AntScopeZ

AntScopeZ supports various models of RigExpert antenna analyzers (plus a few other brands) across Windows, Linux and macOS -- see the User Guide's Supported Devices section for the full list. It is a fork of RigExpert's own AntScope2 software, renamed to keep this project's identity, config files, and installed package clearly separate from the vendor's.

This project is NOT an official project from RigExpert (see: RigExpert's own AntScope2). Do not contact them for support for this project. It is provided AS-IS and I do not accept any responsibility for its use. If doing important tasks (such as licensing and firmware updates), you should use the vendor's code instead -- these talk to RigExpert's own servers, aren't officially supported here, and (firmware flashing specifically) stay deliberately disabled pending more real-hardware testing. The original AntScope2 software may be obtained directly from RigExpert at rigexpert.com/software/antscope2.

Some of the non-English UI translations are AI-generated and haven't been reviewed by a native speaker yet -- expect rough edges until that review happens.

Requirements

• CMake 3.21+
• A C++17 compiler
• Qt 6.11 (see Qt version below; built and tested against 6.4.2 and 6.11.2, but 6.11 is the version this project targets and packaged releases ship with)

See BUILDINFO.md for the required Qt modules, Linux-only dependencies, and other setup details.

Qt version

Packaged releases (e.g. the .deb) bundle the Qt 6.11 shared libraries the app needs, so installing one doesn't require a matching system Qt install. If you're building from source, build against Qt 6.11 -- older Qt versions (e.g. distro-packaged Qt 6.4.x) have shown real bugs (analyzer connect failures on fresh installs, resize/repaint artifacts) that don't reproduce under 6.11. See BUILDINFO.md's Known issues for detail.

Building

CMake is the primary build system.

cmake -S . -B build-cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build-cmake -j$(nproc)

The binary lands in build-cmake/AntScopeZ, with the runtime data files (cables.txt, itu-regions-defaults.txt) and the .qm translations copied next to it. Use -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug for a debug build.

For build options, macOS packaging, Qt Creator setup, translations, platform notes, and known issues, see BUILDINFO.md.

Remote API

AntScopeZ can expose a local, in-process control API for whatever analyzer is currently connected -- device enumeration, connect/disconnect, sweeps, and live point streaming, over a small NDJSON-over-TCP protocol. It's for external tools (scripts, an MCP server, a web dashboard) that want to drive AntScopeZ programmatically; the app's own GUI doesn't use it.

Off by default. Enable it in Settings > General ("Enable Remote API" + a port field), or pass -remote-api-port <n> on the command line to force it on for a single run. It binds to 127.0.0.1 only -- not reachable from other machines -- unless you reconfigure that yourself. -headless runs AntScopeZ without showing its window (still a full GUI process under the hood, just not displayed), useful when driving it purely through this API.

See remoteapi/ for the implementation and protocol details.

Windows

Windows support is new as of 2.2.7; see BUILDINFO.md's platform notes for what has and hasn't been verified against real hardware yet.

Installing a prebuilt release

Download the AntScopeZ-<version>-win64.exe installer from the Releases page and run it -- it's a fully self-contained build (Qt DLLs and plugins included), so no separate Qt install is required. The installer is unsigned, so SmartScreen may warn: More info > Run anyway.

Building from source

Requires the Qt 6.11.2 MinGW kit installed via the Qt Online Installer under C:\Qt, including the SerialPort and Bluetooth (under "Connectivity") addon components -- both are optional and not installed by default, so check C:\Qt\6.11.2\mingw_64\lib\cmake\ for Qt6SerialPort/ Qt6Bluetooth first.

cmake --preset windows-mingw
cmake --build --preset windows-mingw --parallel

This is a native build against the Qt Online Installer's bundled MinGW-w64 toolchain and Ninja (C:\Qt\Tools), not a cross-compile and not a system compiler. Use the windows-mingw-release preset instead for an optimized build.

Running

Windows builds don't use rpath, so the AntScopeZ.exe produced by the build above (in build-windows-mingw\) won't find its Qt DLLs on its own. To produce a complete, runnable copy -- the same layout the packaged releases ship, with windeployqt run automatically -- install into a staging directory instead of running the build output directly:

cmake --install build-windows-mingw --prefix pkg-windows

Then run pkg-windows\bin\AntScopeZ.exe.

macOS

macOS support builds via GitHub Actions (see BUILDINFO.md's platform notes for what has and hasn't been verified against real hardware yet). Download AntScopeZ-<version>-macOS.dmg (universal arm64 + x86_64) from the Releases page; the workflow (.github/workflows/macos-build.yml) builds it on every push.

There's no Apple Developer account behind these builds, so the .app is unsigned and not notarized: macOS Gatekeeper will refuse a plain double-click on first launch. Right-click the app > Open (once), or run xattr -cr AntScopeZ.app first, to get past it.

Building from source

Requires Qt 6.11 with the SerialPort and Bluetooth (Connectivity) addon modules -- see BUILDINFO.md's Qt modules section. Qt 6.11 itself sets the deployment floor at macOS 13 Ventura or newer; earliest supported Intel Mac is a 2017 model, any Apple Silicon Mac works.

cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  "-DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES=arm64;x86_64"
cmake --build build --parallel
cmake --install build --prefix stage   # produces stage/AntScopeZ.app

Or, for a quick local .dmg without CPack: ./build.sh [build-dir].

License

AntScopeZ, as built and distributed, is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later (see COPYING) -- it bundles GPLv3-licensed components (QCustomPlot, HIDAPI), which makes the combined application GPLv3 as a whole. AntScopeZ's own source -- both the original RigExpert AntScope2 codebase it's forked from and everything added or modified since -- is separately available under the MIT license (LICENSE.txt). Qt and libusb are used under their LGPL terms, and a Windows-only FTDI driver package is bundled under FTDI's own proprietary redistribution terms. Full per-component licenses and platform-specific notes: THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.md.