A practical antenna design tool for radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Pick an antenna type and band, get element lengths, matching, a schematic drawing and build notes. Free and open source.
HAM Antenna Designer is a practical design tool for radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Pick an antenna shape (vertical, horizontal center-fed, end-fed, loop, or one of the standalone designs like Yagi or J-pole), select your band from 160m all the way down to 70cm—plus broadcast and SWL bands—and the tool instantly calculates element lengths, radials, feedpoint impedance, and balun/unun/choke recommendations.
Written in Python with Tkinter and fully open source. Lengths come from the documented rules of thumb (ARRL, Cebik/W4RNL); matching networks, cable loss, the SWR sweep and radiation patterns are calculated from the underlying physics and checked against reference values in an automated test suite.
Vertical, horizontal center-fed, end-fed, loops, and standalone designs (Yagi, J-pole, Moxon, Off-center-fed dipole, etc.)
160m–70cm amateur bands, plus LW, MW, KW, VHF, UHF, CB, Aviation, Marine and PMR446.
Smith Chart visualization, frequency sweep analysis, bandwidth detection and matching network designer (L, T, Pi networks).
Azimuth polar diagrams with antenna gain (dBi), Front-to-Back ratio and take-off angle for all antenna types.
Calculate loss over distance for 9+ cable types (RG, LMR, Heliax, specialty). Power budget analysis & efficiency ratings.
Glowing amber schematics on dark grid canvas (not to scale). 2D/3D toggle for masts, radials and element depth visualization.
Plain-language construction advice, step-by-step build instructions, materials checklist, and complete design summary with ASCII schema.
Full English and Dutch interface — all build notes and balun guides available in both languages with authentic HAM jargon.
22 wire types (bare copper, Litz, PVC, PTFE, DX-Wire, CAT5/6, etc.) and 44 cable types with velocity factors.
Comprehensive popup guide with 9 transformer ratios, construction instructions, impedance matching formulas and material selection by band.
Override band center frequency to design at a specific spot in (or outside) your band instead of the midpoint.
Export the 2D schematic as high-quality SVG (black-on-white with grid) for printing and sharing with other hams.
git clone https://github.com/fvdijke/ham-antenna-designer
python gui.py
Requires Python 3.10+ · Pick antenna type → select band → build notes and calculations update instantly
Total downloads: —
GitHub releases