Take ownership of RF!
Radio Frequency design is often regarded as one of the more obscure fields of engineering. It can feel mysterious, overcomplicated, and intimidating to integrate into a new product; however, that doesn’t have to be the case!
My vision is straightforward: to provide practical consultancy services, focusing on delivering the specific solution you seek, and giving you complete ownership of the results. By utilizing my self-developed, open-source simulation software, I can do more than simply provide you with a final design. You will also receive the actual tools and simulation files used, allowing you to take independent control of the project going forward.
This way of working is something I strongly believe in. By demystifying the process, I am able to give you full control over your own technology – no more dependence on proprietary software or expensive licensing.
About Me.
My name is Robert Fennis (1992), an Antenna Engineer hailing from the Netherlands. I live with my wife and cats in Amersfoort where, besides work, I enjoy the occasional oil painting session and a good game of Magic the Gathering.
In 2019, I graduated with a Masters degree in Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Twente, submitting my thesis on blind-spot mitigation for open-ended waveguide phased-array antennas. After graduating, I worked as an Antenna Engineer at Thales Nederland B.V. in Hengelo. While at Thales, I worked on numerous systems (Smart-L, NS50, Stir 1.8), and frequently contributed to internal research projects.
After five years at Thales, I pursued an opportunity to work as an Antenna Engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, starting in July 2024. During my time at ESA, I was primarily involved with projects such as Rose-L, Sunrise, GENESIS and other smaller research activities.
While still at ESA, in June 2025 I began work on coding on the free and open-source RF Finite Element solver EMerge. This software package, alongside the Physical Optics solver Optycal, have been made freely available at www.emerge-software.com.
Professionally, my development of the EMerge software suite allows me to run EM simulations entirely using in-house software. Not having to depend on commercial solvers such as CST or HFSS allows me to pass license fee savings on to my clients, making for very competitive pricing in the EM market.
Specialties
Phased Array Antennas
Patch, waveguide, Vivaldi and more.
Design and development of active and passive phased array antennas. My background includes patch arrays, open ended waveguides, and Vivaldi structures. My years of experience working on high performance array systems allow me to help you design and build such systems, for any possible application.
Antenna Radomes
Space frame radomes, Radome panels, A/C-sandwiches
Comprehensive design and optimization of antenna enclosures. I handle material selection and analyze the impact of the radome on pattern integrity and boresight error. By optimizing the geometry and dielectric properties, I ensure your antenna maintains peak performance even in the most demanding environmental conditions.
Computational Electromagnetics
Finite Element Method and Physical Optics
Technical support for the development of electromagnetic simulation software. I focus on the practical implementation of the Finite Element Method and Physical Optics.
Passive microwave/stripline components
Microstrip/stripline filters, power combiners and impedance matching structures
Design support for passive RF and microwave components. I can help you develop and simulate stripline filters, impedance matching circuits, and other passive structures to complete your hardware design.