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RF Electromagnetics
Antenna Placement
This example considers the application of placing an antenna using an equivalent source on a large object.
Example Overview
This example shows how to define and set up an antenna placement solution in Altair SimLab using a Cessna-172 aircraft. A GPS antenna is placed on the aircraft using an equivalent source defined from a .ffe file. The model is solved using the Ray Launching Geometrical Optics (RL-GO), and the results are displayed.

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  - Antenna Placement
    This example considers the application of placing an antenna using an equivalent source on a large object.
    - Example Overview
      This example shows how to define and set up an antenna placement solution in Altair SimLab using a Cessna-172 aircraft. A GPS antenna is placed on the aircraft using an equivalent source defined from a .ffe file. The model is solved using the Ray Launching Geometrical Optics (RL-GO), and the results are displayed.
    - Topics Discussed in this Example
    - Example Prerequisites
      Before starting this example, ensure that the system satisfies the minimum requirements.
    - Setting the Model Units
      Change the model units to meters, kilograms, and seconds.
    - Setting the Number of Cores for Meshing
      Specify the number of cores to speed up the meshing process.
    - Importing the Model
      Import the CAD model of the Cessna aircraft. The CAD model contains only one side of the aircraft.
    - Adding Edge Refinement to the Window Geometry
      Define the average mesh element size of the edges for the front and back windscreens and side windows to ensure they maintain their shape after the geometry is meshed.
    - Meshing the Geometry
      Mesh the geometry to create a first discretised representation of the model.
    - Preserving the Window Mesh when Remeshing
      Add a mesh control to preserve the mesh of the windows when remeshing the existing mesh.
    - Check for Mesh Intersections
      Verify that the mesh has no overlapping elements.
    - Remeshing the Aircraft
      Refine the mesh of the aircraft.
    - Mirroring the Mesh
      Copy and mirror half of the aircraft to create a complete and symmetrical model of the aircraft.
    - Adding Material Properties
      To add material property to the aircraft windows, the material first needs to be loaded from the Material Database. A property can be defined and assigned when the material is loaded into the model.
    - Defining an Antenna Placement Solution
      Create an antenna placement solution for the model.
    - Specifying the Coordinate System
      Define a coordinate system where the antenna is to be located.
    - Adding an Antenna
      Define the GPS antenna using a .ffe file.
    - Defining the Result Requests
      Define the output request to be calculated before running the Feko Solver.
    - Specifying the Execute Options
      Specify the number of parallel processes to be used when solving the model.
    - Specifying the Solution Method
      Select the RL-GO as the solution method to solve the aircraft.
    - Saving the Model
      Save the model to a SimLab .slb file.
    - Solving the Model
      Launch the Feko Solver to calculate the results and view them.
    - Viewing 3D Results
      View the 3D far field of the antenna at 1.58 GHz.
    - Viewing Results on a 2D Plot
      View the 2D far field plot of the antenna.
  - Radio Coverage
    This example considers the application of analyzing a Wi-Fi router in a building.
  - Co-site Interference
    This example shows how to define and setup a co-site interference solution.
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Example Overview

This example shows how to define and set up an antenna placement solution in Altair SimLab using a Cessna-172 aircraft. A GPS antenna is placed on the aircraft using an equivalent source defined from a .ffe file. The model is solved using the Ray Launching Geometrical Optics (RL-GO), and the results are displayed.

The Cessna-172 has the following dimensions:

Width: 11.023 m
Length: 8.26 m
Height: 2.40 m

Note: Follow the example steps in the order presented, as each step uses its predecessor as a starting point.

Example access

The model files can be found at the following link: Antenna_Placement.zip.