Network Display

The network display is the geographic user interface to the Pathloss program and provides the following functionality:

• Automated point to point and point to multipoint link creation, design and editing.
• Local and are area studies.
• Network interference analysis.
• Access to the detailed link design sections.
• Report generation
The extents of the display are determined by the site coordinates. Without any sites, the display is blank. The Site
list is the program data entry point.

If the default GIS file contains backdrop imagery or vectors, the extents of the display will be set to the backdrop
imagery or vector extents and these will be drawn on start-up

SITE LIST
The Site list is the main data entry interface for site information in the network display. In addition to manual site data
entry, site data can be imported from existing pl4 / 5 files, site text files, link text files and the master database.

Click the Site list icon on the network display tool bar or select the View - Site list menu item. The Site list
uses the standard grid control data entry form. See the General program operation for details on this control.

The table below shows all of the fields available for a site. Note that the grid control only shows those items
with an ‘X’ in the right column. To add a new item using the complete site data entry form select the Edit - Add menu
item. To edit an existing entry using this format, place the cursor on the desired entry and then select the Edit - Edit
menu item.

To delete a site, place the cursor on the site, hold down the Ctrl key and press the letter Y key. This sequence is
referred to as Ctrl Y. Any links which connect to this site will also be deleted. If any of these links have associated
pl5, files, the user will be prompted to delete these files.

To delete a selection of sites in the grid control, click on the left number column to select a site. Use the Shift and Crtl
keys to select multiple sites and then click Ctrl Y.

The minimum data entry requirements for a site are the site name and its coordinates. Two sites with the same co-
ordinates and call sign or without call signs cannot be entered. Use different call signs if multiple sites at the same
physical location are required.

Table 1: Site data fields

Site data field Type Description

Site name char[48] Required entry X

 Table 1: Site data fields

Site data field Type Description

Latitude double Required entry X

Longitude double Required entry X
Call sign char[15] Required for multiple sites at the same location X
Station code char[15] Optional entry X
Easting double Projected site coordinates only
Northing double Projected site coordinates only
Zone char Projected site coordinates only
Elevation double Site elevation above mean sea level X
ASR char[15] Antenna structure registration (FCC)
Tower height double Tower height above ground level (AGL) X
Tower height w app double Tower height with appurtenances (AGL)
Tower type Predefined types - guyed, self supporting X
Assigned antenna height double See note below
Address char[47] Optional entry
City char[47] Optional entry
State char[23] Optional entry
Country char[23] Optional entry
Zip code char[15] Optional entry
Owner code char[15] Optional entry
Operator code char[15] Optional entry
Site type byte Refer to site thematic legends X
Site status byte Refer to site thematic legends X
Base station byte Base station defined indicator
Show local study byte Check to include this site in an local study X
Show area study byte Check to include this site in an area study X
Assigned antenna height
This represents the preferred height to install a new antenna on an existing tower. The value is only used in the point
to point automated link design procedures. This parameter is only used in the network display and is not transferred
to the individual pl5 files.

Projected coordinate data entry

If the site coordinates are set to a non geographic projec-
tion in the GIS configuration, the complete site data entry
form will be formatted for both latitude - longitude and the
projected coordinates, as shown in the UTM example on
the right.

Either format can be entered, the other will be automatically

calculated. If the site coordinates are only available in a
projected format, this data entry form must be used.

Import Pathloss data file

Select the Import - Pathloss data file menu item and multi-
select the Pathloss data files to import. Both pl4 and pl5 file
formats can be used. This import sets the site and link data
for the files. The file names are associated with the links
and the user can left click on a link to access the design sections for that link. The display is formatted using the
default site and link attributes. Refer to the Network display options documentation.

Multiple links between the same two sites

It is not possible to create multiple links between the same two sites
in the network display. In many cases this is required when different
frequency bands are used or when a system is being overbuilt. To
create the second link, click on the existing link and select the
Transmission analysis menu item from the design section popup
menu. Modify the existing file for the second link. This operation
may use any of the design sections. On completion, select the Files
- Save as menu item and save the file under a different name.

Import the new file into the network display using the View - Site List
- Import - Pathloss data file menu item. When the user left clicks on
the link, a prompt to select the required link will be issued. Any
number of files with different names can be added between the
same two sites.

Re-establishing the Pathloss data file association

The full path name of the Pathloss data file is saved and the design sections for the file can be accessed by clicking
on the link. If the file is moved or erased outside of the program, then the file association is lost and the error message
below will appear with several options.
If the files actually exist in another location, then the most expedient approach will be to re-import the Pathloss data
files. The program will recognize that the two end sites and the link already exist. The existing file association will be
verified and if it is not valid, then the import file name will be used. In effect, only the Pathloss data file association
will be changed. The site and link attributes will remain the same.

Import site text file

Sites can be imported from a text file. The required format is as follows:

• Each site must be on a separate line.

• The fields must be separated by a delimiter such as a comma or the data must start on the same column
number.
• A site name and its coordinates are the minimum data requirements.
• Any duplicate sites will be ignored.
• If the data is in an Excel file, multiple fields cannot be in the same cell, For example, if the latitude and longitude
are in the same cell, then this format cannot be used. The Excel file cannot be imported directly. The file must
first be saved as a CSV file.
• If the site coordinates in the text file are in a projected format, then the site coordinates projection in the GIS con-
figuration must be the same as that used in the text file.
The import procedure uses the standard text im-
port utility described in the General program op-
eration section.

The following definitions are required in the last

step of the import procedure:

Latitude
If the latitudes in the file are specified as S or N,
the import procedure will use this convention;
otherwise, use the option settings in the following
table:

Table 2: Latitude

File latitude Site hemisphere Option

negative northern + South

positive northern + North
negative southern + North
positive southern + South
Longitude
If the longitudes in the file are specified as E or W, the import will use this convention; otherwise, use the option set-
tings in the following table:

Table 3: Longitude

File longitude Site hemisphere Option

negative western + East

positive western + West
negative eastern + West
positive eastern + East

Elevation units
Specify the units used in the import file. If necessary the relevant items will be converted to the current measurement
settings in the program.

Projected coordinates
The following options may be required to import files using projected coordinates:

• Hemisphere - UTM coordinates can be in either the northern or southern hemisphere.

• Grid units - Specify the units used for the easting and northing values in the file (X, Y).
• Default UTM zone - if the UTM zone is not specified in the file and the site coordinates projection is a variable
UTM zone projection, then specify the UTM zone to be used for the import.

Add site to group

The imported sites can be added to a group. Select the group from the dropdown list or click the New group button
to create a new group. The name “No group” means that the sites will not be assigned to a group.

Import link text file

Sites and links can be imported from a text file. The required format is as follows:

• Each line must contain two sites. A site name and its coordinates must be specified for each site.
• The fields must be separated by a delimiter such as a comma or the data must start on the same column
number.
• The import file can contain radio and antenna data and transmit channel assignments. If these fields are to be
imported, then the associated pl5 files must be created as part of the import. Otherwise, only the links in the net-
work display will be created.
• Duplicate links between two sites can be created.
If the site coordinates in the text file are in a projected format, then the site coordinates projection in the GIS config-
uration must be the same as that used in the text file.
The import procedure uses the standard text import utility described in the General program operation section.

The column definition used in the link text file import is divided into the following categories:

• site data
• antennas 1,2 and 3
• radio equipment
• design parameters
• TX channels 1 to 12
Each of these categories has a list of fields which will be assigned to their respective columns. The Design parame-
ters category contains the fields Link type, Link status and LoS status. These are the thematic settings to display the
link lines. Refer to the section on Thematic mapping for details.

The column assignment procedure is described below:

• Click on a column to select it.

• Set the corresponding category. The available fields in this category will be displayed in the list box.
• Select the corresponding field.
• Set the Location for the field. This can be either Site 1 or Site 2 in the case of an antenna or site field. In the case
of radio equipment, the field can apply to both sites. The design parameters are not site specific but apply to the
link.
• Click the Assign to column button.
The last step in the link import procedure requires additional definitions. The Latitude, Longitude, Units, and Project-
ed coordinates settings have been described in the Site text file import procedure section above. The remaining op-
tions affect the data saved in the individual pl5 files. If the Create pl5 files option is not checked, these options are
not required and only the links will be drawn in the network display.

Polarization
If the frequency is formatted to include the polarization e.g 5878.875V, then this will be used; otherwise, select the
polarization format used in the file.

Frequency
Set the frequency units used in the file. If necessary, these will be converted to MHz.

Calculation options
The application, design frequency and polarization are displayed. These are the default calculation options which will
be saved in the individual pl5 files. Click the Edit button to access and set these options as required.

Antenna cross reference table

The import file may not include the antenna data file name. A cross reference can be created between the antenna
data file name and some antenna parameter in the import file, such as the antenna model. The column definition
would show the antenna data file name as the header for the antenna model column.

The import procedure will scan the cross reference table for the model number and substitute the antenna data file
name. The antenna data file will be used to set all antenna parameters which are not defined in the import file.

Radio cross reference table

The import file may not include the radio data file name. A cross reference can be created between the radio data
file name and some radio parameter in the import file, such as the radio model. The column definition would show
the radio data file name as the header for the radio model column.

The import procedure will scan the cross reference table for the model number and substitute the radio data file
name. The radio data file will be used to set all radio parameters which are not defined in the import file.
Add links to group
The imported links can be added to a group. This is independent of the Create pl5 files option. Select the group from
the dropdown list or click the New group button to create a new group. The name “No group” means that the links
will not be assigned to a group.

Import - Export master database

All procedures associated with the master data base are described in a separate section Master database (MDB).

Export text file

Select the Export - Text file menu item on the Site list menu bar.
This operation will write the site list to a delimited file.

If the site coordinates projection in the GIS configuration is not

geographic, then both the latitude - longitude and the projected
format will be exported.

Find
The Find function operates on the site name, call sign and station
code columns. Set the cursor to the column and select the Find menu
item on the Site list menu bar. The cursor will move to the first row
that matches the letters that have been typed (an incremental
search).

Mark sites - Create group

These two operations create a selection or group from selected items in the Site list. Click on the number column on
the left side of the Site list to select a site. Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select multiple sites. To erase the selection,
click on any other column.

Select the Mark sites menu item to create a selection of the selected sites. This feature is often used to locate sites
in a congested network display. If a single site has been selected, the site will be positioned in the center of the net-
work display at the original zoom level when the Site list is closed. If multiple sites have been selected, the network
display will zoom to the extents of these sites when the Site list is closed.

The combination of the Find and Mark sites features can locate a site on a large network. Set the zoom level to pro-
vide a useable display before entering the Site list.

Select the Create group menu item to add the selec-

tion to an existing group or to create a new group of
sites.
Update PL5 files
The site data is saved in both the network gr5 file and the associated pl5 files. The Update pl5 files operation com-
pares the data in the pl5 files with the site list data and reports any discrepancies found.

This provides a simple method of changing some parameter in the site data list and ensuring that all pl5 files which
include this site are updated.

Updating elevations
Site elevations are stored in the site data record and in the path profile. If the update includes an elevation, both the
site data and the profile will be changed to the elevation specified in the site list.

LINK LIST
The link list contains the following fields which cannot be edited

• Names of the sites at the end of each link.

• Link type - point to point or point to multipoint.
• Associated pl5 file name and folder
In addition, the link list includes three fields used for the thematic formatting of the link lines - link type, link status and
LoS (line of sight) status.

Refer to the Thematic mapping section for detail on site and link thematics.
To create a selection of links, click on the number column at the right side of the Link list. Use the Shift and Ctrl keys
to select multiple links. To erase the selection, click on any other column.

To delete a single link, place the cursor on the link and click Ctrl Y.
If the link has an associated pl5 file, the user will be prompted to
delete this file.

To delete a number of links, first select the links and then click Ctrl
Y.

Mark links - Create group

These two operations create a selection or group from the selected
links in the Link list.

Select the Mark links menu item to retain the current

selection in the network display.

Select the Create group menu item to add the selec-

tion to an existing group or to create a new group of
links.

Design section
To access a design section for a particular link,
place the cursor on the link line and select the De-
sign section menu item. Then select the specific de-
sign section.

NAVIGATING THE NETWORK DISPLAY

The first five buttons on the tool bar set the cursor mode which controls the network display

Pan cursor
Press the left mouse button and move the mouse to pan the network display. If the Ctrl key is down then the
operation changes to zoom as described below:

Zoom cursor
Click the left or right mouse button to zoom or shrink the network display by 10%. The display will be cen-
tered on the mouse cursor location. Alternately, left click and drag to zoom to the focus rectangle extents.
If the Ctrl key is held down, the operation changes to pan as described above.

The 1:1 magnifying glass button is only active when a backdrop image is present. The zoom level is set so
that the screen resolution is equal to the image resolution which represent the optimum zoom level for the
image.

The extents button sets the zoom level to display the network extents. This is determined by the extents of
the sites, backdrop imagery, vector data, local and area studies or a user defined area. Any combination of
these can be used to set the overall drawing extents. Refer to the Extents - Layers paragraph in this section
for further details.
Mouse wheel action
Rotate the mouse wheel forward or backwards to zoom in or out, This operates in any
cursor mode and has exactly the same effect as a left or right mouse button click in the
zoom cursor mode. The display will be centered on the current mouse location.

Click the mouse wheel to enter the auto panning mode. The display panning direction
and speed are controlled by the mouse position, Click any mouse button to exit the auto
panning mode.

Link cursors
Link cursors are used to create links between sites and to access the link design sections. Separate
cursors are provided for point to point and point to multipoint links. These cursors are shown as an ar-
row with sites attached to it - two sites for point to point and three sites for point to multipoint.

To create a link between two sites, left click on the first site legend and drag the mouse to the second site legend.
The PTP cursor is used to create point to point links. The PTMP cursor is used to create point to mulitpoint links with
the restriction that the first site must be a base station.

In the link cursor mode an alternate method of panning and zooming is available. Hold
down the shift key to temporarily switch to the pan cursor. Hold down the Ctrl key to tem-
porarily switch to the zoom cursor.

In the link cursor mode, a left click on a site legend is used only to create new links by a
click and drag operation.

Right click on a site legend to access the site operations menu. These are described in
Operations section.

Left click on a link to access the design sections for that link. Note that only the trans-
mission analysis and terrain data selections will be active if the design does not exist or
a terrain profile is not available.

Right click on a link to access the link operations menu.

Selection cursor
Network operations can be carried out on groups of sites and links. These groups are saved in the gr5 file.
A selection is a temporary group and only one selection can exist at a time. The selection cursor uses the
standard windows arrow cursor. The operation is described below:

• Left click on a site or link to select it. Operationally a link selection can exist without the end sites. This is the
case in the Design links function. From a network visibility viewpoint, if a link is visible, then the end sites will
always be displayed.
• Hold down the Ctrl key and left click on a site or link to add it to the selection or remove it from an existing selec-
tion.
• Click and drag to select the sites and links inside the selection rectangle.
• Hold down the Ctrl key and click and drag to add the sites and links to the current selection.
• To clear a selection, click anywhere on the network display other than on a site or link. If the cursor mode is
changed back to the PTP or PTMP cursor, then the selection will persist. In order to clear the selection, the cur-
sor mode must be temporarily reset back to the selection mode.
Note that many network display operations such as clicking on a link to access the design sections menu are inhibited
in the selection cursor mode.

On screen measurements
Click the Measure button to enter the measurement mode
as indicated by the cursor.

Click and drag to measure the distance and azimuth between two
points. The results can be copied. Click the Continue button to make
another measurement or click the green check mark to end the meas-
urement session and return to the previous cursor mode.

NETWORK DISPLAY PICTURES

Pictures can be placed on the network display for presentation purposes. These can be in any of the follow-
ing image formats: bmp, jpeg, gif or png. Click the picture button on the tool bar and click and drag a rec-
tangle to set the location of the picture. Release the left button and open the required image file. While in the picture
cursor mode, click on the picture and drag to change the location or click on one of the corners and drag to change
the size. Click on any other cursor button to exit the picture cursor mode.

Select the Backdrops - Pictures menu item to edit the drawing order of the
pictures. The drawing order is top to bottom. The last picture in the list will
be on top of any overlapping picture above this. Select a picture file name
and use the up and down arrows to change its order in the list.

Click the Erase button to delete the selected picture.

The full path name of the pictures file is saved in the gr5 file. If the pic-
ture files are moved or deleted, an error message will not be issued
when the gr5 file is opened again and the picture files cannot be found.

ON SCREEN PROFILE GENERATION

Click the generate profile button. A profile preview window will appear. Position and size this window as
required. Click and drag between the end points to generate the profile. Note that clutter is not used on the
profile preview. On completion, the profile is regenerated to include the clutter and is presented in the antenna
heights design section. The user can proceed to establish the feasibility of the path and complete the design.

If the profile starts on an existing site (the mouse cursor is inside a site legend when the click and drag is initiated)
then the coordinates of that site will be used. Similarly if the mouse cursor is inside a site legend when the left mouse
button is released, then the coordinates of the end site will be used. Otherwise, the coordinates will be determined
from the screen pixel location. Depending on the zoom level, screen resolution, and the nature of the backdrop (geo
referenced or edge referenced) inaccuracies may result.

In the display above, the profile is being generated from site-001 to site-002. The Profile View screen show the
progress of the profile generation. Click the right mouse button at any time to cancel the operation.

ELEVATION AND CLUTTER BACKDROPS

Elevation and clutter backdrops are created for the current network display zoom level. The
coordinates of each pixel on the network display are determined and the elevation or clutter
value is read from the database. A bit map is created and displayed. If the display is subse-
quently zoomed, the bitmap is not regenerated but simply zoomed to the new scale. These
backdrops are therefore very dynamic. As the network display view is changed to different areas, the user will regen-
erate the backdrop.

Colors for the elevation backdrops are set in the Elevation color ramp described below. Clutter colors are set in the
Clutter definition table in the GIS configuration. The effects of the three buttons are shown above. The first button -
Elevation backdrop simply color codes the display. The second button - Shaded elevation backdrop adds shading to
produce a contouring effect. The third button - Clutter backdrop colors the display according to the clutter colors.

When an elevation or clutter backdrop is active the status bar shows the elevation and clutter type.

The E and C button on the tool bar toggle the elevation and clutter backdrops on and off.

Elevation color ramp

Select the Backdrops - Elevation color ramp menu item. The standard color ramp is used. Details of this control are
given in the General program operation section. The following additional options are provided for the elevation back-
drop colors:

• The elevations can be represented as solid colors or a color gradient. The solid color option can be used to show
contours.
• Elevations can be displayed as relative or absolute values. If absolute values are used, the maximum and mini-
mum values must be entered. The values for the current display extents are shown.
• Click the Sea level button to set the color for sea level (0 elevation values).
• A special color is used to show elevations which are marked as no data values in the elevation database. Click
the No data button to set this color.
 Note that all colors in the elevation display
have transparency settings. These can be
used to produce special effects. For exam-
ple, a display could be created which only
shows elevations within a certain range. The
colors in the visible area would be set to
opaque and the colors in the other range would be set to transparent.

ACCESSING THE LINK DESIGN SECTIONS

Links can be created in the network display by any of the following methods:

• Left click on a site legend and dragging to the next site.

• Importing Pathloss data files in the Site list.
• Importing a link text file in the Site list.
• Importing a link from the MDB in the Site list.
• Automatic link generation using the Create PTP links and the Create PTMP links operations.
Once a link is created, the link design sections are ac-
cessed by a left click on the link with the link cursor. Select
the menu item for the design section as required. Note that
the Antenna heights, Multipath - reflections and Diffraction
loss menu items are inhibited if this is a new link or a path
profile does not exist in the pl5 file associated with the link.

The network gr5 file contains the site data record for each
site in the network display. The pl5 file contains the same site data record for the sites at each end of the link. If any
discrepancies exist between the network display site record and the corresponding record in the pl5 file, the user will
be notified.

The Network - Pathloss file data discrepancies dialog lists the site data record for both the network display and path-
loss data file. If two items are equal, an equal sign is shown between the two data items; otherwise, a green arrow
pointing right towards the Pathloss file or a blue arrow pointing left towards the network will be shown.

These arrows indicate whether the network data or Pathloss file data is to be changed. Note that the user can click
on these arrows to change their direction.

In the above example the elevations and tower types are different. With the arrows as shown, the following action
will take place if the green check is clicked:

• The elevation in the Site 1 data record in the Pathloss file will be changed from 200.5meters to 195.8 meters.
The elevation at the Site 1 end of the path profile will also be changed to 195.8 meters.
• The tower type in the network display will be changed from a roof mount to a monopole.
Note that if the red X is checked, nothing will be changed.

Site data and profile elevations

Elevation discrepancies can have a special significance in manual design operation. Consider the following situation.

The user has imported a site data text file which includes site elevations. Links are created in the network display
and a path profile is generated in the Terrain data design section. At this point, the end point path profile elevations
are the terrain database elevations. The terrain profile generation procedure does not automatically use the imported
site elevation (the elevation in the site list). The user closes the design section and returns to the network display.
The discrepancy dialog will appear for each site showing the imported elevation in the network display and the terrain
database elevation in the Pathloss file. The user is faced with the decision to overwrite the imported elevations with
the terrain data base elevations or to modify the end point of the terrain profile with the imported elevations. The fol-
lowing points need to be considered to decide which is the best approach.

Calculations such as antenna heights, clearance and diffraction loss are based on the clearance to first Fresnel zone
ratio. In these calculations, all elevations are relative to the end point elevations. The absolute elevations above
mean sea level are not used. In other words, shifting the entire profile up or down will have no affect on the antenna
heights.

Therefore, the absolute error in the elevations has no significance in the calculations. It is the relative errors (the el-
evation differences between the end points and the critical points on the profile) which make the difference. Changing
the site elevations has the same effect as changing the antenna heights.

The type of terrain database must be considered. These can be divided into two classifications for the purposes of
this discussion - bare earth and composite terrain and clutter. NED data is an example of the first and SRTM is an
example of the second type. In the case of the composite terrain and clutter database, the elevations may include
some degree of structure heights and the site ground elevations should be used in the profile. In all other cases, the
accuracy of the site elevations and the resolution of the terrain database will determine the choice.

EXTENTS - LAYERS

Select the View - Extents-layers menu item. The composite extents of the display is the maximum of the following
components:

• Backdrop imagery
• Vector files
• Site data
• Local and area studies
• A user defined area
The units of the extents are those of the current network display projection.

Any of these components can be excluded from the composite extents by unchecking the item.When the
Scale to drawing extents button is clicked, the display will be zoomed to these composite extents

The user can specify the extents of the network display. Check the User item and enter the values for the east, west,
north and south edges. It may be necessary to uncheck the other contributors to the extents if these are larger than
the desired extents. Note that this feature can be used on a new project which does not have site data, imagery or
vector data to define the extents. Once the extents have been established, the elevation and clutter backdrops can
be used. Click the Display button to set the extents to the current network display zoom level.

The default network display uses a Transverse Mercator projection with a central meridian located at the center of
the extents. This projection has a valid east - west range of about 6 degrees. Outside this range, distortion will in-
crease to unacceptable levels. In some countries, a network can extend well beyond this valid range. If an elevation
backdrop is attempted, the distortion at the east and west edges will be obvious.

In these cases the User extents can be used to limit the projection. First zoom the display to an area within the 6
degree east west limit. In the Display extents dialog, click the Display button to set the display extents. Check the
User item and uncheck all other items.

The following additional functions are available in the Display extents dialog.

• Shows the network display projection.

• Allows the user to selectively toggle the visibility of any of the network components. The
toolbar buttons labelled B, E, C and V, perform the same functions for the imagery back-
drop, elevation - clutter backdrops and vector data, respectively.
• Sets the overall transparency of the elevation and clutter backdrops and the local and
area studies. Note that the transparencies of the individual colors can be set for elevation, local and area studies
using the color ramp control. The transparency cannot be set for the individual clutter colors.

3D ELEVATION VIEW
The 3D terrain view provides an interactive view of the terrain, sites, links and Fresnel zones in three di-
mensions from any angle. The view uses the current elevation backdrop. Clutter is not used in this display.

Create an elevation back drop for the area of interest and click the 3D display button on the tool bar. The
initial display shows the terrain viewed from directly above the center of the display.

Click and drag operations with the mouse are used to change the view point as follows:
• The left mouse button controls the eye position. The effect is to pan the display in any direction holding the eye
position at the same elevation.
• With the Shift key held down, the left mouse button changes the eye elevation. Drag the mouse down to move
closer to the ground or up to raise the eye to a higher elevation. The direction that the eye is pointing does not
change.
• The right mouse button controls the direction the eye is pointing. Moving the mouse in a circle will rotate the view
point 360 degrees.
• The mouse wheel move the eye forwards and backward along the direction that eye is pointing.
Click the Reset viewpoint button to return to the initial display

Click the Copy button to copy the 3D display to the windows clipboard. It can be pasted into another program.

The display can include the following components:

• Terrain – draws all the ground and water.

• Links – draws the links between sites as a straight line.
• Sites – draws the actual tower at all site locations in the region.
• Fresnel zone – draws the 3D Fresnel zones on all links
• Fresnel grid – draws the 3D Fresnel zone as a grid of lines.
• Orientation compass

Settings
Click the Settings button to access additional options for
the 3D display.

These options are part of the network display options

and can also be accessed from the Configure - Options
- Network display options - 3D terrain view menu item.
Note that the link line width and vertical multiplier can be
set on the toolbar or in the program options. The follow-
ing options are available:

• Colors - site towers, link lines, Fresnel zones and

grids.
• Link line width – the value is in relative units and has
no operational meaning. This number is used to cre-
ate an aesthetically pleasing and informative display.
The number can be set higher so the links can be
viewed from a distance. It can be set to a low value
to inspect links or Fresnel zone intersections at close range.
• Vertical multiplier – this exaggerates all the elevations in the 3D Display and is used to make mountain ranges or
valleys more prominent when viewing a large region.
• Fresnel zone reference (100% F1, 60% F1, 30% F1, F2, F4)
• Earth radius factor (K = 4/3, 1, 2/3 and infinity) - this will apply earth curvature to the terrain in the 3D Display.
The terrain will fall away on all sides from the center of the display The value of k determines the effective shape
of earth to display. Set K = infinity for flat earth.
Click on the green check mark when all the options are set as desired. The 3D display will be updated automatically.
NETWORK DISPLAY OPTIONS
Attributes
Select the Configure - Options - Network display options menu item. This selection sets the default options for the
site name, legend, link line styles and link labels. All new sites and links will use these settings. Individual settings
can be modified in the network display as follows:

• Site name and legend - Right click on the site legend and select the Site attributes menu item.
• Link lines - Right click on a link and select the Link attributes menu item.
• Link labels - Right click on a link and select the Link labels menu item.
The attributes of a group or selection of sites / links can be reset to the default options. The group or selection must
be made before entry to the options. Each attribute option includes a Reset operations apply to dropdown list. which
contains all groups and any available selection.

Site name - legend

The following default attributes can be set for the site
legend:

• Color
• Shape (circle, square or triangle)
• Solid fill or outline
• Size expressed in millimeters
Existing sites in the network display can be reset to
any or all of these attributes. These attributes will be
assigned to all new sites.

The following default attributes can be set for the site

name label.

• Base font, font style (bold or italic), color and

point size.
• The name label can include the site name, call
sign, coordinates and the elevation.
• Site names can be positioned in the network dis-
play using a click and drag operation. A line is
drawn to the site legend to indicate which site
the name applies to. The Default positions but-
ton sets the site name label position relative to
the site legend to the initial default location.
To set the attributes of a particular site, right click on
the site legend or site name.

On dense networks the display can be more readable

when the site name label is switched off. To view the
name or turn the label back on, right click on the site
legend.

Link lines
Select the Configure - Options - Network display options -
Attributes - Link lines menu item. The following default at-
tributes can be set for link lines:

• Color
• Line style (solid, dash or dot)
• Line width
Existing links in the network display can be reset to any or
all of these attributes. These attributes will be assigned to
all new links.

To set the attributes of a particular link, right click on the link

and select the Link attributes menu item. The same attributes are
available as in the default link attributes above.
Thematics and site legend and link line colors
The color settings for the site legend and link lines described
above, can be overridden using the thematics simply by as-
signing a color to a site and link status. The procedure for the
site legend color is given below:

In the Site list, select the Thematic mapping - Site status

menu item. Enter some descriptive term for the Status field
and double click on the Color field and set the corresponding
color.

In the Site list, double click on the Status field for a site and then select one of the status descriptions from the drop
down list. The Site type field must be left as “not defined”. When the Site list is closed, the sites will be colored ac-
cording to their status. The same procedure can be used for link lines. A complete discussion of the thematic mapping
features is given in a following section.

Link Labels
Select the Configure - Options - Network display op-
tions - Attributes - Link labels menu item.

Label format
A label can either have a fixed free format or can be
one of the predefined formats. In the latter case, the
label data will be taken from the pl5 file associated
with the link. If a file association does not exist, the la-
bel will not be drawn. The following label formats are
available:

• TX frequency and polarization

• TX channel ID and polarization
• distance and azimuth
Link labels use the site name font.

Label Attributes
Link labels use the site font. The font style (bold, ital-
ic), color and the point size can be set.

Label drawing can be suspended by checking the Do not draw option.

Labels can be drawn above or below the link line.

The Update labels button operates by reading the associated pl5 file for each link in the network display. The label
is formatted with the new data and updated. Note that the existing Label format in the link is not changed.

The Reset all button operates by reading the associated pl5 file for each link in the network display. The label is for-
matted with the new data using the specified Label format and Label attributes.

The Shrink to fit option in the Link attributes section attempts to fit the label on the link line using the specified font
Size (points) at the current zoom level. The font size will be reduced until the label fits or the label is too small to read.
This operation will be carried out each time the zoom level is changed.
To set the label for a specific link, right click on the link and select the Link label menu item.

Axis - Map grid

A geographic grid or rectangular
projection grid can be added to the
network display. The choice is de-
termined by the current network
display projection. This will be geo-
graphic under the following condi-
tions:

• There is no backdrop imagery.

• A geographic projection is used
for any vector data.
• Site coordinates are set to
either a geographic or variable
zone projection.

Map crossing reports

To generate a map crossing reports
for a link, right click on the link and
select the Map crossing report
menu item. If a geographic grid is
active the report will include the fol-
lowing additional information:

• NTS map names for the Canada 1:50,000 and Canada 1:250,000 Map names options
• Map names for the USA 1:24,000 Map names option.
• SRTM hgt file names for the SRTM - Aster grid Map names options
THEMATIC MAPPING
The default site and link attributes offer a limited selection of shapes and line styles to differentiate between different
classes of site and links. This section deals with thematic mapping of sites and links which includes the capability of
coloring the site legends and link lines according to their status.

Site Thematic Legends

True type fonts are used for the site legends in thematic mapping The Webdings and Wingdings fonts contain char-
acters which are suitable for this purpose. There are two parts to a thematic site legend. The site type determines
the symbol and the site status determines the color. At present, 8 site types and 8 site status values are available.

If both site type and site status are undefined then the standard circle, square and triangle shapes are used. If the
site type is defined and the site status is not defined, then the font can be edited using any combination of colors.

Click the “site list” tool bar button or select the View - Site list menu. The thematic site legend columns are Site type
and Site status. These are both drop down lists include a “not specified - defined” item and the 8 site and status types.

Site Type
Select the Thematic mapping
- Site type menu item.

Place the marker on the sym-

bol cell for the site number
being defined and click Enter
or double click on the cell.
Each time a symbol is de-
fined, it will be added to a list
of symbols. This list is auto-
matically saved in the
file..\cstmdata\thsymbol.lst.

Click the New button to cre-

ate a new symbol. Select the Font menu item and choose a font. Double
click on a character to select it.
If the site status will not be used, then click the edit button and set the colors as
desired.

Enter a name for the site type (the default names are “Type 1 to 8”, set the active
state and the point size of the legend.

Site Status
Select the Thematic mapping - Site status menu item.

Enter a name for the status, set the active state and double click on the color col-
umn to set the color.

In the site list double click on the Site type cell or Site status cell to set the partic-
ular value. The status color will now override the previously specified site color.

Thematic Links
Click the link list button on the toolbar or select the View - Link list menu item.

A thematic link line consists of three components. The link type and link status
are equivalent to the site type and status described above. The link type deter-
mines the line style and the link status determines the line color. The third com-
ponent is actually a second link line whose style and color represent another
status variable for the link. The expected use of this second links line is to track
the line of sight testing on large metropolitan networks. This status is designated
LoS.

At present, values for 8 link types, link status and LoS status can be specified.

If both link type and link sta-

tus are undefined then the
standard solid, dash dot lines
defined under link line at-
tributes are used. If the link
type is defined and the link
status is not defined, then the
line color set in the line type
definition is used.

Note that the LoS line (sec-

ond link line) is drawn first.
The link status line is drawn
on top of the LoS line. The
line styles, widths and colors
should be chosen, so that
both lines are visible.

The thematic link line col-

umns are Link type, Link sta-
tus and Line of sight (LoS) status. These are both drop down lists include a “not specified - defined” item and the 8
link, status and LoS states.
Link Type
Select the Thematic mapping - Link type menu item. Enter a name
for the link type (the default names are “Type 1 to 8) and set the ac-
tive state.

To set the line style, double click on the Line style cell. Choose one
of the Windows standard line styles or create a saw tooth, square
wave or sine wave line. If the link status is not defined, the line color
can be specified; otherwise, the link status color will be used.

Link Status
Select the “Thematic mapping - Link status” menu

Enter a name for the status, set the active state and double click on
the color column to set the color.

Line of sight Status

Select the Thematic mapping - LoS status menu item.

Enter a name for the LoS status and set the active state.

Double click on the Line style cell. Choose one of the Windows
standard line styles or create a saw tooth, square wave or sine wave line. Both the LoS status and the Link type lines
are displayed.

Assign thematics
Thematics can be assigned to a group or selection
in the network display. Select the Operations - As-
sign thematics menu item.

Select the desired group from the Assignment group

dropdown list.

Select the type or status for the sites and links and
click the associated button.

GROUPS AND SELECTIONS

Most operations in the network display are based on
groups or a selection. These are a collection of
sites, links or both sites and links. Any number of
groups with unique names can be created and
these are saved in the gr5 file. Groups can overlap one another i.e a site or link can be in several groups. Groups
are used to control the network display visibility and are an essential feature when working with large networks.

Groups can be created in the automated link creation and design procedures and the import procedures in the Site
list. This section describes the main group creating - editing operations and visibility settings.

A selection is a temporary group and is not saved in the gr5 file. Only one selection can exist at one time. A selection
is always visible and can be used anywhere groups are used.
Creating a selection
Click the Selection button on the tool bar. The cursor will change to the selection cursor. In this mode, many
of the normal network operations which use the point to point or point to multipoint cursor are inhibited. Create
the selection as described below:

• Click on a site or link to select it. To unselect an item, just click on it again.
• Hold the Ctrl key down and click on a site or link to add it to the selection or to remove it, if it is already selected.
• Click and drag to select a group of sites and links within the selection rectangle.
• Hold the Ctrl key down and click and drag to add a group of sites and links to the selection.
If the cursor is changed back to the point to point or point to multipoint cursor, the selection will persist. To clear a
selection, the cursor must be set to the selection cursor. Then click anywhere on the network display other than on
a site or link.

Creating and editing groups

Select the Configure - Groups - Add edit menu item to access the Add edit groups dialog. When this dialog is active
the entire network display will be visible. Any hidden groups will be made visible for the duration of this dialog. A de-
scription of the initial state of the dialog is given below:

The display contains two lists of sites or links. The choice of sites or links is set in the Display section. The left side
list contains all of the sites or links in the network display which are available to be assigned to a group. The right site
list contains the sites or links in that group.

Note the header on the left side list. This shows the number of items available
to be assigned to the group and the total number of items in the network dis-
play. Note that the Network display is the first item in a drop down list. In addi-
tion, the drop down list contains all of the existing groups. This will be
described later when items in one group are moved to another group.
The header on the right site list shows the number of items (sites or links) in
the selected group. The “No Groups” selection simply means that no groups
have been created.

The first step will be to create a new group. Click the New group button and
enter a unique name for the group. This step creates a new empty group without any site or link members and this
becomes the active group.

Adding sites and links to a group

It was noted that a group can contain both sites and links. The design operations in the network display operate on
either sites or links; and for this reason, sites and links are added separately. Note that this does not affect the group
visibility. If a link is visible then the end sites are always displayed even it they are in a hidden group.

To illustrate the procedure, sites will be added. Check the Sites option in the Display section. Position the Add edit
groups dialog so that the site(s) to be added can be seen in the network display. If necessary, zoom or pan the dis-
play. All of the network display navigation features are available in this group mode. A site can be added to a group
directly in the Add - edit groups dialog or by selecting the site in the network display. The two methods are described
below.

Highlight the site in the network display list on the left side and click the button shown at the right.The site
will be added to the active group list and removed from the network display list. Note that this site is now
highlighted in the network display.

To remove the site from the active group list, highlight the site and click the button shown at the right. The
site will be removed from the active group list and placed back in the network display list. Note that the
highlight has been removed from the network display.

Multiple sites can be selected for the above operations. Note that the terminology “removed from the network display”
means the site is no longer available to be added to the active group list.

To transfer all items from one list to the other, use the buttons shown at the right. It is not necessary
to select the items.

To add a site to the active group from the network display, first check the Add option in the Cursor
mode section. Click on a site in the network display. The site will be highlighted and added to the active group list
and removed from the network display list. Click and drag to add multiple sites. Links inside the drag rectangle will
be ignored as the Display option is set to Sites.

To remove a site from the active group, first check the Remove option in the Cursor mode section. Click on the high-
lighted site in the network display. The highlight will be removed and site will be removed from the active group list
and placed back in the network display list. Click and drag to remove multiple sites. If the drag rectangle includes
sites which are not in the active group list, these will be ignored.

The procedure for adding links is identical to the site procedure described above. Check the Links option in the Dis-
play section.
Moving sites and links from one group to another

In addition to the default Network display selection in the Add from source dropdown list, any group can be selected
from this list. In this state, sites and links can be moved between the two groups in either direction using the arrow
buttons.

Add links on condition

Links can be added to the Active group list based on the fol-
lowing conditions:

• path length
• frequency
• fade margin
• application type
Pathloss data files are required for the frequency, fade margin
and application type criteria. If the links do not have file asso-
ciations, then these cannot be added to the group.

Click the Add links on condition button, select the criteria and
enter the range of values to be used to add a link to the group.
Note that it is not necessary to enter values for both the Great-
er than and Less than fields. For example, to create a group
of links with fade margins less than 15 dB, 15 would be entered in the Less than field and the Greater than field would
be left blank.

Set Group Visibility

Select the Configure - Groups - Visibility menu item in
the network display. In the Add - edit groups dialog,
click the Set group visibility.

Check the groups to be displayed. All unchecked

groups will be hidden. The first item - Ungrouped sites
and links sets the visibility for sites and links which do
not belong to any group.

Because sites and links may belong to multiple groups

the following rules determine if a site is visible:

• A site that is a member of any group marked as visible is always visible.

• A site that is not a member of any group is hidden if Ungrouped Sites and Links is NOT checked.
• A site that is a member of one or more groups is hidden only if all of the groups of which it is a member are not
visible.
Links follow the same rules as sites for visibility with one extra rule:
• If a link is visible, the sites at either end of the link will always be visible.
Click the Display button to show the network display for the current visibility settings.

Click the Show all button to check all groups.

Click the Hide all button to uncheck all groups.

If the Set group visibility was accessed from the Add - edit groups dialog, the entire network will be displayed again
when this is closed, regardless of what visibility settings were made. This is necessary for proper operation of the
Add - edit groups. When the Add - edit groups dialog is closed, the visibility settings will take effect.

FILE OPERATIONS
This section describes the procedures under the files menu and includes the export formats, moving network files
and operation with several users simultaneously accessing the network display gr5 file.

Pathloss data (pl5) file locking

The locking mechanism is used on pl5 files
stored on a shared drive. When the pl5 file
is opened, a new file is created with the
same name as the pl5 file with the extension
lck instead of pl5. When the user closes this
file, the lock file is erased. If another user at-
tempts to open the file, a prompt is issued
that the file is in use and will be opened in
read only mode. It is not possible to save the
file under another name. The program does
not check if the lock file has been deleted.

It is possible to delete the lck file outside the program to release the lock.

Merge
The menu item Files - Merge opens a network gr5 file and add the sites, links and base stations in this file to the
current network display. Any duplicate sites and links will be ignored. Studies in the file to be merged are not sup-
ported.

If the files are in widely separated regions the results will be unpredictable.

Copy - Move
This operation copies any portion of a network gr5 file and all of
its associated files to a new location. The procedure analyzes
the network and the pathloss data file associations (pl5 files). If
any errors are encountered, the process will not be carried out.
The user must correct the errors to continue. These may in-
clude:

File not found error

The Pathloss data file (pl5) associated with a link cannot be
found.

Operation will overwrite existing files

Pathloss data files with the same name are located in different folders. These files cannot be copied to a common
directory.
Select the Files - Copy / Move menu item and select the portion of the network to be copied. Click the OK button and
set the directory and enter the new file name for the copied gr5 file. All attributes of the network display will be retained
in the copy including:

• Site and link attributes

• All group definitions and the network visibility state
• All thematic definitions
• All local and area studies.

Open network gr5 file for shared use

The Open for shared use menu item allows a number of users to open a network gr5 file located on a shared drive.
In this mode, the program will track changes made to the gr5 file and advise all users of these changes. The gr5 file
cannot be saved if the revision date of the file on disk is not the same as the file in memory. This prevents changes
made by another user from being overwritten.

The sharing mechanism uses a file with the same name as the network file with the extension glk. This file will be
referred to a glk file in the following descriptions and the file contains the following information:

• The revision date and change number.

• A list of all users who have opened the network file.
• A series of records containing the changes made to the file. These records are used to update the individual
users files.
The glk file is created when the first user opens the network file. At this point the file contains the name of the user
and the revision date. The change number is set to zero. The program will then begin to monitor the glk file at 30
second intervals to determine if the revision date has changed.

The glk file is deleted when the last user closes the network file.

Once the network file has been opened by the first user all other users opening the file will be presented with a list
of users who have this file open. New users are added to the user list and receive revision date at the time that they
loaded the file.

Suppose a user makes some changes to the file and saves the changes. A change is defined as follows:

• A site has been added, moved or deleted.

• A link has been added or deleted.
• The Pathloss data file name associated with the link has been changed.
When the file is saved, a record of the changes is first created by comparing the file in memory with the file on disk.
The glk file will be updated with the new revision date, and the record of changes will be appended to the file.

In this shared environment, the program checks the glk file every 30 seconds and if a change has occurred, the user
is notified with the list of changes. Each change can be viewed.

Make changes
The changes are made directly from the glk file. The display will not be reformatted. All of the changes in the glk file
will be made.

Reload file
The complete file will be reloaded and the display will be reformatted.

If the Cancel button is clicked, the user has the option to update the network display by reloading the file again using
the Files - Open for shared use menu item.
Only one change notification is issued even if the user decides to not re-load the file. Once the file has been updated,
the change notification will begin again.

Export
The network display including all local and area studies can
be exported to an ESRI shapefile, MapInfo mid-mif files or
to a Google Earth kml file. Note that there is no capability to
import data from these formats.

The Export Options allow any portion of the network - selec-

tion, groups or the visible network to be exported

ESRI shapefile
An ESRI shapefile actually consists of 3 different files. Two
files (with extensions.shp and.shx) describe the shapes
themselves and another database file (.dbf) contains addi-
tional information about the vectors. Note that local and area
studies are exported in a vector format.

Select the Files - Export - ESRI shapefile menu item and set the Export options. Click the green check and enter the
export file name without an extension. This file name will be used for the three files that are created. Any extension
will be ignored because shapefiles must have the expected extensions to function.

The links are stored as lines with end points in geographic coordinates referenced to the site datum. Because a
shapefile can only contain one type of shape, the sites are stored as lines as well except the end points are the same
and they have no length. The database file contains information about the sites only. The following data is included:
site name, address, city, state, country, owner code, call sign, station code, operator code, elevation, tower height,
latitude, and longitude.

MapInfo mid mif files

The mid/mif export produces files that can be imported in to Mapinfo. Select Files - Export - Mapinfo mid mif. Select
what you wish to export and click the green check mark. Next enter the file name that will be used as a prefix on all
the files that are created. Two files (mid and mif) will be created for each of the following included in the export: sites,
links, each local study and area study. Note that local and area studies are exported as vectors.

To import the files in to mapinfo, select Table - Import... from the mapinfo main menu. Select the mif file to import
(the mid file should be in the same directory.) Click save in the next dialog to save the TAB file in the same directory.
Repeat this procedure for each mif file you would like to import. When you are finished open a new mapper window
and select the tables you would like included. Click OK to see the data displayed in a network view.
Google Earth kml file
This function creates a kml file to display the network in
Google Earth.Select the Files - Export - Google Earth and
set the Export options. Local and area studies are exported
as png image files using the current display criteria and
range colors. The png format supports per-pixel transparen-
cy as does Google Earth.

Multiple local studies can be exported as single image as

used in the network display or as multiple images.

Suppose the display is color coded for 5 signal level ranges.

In the single image option, an image file will be created for
each signal range in the entire display and represents a
composite signal level display. In the multiple image option,
an image file will be created for each signal range for each
base station. In this case, it will be necessary to switch be-
tween base stations in Google Earth to determine the contributions from each base stations in overlapping areas.

Note the image files are saved in a subdirectory with “_res” added to the kml file name. If the kml file is moved, this
image file directory must also be moved.

Click the green check and enter a file name for the kml file.

The studies in the kml use the current colors and criteria set in the color ramps for local and area studies.

To load the kml file in Google Earth simply select Files - Open and browse to the kml file. Google Earth should auto-
matically fly to the area.

NETWORK OPERATIONS
This section describes the functions available under the Operations menu in the network display. Seperate sections
are provided for the following items:

• Create PTP links

• Design Links
• Edit - modify links
Add Site
Select the Operations - Add site menu item to access the Add SIte dialog. The add
site cursor will appear in the center of the network display. Position the cursor to
the desired location and click the Add button to create a new site at this location.
If the Auto name sites option is checked, the site name will be created using the
format specification show and the new site will be automatically entered into the
site list and shown on the network display.

The format specifier uses the C language printf syntax. The program maintains a
count of the sites added and ensures that a duplicate site name cannot be created.
If the site to be added resulted in a count of 5 then the site name would be “site-
005 base on the specifier “site-%03d”.

If auto site naming is not used, then an intermediate data entry form will
appear with all of the available site data fields.

Note that the site coordinates are calculated from the screen pixel loca-
tion. Depending on the zoom level, screen resolution, and the nature of
the backdrop (geo referenced or edge referenced) inaccuracies may
result.
Move site
Invoke the Move Site dialog by either of the following means:

• Right click on the site legend and select the Move site menu item.
• Select the Operations - Move site menu item and then left click on the site
legend to identify the site to move.
Click on the display to position the move site cursor as required and then click
the OK button to move the site. This procedure will invalidate any path profiles
associated with the new site location.

Note that the site coordinates are calculated from the screen pixel location. De-
pending on the zoom level, screen resolution, and the nature of the backdrop
(geo referenced or edge referenced) inaccuracies may result.
Frequency Assignments

A pl5 file contains the channel frequency and polarization assignments. These are set in the transmission analysis
section on a link by link basis. The frequency assignment utility allows these assignments to be made in the network
display.

Create a selection or group of the links requiring frequency assignments. Each link must have a pl5 file association.
Select the Operations - Frequency assignments menu item. Select the required group or selection. Only the selected
group or selection will be displayed.

The default frequency plan (the last used frequency plan) is initially loaded. If required, click the Open frequency plan
file button and load the required file. Set the channel number to be used for the assignments.

The first step is to identify the high frequency sites. Click the Identify high frequency site(s) button. Click on the site
legend of a high frequency site. All links connected to this site will be automatically set, based on the site initially
designated as high. Repeat this high frequency site assignment for any unconnected links.
The Reset all high - low designations button simply resets all sites to the undefined high - low state.

Two buttons are provided for polarization assignments. The Set all polarizations to vertical button resets all links to
vertical. The link polarization is shown as a label on the link lines. Click the Toggle polarization H<->V button. Then
click on a link to change its polarization.

At this point, the selected channel number and polarization can be assigned to all sites. Click the Add new channel
assignment button. To add additional channel assignments, select the new channel number, change the polariza-
tions if required, and click the Add new channel assignment button again.

The Clear all channel assignments will erase the TX channel assignments in the pl5 files for all links.

The TX channel tables of the individual links can be directly edited in the network display. Click the Edit channel as-
signments button. Then click on a link to edit the channel table.

Site Coordinates Datum

Two utilities are provided to deal with datum dis-
crepancies between the network display GIS
settings and the associated pl5 files.

Transform Site Coordinates

Select the Operations - Transform coordinates
menu item. The To datum is fixed and repre-
sents the datum specified for the site coordi-
nates tab in the GIS setup.

Set the From datum to correspond to the site

coordinates that require transformation. In most
cases, the coordinates in the associated pl5 file
will also need to be changed.
Set pl5 files datum projection.
This utility simply changes the datum and projec-
tion in a group or selection of pl5 files. The datum
will be changed to that specified for the site coor-
dinates tab in the GIS setup. Several recalcula-
tion methods are also provided if a projection is
used.

REPORTS
Performance Reports

The performance report calculates the end to

end performance of a group of links with pl5 file
associations. There is no provision to use a de-
fault “all links” option. The group or selection
must be created first. Then select the Opera-
tions - Performance report menu item.

The initial display shows the list of the available

groups and the link members in each group.
The buttons on the right side of the display are
used to set the order of the links and the direc-
tion as they will appear in the report. These set-
tings will be saved with the group.

The report can be written as a tabulation of the

individual link performance with totals in each
direction as shown below or include the per-
formance objective and show the performance
compared to the objective.

Total time below level

Site 1 Site 2 Distance RX-S1 RX-S2 Total

site-001 site-002 6.47 km 99.99992 26.5 99.99992 26.5 99.99988 38.2
site-003 site-004 17.55 km 99.99858 446.5 99.99858 446.5 99.99753 778.1
site-004 site-005 6.41 km 99.99992 25.5 99.99992 25.5 99.99988 36.7

30.43 km 99.99842 498.6 99.99842 498.6

Total time below level

Objectives
Reference section length 30.43 km
Annual availability (%) 99.9980
Annual unavailability (sec) 630.72

Site 1 Site 2 Distance RX-S1 RX-S2 Total

Manatee site-003 6.47 km 99.99992 26.5 99.99992 26.5 99.99988 38.2
99.99957 134.2 99.99957 134.2
site-003 site-004 17.55 km 99.99858 446.5 99.99858 446.5 99.99753 778.1
99.99885 363.7 99.99885 363.7
site-001 Tower 23506 6.41 km 99.99992 25.5 99.99992 25.5 99.99988 36.7
99.99958 132.9 99.99958 132.9

30.43 km 99.99842 498.6 99.99842 498.6

99.99800 630.7 99.99800 630.7
Objectives are shown in blue.

Click the Objectives button and if necessary, select the

calculation method and enter the performance objectives.
Note that if the specific objectives are not entered, then the
report will only show the calculated performance.

The objectives can be referenced to the total length of the

selected links or to a hypothetical reference path. In the
latter case the reference length, in kilometers is required.

Click the OK button on completion of the objective settings

and click the report button on the initial display to generate
the report.
CSV link report I
Select the Operations - CSV link reports menu item to
access this dialog. Select the group of links for this re-
port in the Create CSV report for group dropdown list.

Select the Application for the report. Any pl5 files

which do not use this application will be ignored.

The CSV reports can be written using one or two lines

per link. If the report will be re-imported back into the
Pathloss program, use the One line per link option in
the Links section.

Set the Delimiter and Text qualifier as required.

On completion of all settings, click the green check

mark, and save the report to a CSV file.

Report format
Any of the three available report formats can be used
in a CSV report.

• Transmission detail
• Transmission summary
• CSV link report
Select the required format in the Use report format for dropdown list.

Click the Edit button to edit the specific fields to be written to the report. Note that
there are several sections to these options. The Common fields apply to all re-
ports. If the Write calculations option is checked, then the settings must be made
for the specific application (Microwave, Adaptive modulation or Land mobile). In
addition, the Microwave application has three different calculation methods.

Check the Write channel assignments option to include these in the report.

The Latitude and Longitude sections contain options to set the sign to be used in
different hemispheres. These are only applicable if the Coordinate format has
been set to decimal degrees. The degrees - minutes - seconds format includes a
letter (NSEW) which specifies the hemisphere.

Calculation method
A column formatting problem arises when the pl5 files use different calculation methods. For example, one file may
use Vigants-Barnett fade probability algorithm and another may use the ITU-R P.530-13 algorithm. These two meth-
ods use completely different parameters and can result in the data, in some columns, being out of order.

The program scans the pl5 files in the selected group and checks the calculation options. If a conflict is detected
which would result in a column synchronization, the calculation will not be written. An error message is issued to this
effect.
CSV Link Report II
This CSV link report allows the user to se-
lect the fields without any restrictions to the
calculation method or application. The col-
umn order is set by the user. The row order
is indeterminate if a group of links is select-
ed. If all links are selected the order will be
the same as shown in the link list. The order
of the sites can be set using several criteria.

The basic report definitions (Delimiter, Text

qualifier, Coordinate format, Latitude and
longitude sign convention) are the same as
in CSV Link Report I.

The basic report format does not use the

external option settings for Transmission
detail, Transmission summary or CSV Link
Reports. Click the Edit Column Definitions
button to define the columns.

Column Definition Categories

The column definitions are organized into the categories shown in the
drop down list in the upper right corner of the Column Definition dialog.

For each category, the user highlights the desired columns by dragging
the mouse with the left button down over a selection, or by using the Ctrl
or Shift keys. Click the arrow button to copy the highlighted items to the
Selected list

If the selected categories are applicable to both sites, then the Site selection will determine if selection
will be made for SIte 1, Site 2 or both sites.

Use the Site selection and the Order buttons to set the column order in the report.

Note that the maximum number of columns in Microsoft Excel is 256 (column IV). The following guide
lines are suggested to not exceed this limit.

• If your application only uses the TR_TR antenna combination, then only select fields from the TR
antennas category.
• If your application uses both the TR_TR and the TRDR_TRDR antenna configuration and a standard report for-
mat is required, then fields from both the TR and DR antenna categories will be required.
• If your network pl5 files use a mix of multipath fade algorithms (e.g. Vigants - Barnett and ITU), only the data
applicable to the specific algorithm used in the file will be printed.
• Adaptive modulation applications will be printed using the total time below level calculation method for the refer-
ence modulation state only.

The Reset button empties the Selection list entirely. The Right arrow button will remove
all selected items in the Selection list.

The Save and Open Selection buttons are used to manage the column definitions. The
file suffix cv5 is used. The last file used will be automatically loaded when the CSV Link Report
II is opened again.

When the column definitions are complete, click the button to close the form and click
the button again to print the report.

Base Station CSV Reports

The CSV report for base stations uses the same concept as the CSV Link Re-
port II. The following column definition categories are available:

For multisectored antennas, the base station with the maximum number of sec-
tors will determine the number of columns in the CSV report.

PL5 Reports
These reports are used in the network display under the Operations - PL5 re-
ports menu item and in all design sections. Refer to the General program oper-
ation section for details of this report feature.
Frequency coordination reports
This is a two way report to request frequency as-
signments and to update the pl5 files with the ac-
tual frequency assignments.