Automated Link Design

Automated link design is implemented in the network display for new and existing links and in the Transmission analysis section for a single link. The operation can be as simple as changing a calculation algorithm or can consist of a complete design including profile generation, antenna height calculations and equipment additions. On point to point links, the design can be optimized to meet a performance objective using different power levels, antennas and the addition of frequency and space diversity. The results are shown by color coding the link lines according to some criteria such as antenna heights, clearance, fade margin, diffraction loss, availability and unavailability. The results for each link are displayed by clicking on the link. Initially the design is in memory. Individual pl5 files are not created or modified at this point. The user can reject certain links, generate a CSV report for the entire network design and regenerate the design using different parameters or calculation algorithms. When the operation is complete, the links are finalized. This step will create new pl5 files and associate these with the network display or modify existing pl5 files. The pl5 files can be assgned to a group in this process.

OVERVIEW
In the network display, the automated link design feature is used in the following operations:

Create point to point links

This operation will create all possible links between any number of sites. The number of links created is given by :
n2 n 2

where n is the number of sites. For example, 10 sites will produce 45 links. This feature is primarily intended to establish the overall network connectivity. The operation can be carried out between all sites or from one group of sites to another. A single site can be linked to a group of sites to determine the connectivity options for that site. Only sites are used in this operation. Any exiting links will be ignored.

Create point to multipoint links

Links are generated from remote sites to a central base station. The user selects a group of sites or all sites within a specified radius from the base station. If the design involves several base stations, each base station could be linked to all of remote sites. CSV reports could be prepared for each base station and the final connectivity could be established on the basis of the fade margins.

Design links
In this case, the links have been defined; however, the pl5 files do not exist. In other words, the user has specified the network connectivity either by drawing link lines between sites with the mouse or importing a link text file into the network display. The automated link design is used to evaluate the performance of this network connectivity. The operation could start by evaluating the antenna height clearance requirements and end by optimizing the design for the availability objective.

Edit - modify links

This operation will change existing pl5 files which form part of a completd network design. These existing pl5 files are not acutally modified until the finalize links step is carried out. This makes it possible to view the existing performance and the effects of any changes to equipment, design methods or calculation algorithms without actually changing the pl5 files.

Link design rules

Each of the above operations are based on a set of link design rules.. These rules are organized into the following categories:

Design scope Design method Equipment specifications Calculation options Selection and rejection criteria

In all of the automated design procedures, the link design rules are accessed from the specific link design dialog. In the transmission analysis design section, select the Design link menu item. In the following description, two versions are presented, one for point to point link design and one for point to mulitpoint link design. The topics which are common to both follow the two descriptions.

POINT TO POINT LINK DESIGN RULES

Note the menu bar below the dialog cap-

tion. This is used for link design file operations and calculation options. Click the green check mark when all settings have been completed. The red X will cancel any changes made to the link design rules and the settings will return to the original values.

Link design rules files (ld5)

The link design rules are saved in a file with the suffix ld5. Each time an automated link design operation is invoked, the last used ld5 file is loaded. A large project might use a number of ld5 files and the file naming convention becomes an important consideration. The name should provide an indication of what designs the file is intended for. For example the use of the file name 23GHz_RadioModel.ld5 would be obvious. Link design rules file names should not be based on site names unless the file is unique to that link. Additional information on the purpose of the file can be entered into the description field.

Design scope
The design scope consists of the following optional operations: Generate terrain profile. Note that profile generation settings are global and are not part of the link design rules. These are set under Configure - Options - Program options and define the primary and secondary DEMs and the use of Clutter 1 or 2. If building vector data files are used, these must be enabled in the GIS configuration. Calculate - set antenna heights Add antenna data Add transmission line data

Add antenna coupling unit data Add radio data Optimize design

The design scope can be changed on the fly as the design proceeds. The specific design scope could require all of these selections or none of them depending on the actual design operation. Several examples are given below: Determining the network connectivity (antenna heights - clearance) only requires the Generate terrain profile and the Calculate - set antenna heights items. Once the network connectivity has been established, the applicable equipment could be added and the performance aspects of the network can be analysed. Changing the radio to a different model would only require the Add radio data selection. This only applies to the Edit-modify links operation. The user needs to know the changes in the overall network performance for different algorithms. For example, the Crane versus the ITU-R P.530 rain algorithm or the ITU-R P.530-12 versus ITU-R P.530-13 multipath fade algorithm. In this case all design scope selections would be unchecked. The calculation options in the link design rules would be reset and the network performance would be recalculated using the new options. This only applies to the Edit-modify links operation.

Link design calculation options

Each link design rules file contains its own calculation options. When a new file is created, the calculation options are set to the default values under Configure - Options - Default calculation options. From this point, any changes made to the default options will have no effect on the link design calculation options. To change these options, click the Calculation options in the Link design rules dialog. The application, frequency and polarization are part of the Calculation options; however due to their importance, these settings are displayed in the Link design rules dialog and can be directly changed here.

Path profile generation

These options apply to profile generation in all automated link design operations. They are not part of the link design rules and are not saved in the link design rules ld5 file. These are repeated here to the allow the user to compare the results for different GIS configurations during the automated links design operations. In the network display, these options are accessed from the Configure - Options Program options - Terrain data - Profile generation. These options specify the usage of the primary and secondary DEMs and the clutter model selection. Normally all path profile elevations are taken from the primary or secondary DEMs. An option is provided to use the site elevations at the end points of the path profiles.

Use site elevations at profile end points

The following points should to be considered for the Use site elevations at profile end points option. 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 the entire profile could be shifted up or down with no change to the results. Therefore, the absolute error in the elevations has no significance in the calculations. It is the relative errors (the elevation 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. When the Finalize links step is carried out in an automated link design operation, the results will be written to Pathloss pl5 files and the elevations shown in the Site list will be the same as the profile end point elevations. Therefore, if the Use site elevations at profile end points option is unchecked, the site list elevations will be overwrittten with the terrain data base elevations. If the Use site elevations at profile end points option was checked, it would be possible to compare the effect of this option using the Edit - modify links function and to change the design to use the terrain database elevations.

Antenna heights - TX lines

This procedure is used for the Calculate - set antenna heights and the Add TX line data design scope items. Three methods for setting antenna heights are available: Calculate both antenna heights using the specified clearance criteria. Use a fixed antenna height at both sites. The value must be specified. Use the assigned antenna height. This is a user specified value for the preferred antenna mounting height on the tower. The assigned antenna height can be directly set in the site list; however; it would normally be imported in a site text file.

When the calculate antenna heights option is used, the following points should be noted: The calculation is based on the clearance criteria. This can be set using the Clearance criteria button or through the design rules calculation options. The two methods are equivalent. If optimization using space or hybrid space diversity has been specified, then the diversity clearance criteria must also be set. When the Limit antenna height to the tower height has been specified, a default tower height must also be specified in case the value is not available in the site data. If the antenna height exceeds the tower height at one site, the antenna height is set to the tower height and the height at the other site is recalculated.

The Limit antenna heights to the tower height option determines which display criteria can be used. If this option is unchecked, the display criteria would be set to antenna heights as the clearance and diffraction loss would always be zero (for typical microwave clearance criteria). If this option is checked, then clearance or diffraction loss would be valid display criteria.

Three options for transmission line lengths are available for the Add transmission line data design scope The transmission line length is determined by the antenna height plus the horizontal transmission line length. This value must be specified. The total transmission line length is specified. Transmission lines are not used.

Antenna coupling unit data

The ACU specifications are required for the Add ACU data design scope. The data in this form should apply to the basic TR_TR antenna configuration. Note the Antenna coupling unit data lookup table tool tip in the display. This data is contained in the radio data file associated with this design.

If optimization with space or hybrid space diversity is used and the design scope includes add ACU data, then the program will check the lookup table for the ACU data for a DR or TH antenna respectively.

Equipment specifications
Antennas, transmission lines and radio equipment specifications are set in this dialog. These correspond to the associated design scopes: Add antenna data, Add TX line data and Add radio data. Click the blue arrow button for each equipment type to access their data entry forms.

Antennas
The data entry form allows for two antennas. The second antenna is only used if design optimization has been specified; otherwise, only the first antenna will be used. The lower gain antenna should be set in the Antenna 1 column. Lookup tables and the antenna index can be used to facilitate the data entry.

Transmission lines

In addition to the transmission line specifications (model and unit loss), the connector loss can be specified here. The transmission table can be used to facilitate the data entry. Note that the transmission line lengths are determined in the Antenna heights - tx lines methods and procedure settings.

Radio
The radio application type (microwave, adaptive modulation or land mobile) must be the same as the application type specified in the link design rules. Note that Pathloss 5 radio data files allow for 4 transmit power levels or a range of power levels. These values are used in the optimization algorithm. Unless a radio data file is available, optimization by transmit power cannot be carried out. The Pathloss 5 radio data files also contain ACU data for the various antenna configurations. When space or hybrid diversity has been specified in the optimization method, the ACU data for a DR or TH antenna will be used, if available.

Optimization
The parameters used for optimization depend on the specific calculation method specified in the link design rules calculation options.

Total time below level for rain and multipath fades

This is an annual performance value and the objective can be expressed as either : Availability in percent of time e.g 99.999 Unavailability in seconds

SES - Unavailability
The SES value represents the multipath outage time in the worst month, The unavailability parameter represents the annual rain outage in seconds. These parameters depend on the SES-Unavailability definition set in the Link design rules calculation options under Transmission calculations - Application radio type. The basic optimization can be implemented by first increasing the transmit power, and then by changing the antenna sizes or vice versa. The transmit power levels or range of power are defined in the radio data file. The radio equipment specifications must include a radio data file for this data. The equipment specifications provide for two antennas. The analysis starts with the lowest transmit power and the lowest gain antenna at both sites. The diversity options will be applied under the following conditions: Only microwave and adaptive modulation radios support diversity. If the performance is controlled by rain attenuation, diversity will not be used. The Add antenna data item in the design scope must be checked. If frequency diversity is specified, the frequency spacing must also be specified.

POINT TO MULTIPOINT LINK DESIGN RULES

All of the automated point to multipoint link design operations are centered on a base station and can only be carried out in the network display. Note that all equipment specifications are taken from the selected base station in point to multipoint applications.

The link design rules dialog is accessed from the respective automated design dialog. Note the menu bar below the dialog cap-

tion.This is used for the link design file operations and calculation options. Click the green check mark when all settings have been completed. The red X will cancel any changes made to the link design rules and the settings will return to the original values.

Link design rules files (ld5)

The link design rules are saved in a file with the suffix ld5. Each time an automated link design operation is invoked, the last used ld5 file for a point to multipoint application is loaded. The application type, frequency and polarization are taken from the selected base station data. The calculation options will be set to these values. The file name should provide an indication of what designs the file is intended for and should indicate that this is a ptmp design. For example, the use of the file name OFDMptmp5800RadioModel.ld5 would be obvious. Link design rule file names should not be based on site names unless the ld5 file is unique to that link. Additional information on the purpose of the file can be entered into the description field.

Design scope
The design scope consists of the following optional operations: Generate terrain profile. Note that profile generation settings are global and are not part of the link design rules. These are set under Configure - Options - Program options and define the primary and secondary DEMs and the use of Clutter 1 or 2. If building vector data files are used, these must be enabled in the GIS configuration. Calculate - set antenna heights Add antenna data Add transmission line data Add antenna coupling unit data Add radio data

The design scope can be changed on the fly as the design proceeds. The specific design scope could require all of these selections or none of them depending on the actual design operation. Several examples are given below: Determining the base station to remote connectivity only requires the Generate terrain profile and the Calculate set antenna heights items. Once the connectivity has been established, the applicable equipment could be added and the performance aspects of the point to multipoint links can be analysed.

Changing the radio to a different model would only require the Add radio data selection. This only applies to the Edit-modify links operation.

Link design calculation options

Note that the application type (microwave, adaptive modulation and land mobile) and frequency are part of the base station definition. When a link design rules file is opened, its calculation options are set to these values. Due to their importance, these settings are displayed in the Link design rules dialog and can be directly changed here. Each link design file contains its own calculation options. When a new file is created, the calculation options are set to the default values under Configure - Options - Default calculation options. From this point, any changes made to the default options will have no effect on the link design calculation options. To change these options, select the Calculation options in the Link design rules dialog.

Antenna coupling unit data

The ACU specifications are used if the Add ACU data item is checked in the design scope. The ACU data applies to the base station and is saved in the network gr5 file. Note that the formatting will depend on the application type. The example screen display shown on the right applies to a land mobile radio application. Note the negative loss number specified for the RX multicoupler loss. In this case the multicoupler is an active unit with gain.

PTMP antenna heights - tx lines

This is the procedure for the Calculate set antenna heights and the Add TX line data design scope items The base station antenna height must be specified. Two methods for setting the remote antenna heights are available: Calculate the remote antenna height using the specified clearance criteria. Use a fixed antenna height at the remote site. The value must be specified.

When the calculate antenna heights option is used, the following points should be noted: The calculation is based on the clearance criteria. This can be set using the Clearance criteria button or through the link design rules calculation options. The two methods are equivalent. When the Limit remote antenna height to the tower height is checked, the Default remote site tower height is required in case the value is not available in the site data. The Limit antenna heights to the tower height option determines which display criteria are relevant. If this option is unchecked, the display criteria should be set to antenna heights as the clearance and diffraction loss would always be zero (for typical microwave clearance criteria). If this option is checked, then clearance or diffraction loss would be valid display criteria.

Three options for the remote site transmission line lengths are available for the Add transmission line design scope. The transmission line length is determined by the antenna height plus the horizontal transmission line length. This value must be specified. The total transmission line length is specified. Transmission lines are not used.

Base - mobile equipment specifications

The base mobile equipment specifications can be accessed from either: The Link design rules in a point to multipoint design. Click the Equipment specifications button. The Create base station dialog in a local or area study. Click the Base - mobile specifications button.

These specifications apply to the selected base station and the remote / mobile site. Base station equipment specifications are saved in the network gr5 file and not in the link design rules (ld5) file. The data entry is organized in the following sections:

Base station sector data

A base station can have a maximum of 8 sectors as set in the Sector definition group box. Each sector contains the antenna and radio data and its frequency assignment. Multiple sectors can be symmetrical or non symmetrical as determined by the Symmetrical sectors check box. In the symmetrical case, only the azimuth of the first sector can be set. The azimuths of the remaining sectors will be automatically set and are shown as the pie diagram on the left. In the non symmetrical case, the azimuth of each sector must be set. These are shown as arrows in diagram on the right. The sector colors in these diagrams correspond to the frequency assignments. A dotted black line denotes that frequency assignments have not been made. When specifying multiple symmetrical sectors, always complete the data entry for sector 1 first. When sector 2 is selected the first time, the sector 2 data will default to the sector 1 data. Note the following points concerning the data entry:

Sector antenna data

For a single sector base station antenna, it is sufficient to simply enter the antenna gain in the units shown (dBd or dBi as determined by the design frequency). In this case, an omnidirectional horizontal antenna pattern will be used with no provision for the vertical angle antenna discrimination. An antenna data file is required to include the base station antenna pattern in the analysis. Click the Base antenna file button to add an antenna from the index. If this is a directional antenna, then enter the azimuth, and optionally, the antenna mechanical downtilt. The second button on this line provides a view of the antenna specifications and patterns. An antenna data file is required if the base station is included in an interference calculation. Antenna data files are required for multiple sectors. For symmetrical sectors, the 3 dB beam width should correspond to the number of sectors. For example for three symmetrical sectors, 120 degree beam width antennas would be used. For non symmetrical sectors, the analysis determines the antenna gain from each antenna at the particular azimuth and uses the maximum value. To set the antenna data in all sectors to the data in the selected sector, click the Same antenna in all sectors button. This is useful if an antenna model is changed.

Sector radio data

The basic radio data requirements are the transmit power and the receiver sensitivity. Click Base radio file button to add a radio data file from the index. The second button on this line provides a view of the radio specifications and curves. A radio data file is required for adaptive modulation applications (OFDM - WIMAX). In this case the transmit power and receive sensitivity for the highest modulation level are shown when the radio data file is loaded. A radio data file is also required if the base station will be used in an interference analysis. Click the Same radio in all sectors button to set the radio data in all sectors to the data in the selected sector. This is useful if the radio model is changed. Frequency assignments are required for an interference analysis. The TX channel lookup table can be used as shown in the excerpt on the right. Click the Frequency (MHz) button to bring up the table. The up and down arrows change the sector number. The +1 and +2 buttons copy the high frequency to the base station or remote station, respectively. As a visual aid in the network display, the sectors can be color coded for their frequency assignment. Click the Channel color button and select the desired color. Set the polarization for each sector using the dropdown list. To set the polarization in all sectors to the value in the selected sector, click the Same polarization in all sectors button.

Mobile - remote antenna and radio data

The basic data entry requirements are the antenna gain expressed in dBi or dBd as determined by the design frequency and the transmit power and receiver sensitivity. If the remote antenna, is not omnidirectional, an antenna data file is required for an interference analysis. In a carrier to interference analysis, the remote station antenna is oriented to the base station with the highest signal. The an-

tenna discrimination to all other base stations is calculated using the antenna data file. Click the Remote antenna file button to access the antenna index and select the antenna data file. A radio data file is required for an interference analysis which requires frequency discrimination data. Click the Remote radio file button to access the radio index and select the radio data file.

Transmission lines
If the design scope includes Add TX line data, enter the transmission line, model, unit loss and optionally, the connector loss. Click the Base TX line or Remote TX line button to access the transmission line table. The connector loss for the base and remote stations can also be entered here.

Duplex and multiple access technology

The calculation of the composite interfering signal depends on the duplex and multiple access technology used in the radios. The duplex technology can be frequency or time division duplex - synchronized or non synchronized. There are three options for duplex technology, and five options for multiple access technology. The technology is applied to every sector in the base station. The effect of each technology is explained below:

Duplex Technologies
Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) Both the base station and the remote stations transmit at the same time using different frequencies. All transmitters are considered in interference studies. Time Division Duplex (TDD non synchronized) The base station and the remotes use the same frequency. Only the base station or one remote station can transmit at a time. Therefore, in an interference study, only the worst case (between the base station and the combination of remote stations) is taken in each sector. Time Division Duplex (TDD synchronized) This is a specialized form of duplexing between separate base stations. Base stations are synchronized with one another so that corresponding sectors will not be transmitting at the same time. There will be no interference cases between same numbered sectors of base stations using this technology.

Multiple Access Technology

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) Only one remote per sector is transmitting at any time. Only one remote per sector is considered in interference cases. This will be the remote causing the worst interference. Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) All remotes are transmitting simultaneously. All Interference cases are considered. Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) All remotes are transmitting simultaneously. All Interference cases are considered. Power levels for remotes are adjusted so that the receive signal power at the base station from each remote is equal. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) All remotes are transmitting simultaneously. All interference cases are considered. Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) This is also referred to as contention and is a form of TDMA. The mobile transmission is inhibitted if another remote is transmitting thererby preventing a collision. In the program, it is handled in the same manner as TDMA..

LINK DESIGN RULES - COMMON DESIGN METHODS

Reliability Parameters
The format of the reliability parameters dialog will depend on the current multipath fade probability algorithm. To change the algorithm, close this dialog and select the Calculation options menu item in the Link design rules dialog. It is important to note that if the reliability parameters are changed in the network display under Configure - Options - Default calculation options, the change will have no effect on the Link design rules calculation options.

The dialog for each reliability algorithm is shown. The data entry requirements are self explanatory and are described in the transmission analysis section.

Rain parameters
The format of the Rain parameters dialog will depend on the rain algorithm set in the calculation options - Crane or ITU-R P.530. If the required algorithm is not displayed, close the Rain parameters dialog. Then select the Calculation options Transmission calculations - Rain menu item in the Link design rules dialog and set the required algorithm Again note that if the rain algorithm is changed in the network display under Configure - Options - Default calculation options, the change will have no effect on the Link design rules rain algorithm. Based on the design frequency, the Include rain calculation can be checked or unchecked.

Crane Rain Algorithm

The Crane rain algorithm requires a rain rate file i.e a table of rain rates with the percent of time that the rain rate is exceeded. The program can automatically determine the required rain file based on the path center coordinates of the link. Two sources of rain statistics files can be used with this option: ALU proprietary rain data - these files must be supplied by the user in the directory geo_data\rain\alu_rain. Public city rain data - these files are supplied with the program in the directory geo_data\rain\city_rain.

Both of these files cover the United States with partial coverage of Canada. The program will determine the distance from path center to the closest rain measurement station. If the distance is less than 200 km the rain measurement station data will be used; otherwise, the correct Crane 96 rain file will be used. If the Use specified rain file option is checked, click the File open button and load the appropriate rain file from the folder geo_data/rain. There are no restrictions on which rain file to use. The file naming convention for the City rain data and the ALU data does not give any indication of their location. CSV index files cityrain_index.csv and alu_rain_index.csv are available for this purpose in their relative directories.

ITU R P.530 Rain Parameters

The ITU R P.530 algorithm uses a single parameter - the rain rate in mm/h which is exceeded for 0.01% of the time. The following sources for this data can be used: ITU-R P.837-3 rain database ITU-R P.837-5 rain database ITU rain statistics file - automatically determined User specified rain statistics file A user specified rain rate

ITU-R P.837-5 is the latest ITU rain data base. Significant differences exist between ITU-R P.837-3 and ITU-R P.837-5. Designs carried out using ITU-R P.837-3 rain rates should be checked again using the latest data.

DISPLAY CRITERIA
The automated link design procedure uses colored link lines as a visual performance indicator. The selection of the criteria, range and color coding is made using the color ramp control. This control is used throughout the program and a complete description is given in the help section - General program operation. The color ramp shown on the left is a partial representation of the display criteria color ramp with numbers on various key components. These numbers will be used in the following setup instructions: Select the display criteria from the dropdown list (9). Enter the maximum value (1). Enter the minimum value (2). To change the color of a range, double click on the display range (3) or double click on the range marker (4). The top and bottom range markers are fixed. To move any other range marker, hold the left mouse button down on the marker (6) and raise or lower it to the new location. You can cross over an existing range marker. Be careful not to move the mouse out of the range marker column as this will delete the range (7). A range can also be moved by entering its new location in the selected range (8). Click on the range marker to be moved (4). Its position will be displayed in the selected range (8). Enter the new value and press the tab key or click on another location. The range will be updated when the selected range edit control loses focus.

To add a new range, double click on any blank area in the range marker column (5). The default color for the new range will be the same as the previous range. Double click on the new range marker and set the color for the new range. To delete a range, hold the left mouse button down on a range marker and drag the range out of the range marker column (7).

The following display criteria are available for automated link design: antenna heights clearance diffraction loss fade margin availability (% of time) unavailability (seconds)

The availability and unavailability criteria require special consideration for data entry.

Availability (%)
The lower limit cannot be less than 90%. Other allowable values are obtained simply by adding 9s e.g. 99, 99.9. The upper limit must also be expressed in 9s and must be greater than the lower limit e.g. 99.9999

Unavailability (sec)
The lower limit cannot be less than 1 second. Other allowable values are obtained simply by adding 0s e.g. 10, 100. The upper limit must also be expressed as 1 plus a number of 0s and must be greater than the lower limit e.g.1000.

Rejection Criteria
Once the automated design operation (Create Links - Design Links - Edit modifiy links) has been run, the results can be filteredusing the Selection - rejection criteria. Enter the greater than and less than values for the relevant parameters and then click the Reject links button. Those links which meet the rejection criteria will be removed from the display. The meaning of relevant parameters will depend on the design scope and methods. A brief review is given below: Diffraction loss and clearance will always be zero if antenna heights are calculated and not limited to the tower height. Antenna heights will always be equal to or less than the tower height if these are fixed heights or calculated and limited to the tower height. Fade margin, availability, worst month SES and unavailability are meaningless if equipment has not been added in the design scope. Availability - worst month SES and unavailability are only available for total annual time below level and SES unavailability calculation methods.

It is possible to reject links with values which meet objectives and do not meet objectives. This generalization is necessary for report purposes. For example, on a large network it is important to know which links are not feasible along with those which are feasible. The two tables below shows which column to use for each case.

Table 1: Meets objectives Parameter

Antenna height Clearance Diffraction Loss Fade margin Annual availability (%) Worst month SES (sec) Unavailability (sec) 600 1000 5 35 99.999

Less than
100

Greater than

-10

Table 2: Does not meet objectives Parameter

Antenna height Clearance Diffraction Loss Fade margin Annual availability (%) Worst month SES (sec) Unavailability (sec) 20 99.99 1000 10000 0 0

Less than

Greater than
300

Click the Restore links button to bring back rejected links. If the link was erased in the view link data display, this operation cannot restore that link. In this case, click the Create links button again.

CSV report
This operation creates a CSV (comma separated values) report which can be opened with MS Excel. The report lists the site names, coordinates and all data as shown in the view data display. The primary use of this report is to compare the performance of the links to determine the overall connectivity

CREATE POINT TO POINT LINKS

In the network display, select the menu item Operations - Create PTP links. This operation uses the Link design rules, Display criteria, Selection-rejection criteria and the CSV report feature. These are common to all automated link design operations and have been separately described. The starting point is a number of sites in the network display. It is preferable, but not mandatory that these sites do not have any existing links. The objective is to determine the best way to connect these sites. The first step will be to identify which sites will be used in the linking operation. The available options are: Link all sites to all sites. This means that every possible link between sites will be created. This may not be practical for a large number of sites.

Link all sites in a group or selection to all sites in the same group or selection. Link sites in a group or selection to the sites in another group or selection.

If necessary create the group(s) or selection of sites to be used in this operation. As an example, the feasibility of connecting a single site to a group of sites is to be determined. The user would first create the group of sites. Assume that the name of this group is west sites. Then, using the Selection cursor, click on the single site to make the selection. Select the Operations - Create PTP links menu item. A terrain database must be configured to access this operation. Set the Link to groups in the two drop down lists at the top of the screen. In the example, Link would be set to Selection (the single site) and to would be set to west sites These can be changed at any time. The last used Link design rules (ld5) file in a point to point application will be automatically loaded. Click the Link design rules button to verify the Design scope and the associated Design methods and specifications. As this procedure is primarily used to establish connectivity, the Generate profile and Calculate - set antenna heights are usually the only checked items in the design scope initially. Click the Display criteria button. The criteria must be logically consistent with the antenna heights calculation method. Note that path length is both an input criteria for link creation and a rejection criteria to remove links. It is generally a good idea to specify a path length greater than 0.2 kilometers. When sites are very close to each other or when the same site has been entered twice with different coordinates, an error will occur if the distance between profile point is greater than the path length. Entering a value for the maximum path length (less than column) will significantly improve calculation times on large networks.

Create links
Click the Create links button. A progress bar will be displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the network display. To cancel the operation, click on the red X.

The links will be created and displayed using the colors set for the Display criteria ranges. The color legend will also be displayed. In the example on the right, the selected site was linked to the west sites. The colors show that west-03 and west-04 site connections meet the clearance criteria. It is important to note, that although a design was carried out for each link, the individual pl5 files have not been created at this point. In fact, if the cancel button is clicked now, the network display will return to its original state. The Finalize links button will create permanent links in the network display and optionally create the pl5 files. For now, the pertinent data for each link is kept in memory. The display criteria settings (colors, ranges and the selected criteria) can be changed at any time and the display will be automatically updated.

Left click on a link to view the specific data for that link. In the example on the right, the results for fade margin, availability and unavailability are blank. The design scope only specified Generate profile and Calculate - set antenna heights. As no equipment data was added, the performance calculations were not carried out. Note the eraser button in the display. If this is clicked, the link will be removed from the network and can only be restored by clicking the Create links button. The Reset button simply resets the network display to the state on entry to the Create point to point links operation. The Selection rejection criteria and the CSV report feature are used to establish the final connectivity

Create links error and warning messages.

The terrain data base must be correctly setup in the GIS configuration if the Generate profile design scope is checked or the ITU-R P.530-12/13 multipath fade algorithm option is used. This option requires an area roughness calculation. Sites may be too close together to generate a path profile. This error may occur when two sites whose coordinates only differ by several seconds exist. At least two points are required for a path profile. If the distance increment between profile points is greater that the path length, this error will occur. This can be corrected by specifying a path length greater than some minimum value in the order of 200 meters The profile is not complete. Some elevations are missing. This error is due to missing terrain data files or data files which contain bad data, as is the case with many SRTM files. In the latter case, one solution is to configure the Secondary DEM to fill in the missing data. A path profile is required for this operation. This error message is a result of a conflict in the design scope. For example, in a PTP link design, the Calculate - set antenna heights is checked; however, Generate profile is not.

Finalize Links
Once the connectivity is complete, the links can be finalized. There are two steps to this operation. The links will be added to the network display. These can be assigned to a new or existing group. The color legend can be retained for these links in the network display. Link data in the network display is simply a list of the sites at the end points and the visual link attributes. The path profile and all equipment data is contained in separate pl5 files, Check the Save pl5 data files option and then check the File naming convention. If call signs or station codes are selected and these do not exist, then the site name will be used instead. Note that there are no restrictions on site names. Two different sites can have the same name. This could result in files being overwritten. Site IDs are guaranteed to be unique; however, the resulting file names will not have any location significance.

CREATE POINT TO MULTIPOINT LINKS

This operation creates links from a base station to a group of sites or to sites within a specified radius from the base station. Any site in the network display can be a base station; however, there can only be one base station at a site. There are no restrictions on the site and it can form part of a point to point network. A base station contains the following data: Application type and design frequency Base station and remote antenna height Transmission line and antenna coupling unit specifications Base station sector data antenna and radio specifications Frequency assignments Remote site antenna and radio specifications

This data is saved in the network gr5 file. Note that there is some overlap with the data in a link design file. In a point to multipoint design operation, the base station data is used in the design. Do not attempt to create links over existing links which already have a pl5 association.

Right click on a site and select the Create PTMP links menu item. If a base station does not exist at this site, one will be created as part of this procedure. In this case, if a base station exists anywhere in the network, its specifications will be used as a default for the new base station. The remote stations can be specified as a selection / group or by distance from the base station. In the latter case click the Sites within radius button. The cursor will change to measurement mode. Click on the network display to set the radius. The radius can also be entered directly The last used Link design rules ld5 file used in a point to multi point application will be automatically loaded. Click the Link design rules button to verify the Design scope and the associated Design methods and specifications. At the lower frequencies, paths may not have line of sight clearance and fade margin may be the best criteria for selecting links. This requires that all equipment be added in the scope of work in addition to the Generate profile and Calculate - set antenna heights. Click the Display criteria button. The criteria must be logically consistent with the antenna heights methods.

Create links
Click the Create links button. A progress bar will be displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the network display. To cancel the operation, click on the red X.

The links will be created and displayed using the colors set for the Display criteria ranges. The color legend will also be displayed. In the example on the right, the base station was linked to the five remote sites. The display criteria was set to the fade margin and these values are color coded in the display. The link from the base station to site-002 has a negative fade margin and would not be useable. It is important to note that although a design was carried out for each link, the individual pl5 files have not been created at this point. In fact, if the cancel button is clicked now, the network display will return to its original state. The Finalize links button will create permanent links in the network display, and optionally create the pl5 files. For now, the pertinent data for each link is kept in memory. The display criteria settings (colors, ranges and the selected criteria) can be changed at any time and the display will be automatically updated.

Left click on a link to view the specific data for that link. Note the eraser button in the display. If this is clicked, the link will be removed from the network and can only be restored by clicking the Create links button again. The Reset button simply resets the network display to the state on entry to the Create point to mulitpoint links operation. The Selection rejection criteria and the CSV report feature are used to establish the final connectivity

Point to multi point links from multiple base stations

A point to multipoint design often involves determining the best connectivity between several base stations and the remote sites. A suggested method is given below: Create a group for all of remote stations. For each base station in turn, carry out a point to mulitpoint design from the selected base station to all of the remote sites. Set the Link base station to the group of remote stations. Set the design scope in the Link design rules to include Generate profile, Calculate - set antenna heights and Add all equipment categories. The remote antenna heights should be set to a fixed value or the remote height should be limited to the tower height. Set the Display criteria to fade margin. Click the Create links button to generate the links.

Set the rejection criteria to some minimum acceptable fade margin (e.g fade margin less than 5 dB) and click the Reject links button. Create a CSV report for the remaining links. Use the same CSV file for all base stations using the append option when prompted to overwrite or append to an existing file. Finalize the remaining links using the Create pl5 files option. If this option is not checked, on completion only the links will exist and it will be necessary to use Design links option to create the pl5 files. Either method can be used. At this point the CSV file is analysed to determine the best connectivity. The list can be sorted in terms of the remote sites to determine the best base station on the basis of fade margin. The links to the other base stations can be deleted. The final choice will be made both on traffic and fade margin considerations. In the link list delete the links that will not be used. Sort the list using the remote station name and delete the links to base stations that will not be used. Click on the left line number column to select the link. Use the Ctrl and shift keys to multi select links. Use Ctrl Y to delete the selection.

DESIGN LINKS
This operation is used to design links when the link connections exist but the associated pl5 files do not. This procedure is used for both point to point and point to mulitpoint links. If necessary, create the selection or group of links to design. The groups can contain either point to point links or point to multipoint links. Both types or links cannot be in the same group. Select the Operations - Design links menu item. Select the group from the dropdown list under Design links in group. The last used point to point or point or multipoint link design rules will be automatically loaded. If the link type changes in the selected group, then the appropriate link design rules will be reloaded. In any of the links in the selected group have pl5 file associations, then those links will be excluded from the design operation. Click the Link design rules button to verify the Design scope and the associated Design methods and specifications. Remember that the same procedure is used for both point to point and point to multipoint links. In the latter case, the base station parameters will be displayed. Set the Display criteria. The criteria must be logically consistent with the antenna heights method.

Design links
Click the Design links button. A progress bar will be displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the network display. To cancel the operation, click on the red X.

The links will be designed and displayed using the colors set for the Display criteria ranges. The color legend will also be displayed. as shown in the example on the right. It is important to note, that although a design was carried out for each link, the individual pl5 files have not been created at this point. In fact, if the cancel button is clicked now, the network display will return to its original state, The Finalize links button will create the pl5 files. For now, the pertinent data for each link is kept in memory. The display criteria settings (colors, ranges and the selected criteria) can be changed at any time and the display will be automatically updated.

Left click on a link to view the specific data for that link.

Finalize links
The finalize links operation creates the pl5 files for the visible links (those links which have not been rejected). These can be assigned to a new or existing group and the color legend can be retained for these links in the network display. Check the file naming convention. If call signs or station codes are used, these will default to the site name if they have not been specified. Note that there are no restrictions on site names. Two different sites can have the same name. This could result in files being overwritten. Site IDs are guaranteed to be unique; however, the resulting file names will not have any location significance.

EDIT - MODIFY LINKS

This final implementation of Automated link design handles links with existing pl5 file associations. This operation will modify these pl5 files in accordance with the Link design rules. The same procedure is used for point to point and point to multipoint links. If necessary, create the selection / group of links to edit. The groups can contain either point to point links or point to multipoint links. Both types cannot be in the same group. As in all automated link design operations, the scope of the design and associated design methods and specifications are set in the Link design rules. The modifications could be a change from the Vigants - Barnett multipath fade algorithm to one of the ITU-530 algorithms or to a complete redesign in a different frequency band using different equipment. Select the Operations - Edit /modify links menu item. Select the group from the dropdown list under Edit links in group. The last used point to point or point or multipoint link design rules will be automatically loaded. If the link type changes in the selected group, then the appropriate link design rules will be reloaded. If any of the links in the selected group do not have pl5 file associations, then those links will be excluded from the design operation. Click the Link design rules button to verify the Design scope and the associated Design methods and specifications. Remember that the same procedure is used for both point to point and point to multipoint links. In the latter case, the base station parameters will be displayed. Note that an option to use the frequency and polarization in the pl5 files is available for the Edit - modify links operation Set the display criteria. The criteria must be logically consistent with the antenna heights method.

Existing and modified results

Two buttons are provided to display the results for the existing pl5 file designs and for the new results when the link design rules are applied. It is possible to analyse the effects of a change without actually making any changes to the pl5 files. Suppose that the existing pl5 files had been created using the ITU-R P.530 rain algorithm and the effects on the overall performance using the Crane algorithm is to be evaluated. The first step would be to record the performance in the existing files. Click the Show results for existing pl5 files button. The results are displayed as color coded links according to the display criteria. Record the existing results. Click the CSV report button and save the existing results.

Now edit the Link design rules and show the modified results as follows: Click the Link design rules button. Select the Calculation options menu item and then select Transmission calculations - Rain. Check the Include rain calculation option and set the Rain calculation method to Crane. Close the Calculation options with the green check mark. Check the Use frequency and polarization in pl5 files option. Uncheck all items in the Design scope. In other words, the only change will be in the calculation options specified above. Click the green check mark to close the Link design rules. Click the Show modified results using Link design rules button. The color coded results will be displayed. Click the CSV report button and append the results to the previously created file.

A comparison of the two methods is now available in the CSV file.

Modify pl5 files

To modify the pl5 files click the Modify pl5 files using Link design rules button.