An .maa file is essentially a detailed blueprint of an antenna's physical and electrical properties. : Uses a 3D rectilinear grid ( ) to define the start and end points of every wire element.
| Era | Key Event | File Impact | |------|-----------|--------------| | 1998 | MMANA released | .maa format born | | 2002 | MMANA-GAL adds optimization | .gal format with history | | 2005–2015 | Community library explosion | Thousands of free antenna files | | 2015–2020 | Decline (hosting loss, new software) | Files scattered, archived | | 2020–present | Preservation & conversion | .maa as legacy format, still usable |
Crucial for HF antennas to see how the earth affects the takeoff angle and gain.
Click the Start button. The software will compute the Input Impedance ( ), SWR, and maximum gain in dBd or dBi. mmana-gal antenna files
This is the core of the file. It defines the physical structure of the antenna using a 3D Cartesian coordinate system ( ). Each wire in the antenna is assigned a row containing: Start Coordinates (
Defines whether the antenna is in free space, over perfect ground, or over real ground (using specific dielectric constants and conductivity). 3. The Geometry Table (Wires)
, MMANA-GAL will treat them as disconnected, causing an open-circuit error in your model. 3. Ignoring the Frequency Scaling Factor Click the Start button
The software actually comes with a massive library built-in, but there are several external repositories worth checking out: The MMANA-GAL Library : Look in the
Check that wire radius matches your real-world aluminum or copper. Element thickness heavily impacts resonant frequency. Ensure no part of the wire geometry drops below over real ground. Negative height crashes the MININEC processing engine.
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. It defines the physical structure of the antenna
If you are an open-source contributor, consider writing a converter from .maa to CSV for 3D printing or CNC wire benders. The community would thank you.
Most files are under 5 KB, making them incredibly easy to share and archive.
You can edit .maa directly in a text editor to quickly change dimensions, frequencies, or ground type.