/Evaluator.
(+ Uses additional disk storage if on-board RAM memory is insufficient.)
Nec2d executables for 256 and 512 and Nec2dXS exe's for 500 and 1500 segments
are included in the 4nec2 package.
Free executables for more segments can be found at the "Unofficial Nec ar-
chives" at "www.si-list.org/swindex2.html". After download place these exe-
cutables in your ..\4nec2\EXE folder.
Note: from verion 5.3.4 and later two different Nec2dXS packages are available:
Nec2dXS_VM.zip (djgpp version, 418 kb), capable of using virtual(disk) memory
and Nec2dXS_FB.zip (mingw version, 333 kb) which is generally faster (especially
for lower segment counts), but not capable or running virtual memory. For users
running large models, the _VM package is recomended. For users using one or
both optimizers the _FB package is recomended.
e) On Windows-XP and -2000 systems with recent (service pack 2) updates installed
it is possible following error is generated when the Nec-2 engine is started:
"The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows
applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application."
To solve this problem, please consult the '_Run_DOS_Problem.txt' file included
in the package
This problem seems only related to the Nec2dXS.exe files from the Nec2dXS_FB.zip
package, so as an alternative you could use the Nec2dXS.exe files from the
Nec2dXS_VM.zip package. (available at "www.si-list.org/swindex2.html")
f) Some windows-2000 and -XP users reported problems related to the Nec-2 engine
when the package is installed under C:\program files. If this is the case, it
could be wise to select a folder-name and/or nec-file names without embedded
spaces.
g) When using none-default desktop (color) settings, it is possible that one or
more text-boxes and/or windows are not visible or correctly painted. When
using a none-default setting, please temporary switch back to the default
desktop (color) settings to check if, for both settings, the same information
is visible.
On windows-XP, with its large default Font-size it is possible lower part of the
window is cut-off. If required you can resize or re-position any 4nec2 window.
These settings are automatically save and re-used the next time 4nec2 is started.
h) See 4nec2.hlp for more information about 4nec2 functionality. 4nec2 help in
printable form is included in the 4nec2.rtf file. You can print this file for
comfortable reading. Also the file _GetStarted.txt might help you find your
way through the 4nec2 package.
i) The Nec-2 user manual can be found at "www.nec2.org". Select the word document
and place this file as 'NEC2.DOC' in your '..\4nec2' folder for viewing with
'Help -> nec-2 manual'.
j) When you try to read-in an incomplete *.out output file (caused by nec2d errors
or because calculation was not yet finished), it is possible that a 4NEC2 program
error is generated because of the incomplete data. To solve the problem, Remove
the '*.out' file from the '\OUT' folder and try again.
k) A suggestion from a user having difficulties: (see also item [m] below)
> Just an advice to all who are having problems with the 4NEC2 program.
> If, when you try to generate the output, the only thing you see is a
> flashing DOS window, then nothing else happens, this is the cure :
>
> - locate in the EXE folder of the program a DOS shortcut named 4NEC2
> without extensions
> - open its properties (by clicking on it with right mouse-button)
> - select the "Memory" tab
> - in the "Initial Environment" combo box, make the choice "4096" instead of
> the default "Auto"
> - click Apply, then Ok
>
> Try to execute the program again, now it should work ok.
l) Due to the DOS based nature of the original nec2 engine, filenames are
internally truncated to 8 characters. Normally this should work fine, however
if white-spaces are embedded in your file-name the truncation might fail, so
don't use white-spaces in your file-names.
Furthermore the maximum file-name length for *.gnd files is restricted to 8
characters. When you run a lot of different (high)freq/cond/diel settings, it
is occasionally possible you get an "Error on groundfile" message. It this is
the case, remove all *.gnd files and try again.
m) When no *.out output is generated by your Nec-2/4 engine (check the \OUT folder),
please set the "Wait for DOS-box option" in 'Settings->Other settings' on the
"Main" form, to see what error message is logged.
Furthermore you could temporary remove the "@echo off" line in the 4nec2.bat
file in the \EXE folder, by adding the characters "rem" before it. This should
deliver even more logging.
n) If an "out of environment space" error is generated, please re-read item k) or
consult the '_Out_of_env_space.txt' file included in the package
o) If you enjoy this software, you could send me a note and tell me how you did hear
about 4nec2. This way I can also inform you when new versions are available.
p) If you should experience any problems installing and/or running the 4nec2 program,
or for suggestions, questions or remarks, please contact me at:
4nec2@gmx.net
TO AVOID DELETING YOUR MAIL AS SPAM, PLEASE INCLUDE "4NEC2 MODELLER" AS THE
SUBJECT !!
