Re: NEC-BSC

Some people have been asking about the NEC-BSC (Basic Scattering
Code).

In response, I invited Ron Marhefka, author of NEC-BSC, to join
NEC-List. Since he accepted, questions and comments regarding NEC-BSC
are now fair game.

Deb Chatterjee (dchatterjee_at_KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU) has been using the
code and supplied this capsule summary:
>
> NEC-BSC uses UTD (Uniform Theory of Diffraction) formulations to model
> scattering from complex objects. Complex objects like finite cylinders,
> and flat plates can be used to model a complex objects. UTD diffraction
> coefficients are then used to compute the scattered field by a complex
> scatterer. The total field comprises of:
>
> E_total = E_direct + E_reflected + E_edge diffracted + E_curved surface
> diffracted + E_reflected diffracted + E_diffracted reflected.>
>
> Which types of rays will exist, given the source, observer and the
> scatterer geometry, depends on the ray tracing. The ray tracing is done
> by pure geometrical methods. Given the position coordinates and the
> scatterer size, a specular or diffraction point is determined purely by
> root-finding methods.
>
> Once the ray path is known, the fields on the ray paths are computed by the
> UTD methods.
>
> For a detailed summary of what the UTD formulations can do, I recommend
> the review paper by Pathak:
>
> P. H. Pathak, " High Frequency Techniques for Antenna Analysis, " Proc.
> of IEEE, vol. 80, pp. 44-65, January 1992.

I contacted the author of NEC-BSC, Ron Marhefka, and inquired
regarding its availability. Here is his reply:

Ronald J. Marhefka wrote:
>
> The NEC-BSC is under export control, so we may supply it to U.S. government
> agencies and their contractors. Requests from outside the U.S. must be made
> on a government to government basis through their embassies.
>
> We have a $300 distribution fee, which includes User's manual and diskettes
> with a PC Windows executable and for version 3 we are still supplying source
> code. Version 4, when it ever becomes available, may be limited to just
> executable.
>
> We also now have a Nec-BSC Workbench, which is a PC Windows based editor
> with interactive geometry plotting capability. We have a fee of $300 for
> it, which includes a diskette with the executable and on line help.
> The NEC-BSC is under export control, so we may supply it to U.S. government
> agencies and their contractors. Requests from outside the U.S. must be made
> on a government to government bases through their embassies.
>
> I should mention that for people in Canada, I believe there is a slightly
> simpler procedure, due to some cooperation rules that are in place.

-- 
Dave Michelson                             University of British Columbia 
davem_at_ee.ubc.ca                              Radar Remote Sensing Group