amateur radio
debian
dipole calculator
free open source software
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ubuntu
yagi calculator
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Understanding Yagi-Uda’s dipole Program for Antenna Analysis
The dipole
program is part of the Yagi-Uda project, a collection of tools designed for the analysis and optimization of Yagi-Uda antennas. This particular tool calculates the impedance of a single dipole, making it a useful utility for antenna engineers and amateur radio enthusiasts.
Installation on Ubuntu/Debian
To install the Yagi-Uda software suite, including dipole
, run the following command:
sudo apt install yagiuda
This package includes several tools for Yagi-Uda antenna analysis and design, making it a valuable addition for those working with antennas.

Usage
To compute the impedance of a dipole, use the following command:
dipole <frequency> <length> <diameter>
For example, to calculate the impedance of a dipole at 7.1 MHz with a length of 20 meters and a diameter of 1.5 mm, run:
dipole 7.100mhz 20m 1.5mm
Example Output:
Self impedance of a dipole:
7.100000 MHz, length 20.000000 m, diameter 1.500000 mm, is
Z = 62.418686 -48.363233 jX Ohms
This output indicates:
- Frequency: 7.1 MHz
- Length: 20 meters
- Diameter: 1.5 mm
- Impedance (Z): 62.42 – j48.36 Ω
The negative reactance (-48.36 Ω) suggests the dipole is capacitive, meaning it is too long at this frequency. To achieve resonance (purely resistive impedance), the dipole length should be slightly reduced.

Related Tools
The Yagi-Uda project includes additional tools that help with various aspects of antenna design and optimization:
first
– Initial calculations for antenna designinput
– Processes input parameters for analysisoutput
– Displays calculated resultsoptimise
– Helps refine antenna parameters for better performance
Each of these tools contributes to designing and analyzing Yagi-Uda antennas effectively.
Supported Platforms
The Yagi-Uda project was primarily developed for UNIX-based systems, including Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Debian. While efforts were made to port it to other operating systems, its primary focus remains on UNIX environments.
Reporting Bugs
If you encounter any issues while using dipole
or other Yagi-Uda tools, you can report them to Dr. David Kirkby (G8WRB) at david.kirkby@onetel.net
. Providing clear, reproducible steps will help ensure that reported bugs are addressed efficiently.
Conclusion
For amateur radio operators and engineers working with Yagi-Uda antennas, the dipole
program is a valuable tool for analyzing a single dipole’s impedance. With an easy installation process on Debian-based systems, it is an accessible and practical choice for antenna analysis.
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