Planet User Guide

Cover Page

Mentum PlanetUser Guide

for version 4.5.1

Copyright © 2009Mentum S.A. All rights reserved.

Notice

This document contains confidential and proprietary information of Mentum S.A. and may not be copied, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced in any format or media, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Mentum S.A. Information contained in this document supersedes that found in any previous manuals, guides, specifications data sheets, or other information that may have been provided or made available to the user. This document is provided for informational purposes only, and Mentum S.A. does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, quality, validity, completeness or suitability for any purpose the information contained in this document. Mentum S.A. may update, improve, and enhance this document and the products to which it relates at any time without prior notice to the user. MENTUM S.A. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.

Trademark Acknowledgement

Mentum, Mentum Planet and Mentum Ellipse are registered trademarks owned by Mentum S.A. MapInfo Professional is a registered trademark of PB MapInfo Corporation. RF-vu is a trademark owned by iBwave. WaveSight is a trademark of Wavecall. This document may contain other trademarks, trade names, or service marks of other organizations, each of which is the property of its respective owner.

Last updated February 18, 2009

ContentsContents

MENTUM PRODUCTS

List of products 2

CONTACTING MENTUM

Getting technical support 4Send us your comments 4

INTRODUCTION Features of Mentum Planet 6Using this documentation 8

Online Help 8Documentation library 10Notational conventions 11

CHAPTER 1Getting Started with Mentum Planet

Overview of Mentum Planet activities 14Understanding projects 18Understanding project data types 19

Understanding tables 19Understanding grids 19Understanding grid types 20

Understanding project geodata 22Height folder 23Clutter folder 23Clutter Heights folder 24Polygons folder 24Custom Data folder 26

Understanding project files 26Site table files 26Workspace 27

Understanding the Project Explorer 28Understanding the data window 30

Defining user preferences 32To define user preferences 33

Creating projects 38

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ContentsMentum Planet User Guide

To create a project 39Project folder structure 41Creating and using workspaces 43

To create a workspace 43To open a workspace 44To associate a workspace with a project 44

Attaching files to a Mentum Planet project 44To attach a file to a project 45To open an attached file 45To import an attached file 45To remove an attached file from a project 47

Opening and closing projects 48To open a project 48

Saving projects 49To save a project 49To back up a project 49

Restoring projects 49To restore a project 50

Working with map layers 50To manipulate map layers with the Project Explorer 52To manipulate map layers with the Layer Control 53

Working with geodata folders 54To manage geodata files 54To group geodata files 54To set geodata folder locations 55

Defining color profiles 56To choose color profiles 57To create a color profile 57

Creating class profiles 60To choose a class profile 60To create or edit a class profile 60

Defining system settings 62To define system settings 62

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CHAPTER 2Working with Sites and Sectors

Understanding site properties 66Understanding site configuration files 68

Understanding sector properties 68Basic sector properties 69Additional sector properties 71

Workflow for configuring and placing sites 72Placing sites 73

To place sites 74To undo a recent site placement 78

Displaying and formatting site labels 78To display site labels 78To format site labels 79

Choosing sites 81Choosing sites and sectors from the Project Explorer 81To choose sites and sectors from the Project Explorer 81Choosing sites and sectors using the Select tools 82To choose sites and sectors using the Select tools 82

Grouping sites 82To group sites by properties in the Project Explorer 82To copy grouped sites in the Project Explorer 83To ungroup sites in the Project Explorer 84

Finding and selecting sites and sectors in the Map window 84To find a site in the Map window 84To find a sector in the Map window 84To find and display a site with user-selected zoom 84To select a site or sector in the Map window 85

Working with sites 85To display information about a site 86To edit a site 86To move a site 86To copy and paste a site in the Map window 87To copy a site or sector into a group 88To clone a sector at a site 88To rename a site 88To swap site and sector parameters 89To refresh the sites list 89

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To delete sites from the Project Explorer 89To delete sites from the Map window 89To change the antenna for a sector 90

Using sector placement tools 91To use the Find Maximum Point tool 91To use the Angle From Line tool 92To use the Draw Angle tool 93

Working with sector groups 93To create a sector group 94To display a group in a Map window 94

Editing sector groups 94To rename a group 95To remove a site or sector from a group 95To delete a group 95To refresh the groups list 95To invert a group selection 95To edit groups from the Site Properties dialog box 96

Working with flags 96Example 97To create a flag 98To add a condition 98To apply a flag condition to a sector 98To apply flag conditions to one or more sites 98To display sectors based on flag conditions 99

Editing flags and conditions 99To rename a flag 99To rename a condition 100To delete a flag or condition 100To invert flag conditions 100

Performing global edits 100To perform a global edit 101

Using Tabular Edit 102To edit site and sector settings using Tabular Edit 103

Modifying sector symbols for individual sites 104To modify color and symbol settings for individual sites 104

Customizing sector symbols for multiple sites 104To create a sector display scheme 106

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To define an active sector display scheme 109To add a sector display scheme 110To apply a sector display scheme 110To apply the default sector symbol 111To update sector relationships 111

Adding user-defined data 112To add user-defined data using the User Data tab 113

Working with site tables 113To copy the active site table 114To add a site table 114To view a site table 115To change the active site table 115To remove a site table 115To rename a site table 116

CHAPTER 3Working with Antenna Patterns

Understanding antenna patterns 118Required accuracy for antenna patterns 119Antenna pattern formats 120

Workflow for adding antenna patterns to a project 121Converting antenna patterns from ANet or Planet format 121

To convert antenna patterns 122Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tilt 122

Antenna definition files 123To create an antenna definition file 124To modify antenna patterns with electrical tilt 124

Opening and viewing antenna patterns 125To open an antenna pattern 126To open an antenna pattern from the Project Explorer 126To view additional information 127To open antenna patterns in Notepad 128To view antenna dependencies 128

Editing antenna patterns 128To edit antenna information 130To edit pattern gain values 131To change multiple antenna gain values 132

Saving antenna patterns 132

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To save horizontal and vertical patterns separately 133To save an antenna pattern in NSMA format 133

Printing antenna patterns 133To print an antenna pattern 133

Adding antenna patterns to a project 133To add antenna pattern files to a project 134To view or hide unassigned antenna patterns 135To refresh antenna patterns 135To rename antenna patterns 135To remove an antenna pattern from the Project Explorer 135

Creating quasi-omnidirectional antenna patterns 136Quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern guidelines 136To create a quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern 137

Grouping antenna patterns 138To group antenna patterns 139To ungroup antenna patterns 139

CHAPTER 4Working with Propagation Models

Understanding the role of propagation models 142Understanding propagation model types 142

Free Space model 143Okumura-Hata model 143Planet General Model 144ITU 370-Recommendation model 145COST 231 Walfisch-Ikegami model 146Longley-Rice model 148Lee model 149IEEE 802.16 model 150CRC-Predict model 152CRC-Predict Air 153Universal model 154Q9 model 155WaveSight model 156

Understanding clutter classes and clutter properties 158Workflow for editing propagation models 159Working with the Propagation Model Editor 159

To define propagation model settings in your project 160

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To define propagation model settings globally 161To define a new propagation model 162To include the effects of clutter 162

Working with Clutter Property Assignment files 163To define clutter properties for a propagation model 163To convert a .cpa file created for CRC-Predict 1.25 or 1.5 164

Understanding model tuning 164Guidelines for model tuning 165Workflow for model tuning 166Tuning models using the Clutter Absorption Loss tuner 167

To tune a model using the Clutter Absorption Loss tuner 167Tuning the Planet General Model using AMT 170

To tune the Planet General Model using AMT 170

CHAPTER 5Managing Survey Data

Understanding surveys 174How survey data is organized in the Project Explorer 174

Workflow for surveys 175Collecting survey data 176Adding surveys to a project 177

To add surveys to the project 178To import surveys 178To modify the properties of a survey 179

Adding survey header information 180To update survey header information using sector properties 180

Saving a copy of a survey 181To save a copy of a survey 181

Displaying survey data 181To view a survey in the Map window 182To find survey data points in the Map window 182To view survey data in tabular format 183To create a thematic map of survey data 183To modify display options for thematically mapped surveys 184

Viewing survey statistics 185To view a survey histogram 186To view a survey clutter distribution histogram 187To view a survey regression analysis 187

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Assigning surveys 190To assign a survey to a sector 190To create a survey assignment file 190To assign multiple surveys using an assignment file 191To view and update survey assignments 192To export a survey assignment file 192To clear all survey assignments 192

Creating survey reports 193To create survey assignment reports 193

Modifying survey data 193To average survey data 194To filter survey data 196To filter survey data by selection 199To filter survey data by polygon 199To remove survey data points from the Map window 200

Combining and comparing surveys 200To combine surveys 201To compare two surveys 201To compare a survey with a numeric grid 203To compare a survey with a modeled prediction 204

CHAPTER 6Managing Test Mobile Data

Understanding test mobile data 206Input file requirements for test mobile data 206Test mobile data file header 207

Workflow for test mobile data 207Importing test mobile data 208

To import test mobile data 208Viewing information about a test mobile data file 212

To view information about a test mobile data file 213Viewing and locating test mobile data 213

To view the test mobile data locations in a Map window 213To find test mobile data in a Map window 214To view test mobile data in tabular format 214

Displaying test mobile data in a Map window 215Understanding point display settings 216Understanding how display information is organized 216

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To define map view settings for a test mobile data file 217To define individual point display settings 219To define point display settings for ranges of values 220To display the test mobile data points in a Map window 222To create a map view template for test mobile data 223

Viewing test mobile data in graph format 224To view test mobile data in graph format 225To print the data in the Test Mobile Graph window 227

Allocating test mobile data to sectors 227Looking up sectors for test mobile data 227Allocating test mobile records to sectors 228To look up sectors for test mobile data automatically 229To assign sectors to test mobile carrier nodes manually 230To add a virtual test mobile sector 231To view or modify sector information 232To allocate test mobile records to sectors 233To view the test mobile records 234To unassign sectors 234To modify the display in the Test Mobile tree view 234

Exporting test mobile data to surveys 234To export test mobile data to surveys 235

CHAPTER 7Managing Scan Receiver Data

Understanding scan receiver data 238Input file requirements for scan receiver data 238To export scan receiver data from Agilent E6474A software 239Scan receiver data file header 239

Workflow for scan receiver data 240Importing scan receiver data 240

To import scan receiver data 241Viewing information about a scan receiver data file 245

To view information about a scan receiver data file 246Viewing scan receiver data 246

To view the scan receiver data locations in a Map window 246To find scan receiver data in a Map window 247To view scan receiver data in tabular format 247

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Displaying scan receiver data in a Map window 248Understanding point display settings 249Understanding how display information is organized 249To define map view settings for a scan receiver data file 250To define individual point display settings 252To define point display settings for ranges of values 253To display the scan receiver data points in a Map window 255To create a map view template for scan receiver data 256

Viewing scan receiver data in graph format 257To view scan receiver data in graph format 258To print the data in the Scan Receiver Graph window 260

Allocating scan receiver data to sectors 260Looking up sectors for scan receiver data 260Allocating scan receiver records to sectors 261To look up sectors for scan receiver data automatically 262To assign sectors to scan receiver carrier nodes manually 263To add a virtual scan receiver sector 264To view or modify sector information 265To allocate scan receiver records to sectors 266To view the scan receiver records 267To unassign sectors 267To modify the display in the Scan Receiver tree view 267

Exporting scan receiver data to surveys 267To export scan receiver data to surveys 268

CHAPTER 8Generating Predictions

Understanding path loss and signal strength predictions 270Path loss and signal strength files 270

Path loss files 270Signal strength files 271Combined signal strength files 271

Choosing a prediction mode 272Modeled predictions 272Merged predictions 273

Defining output settings 273Advanced prediction layers 273Bin file size and resolution 274

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To define analysis output settings 276Generating predictions 277

To generate predictions 278Generating multi-threaded predictions 280

To generate multi-threaded predictions 280Viewing predictions from the Project Explorer 282

To view predictions for a sector 283To view predictions for a repeater 283To view combined predictions for a site or sector 283

Viewing predictions from the View menu 284To view predictions using the View menu 285

Displaying, filtering, and deleting predictions 286To display, filter, and delete predictions 287

CHAPTER 9Generating Signal Strength Predictions Between Two Points

Understanding point-to-point analyses 290The Fresnel zone 290

Workflow for point-to-point analyses 291Understanding the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box 292Generating point-to-point profiles 294

To generate a point-to-point profile 295Understanding how to interpret a point-to-point profile 298

What you see 299What you can do 299

Customizing the point-to-point profile graph window 300To customize the Point-to-Point profile graph window 300To inspect individual points on a profile 301

Viewing the height of clutter above the elevation profile 301To define clutter height values 301To view clutter heights 302

Displaying reflection points 302To display reflection points 302

Exporting a point-to-point graph 303To export a point-to-point graph as an image 303To export a point-to-point graph to a text file 304

Printing point-to-point graphs 304To print a point-to-point graph 304

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Saving and opening point-to-point profiles 304To save a point-to-point profile 305To open a point-to-point profile 305

CHAPTER 10Working with Traffic Maps

Understanding traffic maps 308Types of input traffic data 309Conversion factors for input traffic data 309

Understanding clutter weighting 310Including vectors in clutter 311

Workflow for creating and editing a traffic map 312Creating traffic maps from regions, vectors, and classified grids 312

To create a traffic map from regions or vectors 312To create a traffic map from a classified grid 314

Creating a traffic map from network data 315To import network data for a traffic map 316To create a traffic map from network data 317

Applying clutter weighting 319To apply clutter weighting using a clutter file 320To apply clutter weighting using a merged clutter/vector file 321

Modifying clutter relative weightings 322To modify clutter relative weightings 322

Viewing traffic maps 323To view a traffic map 323

Adding traffic maps to the Project Explorer 323To add a traffic map to the Project Explorer 323

Modifying traffic maps 324Converting traffic maps 324

To convert a traffic map 324Scaling traffic maps 325

To scale a traffic map by percentage 325To scale a traffic map by offset 325To scale a traffic map using clutter scaling factors 326

Combining traffic maps 327To combine traffic maps 327

Deleting traffic maps 328To delete a traffic map 328

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CHAPTER 11Working with Interference Matrices

Understanding interference matrices 330Interference matrix types 331

Workflow for creating interference matrices 333Creating Modeled interference matrices 334

Standard interference matrix 334Histogram interference matrix 335To create a standard interference matrix 335To create a histogram interference matrix 337To create a histogram interference matrix using existing settings 339To update an existing histogram interference matrix 340

Creating Network Data interference matrices 340To import network data for an interference matrix 341To create a Network Data interference matrix 343

Creating Local Knowledge interference matrices 344To create a Local Knowledge interference matrix 344To define Local Knowledge affected traffic 345

Viewing interference matrices 346To view a standard interference matrix 346To view a histogram interference matrix 347To view histogram interference matrix settings 348

Viewing sector-to-sector interference in a Map window 349To view interferers for a sector 349To remove a sector-to-sector interference display 350

Converting a matrix to a standard interference matrix 350To convert a Network Data or Local Knowledge IM 350To convert a histogram interference matrix 351

Merging interference matrices 351To merge interference matrices 352

Deleting interference matrices 354To delete interference matrices 354

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CHAPTER 12Working with Neighbor Lists

Understanding neighbor lists 356Workflow for creating neighbor lists 357Creating neighbor lists 358

To create a neighbor list from a best server grid 358To create a neighbor list from an interference matrix 359Importing network data for a neighbor list 361To import network data for a neighbor list 363To create a neighbor list from network data 364

Creating multi-technology neighbor lists 365To create a multi-technology neighbor list 365

Comparing neighbor lists 367To compare neighbor lists 369

Editing neighbor lists 369To edit a neighbor list 372To add neighbor relationships to a neighbor list 374To remove neighbor relationships from a neighbor list 374To edit a neighbor list graphically 375

Viewing neighbor lists 377To view a neighbor list in a Map window 378

Exporting neighbor lists 378To export an entire neighbor list or a neighbor list for one sector 379

Copying neighbor lists 380To copy a neighbor list 380

Adding neighbor lists to the Project Explorer 380To add a neighbor list to the Project Explorer 380

Changing the active neighbor list 380To change the active neighbor list 381

Merging neighbor lists 381To merge neighbor lists 381

Deleting neighbor lists 382To delete a neighbor list 382

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CHAPTER 13Working with Network and Project Data

Importing, replacing, and exporting project data 384Importing data 384Replacing data 385Exporting data 385To export project data 386To import project data 388

Using the Network Data tool 390Binding network data 391Mentum Planet data 392Results of data binding 392To import network data 393To import network data using saved binding rules 396To add network data to your project 397

Using Network Data Display 399To set metric display options 400To view metrics 401To remove metrics display 401

Importing site data 402To import data to the site table 402

Exporting site table and model files to Planet 2.8 403To export site table and model files to Planet 2.8 403

Using the Demographic Analysis tool 404Demographic Analysis tool outputs 404To perform a demographic analysis 406

Using the Network Statistics Mapping tool 407To update the site table Cell_ID column 408To create a thematic map of network data 408

Using the Tool Manager 409To add a tool to the Tools menu 409To enable and disable tools 410

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CHAPTER 14Working with Grids

Getting information about a grid 412To view a grid legend 412To use the Grid Manager Info function 413To use the Grid Info tool 413To use the Region Info tool 414To use the Line Info tool 414

Contouring a grid 415Creating contours for a numeric grid 415To define contour polylines or regions 416Creating contours for a classified grid 417To create contours for a classified grid 417

Creating smooth grid contours 418How smooth grid contours are created 419To create smooth grid contours 422

Creating slope and aspect grids 424To create a slope and aspect grid 425

Working with area grids 425To create an area grid 426To add an area grid 427To rename an area grid 427To view an area grid 427To delete an area grid 427

Analyzing visibility on a grid 427Point-to-Point Visibility function 428To determine point-to-point visibility 428Viewshed function 429To perform a single-point viewshed analysis 430To perform a multi-point viewshed analysis 432

CHAPTER 15Generating Reports

Producing coverage map reports 434To create a print layout 434To add a frame 435To change the border of a frame 435To open a graphic file 436

Creating and printing legends 436

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To create and print a grid legend 436To create and print a thematic map legend 437

Exporting site tables 438To export the site table to a text file 438

Producing FCC reports 438Service Area Boundary (SAB) formula 439Understanding FCC table formats 440To create FCC contours 441To define override values for 32 dBu services 443To use the FCC Point tool 444To save FCC contour tables 446To export an FCC report 447

APPENDIX A 449Site Table Format

APPENDIX B 451Mentum Planet File Types

APPENDIX C 455Clutter Properties

APPENDIX D 463Survey to Numeric Grid Calculations

APPENDIX E 467Import and Export Tables

INDEX 539

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Mentum Products

This chapter contains the following section:■ List of products

The Mentum Product portfolio provides a range of

products for planning and maintaining wireless

networks.

This section describes the products that are available

as part of the portfolio. For additional details about

any of these products, see the Mentum® web site at

http://www.mentum.com.

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http://www.mentum.com

Mentum ProductsMentum Planet User Guide

2

List of productsThe following table describes wireless network planning and optimization products. The table does not provide details about specific features and tools. For more information, see the introductory chapters in the User Guide for the specific product or visit the Mentum web site at http://www.mentum.com.

Product Description

Mentum Planet A Windows-based wireless network planning and analysis tool. You can add technologies and tools to support the planning functions that you require. Depending on the options that you choose, Mentum Planet provides support for the following technologies:■ TDMA/FDMA—GSM (including GPRS and EGPRS), IS-136, AMPS,

NAMPS, and iDEN■ CDMA—W-CDMA (UMTS, including HSPA), cdma2000 (including

IS-95, 1xRTT, EV-DO)

Specialized modules

Measurement Data Package

Test mobile and scan receiver functionality that can be added to Mentum Planet so that you can import and analyze measurement data and increase the accuracy of predictions.

Universal Model

Propagation model that automatically adapts to all engineering technologies (micro, mini, small and macro cells), to all environments (dense urban, urban, suburban, mountainous, maritime, open), and to all systems (GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, WIFI, WIMAX) in a frequency range that spans from 400MHz to 5GHz.

Indoor/Outdoor Indoor/outdoor module that links Mentum Planet with iBwave RF-vu™ allowing you to view and plan indoor/outdoor networks and manage RF-vu projects using the Mentum Planet Data Manager.

Optimization applications

Mentum Ellipse®

An integrated software solution for the optimal planning and design of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radio transmission links.

Renaissance Frequency planning tool that uses evolutionary algorithms to find the very best frequency plan that will minimize interference across the network.

Capesso™ Optimisation tool that enables engineers to improve upon manual optimisation techniques by allowing them to consider and adjust multiple input parameters simultaneously. The result is a quicker and more cost-effective convergence towards a 'best network' configuration.

http://www.mentum.com/mentum/products.php

Contacting Mentum

This chapter contains the following sections:■ Getting technical support■ Send us your comments

Mentum is committed to providing fast, responsive

technical support. This section provides an extensive

list of contacts to help you through any issues you

may have.

We also welcome any comments about our

documentation. Customer feedback is an essential

element of product development and supports our

efforts to provide the best products, services, and

support we can.

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Contacting MentumMentum Planet User Guide

4

Getting technical supportYou can get technical support by phone or email, or by going to http://www.mentum.com/index.php?page=customer-care&hl=en_US. Email is the best way of getting technical support.

North AmericaPhone: +1 866 921-9219 (toll free), +1 819 483-7094 Fax: +1 819 483-7050Email: [email protected]: 8am – 8pm EST/EDT (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

Europe, Middle East, and AfricaPhone: +33 1 39264642Fax: +33 1 39264601Email: [email protected]: 9am – 6pm CET/CEST (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

Asia PacificPhone: +852 2824 8874Fax: +852 2824 8358Email: [email protected]: 9am – 6pm HKT (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

When you call for technical support, ensure that you have your product ID number and know which version of the software you are running. You can obtain this information using the About command from the Help menu.When you request technical support outside of regular business hours, a Product Support Specialist will respond the next working day by telephone or email, depending upon the nature of the request.

Send us your commentsFeedback is important to us. Please take the time to send comments and suggestions on the product you received and on the user documentation shipped with it. Send your comments to:[email protected]

http://www.mentum.com/index.php?page=customer-care&hl=en_US

http://www.mentum.com/index.php?page=customer-care&hl=en_US

mailto:[email protected]




Introduction

This introduction contains the following sections:■ Features of Mentum Planet■ Using this documentation

This User Guide provides an overview of the full life

cycle of a wireless network, and includes information

on the tools and procedures that are common to all

network technologies. Many procedures, for example

network analyses, are dependent on the technology

being used, and are not included in this User Guide.

For more information on technology-specific

procedures, see the appropriate User Guide.

This chapter explains the features of Mentum Planet

and covers the documentation provided.

5

IntroductionMentum Planet User Guide

Features of Mentum PlanetMentum Planet provides you with all the tools you need to accurately design, analyze, and optimize wireless networks. You can add extensions and enable additional technologies to support the planning functions that you require. For more information, see “List of products” on page 2.Below is a list of some of the main features of Mentum Planet. This list is not comprehensive. For a detailed feature list, go to the Mentum web site at http://www.mentum.com.

Project ExplorerThe Project Explorer organizes all components of a project into a hierarchical structure, enabling you to easily manage all project-related data including sites, project information, network analyses, network data, and surveys. You can sort components such as sites and antenna patterns by their characteristics and manage support documents such as census tract data, capacity planning information, or RF design review documents. Shortcut menus give you quick access to a wide variety of commands.

Traffic Map GeneratorUsing the Traffic Map Generator, you can create traffic maps based on various sources of data, including market information, demographics, vehicular traffic, and switch statistics. You can combine this information with clutter information for your coverage area for an even more accurate assessment of traffic loading for your wireless network. You can also scale traffic maps to better meet your requirements.

Interference Matrix GeneratorThe Interference Matrix Generator analyzes the potential for co-channel and adjacent-channel interference in your wireless network. If required, you can include traffic map information in the interference matrix calculations. Interference matrices are required input for the Neighbor List Generator and, if you are working with a Mobile Technology project, the Automatic Frequency Planning tool.

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Neighbor List GeneratorYou can use the Neighbor List Generator to create, view, edit, and compare neighbor lists for single-technology networks and for multi-technology networks. Neighbor lists can be based on cell adjacency or interference. Multiple user-defined criteria determine neighbor selection. You can also import and export neighbor lists.

Network Data toolYou can import switch statistics for use in traffic maps, interference matrices, neighbor lists, and other Mentum Planet analysis tools. Performance-related data you can import includes dropped call rates, blocked call rates, and traffic levels. The Network Data tool can also produce a thematically mapped display of the imported data by sector.

Survey Data toolUsing the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer, you can import, manage, and visualize survey data.

Field Measurement Data toolsUsing the test mobile and scan receiver tools within Mentum Planet, you can import, analyze, manage, and view data collected across the network. These features provide important information that will help you better optimize your network.

Data ManagerThe Data Manager enables you to store data centrally and manage projects more efficiently, thus facilitating project collaboration and data sharing.

MapInfo ProfessionalMentum Planet includes a full version of MapInfo Professional, an industry standard mapping tool that gives you access to a full suite of raster and vector analysis tools, cartographic-quality tools, and advanced thematic mapping capabilities. For a list of new features in MapInfo 9.0, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

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Using this documentationBefore using this documentation, you should be familiar with the Windows environment. It is assumed that you are using the standard Windows XP desktop, and that you know how to access ToolTips and shortcut menus, move and copy objects, select multiple objects using the Shift or Ctrl key, resize dialog boxes, expand and collapse folder trees. It is also assumed that you are familiar with the basic functions of MapInfo Professional®. MapInfo Professional functions are not documented in this User Guide. For information about MapInfo Professional, see the MapInfo online Help and MapInfo Professional User Guide. You can access additional MapInfo user documentation from the MapInfo website at www.mapinfo.com.All product information is available through the online Help. You access online Help using the Help menu or context-sensitive Help from within a dialog box by pressing the F1 key. If you want to view the online Help for a specific panel or tab, click in a field or list box to activate the panel or tab before you press the F1 key. The following sections describe the structure of the online Help.

Online HelpFrom the Help menu, you can access online Help for Mentum Planet software and for MapInfo Professional. This section describes the structure of the Mentum Planet online Help. The online Help provides extensive help on all aspects of software use. It provides

■ help on all dialog boxes■ procedures for using the software■ an extensive Mentum Planet documentation library in PDF

format■ User Guides

The following sections provide details about the resources available through the online Help.

Resource RoadmapWhen you first use the online Help, start with the Resource Roadmap. It describes the types of resources available in the online Help and explains how best to use them. It includes a step-by-step guide that walks you through the available resources.

8

http://reference.mapinfo.com/#mi_pro


PrintingYou have two basic options for printing documents:

■ If you want a good quality print of a single procedure or section, you can print from the Help window. Click Print in the Help window.

■ If you want a higher quality print of a complete User Guide, use Adobe Reader to print the supplied print-ready PDF file contained in the Mentum Planet documentation library. Open the PDF file and choose File ➤ Print.

Library SearchYou can perform a full-text search on all PDF files contained in the Mentum Planet documentation library if you are using a version of Adobe Reader that supports full-text searches. The PDF files are located in the Mentum\Planet\Help\User Guides folder.

Frequently Asked QuestionsThe Frequently Asked Questions section provides answers to common questions about Mentum Planet. For easy navigation, the section is divided into categories related to product functionality.

“What’s This?” Help“What’s This?” Help provides detailed explanations of all dialog boxes.

User GuidesAll User Guides for Mentum Planet software is easily accessible as part of the online Help.

You can also perform a search on all online Help topics by clicking the Search tab in the Help window. Type a keyword, and click List Topics to

display all Help topics that contain the keyword. The online Help duplicates the information found in the User Guide PDF files in order to provide more complete results. It does not duplicate the information in the Release Notes, or Glossary.

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Documentation libraryMentum Planet comes with an extensive library of User Guides in PDF format. The following table provides details about the documentation supplied with Mentum Planet.

Additional documents, including Application Notes and Technical Notes, are available on the Mentum Web site: http://www.mentum.com.

Document Enables you to

Mentum Planet User Guide Plan and analyze simulated wireless communication networks.

Grid Analysis User Guide Perform operations on spatial data that is stored in grids, and display, analyze, and export digital elevation models (DEM) and other grid-based data.

Indoor/Outdoor Integration User Guide

Integrate indoor networks into Mentum Planet and learn how to view, edit, and manage indoor projects.

TDMA/FDMA User Guide Plan and analyze TDMA/FDMA networks.

CDMA User Guide Plan and analyze W-CDMA (UMTS) and cdma2000 networks.

Data Manager User Guide Learn how to use the Data Manager.The Data Manager enables users to work with centralized Mentum Planet data stored in an Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server database.

Data Manager Server Administrator Guide

Learn how to install and configure the Data Manager Server on database and file servers in a network environment, and how to manage access to project data.

Installation Guide Install Wireless Network Planning software.

Glossary Search for commonly used technical terms.

Release Note Learn about new features and known issues with the current release of software.

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Notational conventionsThis section describes the textual conventions and icons used throughout this documentation.

Textual conventionsSpecial text formats are used to highlight different types of information. The following table describes the special text conventions used in this document.

IconsThroughout this documentation, icons are used to identify text that requires special attention.

Data Manager Server Release Note

Learn about new features and known issues with the current release of Data Manager Server software.

MapInfo Professional User Guide

Learn about the many features of MapInfo Professional, as well as basic and advanced mapping concepts.

bold text Bold text is used in procedure steps to identify a user interface element such as a dialog box, menu item, or button. For example:In the Select Interpolation Method dialog box, choose the Inverse Distance Weighting option, and click Next.

courier text Courier text is used in procedures to identify text that you must type. For example:In the File Name box, type Elevation.grd.

bright blue text Bright blue text is used to identify a link to another section of the document. Click the link to view the section.

➤ Menu arrows are used in procedures to identify a sequence of menu items that you must follow. For example, if a step reads “Choose File ➤ Open,” you would click File and then click Open.

< > Angle brackets are used to identify variables.For example, if a menu item changes depending on the chosen unit of measurement, the menu structure would appear as Display ➤ <unit of measurement>.

Document Enables you to

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This icon identifies a workflow summary, which explains a series of actions that you will need to carry out in the specified order to complete a complex task.

This icon identifies a cautionary statement, which contains information required to avoid potential loss of data, time, or resources.

This icon identifies a tip, which contains shortcut information, alternative ways of performing a task, or methods that save time or resources.

This icon identifies a note, which highlights important information or provides information that is useful but not essential.

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Chapter 1: Getting Started with Mentum Planet

1.
Getting Started with Mentum Planet
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Overview of Mentum Planet

activities■ Understanding projects■ Understanding project data

types■ Understanding project

geodata■ Understanding project files■ Understanding the Project

Explorer■ Defining user preferences■ Creating projects■ Project folder structure■ Creating and using

workspaces■ Attaching files to a Mentum

Planet project■ Opening and closing projects■ Saving projects■ Restoring projects■ Working with map layers■ Working with geodata folders■ Defining color profiles■ Creating class profiles■ Defining system settings

This chapter introduces key concepts of Mentum

Planet and describes tasks you might need to perform

to import data and make it usable in Mentum Planet.

Once you have collected the required data, you need

to prepare it and create a Mentum Planet project. The

Project Wizard leads you through the necessary steps

to identify your project files and folders. It then

creates the project folders and the project file.

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Chapter 1Mentum Planet User Guide

Overview of Mentum Planet activitiesMentum Planet offers many tools to help you plan and optimize your wireless network. The following are activities that you need to consider. For more detailed workflows related to a specific technology, see the appropriate User Guide.

Gather information■ You will need a digital elevation model (DEM)

and, optionally, a clutter file for your network’s coverage area, site information, and manufacturers’ antenna patterns for existing and proposed sites.

Prepare your data■ Check that your data is in a format that Mentum

Planet can use. See the Grid Analysis User Guide for information on importing grids.

■ If you want to perform propagation model tuning or use the Survey Prediction tool, you need to import survey data. See “Adding surveys to a project” on page 177.

Customize your environment■ Specify default settings and actions for Mentum

Planet projects. See “Defining user preferences” on page 32.

Create a project■ A Mentum Planet project helps you to organize

your information, as well as analyze it. You can create a project with as little as a DEM and later add a site file, clutter, propagation models, and so on. The Project Wizard makes project creation simple. See “Creating projects” on page 38.

You can integrate indoor projects into your Mentum Planet project and manage them using the Data Manager. For more information, see the

Indoor Analysis User Guide.

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Getting Started with Mentum PlanetMentum Planet User Guide

Define propagation models■ Propagation models are the basis of predictions.

Mentum Planet includes default propagation models, but you might want to adjust the parameters of a model to suit your requirements. See “Chapter 4: Working with Propagation Models” on page 141.

Configure and place sites■ You can define site configurations that include

details about sectors, antennas, frequencies, base station link budgets, and so on.

■ You can place a site simply by clicking a location on a map, or you can specify precise coordinates. See “Chapter 2: Working with Sites and Sectors” on page 65.

■ When you use candidate sites in network planning, you can copy a site in order to analyze the performance of the site copy and validate site and sector parameters. Once you have fine-tuned the site and sector parameters and decided on the final site placement and configuration, you can swap out the candidate site parameters and the final site parameters. See “Working with Sites and Sectors” on page 67.

Organize and manage sites■ You can define groups to which sites and sectors

can belong. You can then perform network analyses on these groups. See “Working with sector groups” on page 93.

■ A more advanced way of organizing sites is to use flags. A flag is a custom property that can be set to one of a number of condition values that you define. You can select sites for network analysis based on their flags. See “Working with flags” on page 96.

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Compare and analyze survey data■ Surveys enable you to compare and analyze

modeled and measured data to finely tune elements such as height and clear distance. See “Chapter 5: Managing Survey Data” on page 173.

Tune propagation models■ Model tuning adjusts the propagation model to

the conditions in your coverage area, based on survey data that measures signal strength. The Model Tuning tool provides a simple, automated method of model tuning. See “Guidelines for model tuning” on page 165.

Generate signal strength predictions■ You can generate signal strength predictions

separately or as part of generating analysis layers. Because signal strength predictions are required as input for analysis layers, if you choose to generate analysis layers, Mentum Planet automatically generates signal strength predictions. See “Generating predictions” on page 277.

Create traffic maps■ A traffic map shows user densities throughout

your network coverage area. You can combine several traffic maps to include subscriber numbers based on census regions, vehicle densities on roads, network data and clutter types. Traffic maps can provide traffic information for the creation of an interference matrix. For Mobile Technology projects, traffic maps are an input to analysis layers and to the Performance Simulator. For more information about traffic maps, see “Chapter 10: Working with Traffic Maps” on page 307.

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Define network analysis settings■ You can define network analysis settings that are

specific to a technology. Additionally, you can determine the layers to use in an analysis. See the appropriate User Guide.

Generate analysis layers■ You can generate analysis layers from multiple

sites to determine the coverage the network provides at any location. Analysis layers use signal strength predictions as input. The procedure for generating analysis layers varies, depending on the technology. See the appropriate User Guide.

Generate interference matrices■ An interference matrix analyzes your network for

potential interference between sectors. It can include information from traffic maps, network data, and local knowledge, and interference matrices can be used as input for neighbor list generation and other technology-specific tools. See “Chapter 11: Working with Interference Matrices” on page 329.

Generate neighbor lists■ Using a variety of criteria, the Neighbor List

Generator creates a list of neighboring sites and sectors based on their best server coverage areas or on an interference matrix. See “ Chapter 12: Working with Neighbor Lists” on page 355.

Generate and print reports■ You can produce coverage maps and FCC

Service Area Boundary reports. See “Chapter 15: Generating Reports” on page 433.

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Understanding projectsA project contains and organizes all of the information pertaining to a particular wireless network. This includes

■ digital elevation models■ clutter information■ propagation models■ site locations■ sector equipment, including antennas■ sector groups■ flags■ traffic maps■ survey data■ network data■ any documents you want to attach to the project

A project also contains the results of predictions and network analyses made on the basis of this information.

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Understanding project data typesMentum Planet works with tables and grids. An understanding of these types of data will help you to use Mentum Planet effectively.

Understanding tablesTables are like spreadsheets. Each row in a table contains one record, and each column in the record contains information about a particular field. In Mentum Planet, tables store

■ site data, such as Site ID, antenna ID, tower height, power■ points, such as tower locations or survey results■ lines and polylines, such as roads■ polygons, such as bodies of water or county boundaries

You can open a table to view the contents of each record by choosing Window ➤ New Browser Window.

Understanding gridsGrid data is the best way to represent phenomena that vary continuously through space. Elevation, signal strength, path loss, and signal interference are excellent examples of properties that are distributed in constantly varying degrees through space and are best represented in grid format. Grids are part of the raster data format. Regions, points, and lines are part of the vector data format.A grid can be used to effectively visualize the trends of geographic information across an area. Grids enable you to quickly compare and query layers of information, create new derived grids, or analyze grid layers for such unique properties as visual exposure, proximity, density, or slope. There are two types of Mentum Planet grids: numeric grids and classified grids. For more information, see “Numeric grids” on page 20 and “Classified grids” on page 21.

What is a grid?A grid is made up of regularly spaced square cells, called bins, where each bin has a value and a color representing the value. If there are several bins between two known locations, the change in color between these bins indicates how the values change. All data that varies through space is captured at discrete sample locations where the value is known. For example, an RF engineer performs a survey to record the signal strength from a sector.

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Readings are collected every second. In a vector-based GIS system, there are limited ways to portray this kind of data. Some of the more traditional ways are to label each individual sample location with the known value, to create graduated symbols at each sample site where the symbol size reflects the sample’s value, or to generate contour lines or contour regions depicting locations of equal value (see Figure 1.1). Another common method of displaying survey data in a vector-based GIS system is to thematically shade points based on signal strength.

Figure 1.1 Three examples of how a traditional vector-based GIS system displays data that varies continuously.

The problem with these methods is that it is difficult to portray how the data changes between known locations. Grids, on the other hand, easily display how the data changes between locations.

Understanding grid typesMentum Planet supports two types of grids:

■ numeric grids—use numeric attribute information■ classified grids—use character attribute information

Numeric gridsOne example of a numeric grid is a DEM, where each bin is referenced to a value measured in units of height above sea level (see Figure 1.2). Numeric grids are best used to define continuously varying surfaces of information, such as elevation, in which bin values are either mathematically estimated from a table of point observations or assigned real numeric values. For example, in Figure 1.2 each bin was calculated (interpolated) from a table of recorded elevation points. In Mentum Planet, numeric grid files are given the extension .grd. Numeric grids have a corresponding .tab file containing important metadata that describes the grid file.

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Figure 1.2 Numeric grid showing the continuous variation of elevation across an area

Classified gridsClassified grids are best used to represent information that is more commonly restricted to a defined boundary. They are used in the same way that a region is used to describe a boundary area, such as a land classification unit or a census district. In this case, the grid file does not represent information that varies continuously over space. In Figure 1.3 a land classification grid displays each bin with a character attribute attached to it that describes the land type underlying it. A common type of classified grid is a Best Serving Sector analysis layer. In Mentum Planet, classified grid files use a .grc file extension. Classified grids have a corresponding .tab file containing important metadata that describes the grid file.

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Figure 1.3 Classified grid representing land use (called a clutter file) where each bin is referenced to a descriptive attribute

Understanding project geodata

Geodata folders group geographic data (geodata) into organized categories, which improves the integration of third-party propagation models and will enable new features to be developed in Mentum Planet. The geodata contained in a Mentum Planet project is divided into the following folders:

■ Heights—a mandatory folder that contains DEM files used to define the height of the terrain above sea level.

■ Clutter—an optional folder that contains files used to describe land classification or land use.

■ Clutter Heights—an optional folder that contains files used to define the height of clutter Above Ground Level (AGL).

■ Polygons—an optional folder that contains files used to define 2D or 3D regions.

■ Custom Data—an optional folder that contains geographic files that do not fit into the other geodata folders.

Grids can easily be converted to vector format by contouring and vector-based data can be converted to grids. For more information, see

Chapter 4, “Creating Grids Using Other Methods”, in the Grid Analysis User Guide.

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Each folder can contain multiple files, each of a different resolution and/or coverage.

Height folderThe Height folder is the only mandatory folder required by a Mentum Planet project. This folder contains one or more Digital Elevation Model (DEM) files. Each grid (.grd) file contains, for each bin, the height in meters or feet of the terrain above sea level. Using Mentum Planet, you can build DEM files from point data or use many industry standard data formats. Each DEM file has a corresponding .tab file that contains important metadata about the grid file.When the Height folder contains multiple grid files, each grid file must use the same coordinate system, but may have a different resolution. The project DEM file, defined on the Data tab in the Project Settings dialog box, should geographically contain all of the other grid files in the Height folder. All of the grid files in the Height folder except the project DEM file are stored in the same folder, which is defined in the Geodata Folders dialog box. Typically, the project DEM file is stored in a different folder.

Clutter folderThe Clutter folder is an optional folder that contains one or more clutter files in classified grid (.grc) format. Each classified grid file contains, for each bin, the clutter class that covers the majority of the bin. Clutter files are derived from aerial/satellite imagery or generated from digitized maps. Each clutter file has a corresponding .tab file that contains important metadata about the classified grid file.You are not required to choose a clutter file when you create a project. However, using clutter files can significantly increase the accuracy of predictions when using propagation models that support clutter attenuation parameters (e.g., CRC-Predict, Planet General Model, Lee, Longley Rice, Okumura-Hata and Recommendation 370).When the Clutter folder contains multiple classified grid files, each classified grid file must use the same coordinate system, but may have a different resolution. The project clutter file, defined on the Data tab in the Project

Files in the Height, Clutter, Clutter Heights, and Polygons folder should use the same map projection. Files in the Custom Data folder do not

have to use the same map projection as other geodata files.

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Settings dialog box, should geographically contain all of the other classified grid files in the Clutter folder. All of files in the Clutter folder except the project clutter file are stored in the same folder, which is defined in the Geodata Folders dialog box. Typically, the project clutter file is stored in a different folder.

Clutter Heights folderThe Clutter Heights folder is an optional folder that contains one or more clutter height files in numeric grid format. Each grid (.grd) file specifies, for each bin, the mean height above ground level of the clutter specified in the clutter file over the bin. Height values must always be greater than or equal to -400 m.Clutter height files are particularly useful in urban environments, for high resolution clutter files, to describe the height of buildings at the bin level. It is also useful for lower resolution clutter files to describe clutter heights with more granularity wherever the height of a clutter is not uniform over the covered area. In this case, you would use a lower resolution grid file to specify average clutter height, and a higher resolution grid file to provide more precise clutter height information.When the AGL Clutter Height folder contains multiple grid files, each grid file must use the same coordinate system. All of the files in the AGL Clutter Height Clutter folder are stored in the same folder, which is defined in the Geodata Folders dialog box.

Polygons folderThe Polygons folder is an optional folder that contains one or more polygon files in MapInfo table (.tab) format. Each row in a table file specifies a polygon or region object. Typically, individual polygon files are used to define polygons of different types (e.g., one polygon table defines building contours, and another defines vegetation contours).Polygon table files must contain at least the columns specified in Table 1.1, while 3D polygon tables files must also contain either of the columns specified in Table 1.2. Tables may contain other columns such as street

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address, building population, attenuation factor, or other user-defined or model-specific columns.Table 1.1 Required polygon table columns

Height values for 3D polygons are specified in either this AMSL or AGL column. Polygons are considered 2D when a polygon table file does not contain either the AMSL or AGL columns.Table 1.2 Required 3D polygon table columns

When the Polygon folder contains multiple table files, each table file must use the same coordinate system as the project DEM file. All of the files in the Polygon folder are stored in the folder defined in the Geodata Folders dialog box.

Field name Type Comment

Polygon_ID Character (64) Unique ID to represent each polygon object

Polygon_Type Character (256) Descriptive information about a polygon; such as, “Building”, “Vegetation”, or “Water”.

Field name Type Comment

AMSL Float A floating point number representing the height above average mean sea level.

AGL Float A floating point number representing the height above ground level.

The measurement unit used by values in the AMSL and AGL columns are specified in the metadata associated with the .tab file. Use the

following integer values to specify measurement units:• 2—Inches• 3—Feet• 5—Millimeters• 6—Centimeters• 7—Meters

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Custom Data folderThe Custom Data folder is an optional folder that contains one or more geographic files that do not fit in the other geodata folders. The following are some examples of geographic files that you would add to the Custom Data folder:

■ boundaries■ road networks■ railway networks■ water ways■ aerial or satellite photos

Mentum Planet can display custom data if it is a MapInfo grid or table file. For other types of custom data, Mentum Planet will use an appropriate application with which to display the chosen custom data. All of the files in the Custom Data folder are stored in the folder defined in the Geodata Folders dialog box.

Understanding project filesA project elevation grid file and a site table file are required for predictions. Optionally, you can also use a clutter file. You can specify where these files are located on the Data tab in the Project Settings dialog box.

Site table filesThe site table files contain data that describes every site and its associated sectors. When you create a site table, several files are created:

■ a .tab file■ a .map file■ a .id file■ a .xml file■ a .xml.dat file

All of these files must be present for the site table to function properly. See “Mentum Planet File Types” on page 451.When you create a project, you can create a new site table or use an existing one. You can also make a copy of the active site table and change site tables within a project. For more information, see “Working with site tables” on

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page 113. For information on creating projects, see “Creating projects” on page 38.It is important that the structure of the site table is correct in order for Mentum Planet to extract information required to perform path loss predictions using propagation models. Mentum Planet requires that certain columns exist and have exact names, field types (e.g., character, float, etc.), and meaningful values. When a new site table is created, it is populated with the appropriate column names. For more information about Mentum Planet site table column settings, see “Appendix A: Site Table Format” on page 449. For more information about technology-specific site table column settings, see the appropriate User Guide.You can update an existing site table from network data, using the Import Site Data feature. For more information, see “Importing site data” on page 402.

WorkspaceA workspace (.wor) file records which files are open, the position of each Map window and the properties of each layer it contains. You can save your working configuration to a workspace file whenever you want. This feature is particularly useful for features such as print layouts. If you associate a workspace with a project, that workspace is opened whenever you open the project. Use of a workspace is optional. If you do not use a workspace, Mentum Planet will automatically save the initial workspace configuration when you close your project. The initial workspace configuration will be restored when you reopen the project unless you choose to use a workspace and have enabled the Workspace Autosave feature. For more information on workspaces, see “Creating and using workspaces” on page 43.

Do not update the site table manually using MapBasic or MapInfo functionality. To update the active site table, use the Import/Export tool,

the Tabular Edit, or through the Site Properties dialog box. See “Importing, replacing, and exporting project data” on page 384 and “To edit site and sector settings using Tabular Edit” on page 103.

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Understanding the Project ExplorerThe Project Explorer simplifies viewing and manipulation of Mentum Planet project data. It provides

■ tree representation of hierarchical relationships such as groups and sites, sites and sectors, analyses and analysis layers

■ an indicator showing the number of sites and sectors contained in the Sites node and individual Group nodes; for example, if a group name is followed by [6/18] (see Figure 1.4 on page 29), then there are 6 sites and 18 sectors contained in the group

■ Data Manager status bar, indicating the project status in Data Manager (if applicable)

■ easy access to all information about a site, sector, or group■ right-click access to relevant commands■ mouse operations for tasks such as adding a site to a group■ copy and paste operations■ easy access to Restore functionality where minimized dialog

boxes (e.g., the Generator dialog box and the Point-to-Point dialog box) can be maximized.

The Project Explorer is present whenever a project is open, and is initially docked at the left side of the application window. You can also dock the Project Explorer on the right side of the application window by dragging it to the right side of the screen. Drag the Project Explorer to the left side of the screen to once again dock it on the left side of the application window. When docked, only the width of the Project Explorer is resizable.You can also undock the Project Explorer by dragging it to any location on the screen. When undocked, both the height and width of the Project Explorer are resizable. Drag the Project Explorer to the left or right side of the screen to once again dock it with the application window.If you want to hide the Project Explorer from view, choose View ➤ Hide Project Explorer. Choose View ➤ Show Project Explorer to once again view the Project Explorer.

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Figure 1.4 Project Explorer

The Project Explorer can contain one, two, or three data windows. The Data Window control buttons, located just below the title bar, control how many data windows the Project Explorer displays.

Restore buttons

Data Window control buttons

Data Window

Data Window

Category list

Data Manager button

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Understanding the data windowProject information is divided into several broad categories:

■ Network Analyses

■ Operational Data■ Project Data■ RF Tools■ Sites■ Subscriber Manager■ Windows

A data window displays a single category of information as a tree view. You select the category from the Category list.The items in the tree view are generically called nodes. Specific nodes are always referred to by name. A node can be

■ a collection of nodes of one type, such as the Groups node, which is a collection of Group nodes

■ an item that contains subordinate items, such as a site that contains sectors

The tree view represents hierarchical relationships graphically. You can expand or collapse nodes to reveal or hide subordinate nodes as needed.

You can define some relationships by dragging nodes. For example: ■ To add a site to a group, drag the site into the group from the

Sites node. ■ To change the order of layers in a Map window, drag the layer to

where you want it in the list of map layers.

Button Function

Adds another data window at the bottom of the Project Explorer. The button is unavailable when there are three data windows.

Removes the bottom data window in the Project Explorer. The button is unavailable when there is only one data window.

Updates the content of the Project Explorer. To reorder items in the Sites category, right-click the Groups, Repeaters, or Sites node and choose Refresh.

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Using multiple data windowsIf you configure the Project Explorer with multiple data windows, you can

■ view multiple categories of information at once■ view different parts of a lengthy tree view so that you can easily

perform mouse drag operations between them

Access to commandsWhen you right-click on any node, you access a shortcut menu of commands that apply to that type of node. For example, the following menu appears when you right-click on a site node.

By default, a category can only be viewed in one data window at a time. For information on how to view the same category in more than one

data window, see “Defining user preferences” on page 32.

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Figure 1.5 Right-click commands

Each shortcut menu has a default command that appears in bold. For example, the default command for a site node is Edit. You can access these default commands quickly by double-clicking a node.You can make multiple selections by holding the Shift or Ctrl key while clicking nodes, and then right-click to perform a command on all of them. In this case, the shortcut menu contains only commands that are valid for multiple nodes. For example, if you right-click on multiple sites, the New Sector command is not available. You can add a sector to only one site at a time.

Defining user preferencesIn the User Preferences dialog box, you can specify default settings and actions for Mentum Planet. These defaults are maintained between Mentum Planet sessions and upgrades.

■ General—Mentum Planet startup actions and project data validation settings

■ Project Explorer—performance, site selection, and layer display settings

■ Data Manager—logon settings and profile management■ Project Wizard—new project folder, elevation file, and clutter

file settings■ Miscellaneous—prediction view and Interactive Frequency

Planning Tool settings

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To define user preferences1 Choose Edit ➤ Preferences.

The User Preferences dialog box opens.

2 In the tree view, choose General.

3 To set the default action when you start Mentum Planet, choose one of the following options in the Startup Options section:■ Open Most Recent Project—opens the project you last worked

with■ List Recently Opened Project—displays a list of the most

recently opened projects■ Create A New Project—opens the Project Wizard to create a

new project■ None—opens Mentum Planet with no default action

4 To validate project data when you open a project, enable the Perform Data Validation On Project Open check box.

Data validation involves verification of duplicate names and duplicate or invalid site or sector identifiers (UIDs). In most situations, it is strongly recommended that you enable this check box. In a situation where you have a very large project and are certain the project contains no errors, you can clear this check box to save time loading the project.

5 To record warnings in the Mentum Planet error log generated by invalid antenna patterns or antenna patterns that are not normalized, enable the

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Display Antenna Warnings For check box and chose one of the following options:■ All—all antennas in a project■ Assigned—only antennas assigned to sectors in a project

6 In the tree view, choose Project Explorer.

7 In the Performance section, enable any of the following check boxes:■ Enable Duplicate Categories—allows you to display the same

category in two Project Explorer data windows. When you clear this check box, categories are restricted to a single data window.

■ Show Horizontal Scrollbar in Sites Category—adds a horizontal scrollbar to the data window displaying the Sites category when the window content surpasses the window width.

■ Sort Project Explorer Nodes Automatically—sorts the nodes in the Project Explorer when new items are added. When you clear this check box, new items are added to the bottom of nodes and you must right-click the Groups, Repeaters, or Sites node and choose Refresh to sort the chosen node.

Enabling any of the above check boxes will impact the performance of the Project Explorer.

8 To zoom to the extents of chosen sites when you use the View command from the Project Explorer Sites, Group, or Flags node, enable the Zoom Automatically On Viewed Site Selection check box.

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9 To set the default level of translucency for files viewed from the Project Explorer, enable the Apply Translucency To Raster Layers check box and do the following:■ Enable the check boxes next to each layer to which you want

translucency applied.■ Move the slider until the desired percentage is displayed.

When you set a translucency level of 0 percent, the layer is completely opaque (i.e., you cannot see through it). When you specify 100% translucency, the layer is completely transparent.

10 In the tree view, choose Data Manager.

11 Enable any of the following check boxes:■ Show Warning When Deleting Items in Data Manager—to

be informed when items are going to be deleted on the server when you submit data. If order to view the warnings, you must also enable the Update Item Status on Connection check box.

■ Show Warning if Differences Exist When Closing Data Manager—to be informed when differences exist between the local project and the Data Manager project when you exit Data Manager.

■ Expand Sites Node When Data Manager Opens—to automatically expand the Sites node in order to improve the user workflow.

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12 To display Data Manager profiles, in the tree view, expand the Data Manager node.

The default profile is identified by the suffix “(default)”.

13 To create a new profile with which to connect to Data Manager, click the Add User Profile button.

New profiles are added to the Data Manager node. If you work with more than one Data Manager, you can define multiple profiles to simplify logging on to different servers.

14 To define the connection settings for a profile, choose the profile in the tree view and define the applicable values on the Profile panel.

For information on the settings on the Profile panel, press F1 or see “To define log on settings” in the Data Manger User Guide.

15 To modify profiles, right-click a profile and do any of the following:■ To set a default profile, choose Set As Default.■ To rename a profile, choose Rename. In the Rename Profile

Name dialog box, type the new name, and click OK.■ To delete a profile, choose Delete.

16 In the tree view, choose Project Wizard Defaults.

17 To define the default project folder in which to store a new project, click the Browse button beside the Project Folder box and locate the folder to use.

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18 To define the default elevation file with which to create new projects, enable the Use Default Elevation File check box, click the Browse button beside the Elevation File box and locate the file to use.

19 To define the default clutter file with which to create new projects, enable the Use Default Clutter File check box, click the Browse button beside the Clutter File box and locate the file to use.

20 In the tree view, choose Miscellaneous.

21 To define the maximum pathloss value to store in prediction view files, in the Predictions section, type a value in the Set Prediction View Pathloss Lower Limit box.

All masked pathloss values stored in prediction view files will be lower or equal to the defined value. A pathloss value higher than the default value of 190 dB will create more accurate but larger prediction view files. Lower pathloss values will create smaller but less accurate prediction view files.

22 If you want the Interactive Frequency Planning Tool (IFP) to support mobile allocation lists (MALs), in the Frequency Planning section, enable the IFP To Support And Display MALs check box.

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23 Click OK to save your user preferences and close the User Preferences dialog box.

Creating projectsThe Project Wizard leads you through the process of creating a project and, by default, is automatically displayed upon startup of Mentum Planet.If you want Mentum Planet to automatically open the last project, instead of the Project Wizard, in the Startup Options section of the User Preferences dialog box, choose the Open Most Recent Project option. See “Defining user preferences” on page 32.You can use remote project folders to store and access Mentum Planet project data. For example, you can use shared project folders for the following types of project files to conserve disk space on your workstation:

■ bin files■ signal (field) strength files■ prediction view files (CDMA technologies only)

By default, these files are saved in the local project folder. If you use shared project folders, the project files are stored in the shared folders, instead of the local project folder. The shared folders must have read/write access permissions for all Mentum Planet users accessing the shared folders.

You can choose to use a workspace to save your map window settings, although this is not required. For more information on workspaces, see “Creating and using workspaces” on page 43.

You must restart Mentum Planet to apply value changes for any user preference marked by and asterisk (*).

If you are using shared folders and do not enable the corresponding check box in the Sharing section of the Advanced Options tab in the

Project Settings dialog box, the shared path is not stored in Data Manager when you check in the project. For any Data Manager users who perform a Get on the project, all data will be stored within their local project folder.

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To create a projectYou should create each Mentum Planet project in a new, empty folder.

1 Start Mentum Planet.

By default, the Project Wizard opens when you start Mentum Planet. To use the wizard at any other time, choose File ➤ New Project.

2 Click Next on the first page of the Project Wizard.3 In the Mobile Technology dialog box, choose a default settings file, and

click OK.

When you choose a default settings file, the technology is enabled on the Network Technologies panel, and default network settings are automatically applied to the settings in the Network Settings dialog box.

4 Follow the pages of the Project Wizard and supply the appropriate information to create your project.

5 Click Finish.

The Project Settings dialog box opens.

6 On the Data tab, type a project description in the Description box.7 In the Project File box, type a name for the project file or accept the

default.

By default, the folder name specified in the Wizard is used as the .dBp file name.

8 If you want to use a workspace, enable the Use a Workspace check box and accept the default or click Browse and choose an existing workspace (.wor) file.

If you only enable the Use a Workspace check box, the .wor file will not be saved when you close a project. When you re-open the project, the project will be displayed exactly as it appeared when you last saved the workspace manually. For more information, see “Creating and using workspaces” on page 43. For more general information about workspaces, see “Using Workspaces” in Chapter 3 of the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

9 If you want to update the workspace file automatically each time you close a project, enable the Workspace Autosave check box.

With both the Use a Workspace and Workspace Autosave check boxes enabled, the specified workspace will be automatically saved when you

39


close a project. As a result, when you re-open the project, the project will be displayed exactly as it appeared when you last closed the project.

10 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the Folders tab.11 If you want to change the default paths for bin, signal strength, prediction

view, or settings files, for any of the following boxes, click Browse, navigate to the shared folder, and click OK.■ Bin—<project>\bin folder, used for prediction files■ Signal Strength—<project>\SignalStrength folder, used for

field strength files■ Prediction View—<project>\PredictionView folder, used when

you generate a cdma2000 or a W-CDMA Monte Carlo simulation

■ Global—<Mentum Planet installation folder>\Global folder, used for default settings files

12 If you intend to use the Data Manager with shared project files, in the Project Settings dialog box, click the Advanced Options tab, and in the Sharing section, enable the check boxes for each of the file types that reference shared project data.

13 To generate additional prediction layers, enable any of the check boxes in the Additional Layers section.

See “Advanced prediction layers” on page 273.

14 Click OK to save your Mentum Planet project.

The Project Explorer opens, docked at the left edge of the application window.

When you create a project, a set of default propagation model files is copied to the Model folder located within the project folder. Each

propagation model references a default Clutter Property Assignment (.cpa) file containing settings appropriate for the model. Ensure that the clutter properties defined for the propagation model are set for the clutter grid file you specify in the Project Settings dialog box.

The default settings (e.g., spectrum) are based on defined standards for the technology. These standards are available from various

organizations. For CDMA technologies, this list includes 3GPP2 (http://www.3gpp2.org), TIA/EIA (http://www.tiaonline.org) and ANSI (http://www.ansi.org).

40

www.3gpp2.org

www.3gpp2.org

www.tiaonline.org

www.ansi.org

www.ansi.org


Project folder structureEach project folder contains many sub-folders. These are described in Table 1.3. For information on folders specific to a certain technology, see the appropriate User Guide.For a description of the file types, see “Appendix B: Mentum Planet File Types” on page 451.

To open the Project Settings dialog box once a project is open, choose Edit ➤ Project Settings, or click the Project Settings button on the

Analysis toolbar.

Never save projects in the Mentum Planet installation folder.

Table 1.3 Project folders

Folder Contents

Antennas Files for assigned antennas

Antennas (saved) Files for unassigned antennas

Archive Backup site table and network settings files copied to the folder when a project is restored from a backup.

Areas Area classified grid files

Attachments Files you want to associate with a project. Only shared files are saved in the Attachments folder. These files will automatically be put into Data Manager when you submit the project.

Azimuth Additional prediction layer displaying the bearings between sites and receivers, corrected for the map projection.

Backups Folders containing the backup site table and network settings files for the last opened project, the last saved project, and the named backup folders you created.

Bin Prediction files

CDMA2000_Analyses cdma2000 analysis files

ColorCodePlanning Color code plan files

Config Site configuration files

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Curves Curve files

FCC Contours FCC region and point files

FieldStrength Combined (site) prediction files created after you view predictions for a site

FrequencyPlan TDMA/FDMA frequency planning files

Geodata Mapping data including elevation, clutter, clutter height, 2D/3D polygon, and other types of mapping data files such as streets and photographic imagery.

Inclination Additional layer displaying the optimal angles at which transmitters must be angled in order to see the receiver.

InterferenceMatrix Interference matrix files

Model Propagation model and clutter property assignment files

NeighborList Files generated using the Neighbor List Generator

Network_Data Imported network data files

Path Loss Additional layer displaying path loss between the transmitters and receivers.

PerformanceAnalyses TDMA/FDMA performance analysis files

PNOffsetPlanning cdma2000 PN offset planning files

Point Display Settings Local and shared point display settings files

PredictionView Combined (site) prediction files (CDMA)

Profiles Grid color profile files, point-to-point profile settings files, and contour color profile files

Reports Report files

Scanner Data Scanner data files and templates

SCP Scrambling code plans

Sector Display Scheme Sector display schemes

Settings Files created by the Traffic Map Generator

SignalStrength Prediction files for individual sectors

SPT This folder is no longer used.

Table 1.3 Project folders (continued)

Folder Contents

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Creating and using workspacesA workspace (.wor) file saves the current settings for each Map window and its layers. At any time, you can save the current settings to a workspace file. When you open a workspace, the Map windows and layers specified in the workspace are re-created, opening any files that are required.For more information about workspaces, see “Using Workspaces” in Chapter 3 of the MapInfo Professional User Guide.You can define a workspace in your project settings that Mentum Planet will open when you open the project. By default, Mentum Planet does not associate a workspace with your project; it stores the working configuration in a default workspace. To automatically update a workspace file when you make changes, you must use a defined workspace (.wor) file and enable the Workspace Autosave check box on the Data tab in the Project Settings dialog box. See “To create a project” on page 39.

To create a workspace1 Choose File ➤ Save Workspace.2 In the Save Workspace dialog box, navigate to your project folder.

Ensure that Workspace (*.wor) is selected in the Save As Type list.

3 In the File Name box, type a workspace name or accept the default, and click Save.

Subscriber Data Contains subscriber data templates that you can import into a project. See “Importing and exporting subscriber information” in the CDMA User Guide.

Surveys Survey files

TDMA_FDMA_Analyses TDMA/FDMA analyses

Test Mobile Data Test mobile data files and templates

TrafficMaps Numeric grid and clutter relative weighting files for traffic maps

Vector Vector files

WCDMA_Analyses W-CDMA analysis files

Table 1.3 Project folders (continued)

Folder Contents

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To open a workspace1 Choose File ➤ Open Workspace.2 In the Open Workspace dialog box, navigate to your workspace file, and

click Open.

Ensure that Workspace (*.wor) is selected in the Files of Type list.

To associate a workspace with a projectYou can specify a previously-saved workspace that Mentum Planet opens each time you open this project. By doing this, you can have the project open with the same configuration of windows and map layers every time.

1 With a project open, choose Edit ➤ Project Settings.

The Project Settings dialog box opens.

2 Click the Data tab.3 Enable the Use a Workspace check box.4 Click Browse beside the Workspace box, navigate to the workspace you

want to use, and then click Open.5 Click OK to close the Project Settings dialog box.

Attaching files to a Mentum Planet projectYou can attach files of any type to a Mentum Planet project and organize them into folders for easy access. This is useful when you want to include support documents in a Mentum Planet project such as census tract data, capacity planning information, or RF design review documents. And, you can update attached information that is saved as a .xls or .csv file using the Import command. Files can be saved locally on your workstation or shared with other users using the Data Manager.

You can also view the contents of a workspace file using a text editor such as Notepad.

You cannot rename sub-folders from the Project Explorer.

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To attach a file to a project1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the

Attachments node and do any of the following:■ To attach a file that you want stored locally, right-click Local

and choose Add.■ To attach a file that you want stored in Data Manager, right-click

Shared and choose Add.2 In the Open dialog box, locate the file you want to add, and click Open.

The attached file is added to the Local or Shared attachments node in the Project Explorer. Shared files are saved in the Attachments folder within the project folder.

To open an attached file■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

attached file and choose Open.

To import an attached file1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

attached file and choose Import.

The Import Wizard opens.

2 On the File Location page, do one of the following:■ If you want to import project data from an .xls file, choose the

Microsoft Excel option.■ If you want to import project data from a folder of .csv files,

choose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option.

You can also double-click the Local or Shared node to attach a file.

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3 Click Browse, and do one of the following:■ If you chose the Microsoft Excel option in the previous step,

navigate to the .xls file containing the data you want to import, and click Open.

■ If you chose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option in the previous step, navigate to the folder containing the .csv files you want to import, and click OK.

4 Click Next.

The Data Selection page lists the tables available to import and options for replacing project data on import.

5 On the Data Selection page, enable the check boxes for each of the tables that you want to import.

You can click Select All or Clear All to speed up the selection process.

6 If you want to overwrite existing data or remove data from a project, enable any of the following check boxes.■ All Data—replaces data in all categories listed in the Replace

section.■ Groups—replaces data listed in the Groups category.■ Flags—replaces data listed in the Flags category.■ Site Data—replaces site data including data in the following

categories: Sites, Sectors, WCDMA_Sector_Settings,

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CDMA2000_Sector_Settings, EVDO_Sector_Settings, TDMA_Sector_Settings, Link_Budget, TDMA_Repeaters, CDMA_Repeaters, and Carrier_Requirements. Exceptions, frequency plans, and neighbor lists are also overwritten.

■ Exceptions—replaces carrier exceptions and HSN exceptions.

■ Frequency Plan—replaces MALs, carrier assignments, and color codes. Enabling this option does not replace frequency plan (.fpl) files.

■ Base Station Link Budget—replaces data listed on the link budget worksheet.

■ Repeaters—replaces data listed in the TDMA_Repeaters or CDMA_Repeaters categories.

■ Neighbor Lists—replaces neighbor lists.■ Subscriber Data—replaces subscriber data including services,

session types, qualities, bearers, clutter types, subscriber equipment types, subscribers, and usages.

When you replace data, the selected data is first deleted from the project and the new data is then imported into the project. Once data has been replaced, the original data cannot be recovered.

7 Click Finish.

The project data you chose will be updated. The Log dialog box displays the status of the import operation.

To remove an attached file from a project■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

attached file and choose Remove.

The file is deleted from the Attachments folder.

Status messages are displayed cumulatively in the Log dialog box. Click the Export button to save the log messages to a text file. Click the

Clear button to remove all messages from the Log dialog box.

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Opening and closing projectsYou must close an open project before opening a new one. Only projects you have recently worked with appear in the Open Mentum Planet Project dialog box.

To open a project1 Choose File ➤ Open Project.2 If you want to see the paths in the Most Recently Used Projects list,

enable the Show Path check box.3 In the Open Mentum Planet Project dialog box, do one of the following:

■ Choose a project in the Most Recently Used Projects list, and click Open.

■ Click Browse, locate the project you want to open, and click Open.

The project opens in a Map window.

If you are opening a project created using a previous version of Mentum Planet 4.x, predictions will be automatically converted for use in the latest version of Mentum Planet.

If you want Mentum Planet to automatically open the last project, enable the Open Most Recent Project check box on the General panel

in the User Preferences dialog box. If you do not want the last project to open, clear the Open Most Recent Project check box.

When you open a project, existing 4.x predictions are automatically migrated. After predictions have been converted for use in the latest

version of Mentum Planet, you cannot use them or view them in previous versions of Mentum Planet. You should create a backup copy of legacy predictions before opening the project.

If you are working in a multi-user environment with shared predictions, automatic prediction migration will only occur for the first user opening

the shared project. Automated prediction migration only occurs once per project. For subsequent users who have unique predictions in their projects, predictions will have to be regenerated.

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Saving projectsYou can save project data at any time without closing a project. You can also save a named backup of your project. If you need to restore a project because it was terminated abnormally, you can choose which project data you want to restore. See “Restoring projects” on page 49.

To save a project■ Choose File ➤ Save Project.

The project is saved in the Backups/Last Saved folder within the project folder.

To back up a project1 Choose File ➤ Back Up Project.2 In the Backup Project dialog box, in the Name box, type a name for the

folder where the project data will be saved and click OK.

Project data is saved in the named folder within the Backups folder.

Restoring projectsMentum Planet automatically saves a copy of the project currently open in the Backups/Last Opened folder within your project folder when you close a project or exit from Mentum Planet.If you save the project, a copy is stored in the Last Saved folder. You can also save a named project backup. When a project has been terminated abnormally, you can choose which version of the project you want to restore. The project data open when Mentum Planet was terminated is moved to the Archive folder.

To view two projects side-by-side, you can open multiple instances of Mentum Planet on your workstation.

Do not open a .dBp file saved in the Backup folder. Backup .dBp files should only be opened from the Select Project Data dialog box.

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To restore a project1 Open a Mentum Planet project.

If Mentum Planet detects that the project was corrupted, the Select Project Data dialog box opens.

2 Do any of the following:■ To sort the project data by name, click the Project Data title bar.■ To sort the project data by date and time, click the Date

Modified title bar.3 Choose the version of the project you want to open and click OK.

Working with map layersYou should be familiar with the concept of map layers when you work with Mentum Planet. Each unique layer of information exists as a separate file that can be added as a layer in a Map window.Just as each layer can be visualized above or below another layer, layers can be compared using spatial analysis functions. When you open a grid, the Map window consists of a cosmetic layer and individual map layers. You can manipulate these layers using the Project Explorer or using the Layer Control.

50


.

Figure 1.6 Various map layers covering the same geographic area can hold different types of information.

In the Windows category of the Project Explorer, you can ■ view the names of the individual layers■ add or remove layers■ change the position of individual map layers■ make layers visible or invisible, editable or not editable■ open the layer in a new Map window■ make layers selectable and/or editable■ enable automatic labeling of objects, such as sites

You can also manipulate map layers with the Layer Control. Right-click on the Map window and choose Layer Control. For more information about the Layer Control, click the Help button in the Layer Control dialog box.

When you close a Map window by choosing File ➤ Close Table, the grid is not deleted or removed from the project, it is simply no longer

visible.

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To manipulate map layers with the Project Explorer1 In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, expand the Map

Windows node to see the individual map layers.2 Do any of the following:

■ To add new map layers, right-click the Map window name, choose Add Layer, then choose the layers you want to add, and click OK.

■ To remove a map layer, right-click the map layer and choose Remove.

■ To remove a map layer and close the associated file, right-click the map layer and choose Close.

■ To move a map layer, drag it to the where you want it to appear in the list of layers.

■ To hide a layer, right-click the layer and choose Visible if the check box is not already cleared.

■ To make a layer visible, right-click the layer and choose Visible if the check box is not already enabled.

■ To make a layer editable, right-click the layer and choose Editable if the check box is not already enabled. The Editable command is available only for layers that can be made editable, such as vector and point layers.

■ To make a layer non-editable, right-click the layer and choose Editable if the check box is not already cleared. The Editable command is available only for layers that can be made editable, such as vector and point layers.

■ To make a layer selectable, right-click the layer and choose Selectable if the check box is not already enabled. The Selectable command is available only for layers that can be made selectable, such as vector and point layers.

■ To make a layer non-selectable, right-click the layer and choose Selectable if the check box is not already cleared. The Selectable command is available only for layers that can be made selectable, such as vector and point layers.

■ To automatically label objects on a layer, right-click the layer and choose Auto Label if the check box is not already enabled.

52


The availability of automatic labeling depends on the layer. Usually you use it on the site table.

■ To view a layer in a Browser window, right-click the layer and choose Browse.

■ To scale the Map window to show the full extent of a layer, right-click the layer and choose View Entire Layer.

■ To open a layer in a new Map window, right-click the layer and choose New Map Window.

To manipulate map layers with the Layer Control1 Do one of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, right-click a Map window node and choose Layer Control.

■ Right-click in the Map window and choose Layer Control.2 In the Layer Control dialog box, do any of the following:

■ To add a new map layer, click Add in the Layers section, choose layers, and then click Add.

■ To remove a map layer, choose a map layer in the Layer list, and click Remove.

■ To move a layer up, choose a map layer in the Layer list, and click Up.

■ To move a layer down, choose a map layer in the Layer list, and click Down.

■ To make a layer visible, enable the Visible check box next to the map layer.

■ To make a layer editable, enable the Editable check box next to the map layer. Some layers cannot be made editable.

■ To make a layer selectable, enable the Selectable check box next to the map layer.

■ To add labels to the layer, enable the Auto Label check box next to the map layer.

3 Click OK to close the Layer Control dialog box.

Move the cursor over the symbols above each column in the Layer list to display the check box labels.

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Working with geodata foldersThe Geodata node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer gathers all of the data contained in a project to enable you to manage different types of geographic data in a consistent manner. In the Geodata node, you can

■ view geodata files by type or resolution■ add or remove files from geodata folders■ make files in a geodata folder visible or invisible

To manage geodata files1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the

Geodata node to see the geodata folders.2 Do any of the following:

■ To add a file to a geodata folder, right-click the geodata folder name, choose Add, choose the file you want to add, click Open, then click OK. If the chosen file was not in the appropriate Geodata folder, it will be copied to this folder.

■ To remove a file from a geodata folder, expand the geodata folder, right-click the file and choose Remove. The chosen file is only removed the geodata folder, it is not deleted from your computer.

■ To hide a geodata file, expand the geodata folder, right-click the file and choose View if the check box is not already cleared.

■ To make a geodata file visible, expand the geodata folder, right-click the file and choose View if the check box is not already enabled.

■ To view a geodata file in a Browser window, expand the geodata folder, right-click the file and choose Browse. You can only browse MapInfo tables, not grids or other custom data files.

To group geodata files■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Geodata, choose Group By, and then choose the type of grouping that you want.

The geodata files are listed based on the type of grouping you chose.

54


To set geodata folder locationsAll of the geodata files that are contained in a geodata folder are stored in the same folder on your computer, except the project DEM and clutter files which are stored in their own folders.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the Geodata node and choose Show Folders.

The Geodata Folders dialog box opens.

.

2 Click Browse beside the folder name box of the geodata folder you want to change.

The Browse For Folder dialog box opens.

3 Navigate to the folder you want to use to store the files that form the chosen geodata folder, and then click OK.

55


4 Do one of the following:■ Return to Step 2 to set the location of another geodata folder.■ Click OK.

Defining color profilesIn the Project Settings dialog box, you can choose and modify the default color schemes that Mentum Planet uses for numeric and classified grids.The list at the top of the tab (see Figure 1.7 on page 56) enables you to choose a color scheme (a .vcp file) for numeric grids. Color profiles are text files saved with a .vcp extension. These files should be saved in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\Global\Profiles folder.The list at the bottom of the tab enables you to define a color scheme (a .pfr file) for classified grids. For more information on creating a color scheme for classified grids, see “To choose a class profile” on page 60.

Figure 1.7 Colors tab

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To choose color profiles1 Choose Edit ➤ Project Settings.2 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the Colors tab.3 In the Color Profiles table, locate the row that corresponds to the analysis

layer type for which you want to choose a profile, and click in the Color Profile Name column.

The color profile values and colors are shown in the Colors table.

4 Click Select Color Profile.5 In the Select Color Profile dialog box, choose a color profile (.vcp) file,

and click Open.

To create a color profile1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, choose a numeric grid (.grd).3 Click the Color button.

The Grid Color Tool opens.

You can also open the Project Settings dialog using the Project Settings button on the Analysis toolbar.

57


.

4 Do any of the following:■ To add a color inflection point, click Add, define a value for the

inflection point, and click OK.■ To delete a color inflection point, click a color inflection point to

highlight it and click Remove.■ To define a new color for the inflection point, double-click on a

color inflection point, choose a new color in the Color dialog box and click OK.

■ To move an inflection point, click a color inflection point and drag it to the new location. This will update the value for this inflection point in the Color Scheme list. The calculated values in the Color Scheme List are automatically updated.

■ To change color values and percentiles, click an entry in the Color Scheme List list to make the value editable and type a new value. This will move the inflection point to the appropriate location on the color ramp.

58


5 In the Legends section, do any of the following:■ To create a Quick Map Legend for the grid, click Quick.■ To create a customized legend for the grid, click Custom.

For more information, see “Creating and printing legends” on page 436.

6 In the Color Profile section, do any of the following:■ Enable the Solid Band check box if you want hard breaks

between colors instead of interpolated fading.■ Click Flip if you want the colors associated with inflection

points in reverse order.■ Click Revert if you want to return to the color pattern that was in

place before you clicked Flip. 7 If you want to redefine the grid colors based on how they would be

illuminated by a single light source, in the Relief Shading section, enable the Enabled check box, and click Properties.

8 In the Relief Shading Properties dialog box, define the azimuth, the inclination, the contrast, and the brightness, and click OK.

9 To save the color profile, in the Color Profile section, click Save to save color settings as a text file with a .vcp extension.

If you want this profile to be available for use with all Mentum Planet projects, save the .vcp file in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\Global\Profiles folder. Otherwise, the default location is the Profiles folder within the project folder.

10 In the Grid Color Tool dialog box, click OK.

In deciding whether to save color inflection points by value or by percentile, use the following guidelines:

• If it is more important to assign specific colors to specific values in a series of related grid files, then save by value.

• If it is more important to assign a particular color range to a series of related grid files where the value range may vary considerably, then save by percentile.

You can add a color inflection point in the Grid Color Tool by double-clicking on the color slider bar. Conversely, you can delete an inflection

point by clicking on an inflection point to highlight it and pressing Delete.

59


Creating class profilesYou can create a class profile (a .pfr file) for some types of classified grids. In a class profile, you can assign the range, a color, and a descriptive label to each class so that areas can be easily identified when you look at a map or click a location on the map using the Grid Info button on the Analysis toolbar. You do not have to open a project or grid to use the Class Editor.

To choose a class profile1 Choose Edit ➤ Project Settings.2 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the Colors tab.3 From the Class Profiles list, choose the set of classes for which you want

to choose a profile.

The Class Profiles list shows the set of classes and the class profile file currently associated with it, separated by a colon. For example: Classes for Best Server Signal Strength Classes : BSClass.pfr

4 Click Open, choose the color profile (.pfr file) you want to use, and then click Open.

The Classes table shows the ranges, descriptions and colors defined in the class profile file that you chose.

5 Click OK to close the Project Settings dialog box.

To create or edit a class profile1 Choose Edit ➤ Project Settings.2 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the Colors tab.3 From the Class Profiles list, choose the set of classes for which you want

to create or edit a profile.4 If you want to edit an existing class profile, click Open, locate the color

profile (.pfr file) you want to edit, and then click Open.5 Click Edit.

60


6 In the Class Editor, do any of the following:■ To modify the color associated with a class, click in the Color

column, choose a color in the Color dialog box, and then click OK.

■ To add a class, click the row below where you want the new class in any column except Color, and then click Insert.

■ To add a class to the bottom of the class list, click Add.■ To remove a class, click the row in any column except Color,

and then click Remove.■ To modify start and end values or descriptive text, double-click

the field and edit the value.7 When you have finished editing the class profile, do one of the following:

■ To save the modified class profile, click Save.■ To create a new class profile, click Save As, type a name in the

File Name box, and then click Save.8 Click Close to close the Class Editor.9 Click OK to close the Project Settings dialog box.

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Defining system settings The System Settings tab in the Project Settings dialog box enables you to specify global settings for your project.

Figure 1.8 System Settings tab

To define system settings1 Choose Edit ➤ Project Settings.2 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the System Settings tab.3 In the Override Options section, enable any of the following check

boxes:■ Disable Integrity Check On Elevation And Clutter Files—

disables the integrity check that Mentum Planet performs when you create a project. When Mentum Planet performs this integrity check, it stores information related to elevation and clutter files in the Check Sum file. As the elevation and clutter files are unlikely to change after their initial splicing, trimming, and re-sampling, this Check Sum file usually remains valid so you can enable the Disable Integrity Check on Elevation and Clutter Files check box. If, however, the original elevation and clutter files are likely to change during your project, you should

62


clear this check box. When you clear this check box, the time taken to open a project will increase when large elevation files are used.

■ Print Test File—prints a test file (Predict 2.0Debug.txt) so you can debug specific problems that may be associated with the propagation models.

■ Open the Last Project—opens the last Mentum Planet project that you worked with. You must also enable the Do Not Show This Dialog Box On Startup check box on the first page of the Project Wizard.

4 In the Units section, specify the following system units:■ Signal Strength/Received Power■ Transmitted Power■ Height■ Distance■ Coordinates

For information on specific unit settings, press the F1 key.

5 Click OK to close the Project Settings dialog box.

The Transmitted Power, Height, Distance, and Coordinates settings are global parameters that affect the interpretation of all the values stored

in the site table. Use the same units of measure consistently throughout your project to avoid inadvertently changing global parameters.

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64

Chapter 2: Working with Sites and Sectors

2.
Working with Sites and Sectors
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding site properties■ Understanding sector

properties■ Workflow for configuring and

placing sites■ Placing sites■ Displaying and formatting site

labels■ Choosing sites■ Grouping sites■ Finding and selecting sites

and sectors in the Map window

■ Working with sites■ Using sector placement tools■ Working with sector groups■ Working with flags■ Performing global edits■ Using Tabular Edit■ Modifying sector symbols for

individual sites■ Customizing sector symbols

for multiple sites■ Adding user-defined data■ Working with site tables

After you define site and sector properties, you can

place your sites. If you are using the same site

configuration for many sites, you can save a

configuration file, which simplifies the process of

site placement.

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Understanding site propertiesA site is the location where a sector is placed. Sites and sectors have common attributes such as a geographic location and elevation. There can be more than one sector at a particular site, each pointing in a different direction and assigned a different technology.Sites can be identified using several labels:

■ Site ID —a unique site identifier. If you are using indexing, the Site ID will be automatically incremented each time you place a new site (e.g., NYTGA1448_1, NYTGA1448_2, etc.). The Site ID is included in file names associated with the site (e.g., path loss, delay time, or signal strength files).

■ Site UID—a secondary unique site identifier (e.g., this could be the Asset ID).

■ Site Name—additional site information (e.g., this could be the site address).

■ Site Name2—additional site information (e.g., this could be an alternate site name).

You can view, update, or define multiple site labels using the Tabular Edit. Site information is shown on the Sites worksheet. See “Using Tabular Edit” on page 102.In addition to identification information, the Site Properties dialog box contains information about site and sector properties that influence path loss calculations. These include

■ Model—the propagation model.■ Distance Increment—prediction calculations are performed

along radials at distance intervals equal to the distance increment. The default value for this setting is Auto, which automatically sets the distance increment to the bin file size (resolution) of the DEM. You can reduce the value of this setting

66

Working with Sites and SectorsMentum Planet User Guide

to achieve greater prediction accuracy, or increase the value to achieve quick computation times.

■ Height—the height of the sectors above ground level.■ Distance—the maximum distance from the sectors for which

signal strength is calculated.■ Radials—prediction calculations are performed along radial

lines originating at the site. More radials produce a more accurate but slower calculation.

■ Use DEM elevation—the sector height is set to the elevation at the sector location.

■ Elevation—by default, this is set to the DEM elevation at the sector location; however, you can set the elevation height to any value when you clear the Use DEM Elevation check box.

■ Prediction Mode—defines how signal strength predictions are calculated. Modeled predictions use only the assigned propagation model while merged predictions use both the assigned propagation model and the assigned survey data. For more information, see “Choosing a prediction mode” on page 272.

■ Interpolation Distance—the distance within which interpolated values are calculated by merging survey data and model prediction values. Bins that are outside the Interpolation Distance use model prediction values.

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Understanding site configuration filesSite configuration files store the settings defined in the Site Properties dialog box including:

■ the number of sectors for the site and the sector ID, power, antenna file (.dpa), azimuth, tilt, twist, and symbol, for each sector

■ site properties, including the number of radials, the propagation distance, the height of the sectors used at the site, the site elevation, and the distance increment

■ propagation model settings■ site name and index identifiers■ any additional sector parameters required by a specific

technology

It is useful to save the site configuration if you might want to add sites with the same configuration later at a later time. You can create as many configurations as required for the purposes of your project. For information on saving site configurations, see “Placing sites” on page 73. For information on site configurations specific to a certain technology, see the appropriate User Guide.

Understanding sector propertiesSectors are identified using three labels:

■ Sector ID —a unique sector identifier. By default, this is a numeral beginning at 1. It is automatically incremented each time you add a sector. The Sector ID is included in the file names associated with the signal strength of the sector.

■ Sector UID—a secondary sector identifier. For example, this could be the Switch ID.

■ Cell ID—additional sector information.

You can modify any of the displayed values within a selected configuration and continue to place new sites. However, if you have

used and modified a previously saved configuration file, the values will revert to those of the saved configuration setting the next time you select and use that configuration. Save the changes with a new configuration name if you plan to use them again.

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You can view, update, or define multiple sector labels using the Tabular Edit. Sector information is shown on the various sector worksheets. See “Using Tabular Edit” on page 102.

Basic sector propertiesThe following sector properties are available on the Sectors tab in the Site Properties dialog box in addition to the sector identifiers.TechnologyThe technology, for example GSM or W-CDMA, assigned to the sector. By default, the technology assigned to the sector is based on the technology you chose when you created the project.

PA PowerThe power output of the sector’s power amplifier (PA). The EIRP/ERP box is updated to reflect the PA Power value. PA Power applies only to TDMA/FDMA technologies.

EIRP/ERPThe power must be either Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) or Effective Radiated Power (ERP).The EIRP is the maximum radiated power in the direction of the maximum gain (typically in the direction the antenna is pointing).The EIRP value is calculated differently, depending on the technology and the types of carriers.

For TDMA/FDMA technologies, the total EIRP value is calculated as

Total EIRP = PA power + antenna boresight gain + downlink losses and gains

For cdma2000, EIRP refers to the pilot EIRP and is based on the PA power of the first carrier (the first non-EV-DO carrier with the lowest frequency), and is calculated differently depending on the use of EV-DO carriers.

If all carriers are not EV-DO (i.e., mixed carriers):

Pilot EIRP = first carrier pilot power + antenna boresight gain + forward link losses and gainsIf all carriers are EV-DO:

Pilot EIRP = first carrier PA power + antenna boresight gain + forward link losses and gains

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For W-CDMA, EIRP is based on the CPICH power of the first carrier.CPICH EIRP = first carrier CPICH power + antenna boresight gain + downlink losses and gainsThe ERP is the maximum radiated power relative to a dipole antenna (as compared to an isotropic antenna for the EIRP). Because the gain of a dipole antenna is 1.64 (2.15 dB) greater than the gain of an isotropic antenna, the ERP value will be 2.15 dB less than that of the equivalent power EIRP value.

AntennaThe antenna distributes the sector power in different directions as specified in the antenna pattern provided by the manufacturer. Mentum Planet includes some default antenna patterns, but you can add antenna patterns as required. For more information, see “To add antenna pattern files to a project” on page 134 and “To change the antenna for a sector” on page 90.

Electrical TiltAntenna patterns may include additional pattern files with specific electrical tilt values. A positive (+) tilt value points downwards, while a negative (-) tilt value points upwards. For more information, see “Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tilt” on page 122.

Horizontal BeamwidthThe angle of signal coverage provided by the antenna. More specifically, this is the angle over which the antenna provides a gain within 3 db of the value in the direction of maximum gain. This value is derived from the antenna pattern and is read-only.

AzimuthAn azimuth value of 0 degrees is looking towards true north, 90 degrees is east, 180 degrees is south, and 270 degrees is west. As you rotate clockwise, the azimuth increases.By default, Mentum Planet automatically adds 120 degrees to the azimuth each time you add a sector. However, if you modify the azimuth for the first and second sectors, Mentum Planet uses the same offset for subsequent sectors.

Changing the received power unit on the System Settings tab in the Project Settings dialog box does not change the sector PA power value.

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TiltThe tilt can be a positive (+) value for an upward tilt or a negative (-) value for a downward tilt.

TwistThe twist is a positive value for a counter-clockwise twist and a negative value for a clockwise twist. It is extremely rare to use a twist when mounting an antenna. An example where twist could be used is in the case of a road on a mountain pass where the road approaches the sector at an oblique angle relative to the slope of the mountain. Twist can be used to align the main lobe of an antenna to the road.

GroupIn the Group Options dialog box, you can choose the groups in which you want this sector included. For more information on sector groups, see “Working with sector groups” on page 93.

FlagsIn the Flag Options dialog box, you can define the conditions to associate with each flag. For more information on flags, see “Working with flags” on page 96.

Color/SymbolYou can access the Symbol Style dialog box and change the color and style of the symbol used to represent the sector. If you have specified an active sector display scheme, the Color/Symbol settings are not used.

Assigned Repeater(s)This setting is available only if the sector has assigned repeaters. You can modify the settings defined for the repeaters assigned to this sector. For more information, see the TDMA/FDMA User Guide or the CDMA User Guide.

Additional sector propertiesIf you choose to define prediction parameters by sector, the Predictions settings on the Site tab are no longer available, and the following additional sector properties become available on the Sectors tab:

■ Propagation Model■ Number of Radials■ Distance■ Height

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■ Use DEM Elevation■ Elevation■ Prediction Mode■ Interpolation Distance■ Distance Inc (i.e., the distance increment)■ X/Long—the x-coordinate of a site■ Y/Lat—the y-coordinate of a site■ X/Long Offset—horizontal offset of a sector from the site■ Y/Lat Offset—vertical offset of a sector from the site

With the exception of the X/Long, Y/Lat, X/Long Offset, and Y/Lat Offset settings, which enable you to define a unique location for each sector (referred to as non co-located sectors), these properties are the same as their counterparts on the Site tab. For more information, see “Understanding site properties” on page 66.

Workflow for configuring and placing sitesStep 1 If you want to use custom sector symbols, define an active sector

display scheme. See “Customizing sector symbols for multiple sites” on page 104.

Step 2 Define site configurations and place sites. See “Placing sites” on page 73. For information on defining site configurations for other technologies, see the appropriate User Guide.

Step 3 Display site labels if required. See “Displaying and formatting site labels” on page 78.

Step 4 Define groups. See “Working with sector groups” on page 93.

Step 5 Define flags. See “Working with flags” on page 96.

You can set either the X/Long and Y/Lat coordinates or the X/Long Offset and Y/Lat Offset. The corresponding values for the sector

location or the offset are calculated automatically.

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Placing sitesIn a wireless network, many sites have the same equipment configuration. These sites have the same number of sectors, same type and orientation of antennas, and so on. By defining and saving frequently-used configurations, you can simplify site placement. Once you have defined your site configuration, if the Site Properties dialog box is open, you can place sites by clicking in a Map window or by entering the geographical coordinates of the site.The placed sites have the properties defined in the chosen configuration. You can make changes to the chosen configuration to place sites that differ. These changes affect subsequent site placements until you close the Site Properties dialog box. They do not become part of the chosen configuration unless you resave the configuration. If you have defined an active sector display scheme, when you place a new site it will use the specified scheme properties. See “Customizing sector symbols for multiple sites” on page 104.All sites must have a unique Site ID. Mentum Planet facilitates this by providing optional automatic naming of sites as you place them. The site name consists of a name prefix (“Site”, by default), an underscore (_), and an index number. The first site placed is named, for example, “Site_1”. If there is an existing site with the same site name and index, Mentum Planet automatically uses the next available index when the site is placed. For example, if Site_10 is already present, then Site_11 will be used next in the sequence. After this site has been placed and the parameters saved to the project, the index displayed will be the next value (e.g., Site_12). You can also name sites manually. If you try to use a Site ID that already exists, a warning message is displayed and you are prompted to enter a different one.

If you plan to use the Network Statistics Mapping tool, you must add the Cell_ID column to the User Data tab in the Site Properties dialog box,

and type a unique identifier for each sector. See “To add user-defined data using the User Data tab” on page 113 and “Using the Network Statistics Mapping tool” on page 407.

If you enable the Set Prediction Parameters check box but all the sector parameters are the same, Mentum Planet will automatically clear the

check box.

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To place sites1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and

choose New.

The Site Configuration dialog box opens.

2 Do one of the following:■ Choose the Create a New Configuration option, and click

Continue.■ Choose the Use An Existing Configuration option, choose a

configuration from the Configuration List, and click Continue.

The Site Properties dialog box opens.

Whether you chose to create a new configuration or use an existing one, you can modify values or accept defaults as required.

3 Click the Site tab.

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4 In the Site ID box, type the prefix that you want to use for site names, or accept the default.

For example, if you are placing sites in the San Francisco area, you might use the prefix SF.

5 If you want to add additional site information, type an identifier or description in any of the following boxes:■ Site UID—a secondary unique site identifier (e.g., this could be

the Asset ID)■ Site Name—additional site information (e.g., this could be the

site address)■ Site Name2—additional site information (e.g., this could be an

alternate site name)6 If you want to use indexing, enable the Use Indexing check box, and type

a number in the Start Index From box.

Indexing enables you to specify a starting number that applies to the first site that you place. This number is then automatically incremented each time you add a new site. The Site ID is combined with an underscore and the index number to create site names. For example, sites might be named SF_1, SF_2, and so on.

If you do not enable the Use Indexing check box, you must enter a unique site identifier in the Site ID box prior to placing each site.

7 Do one of the following:■ If you want to use the same properties for all sectors at a site,

clear the Set Prediction Parameters By Sector check box and define the properties in the Predictions section. Go to Step 8.

■ If you want to define properties for individual sectors at a site, enable the Set Prediction Parameters By Sector check box. Go to Step 14.

8 in the Predictions section, choose a propagation model from the Model list.

Propagation models are organized in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. The icons of propagation models that have been assigned to a site are displayed in color. The icons of propagation models that have not been assigned to a site, but are located in the Model folder of the project, are dimmed.

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9 If you want to modify the model, click Edit to open the Propagation Model Editor.

For more information on the Propagation Model Editor, see “Chapter 4: Working with Propagation Models” on page 141.

10 To modify the propagation model parameters, in the Predictions section, type a value in any of the following boxes:■ Distance Increment■ Height■ Distance■ Radials

The Distance Increment value can be set to Auto by pressing the A key. See “Understanding site properties” on page 66 for more information on this parameter.

11 Do one of the following:■ If you want to set the elevation of the sector to the value of the

DEM at that location, enable the Use DEM Elevation check box. The elevation height at the sector location is displayed in the Elevation box.

■ If you want to specify the sector height, clear the Use DEM Elevation check box and type a value in the Elevation box.

12 From the Prediction Mode list, choose one of the following:■ Modeled—to generate a prediction with this site based on the

propagation model only.■ Merged—to generate a merged prediction with this site. See

“Choosing a prediction mode” on page 272.13 If you chose the merged prediction mode, in the Interpolation Distance

box, type the distance within which interpolated values will be used.

Interpolated values are calculated by merging survey data and model prediction values.

14 Click the Sectors tab.15 Define the sector settings by clicking in the appropriate property box and

typing or choosing a new value.

For information on specific sector settings, press the F1 key. If you have specified an active sector display scheme, the Color/Symbol setting is not

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used. For more information, see “Understanding sector properties” on page 68.

16 If more than one sector is required at the current site, click Add Sector.

Mentum Planet copies sector properties from Sector 1 to subsequent sectors, except that it adds 120 degrees to the azimuth each time you add a sector. However, if you modify the azimuth for the first and second sectors, Mentum Planet uses the same offset for subsequent sectors. Once added, the azimuth for any sector can be adjusted manually.

17 On the Sectors tab, make any final adjustments to the sector parameters (e.g., Azimuth, Tilt, and Twist).

18 If you want to use the configuration again, choose File ➤ Save Configuration As, type a file name, and click Save.

The site configuration (.dsc) file is saved in the Config\GSM subfolder of the project folder. When you save the file, any sector settings are also saved in the same location in individual sector settings files (.gss). One .gss file is saved for each sector in the site.

For the .dsc file to work correctly, you need to ensure that you do not move the .dsc file or .gss files.

19 Do one of the following:■ Click in the Map window to add a site at that location using the

current configuration.■ Click the Site tab, enable the Manual Entry check box, type the

coordinates in the X/Long and Y/Lat boxes, and click Place Site.

20 If you need to remove a site placed in error, choose it from the Previous Placement List and click Undo.

21 When you have finished placing sites, click Close.

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To undo a recent site placement■ In the Site Properties dialog box, choose the site you want to remove

from the Previous Placement List, and click Undo.

Displaying and formatting site labelsYou can display and format site labels in order to improve the readability of a map.

To display site labels■ Do one of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, expand the Map Windows node, right-click the active site file and choose

From the Sectors tab, you can access various functions by choosing certain properties. For example, you can do any of the following:

• Click in the ERP/EIRP field to access the Base Station Link Budget.• Click in the Antenna field to access the Antenna Editor. For more

information, see “ Chapter 3: Working with Antenna Patterns” on page 117.

• Click in the Group and Flag fields to access additional choices.• Double-click in the Color/Symbol field to access the Symbol Style

dialog box.

You can also use the Place Site button on the Site Toolbar to set up your sites. Press the S key to use the Snap tool to snap the cursor to

the nearest vector or point.

To specify the sector height, on the Sectors tab, set the Use DEM Elevation property to No and type a value in the Elevation property. To

reset the elevation for each sector to the value of the DEM at the sector location, set the Use DEM Elevation property to Yes. The DEM elevation value is displayed in the Elevation box.

Recently-placed sites are only available if you do not close the Site Properties dialog box after placing sites. If you closed the dialog box,

you must delete the site from the Project Explorer.

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Auto Label if there is not already a check mark indicating the feature is turned on.

■ Choose View ➤ Site Labels, choose the type of information to use as a site label, and click OK.

To format site labels1 Right-click in the Map window and choose Layer Control.

The Layer Control dialog box opens.

2 From the Layer list, choose your site file, and click Label.

The Label Options dialog box opens.

3 From the Label With list, choose the information you want to appear in the label.

4 In the Visibility section, choose one of the following options to display labels:■ Off—labels are not displayed.■ On—labels are always displayed.■ Display Within Range—labels are displayed only when the

Map window zoom width is between the values you specify in the Min Zoom and Max Zoom boxes.

5 Enable any of the following options as needed:■ Allow Duplicate Text—the same label can appear on a map

more than once. This is useful if you want to display sector labels such as technology where more than one site would have the same label.

■ Allow Overlapping Text—labels near each other can overlap.■ Maximum Labels—the total number of labels in the Map

window is limited to the number in the box, unless you leave the box blank.

The Label Partial Objects check box does not apply to labels for sites or other point objects.

To remove site labels, in the Windows category of the Project Explorer, expand the Map Windows node, right-click the site file and choose Auto

Label to remove the check mark.

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6 If you want to change the text style of the labels, click Aa in the Styles section to open the Text Style dialog box, modify the following settings, and click OK:■ Font—label typeface and size can be chosen from the lists.■ Text Color—label color can be chosen from the list.■ Background—label can have a rectangular background or a

halo effect in a selectable color to increase readability.■ Effects—label can have text styles such as bold or italic.

For more information on these settings, press the F1 key.

7 If you want to adjust the position of the labels, in the Position section, do any of the following:■ To change the relative position of the label to the site, click the

Anchor Point button that corresponds to the label placement you prefer.

■ To change the distance between the label and the site, type a value in points in the Label Offset box.

The Rotate Label With Line check box has no effect on labels for sites or other point objects.

8 In the Label Options dialog box, click OK.9 In the Layer Control dialog box, click OK.

You can create complex labels that combine several pieces of information by choosing Expression from the Label With list. For

information on how to create the expression you need, press the F1 key.

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Choosing sitesThere are several methods available in Mentum Planet for choosing sites. You can:

■ choose sites and sectors from the Project Explorer. See “Choosing sites and sectors from the Project Explorer” on page 81.

■ use the shortcut commands from the Project Explorer. See “To find and display a site with user-selected zoom” on page 84 and “To select a site or sector in the Map window” on page 85.

■ use the Select, Marquee, Radius, or Polygon Select tools on the Main toolbar. See “Choosing sites and sectors using the Select tools” on page 82.

■ use the Select All From Site Table button on the Site toolbar to select all sites or the Unselect All button from the Main toolbar to unselect all sites. See “Choosing sites and sectors using the Select tools” on page 82.

Choosing sites and sectors from the Project ExplorerThe recommended method for choosing sites and sectors is using the Project Explorer.

To choose sites and sectors from the Project Explorer1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the Sites node.2 Do one of the following:

■ To choose a site, click on the site node.■ To choose multiple sites, press the Ctrl key and click on multiple

sites.■ To choose a sector, expand the site node and click a sector.■ To choose multiple sectors, expand the sites node, press the Ctrl

key and click on multiple sectors.

When you choose a site using the Select tool, only one sector is selected. If you want to choose all of the sectors in a site, you must

choose the sectors using the Marquee, Radius, or Polygon Select tools or use the Select in Map window command from the Project Explorer.

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Choosing sites and sectors using the Select toolsYou can also use the Select tools on the Main toolbar to choose sites and sectors. You can also use the Select All in Site Table button and the Find Site button on the Site toolbar. When more than one layer is displayed in a Map window, you can only make selections using the Select tools on objects that are on the uppermost layer. Mentum Planet automatically sets the project defaults so that the site table and editable map layers added to the Map window are selectable. Therefore, if you have opened several map layers, use the Layer Control to make these layers unselectable in order to facilitate the selection process or ensure the site table is the uppermost selectable layer.

To choose sites and sectors using the Select tools■ Click any of the following buttons on the Main toolbar and then click

in the Map window or drag the mouse pointer to select multiple sites:■ Select tool■ Polygon Select tool■ Marquee Select tool

Grouping sitesBy grouping sites, you can organize how sites are displayed in the Project Explorer. This makes it easier to work with sites. You can group sites by the following properties:

■ antenna pattern■ propagation model■ technology

To group sites by properties in the Project ExplorerYou can quickly view which sites have specific properties using the Group By option in the Project Explorer. For example, if you want to view sites organized according to antenna pattern, you can choose the Antenna Pattern

You can also view currently selected objects in a Browser window to ensure that the correct objects (sites and sectors) are chosen. Choose

Window ➤ New Browser Window and choose Selection in the Browser Table dialog box.

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option. This creates nodes under the Sites node for each antenna pattern in the project, and groups the sites according to which pattern they use. ■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites,

choose Group By, and then choose the property by which you want the sites grouped.

To copy grouped sites in the Project ExplorerYou can quickly copy all sectors from a grouped sites node to a new group in the Project Explorer. Only those sectors with the grouped by property will be copied. In Figure 2.1, sites are grouped by Antenna type. To add all sectors assigned the 60_degree antenna, you can drag the 60_degree node onto the Sixty_degrees node under the Local group node. Sectors assigned an antenna other than 60_degree will not be copied to the group.

Figure 2.1 Example of sites grouped by Antenna

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites, choose Group By, and then choose the property by which you want the sites grouped.

2 Right-click the grouped by node that you want to copy and choose Copy.3 Right-click the group to which you want to add the copied sectors and

choose Paste.

You can also drag the grouped sites to the new group.

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To ungroup sites in the Project Explorer■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and

choose Group By ➤ None.

Finding and selecting sites and sectors in the Map windowMentum Planet provides many methods for finding and selecting sites and sectors in the Map window. The Locate command is useful if you have many sites in your project and you want to select one particular site and center it in the Map window or if you have co-located sectors in your project and you want to select a co-located sector. The Select in Map Window command enables you to choose several sites or sectors in the Project Explorer and highlight them in the Map window.

To find a site in the Map window■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the site and

choose Locate.

The site is selected and centered in the Map window.

To find a sector in the Map window■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand a site node,

right-click a sector, and choose Locate.

The sector is selected and centered in the Map window.

To find and display a site with user-selected zoom1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and

choose Find Site.2 In the Find Site dialog box, do one of the following:

■ Enable the Select From List check box and, in the Find list, choose the site you want to find.

■ Type the site ID in Find box.3 In the Zoom Width box, define the width of the map view.4 Click Find to display your chosen site.

You can also choose Edit ➤ Find Site from the main menu to open the Find Site dialog box.

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To select a site or sector in the Map window■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, do one of the

following:■ Right-click the Sites node, select a site, and choose Select

in Map Window.■ Expand a site node, select a sector, and choose Select in

Map Window.

At the site level, all the sectors will be selected in the Map window. At the sector level, the chosen sector will be selected in the Map window.

Working with sitesThe Project Explorer provides easy access to functions that help you manage your sites. You can

■ display information about a site. See To display information about a site

■ edit a site. See “To edit a site” on page 86.■ move a site. See “To move a site” on page 86.■ delete a site. See “To delete sites from the Project Explorer” on

page 89 and “To delete sites from the Map window” on page 89.■ copy a site. See “To copy and paste a site in the Map window”

on page 87 and “To copy a site or sector into a group” on page 88

■ swap site parameters. See “To swap site and sector parameters” on page 89

Due to a MapInfo limitation, sites that consist of an even number of sectors do not appear to be selected in the Map window. The

workaround is to select a sector instead of a site.

You can select multiple sites or sectors in the Project Explorer by pressing the Ctrl key and selecting multiple sites or sectors. When you

choose Select in Map Window, the chosen sites or sectors will be highlighted.

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To display information about a site■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the site and

choose Edit.


To edit a site1 Do one of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click on the site that you want to edit and choose Edit.

■ Click the Edit Site button on the Site toolbar, and then click in the Map window on the site that you want to edit.


2 If there is more than one site at the chosen location, choose the site you want to edit from the Editing Site list.

3 Make modifications to any of the site properties and sector parameters and save them as a new configuration if required. For information, see “Placing sites” on page 73.

4 Click Apply to update your project and then click Close.

To move a siteWhen editing site properties, you can move a site to a new location. There are two methods for moving sites: entering coordinates manually or entering them automatically. The ability to move sites manually is useful if you have acquired GPS readings for all your sites and you want to update the position of a sector.

1 Do one of the following:■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click on the

site and choose Edit.■ Click the Edit Site button on the Site toolbar, and then click in

the Map window on the site you want to move.2 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Site tab.

You can also double-click on a site to open the Site Properties dialog box.

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3 If there is more than one site at the chosen location, choose the site you want to move from the Editing Site list.

4 Do one of the following:■ To update the site location manually, type the new GPS

coordinates in the X/Long and Y/Lat boxes in the Location section.

■ To update the site location automatically, click the Place Site button on the Site toolbar and click in the Map window at the new site location.

The new location coordinates appear in the Location section.

5 Click Apply to move the site to the new location.

There will be instances where more than one site exists at the same location, e.g., where site sharing is required for zoning purposes or where the operators are building umbrella networks. Mentum Planet enables you to place sites on either an existing or new site. Press the S key to use the Snap tool when placing a new site on an existing site. When you edit a site, you can choose sites located at the same location from the Editing Site list in the Site Properties dialog box. This enables you to move between sites for the purposes of changing their individual settings. Click the Apply button to save your edits to your project.

To copy and paste a site in the Map windowWhen you are using candidate sites in network planning, you can copy a site so that you can work with the site copy and fine tune site placement and parameters. Once you have finalized the site details, you can swap the site parameters for the official site with the fine tuned site parameters of the copy. See “To swap site and sector parameters” on page 89.All site and sector settings, carrier assignments, and base station link budget parameters are copied to the new site.

1 In the Project Explorer, expand the Sites node, right-click on the site you want to copy, and choose Place Copy.


2 Click in the Map window where you want to paste the site.

You can place multiple copies of a site.

3 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Close.

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To copy a site or sector into a groupYou can quickly add sites or sectors to a group in the Project Explorer using the Copy and Paste commands.

1 In the Project Explorer, expand the Sites node, right-click the sites or sectors you want to copy into a group, and choose Copy.

2 Expand the Groups node.3 Right-click the group to which you want to add the sites or sectors, and

choose Paste.

The selected sites are added to the group or the selected sectors are added to the group under the original site name.

To clone a sector at a siteYou can quickly clone a sector to create a copy of an existing sector at a site. All sector settings, carrier assignments, and base station link budget parameters are copied to the new sector.

1 In the Project Explorer, expand the Sites node.2 Right-click the sector upon which you want the new sector based and

choose Clone.3 In the Clone Sector dialog box, in the New Sector Name box, type a

name for the sector.4 Click OK.

The new sector is added to the same site as the original sector.

To rename a site1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the site and

choose Rename.2 Type a new name for the site and press ENTER.3 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes to acknowledge that existing

predictions will be deleted.

To add sites or sectors to a group, you can also drag sites or sectors onto a group under the Groups node.

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To swap site and sector parameters■ In the Project Explorer, right-click the two sites for which you want

site and sector parameters swapped and choose Swap Sites. All site and sector parameters will be swapped (i.e., the site and sector parameters for Site A will be copied to Site B and vice-versa).

To refresh the sites list■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and

choose Refresh.

The sites list is ordered alphabetically or numerically, depending on the site ID.

To delete sites from the Project Explorer■ Do one of the following:

■ To delete one site, in the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a site, choose Delete, and click Yes to confirm the deletion.

■ To delete multiple sites, in the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, choose a site and holding-down the Ctrl key, choose the other sites you want to delete. Right-click and choose Delete, and click Yes to confirm the deletion.

To delete sites from the Map window■ Do one of the following:

■ To delete one site, in the Map window, choose the site, right-click and choose Delete, and then click Delete to confirm the deletion.

■ To delete multiple sites, in the Map window, use the selection tools to choose the sites you want to delete, and then right-click and choose Delete. In the Delete dialog box, click Delete for each site you want to delete.

Groups, flags, and assigned repeaters are not swapped.

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To change the antenna for a sectorEach sector assigned to a site must have a valid antenna pattern associated with it in order to generate predictions. Mentum Planet includes some default antenna patterns, but you can add antenna patterns to your project as required. For more information, see “To add antenna pattern files to a project” on page 134.

1 Do one of the following:■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a site

and choose Edit.■ Click the Edit Site button on the Site toolbar and choose a site in

the Map window.2 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Sectors tab.3 Click the Antenna field for the sector you want to modify.4 Click the Browse (...) button at the right of the field to open the Select

Antenna Pattern dialog box. 5 In the Select Antenna Pattern dialog box, choose the Single option.

For information on the Combined option, see “To create a quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern” on page 137.

6 Do any of the following:■ To change the antenna for the sector, choose an antenna pattern

from the Antenna List.■ To add an antenna pattern to the list of available patterns, click

Add, navigate to the folder where the pattern is stored, choose the pattern, and click Open. The antenna file is copied to the project Antennas folder.

■ To remove an antenna pattern from the list of available antennas, choose an antenna pattern from the Antenna List and click Delete. The antenna file is deleted from the project Antennas folder.

■ To open the Antenna Editor, click Editor.

For information on using the Antenna Editor, see “ Chapter 3: Working with Antenna Patterns” on page 117.

7 Click OK to close the Select Antenna Pattern dialog box.8 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Apply to apply the changes.

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9 Click Close to close the Site Properties dialog box.

Antenna patterns are organized in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. The icons of antenna patterns that have been assigned to a sector are displayed in color. The icons of antenna patterns that have not been assigned to sectors, but are located in the Antennas folder of the project, are displayed in gray.

Using sector placement toolsThe Grid Analysis toolbar includes tools that will help you with the placement of sectors and the positioning of directional antennas.

■ Find Maximum Point tool—finds the highest point in a region. This is an aid to finding good locations for sites.

■ Angle From Line tool—measures the direction of a line relative to true north. This can help in the placement of a directional antenna to serve a section of highway.

■ Draw Angle tool—draws a line at a specified direction with respect to true north.

To use the Find Maximum Point tool1 In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, right-click the

Cosmetic layer for the Map window and choose Editable if the check box is not already enabled.

2 If the Grid Analysis and Drawing toolbars are not visible, choose View ➤ Toolbars, enable the Grid Analysis and Drawing check boxes in the Show column, and click OK.

3 If the Map window does not contain a suitable polygon object, such as a county or census district, click the Polygon button on the Drawing toolbar, and draw a polygon enclosing the area in which you want to find the highest point.

You can also use the Antenna Pattern command from the Edit menu in the Site Properties dialog box to access the Antenna Editor and change

the antenna pattern for the selected sector. The Edit menu is displayed only when you click the Sectors tab in the Site Properties dialog box.

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4 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Find Maximum Point button and choose the polygon in the Map window.

A point object is generated on the cosmetic layer, showing the point of highest elevation within the polygon. To obtain the location coordinates, double-click on the point object.

To use the Angle From Line tool1 In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, right-click the


2 If the Grid Analysis and Drawing toolbars are not visible, choose View ➤ Toolbars, enable the Grid Analysis and Drawing check boxes in the Show column, and click OK.

3 If the Map window does not contain a suitable line object, such as a road, click the Line button on the Drawing toolbar, and draw the line for which you want to measure the direction.

4 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Angle From Line button, and choose the line in the Map window.

A label is added to the Map window showing the angle of the line with respect to true north.

If you drew the polygon, select it in the Map window, press the DELETE key to remove it, and make the location of the highest point more

visible.

To delete the point object, choose the object in the Map window, and press the DELETE key to remove it.

To delete the label, in the Windows category of the Project Explorer, expand the Windows node, and choose the cosmetic layer. Right-click

and choose Clear Objects.

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To use the Draw Angle tool1 In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, right-click the


2 If the Grid Analysis toolbar is not visible, choose View ➤ Toolbars, enable the Grid Analysis check box in the Show column, and click OK.

3 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Draw Angle button, and then click anywhere in the Map window.

The Draw Angle dialog box opens.

4 In the Angle box, type the direction of the line in degrees with respect to true north.

5 In the Distance box, type the length of the line in kilometers.

6 Click in the Map window where you want the line to begin.

The line is drawn in the Map window.

7 If you want to draw another line, modify the Angle and Distance values as needed, and click in the Map window at the start point of the line.

8 When you have finished drawing lines, close the Draw Angle dialog box.

Working with sector groupsYou can create groups and assign sites or individual sectors to one or more groups. You can then use these groups to make selections when performing certain operations. For example, you could divide the sites in your project into four groups: North, South, East, and West. You could then choose to generate predictions only for the sectors that are part of the North and East groups. Any sectors that are not part of these two groups will be ignored.Groups are organized in the Project Explorer according to whether or not they are used with Data Manager:

■ Groups listed under the Shared node are stored in Data Manager and will be available to other users.

■ Groups listed under the Local node are not stored in Data Manager. Even if the project is stored in Data Manager, the groups under the Local node will not be available to other users.

When you add or remove a site or sector from a group, or delete an entire group, the sectors are not removed from the Sites list in the Project Explorer.

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To create a sector group1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Groups

node and do one of the following:■ Choose New ➤ Local to create a local group. The Add New

Local Group dialog box opens.■ Choose New ➤ Shared to create a shared group. The Add New

Shared Group dialog box opens.2 Type a name for the new group and click OK.

The group is added to either the Local or Shared node, under the Groups node in the Project Explorer.

3 Choose one or more sites or sectors from the Sites list or from another group and drag them to the group.

To display a group in a Map window■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a group and

choose View.

A new layer is created in the Map window that shows only the sites in the group. For information on working with map layers, see “Working with map layers” on page 50.

Editing sector groupsYou can rename or delete groups. You can also remove sites and sectors from groups. When you delete a group or remove sites or sectors from a group, the sites or sectors are removed from the group or the Groups node, but remain under the Sites node in the Project Explorer.You can also use the Common Global Edit dialog box to quickly edit sector group assignments. For more information, see “Performing global edits” on page 100.

You can also right-click either Local or Shared and choose New to create a new group under the chosen node.

You can also choose one or more sites or sectors in the Project Explorer, right-click and choose Copy, then right-click the group and

choose Paste.

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You can use the Invert Selection option to select all of the sites and sectors that are not part of a group. When the Invert Selection command is enabled for a group, a check mark appears beside the menu command. When the Invert Selection option is enabled, all sectors that are not part of the group will be selected.

To rename a group1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the group and

choose Rename.2 Type a new name for the group and press ENTER.

To remove a site or sector from a group1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the group you want

to edit.2 In the group, right-click the site or sector you want to remove and choose

Remove From Group.

To delete a group1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand Groups, right-

click the group and choose Delete.2 In the Mentum Planet dialog box, click Yes.

The group is deleted from the Groups node in the Project Explorer, but the sites and sectors in the group are not deleted.

To refresh the groups list■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Groups

and choose Refresh.

The groups list is ordered alphabetically.

To invert a group selection1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand Groups, right-

click the group and choose Invert Selection.

The Invert Selection option is enabled, and all sectors that are not part of the group will be selected.

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2 To turn off the Invert Selection option, right-click the group and choose Invert Selection again.

To edit groups from the Site Properties dialog boxYou can assign sectors to groups or edit the groups to which a sector is assigned on the Sectors tab in the Site Properties dialog box.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand Groups or Sites, right-click the site you want to edit and choose Edit.

2 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Sectors tab.3 Click in the sector Group field, and then click the Browse (...) button.4 In the Group Options dialog box, do either of the following and click

OK:■ To add a sector to a group, enable the check box beside the

group.■ To remove a sector from a group, clear the check box beside the

group 5 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Apply, and then click Close.

Working with flagsFlags are properties that you can use to identify sectors as having certain characteristics (conditions). You can create multiple flags, and each flag can have multiple conditions, but you can assign only one condition per flag to a sector. The conditions of a flag should be a set of related but mutually exclusive values.Once you have assigned flag conditions to your sectors, you can enable specific flags using the check boxes under the Flags node in the Project Explorer. When you enable a flag condition in the Project Explorer, the flag icon changes from gray to color, indicating that the flag has active conditions. When you right-click the Flags node in the Project Explorer and choose a command, only the sectors that have been assigned conditions for the enabled flags will be used.

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ExampleIf you wanted to generate predictions for a new network based on sector status and location, you could create the flags and conditions shown in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2 Flags node in the Project Explorer. In this example, there are 3 sites (6 sectors) that satisfy the flag conditions.

You would then assign one Status flag condition and one Location flag condition to each sector in your network. Figure 2.3 shows how you would assign a Status of Active and a Location of South to a sector.

Figure 2.3 Assigning flag conditions to a sector

You could then generate predictions based on both the status and location of a sector. For example, if you only wanted to generate predictions for active sectors located in the central or south, you would enable the Active condition for the Status flag and the Central and South conditions for the Location flag, as shown in Figure 2.2. In this example, the flag filter would identify sites where the Location flag is Central OR South AND the Status flag is Active.

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To create a flag1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Flags and

choose New.2 In the Add New Flag dialog box, type a name for the flag, and click OK.

The name must contain only alphanumeric characters with no spaces.

The new flag is added to the Project Explorer tree view in the Sites category. The new empty flag appears in the tree view under Flags.

To add a condition1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a flag and

choose New Condition.2 In the Add New Condition dialog box, type a name for the new

condition, and click OK.

The new condition is added to the Project Explorer tree view under the flag node.

To apply a flag condition to a sector1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the sector and

choose Set Flags.

The Flags dialog box opens.

2 In the Flag List, choose the flag conditions you want to apply from the list in the Condition column.

3 When you have finished setting flag conditions, click OK.

To apply flag conditions to one or more sites1 Do one of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, choose one or more sites, right-click and choose Global Edit ➤ Common.

■ In the Map window, use the Marquee Select tool to choose one or more sites, and then choose Edit ➤ Global Edit ➤ Common.

The Common Global Edit dialog box opens.

2 From the Selection list, choose Selection, if it is not already chosen.3 In the List of Columns to Update, expand the Flags data field.

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4 Locate the row for the flag you want to assign, and from the list in the Value column, choose the condition you want to apply.

5 Enable the check box for the flag, if it is not already enabled.6 When you have finished setting flag conditions, click OK.7 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes.

To display sectors based on flag conditionsYou can quickly locate sectors identified with certain flags and conditions.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the Flags node, then expand the individual flag nodes you want to view.

2 Enable the check boxes for the flag conditions you want to display. 3 Right-click the Flags node and choose View.

A new layer is added to the Map window, showing the sites with the chosen flag conditions. For information on working with map layers, see “Working with map layers” on page 50.

Editing flags and conditionsYou can edit flags and conditions when you need to refine them. You can also use the Common Global Edit dialog box to quickly edit flags and conditions for a group of sectors. For more information, see “Performing global edits” on page 100.You can use the Invert Conditions option to select all of the sites and sectors that have not been assigned the enabled flag conditions. When the Invert Conditions option is enabled, a check mark appears beside the menu command. The option remains enabled until you right-click the Flags node and choose Invert Conditions again.

To rename a flag1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a flag and

choose Rename.2 Type a new name for the flag and press ENTER.

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To rename a condition1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the condition

and choose Rename.2 Type a new name for the condition and press ENTER.

To delete a flag or condition1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a flag or

condition and choose Delete.2 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

To invert flag conditions1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Flags node

and choose Invert Conditions.

The Invert Conditions option is enabled, and all of the sites and sectors that have not been assigned the enabled flag conditions will be selected.

2 To turn off the Invert Conditions option, right-click the Flags node and choose Invert Conditions again.

Performing global editsYou can easily change site and sector properties for all sites in your project or for a particular group of sites. You can also add or remove sites from groups and set flag conditions.For information on performing global edits for a specific technology, see:

■ “Globally editing base station link budget settings for TDMA/FDMA sectors” and “Globally editing TDMA/FDMA sector properties” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.

■ “Globally editing base station link budget settings for W-CDMA sectors” and “To globally edit W-CDMA sectors”, “Globally editing base station link budget settings for cdma2000 sectors” and “To globally edit cdma2000 sectors”in the CDMA User Guide.

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To perform a global edit1 In the Project Explorer, do one of the following:

■ To edit all sites, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and choose Global Edit ➤ Common.

■ To edit the sites in a group, in the Sites category, right-click the group and choose Global Edit ➤ Common.

■ To edit sites selected by flag condition, in the Sites category, enable the flag conditions you want, right-click Flags and choose Global Edit ➤ Common.

The Common Global Edit dialog box opens.

2 In the Sector Selection section, do any of the following:■ From the Selection list, choose the table you want to edit.■ From the Group list, choose the sector group that contains the

sites you want to edit.3 In the List of Columns to Update table, do any of the following:

■ Enable the check box beside each Data Field that you want to update, click in the Value column and type a new value for each setting. Clear the check box if you do not want to apply the change.

■ If you have groups defined in your project, expand the Group data field to view them. Enable the check box to the left of the groups for which you want the site table updated.

■ If you have flags and conditions defined in your project, expand the Flags data field to view them. Enable the check box to the left of the flags for which you want the site table updated.

4 Do any of the following:■ If you want to add the selected sectors to a group, expand the

Group data field, enable the check box for the group, and then enable the Include in Group check box for any groups to which you want to add the sectors.

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■ If you want to remove the selected sectors from a group, expand the Group data field, enable the check box for the group, and clear the Include in Group check box for any groups from which you want to remove the sectors.

5 Click Apply to update the table.6 Click OK to close the Common Global Edit dialog box.

Using Tabular EditYou can use the Tabular Edit dialog box to edit site and sector settings from one location. You can edit all sites and sectors or you can edit specific sites and sectors based on groups, flags, or a selection.Site and sector information in the Tabular Edit dialog box is divided into separate worksheets (see Figure 2.4). Use the arrow buttons in the lower left corner of the dialog box to scroll to the different worksheets.

Figure 2.4 Tabular Edit dialog box showing the Sectors worksheet

You can limit the worksheets and the columns that are displayed within the Tabular Edit dialog box. For example, you could choose to display only the Sites and Sectors worksheets, and within these worksheets, you could display only the columns that relate to the site and sector location.If custom data columns have been created in Data Manager Server, these columns will be available on the Sites and/or Sectors worksheets in the Tabular Edit dialog box after you have connected to Data Manager Server.

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You can add values or edit existing custom column data using the Tabular Edit dialog box.

To edit site and sector settings using Tabular Edit1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, do any of the following:

■ If you want to edit all sites and sectors, right-click the Sites node, choose Tabular Edit, then in the Select Sectors dialog box, choose All Sectors and click Continue.

■ If you want to edit sites and sectors based on groups, choose one or more groups, right-click and choose Tabular Edit.

■ If you want to edit sites and sectors based on flag conditions, right-click the Flags node and choose Tabular Edit.

■ If you want to edit specific sites or sectors, choose one or more sites or sectors, right-click and choose Tabular Edit.

The Tabular Edit dialog box opens.

2 To change which worksheets are available in the Tabular Edit dialog box or view DEM elevation values, click Options and enable the appropriate check boxes.

3 Click OK.4 Click in any of the fields on any of the worksheets and modify settings as

required.

For detailed lists of each field and the valid ranges and data types, see “Appendix E: Import and Export Tables” on page 467.

5 When you have finished making your changes, click Apply.

Your project is updated with the new settings.

There are some columns that you cannot edit in the Tabular Edit dialog box. These columns are grayed out.

You can also use the Import Wizard to add or edit the values in custom data columns. For more information, see “Importing, replacing, and

exporting project data” on page 384.

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Modifying sector symbols for individual sitesSites and sectors are displayed using the color and symbol you specify in the site properties.To modify sector symbols for multiple sites, you can define a sector display scheme or edit the color and symbol settings using the Common Global Edit dialog box. For more information, see “Customizing sector symbols for multiple sites” and “Performing global edits” on page 100.

To modify color and symbol settings for individual sites1 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Sectors tab.2 Double-click in the Color/Symbol box for the sector you want to modify.

It is recommended that you choose the deciBel Planner Telecom font.

3 In the Symbol Style dialog box, choose the font, symbol, font size, color, background, and effects and click OK.

4 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Apply.5 Click Close.

Customizing sector symbols for multiple sitesYou can customize sector symbols by creating and applying sector display schemes based on sector properties such as:

■ the sector height■ the forward link load for CDMA technologies■ the carried traffic for TDMA/FDMA technologies

You can also use sector display schemes to show the relationship between sectors and repeaters or between sectors and non co-located sectors. Sector display schemes are saved as .xml files. Figure 2.5 shows a sector display scheme.

The rotation angle of sector symbols is defined by the azimuth of the sector.

You can also access the Symbol Style dialog box by choosing the Color/Symbol command from the Edit menu in the Site Properties

dialog box. The Edit menu is available only from the Sectors tab.

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Figure 2.5 Sector display scheme showing various symbol types and sizes. The lines from site GSM11 illustrates how a sector/repeater relationship can be shown on the map.

Within one sector display scheme you can define settings for cdma2000, W-CDMA, and TDMA/FDMA technologies. Sector display schemes are saved in the Sector Display Scheme folder within your project. You can create local and shared display schemes. Local schemes cannot be shared using Data Manager.You can apply sector display schemes to sector groups, to sectors assigned specific flags, or to all sectors. Sector display schemes are not dynamic. If you apply a sector display scheme but then change the value of the sector property upon which the scheme is based, the sector symbol is not automatically updated. You must reapply the sector display scheme in order to see your changes reflected in the Map window.You can also define an active sector display scheme that will be used when you place new sites.

Sector display schemes use the Planet Symbols font. The default symbol used when placing sites is the deciBel Planner Telecom font.

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To create a sector display scheme1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

Sector Display Schemes node and do one of the following:■ Choose New ➤ Local to create a local scheme. The New Local

Scheme dialog box opens. Local schemes are not saved in Data Manager.

■ Choose New ➤ Shared to create a shared scheme. The New Shared Scheme dialog box opens.

2 Type a name for the new sector display scheme and click OK.

The Sector Display Scheme dialog box opens.

3 From the Technology list, choose the technology of the sectors for which you are creating the sector display scheme.

You can define sector display scheme settings for different technologies within the same one sector display scheme.

4 If you chose a CDMA technology, from the Carrier list, choose the carrier to which to apply the sector display scheme or choose All.

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5 In the Display Options section, enable the check boxes for the settings you want to specify for the sector display scheme.

If you clear a check box, settings for that display option are not used.

6 If you enabled the Symbol check box, click the Symbol tab.7 From the Omni-directional Antenna list, choose the symbol you want to

use to represent omni-directional antennas (i.e., antennas that have a 360 degree horizontal beamwidth).

8 From the Combined (Quasi-Omni) Antenna list, choose the symbol you want to use to represent combined antennas.

9 From the Sectorized Antenna list, choose the symbol you want to use to represent antennas that have a horizontal beamwidth less than 360 degrees.

The Arrow symbol displays sectors based on the direction of the antenna without any reference to the beamwidth. All other symbols display both the direction of the antenna and the beamwidth. The width of the symbol represents the horizontal beamwidth. The accuracy of the symbols is within 10 degrees.

10 In the Background section, choose one of the following options:■ None—no background is displayed.■ Halo—the symbol is outlined with a white border.■ Border—the symbol is outlined with a black border.

11 In the Effects section, enable any of the following check boxes:■ Drop Shadow—a drop shadow is displayed beneath the symbol.■ Bold—the symbol is displayed in bold.

12 If you enabled the Size check box, click the Size tab.13 From the Property to Use list, choose the property you want to use to

determine the size of the sector symbol.

For more information on the properties available, press the F1 key.

For W-CDMA, the Uplink Load and the Downlink Load are calculated using the Uplink Noise Rise value and the Downlink Total Traffic Power value defined on the Implementation panel in the W-CDMA Sector Settings dialog box.

For cdma2000, the Reverse Link Load and the Forward Link Load are calculated using the Reverse Noise Rise value and the Forward Total

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Traffic Power value defined on the Implementation panel in the cdma2000 Sector Settings dialog box.

14 In the Property Value section, specify the range of the property value in the From and To boxes.

15 In the Point Size section, specify the range of the symbol point size in the From and To boxes.

The symbol size will be determined by the values you specified in Step 14. Values that fall outside the specified range will be increased up to the minimum value or reduced to the maximum level. For example, if you chose Height as the property value and defined the “From” value as 20 meters and the “To” value as 100 meters, then all sectors that have a height of 20 or less will use the point size you defined in the From box and all sectors that have a height of 100 or more will use the point size you defined in the To box. The symbol size of sectors with a height that falls between the From and To values will be interpolated linearly using the From and To values defined in the Point Size section.

16 If you enabled the Color check box, click the Color tab.17 Do one of the following:

■ To base color on a property, choose the Based on Property option, and then choose the sector property for which you want to specify a color.

■ To base color on an identifier, choose the Based on Identifier option, and then choose the setting for which you want to specify a color.

Default values are displayed for some properties and identifiers.

18 Do any of the following:■ To change the color associated with a value, click the color in the

Color column, choose a new color, and click OK.■ To add a value, click Add, choose a value from the list of

available values or type a value in the box, and click OK.■ To add multiple identifiers (e.g., based on propagation models,

antenna files, or technology), click the Lookup & Add All button.

■ To delete a value, choose a row in the table and click Delete. If the value you are deleting is a flag condition, all conditions in the table are deleted.

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19 Repeat Step 18 to add, delete, or change a value.20 If you enabled the Relationship check box, click the Relationship tab.21 If you want to define a display scheme to represent the relationship

between a site and a repeater, do the following in the Repeaters section:■ Choose a line style from the Styles list.■ Click the color square and choose a line color.■ Choose the line width from the Width list.

22 If you want to define a display scheme to represent the relationship between a site and a non co-located sector, do the following in the Non Co-located Sectors section:■ Choose a line style from the Styles list.■ Click the color square and choose a line color.■ Choose the line width from the Width list.

23 Repeat Step 3 to Step 22 to define sector display scheme settings for additional technologies.

24 Click OK to save sector display scheme settings.

The sector display scheme is added to either the Local or Shared node, under the Sector Display Schemes node in the Project Explorer. Sector display schemes are saved as .xml files.

To define an active sector display schemeThe active sector display scheme is used when you place a new site. If there is no active sector display scheme, the default symbol, size, and color are used.

1 In the Project Data category, expand the Sector Display Schemes node.2 Expand the Local or Shared node.3 Right-click a sector display scheme and choose Active.

The icons associated with sector display schemes indicate which sector display scheme is currently active, as shown in Figure 2.6.

You can also create sector display schemes by expanding the Sector Display Schemes node, right-clicking Local or Shared, and choosing

New. In addition, you can move sector display schemes between the Local and Shared node by choosing one or more sector display schemes in the Project Explorer and dragging them to the Local or Shared node.

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Figure 2.6 Sector Display Schemes node in the Project Explorer

To add a sector display scheme1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click Sector

Display Schemes and choose one of the following:■ Add ➤ Local—adds a local scheme■ Add ➤ Shared—adds a shared scheme

2 In the dialog box that opens, navigate to where the sector display scheme file (.xml) is stored and click Open.

To apply a sector display scheme1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the Sector

Display Schemes node.2 Expand the Local or Shared node.3 Right-click the display scheme you want to apply and choose Apply.

Active sector display schemeInactive sector display scheme

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4 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group to which you want to apply the scheme and click Continue.

Sectors that meet the criteria defined in the sector display scheme are modified accordingly.

To apply the default sector symbolYou can apply the default sector symbol, size, and color to remove sector display schemes that are visible in the Map window.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Sites node and choose Sector Display Scheme ➤ Apply.

2 In the Select Scheme dialog box, choose Default Symbol, and click Apply.

To update sector relationships The SiteFile_Relation layer, which displays the relationship between sectors and repeaters or sectors and non co-located sectors, does not automatically update when you move the location of a site, repeater, or non co-located site.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Sites node and choose Sector Display Scheme ➤ Refresh Relationship.

Obsolete lines illustrating sector relationships are removed from the Map window.

2 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the Sector Display Schemes node.

3 Expand the Local or Shared node.4 Right-click the display scheme you want to apply and choose Apply.

You can also apply a sector display scheme from the Sites category of the Project Explorer. Right-click the Flags node, a group within the

Groups node, or the Sites node, and choose Sector Display Scheme. In the Select Scheme dialog box, choose the sector display scheme you want to apply or choose Default Symbol, and click Apply.

When you get a project from Data Manager, the default sector symbol is used. You must reapply the sector display scheme to see changes.

Similarly, if you make any changes to sector properties after you have applied a sector display scheme, you will need to reapply the sector display scheme to see changes.

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5 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group to which you want to apply the scheme and click Continue.

Sectors that meet the criteria defined in the sector display scheme are modified accordingly, and lines illustrating sector relationships are re-drawn.

Adding user-defined dataIf you are using Data Manager and the Data Manager Server Administrator has defined custom columns on the server, you can add user-defined data (e.g., additional site and sector information) to your project using:

■ the Tabular Edit. See “To edit site and sector settings using Tabular Edit” on page 103.

■ the Import/Export Wizard. See “To export project data” on page 386.

When you connect to Data Manager, the custom columns are automatically added to your project. To view the columns, you use Tabular Edit or the Export Wizard.If you are migrating projects created in previous versions of Mentum Planet, you can add user-defined data on the User Data tab if user-defined properties are contained in the site table. You cannot add new information to the site table. Each property (site table column) is displayed as a row on the User Data tab. User-defined data added to the User Data tab is not stored in Data Manager.

To remove sector relationships from the Map window, in the Windows category of the Project Explorer, expand the Windows node, expand

the Map Windows node, expand the Site File node, and choose SiteFile_Relation. Right-click and choose Remove.

User-defined data added on the User Data tab in the Site Properties dialog box is not stored in Data Manager.

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To add user-defined data using the User Data tab1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a site and

choose Edit.


2 Click the User Data tab.3 Click Add.4 In the Add Columns dialog box, choose the site table column that you

want to display, and click OK.

Each property (site table column) is displayed as a row on the User Data tab.

5 To modify a field value, click in a field in the Properties table and type a new value.

6 When you have finished added or modify user-defined data, click Close to close the Site Properties dialog box.

Working with site tablesWhen you create a project, the site table you create or choose initially is set as the active site table for the project. The data in the active site table is used to graphically display sites and sectors in the Map window, and also for predictions and analyses. By default, there is only one site table when you create a project.Using the Project Explorer, you can make a copy of the active site table. You can then change the active site table. The new site table is displayed in the Map window and is used for predictions and analyses. The icons in the Site Tables list in the Project Explorer indicate which site table is currently active, as shown in Figure 2.7.

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Figure 2.7 Site Tables node in the Project Explorer

For more information on site tables, see “Site table files” on page 26 and “Appendix A: Site Table Format” on page 449.

To copy the active site table1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Site Tables.2 Right-click the active site table you want to copy and choose Copy.

The new site table is added to the Site Tables list. A new site table (.tab file) is created in the project folder along with the associated .dat, .id, .map, .xml and .xml.dat files. For more information on Mentum Planet file types, see “Mentum Planet File Types” on page 451.

To add a site tableYou can only add site tables to the project that are copies of the original project site table (i.e., the site table was created using the Copy command).

Additional site tables are not stored in Data Manager. Only the currently active site table is stored.

Active site tableInactive site table

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1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand Site Tables.

2 Right-click Site Tables and choose Add, locate the site table (.tab) file you want to add and click Open.

The site table is added to the Site Tables list.

To view a site table1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Site Tables.2 If you want to view a graphical display of a site table, right-click a site

table and choose View.

The site table is displayed in a new Map window.

3 If you want to view site table data, right-click a site table and choose Browse.

The site table data is displayed in table format in a Browser window.

To change the active site table1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Site Tables.2 Right-click the site table that you want to set as the active site table and

choose Active.

The active site table changes, and the new site table is displayed in the Map window.

To remove a site table1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Site Tables.2 Right-click the site table and choose Remove.

The site table is removed from the list, but the site table file is not deleted from the project folder.

If you right-click a site table and choose Delete, the site table files are deleted from the project folder.

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To rename a site table1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Site Tables.2 Right-click the site table, choose Rename, type a new name, and press

Enter.

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Chapter 3: Working with Antenna Patterns

3.
Working with Antenna Patterns
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding antenna

patterns■ Workflow for adding antenna

patterns to a project■ Converting antenna patterns

from ANet or Planet format■ Modifying antenna patterns

with electrical tilt■ Opening and viewing antenna

patterns■ Editing antenna patterns■ Saving antenna patterns■ Printing antenna patterns■ Adding antenna patterns to a

project■ Creating quasi-

omnidirectional antenna patterns

■ Grouping antenna patterns

Mentum Planet includes a small set of default

antenna files, but you can add additional antenna

patterns to your projects. You can use the Antenna

Editor to convert antenna files from other formats,

view, and edit antenna patterns.

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Understanding antenna patternsAntenna manufacturers generally provide antenna patterns for both the horizontal and vertical planes as ASCII or binary files. Many manufacturers also provide additional patterns with specific electrical tilt values. Although antenna patterns represent an approximation of reality under ideal conditions, they are considered sufficient for planning purposes.

Figure 3.1 Horizontal plane of an antenna pattern

Figure 3.1 illustrates how an antenna distributes its energy over the horizontal plane. Figure 3.2 illustrates how an antenna distributes energy over the vertical plane. In both examples, the boresight is at zero degrees. The horizontal pattern is specified in terms of a clockwise angle, while the vertical pattern is displayed in terms of an angle measured downward from the horizontal.

Figure 3.2 Vertical plane of an antenna pattern.

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Working with Antenna PatternsMentum Planet User Guide

Antenna patterns are used when generating signal strength predictions. The orientation between any ground point and the sector location is determined and the antenna gain is calculated based on this orientation. In most cases some interpolation is required, because antenna patterns do not provide a pattern gain in every possible orientation. The orientation between the tower and the ground point is resolved into an azimuth and inclination relative to the direction in which the antenna is pointing. The actual antenna gain for the particular orientation is the sum of the horizontal gain (based on the azimuth), the vertical gain (based on the inclination), and the boresight gain. Figure 3.3 shows how small variations in the vertical pattern can have a major effect on the horizontal distance covered.

Figure 3.3 Antenna height versus coverage distance

Required accuracy for antenna patternsAntenna patterns represent an approximation of reality under ideal conditions. When field or laboratory measurements are taken, the transmission path is cleared of reflections so that what is measured is the energy distribution in space and not the transmission channel. Also, antennas are generally installed so that no near field effect occurs, potentially causing a significant change to the radiation pattern.In order to model real-world networks, you must account for sub-optimal transmission tower installations, and reflections from the ground and

Depending on the resolution of the signal strength grid file (which will be the same as that of the elevation grid file), it may not be possible to

observe the influence of the antenna vertical gain distribution at larger angles, beyond the bin in which the antenna is located. For example, if the grid size is 50 meters, and the antenna height is 30 meters, the inclination angle to the center of the next grid will be about -31 degrees. Therefore, the influence of all vertical gains between -31 degrees and -90 degrees is contained in the single bin where the sector is located.

Antenna height (meters)

Distance from antenna (meters)0 60 98 137 283 571

60

5º25º 20º 15º 10º

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surrounding structures. This is why it is important to remove very deep nulls (a null is defined as a direction where very little energy is dispersed). In Figure 3.2, there is a null at +/-15 degrees in the vertical gain of the antenna. Also, side-lobes (transmission lobes other than the main lobe) are often disturbed by elements located in the near field when the installation is not properly done or where constraints make it impossible to perform an optimal installation. In order to alleviate this problem, side-lobes may be averaged.It is also important to use high-resolution antenna patterns to provide high-resolution signal strength predictions. In practice though, using a resolution of more than one degree is unnecessary due to imprecise installations. Vertical antenna patterns are generally more sensitive as they tend to be narrower than horizontal patterns. For this reason, the typical resolution for antenna patterns ranges from 10 degrees to 1 degree for the horizontal and from 5 to 0.5 for the vertical pattern.Vertical patterns are needed only for a few tens of degrees (e.g., -30 to 30) around the horizon point (defined as 0 degrees). This is a simple geometric consideration, since for a 100 meter high transmit site, 30 degrees of elevation angle is reached after only 172 meters. At such a short distance from the transmit site, the amount of received energy is often due more to reflections than to the main path. Mentum Planet propagation models use the full horizontal pattern but a vertical pattern with values between + 52° and -73° (if available).

Antenna pattern formatsManufacturers typically supply antenna patterns in a limited number of standard formats. It is therefore often necessary to convert antenna patterns into the Mentum Planet (.dpa) format. For more information on converting antenna patterns from other formats, see “Converting antenna patterns from ANet or Planet format” on page 121. Antenna pattern sets in .dpa format that include electrical tilt patterns must also be converted to ensure they display hierarchically in the Project Explorer and work with third-party tools. For more information on converting electrical tilt antenna patterns, see “Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tilt” on page 122.

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Workflow for adding antenna patterns to a projectAntenna files saved in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\global\Antennas folder are available for any new project you create. Antenna files saved in the Antennas folder within an individual project, are project-specific.

Step 1 If required, convert antenna files to the Mentum Planet (.dpa) format. See “Converting antenna patterns from ANet or Planet format”.

Step 2 If required, modify antenna files with electrical tilt. See “Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tilt” on page 122.

Step 3 If required, edit antenna patterns. See “Editing antenna patterns” on page 128.

Step 4 Add antenna patterns to your project. See “Adding antenna patterns to a project” on page 133.

Step 5 If required, create quasi-omnidirectional antenna patterns. See “Creating quasi-omnidirectional antenna patterns” on page 136.

Converting antenna patterns from ANet or Planet formatYou can convert antenna patterns from ANet or Planet formats to the Mentum Planet (.dpa) antenna pattern format. If an antenna file contains more than one pattern, the patterns are saved as separate files and the last antenna pattern converted is displayed in the Antenna Editor. Converted antenna patterns are saved in the source folder with a .dpa file extension using the same name as the source file. There is no need to save the converted patterns.

In order to ensure accurate prediction results, you must normalize antenna patterns. See “Editing antenna patterns” on page 128.

When you convert full antenna patterns, the full pattern will display in the Antenna Editor. In Mentum Planet, however, propagation models

use the full horizontal pattern while using a vertical pattern with values between + 52° and -73° (if available). Some third-party tools, for example propagation models, use the full vertical pattern.

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To convert antenna patterns1 Choose Edit ➤ Antennas.

The Antenna Editor opens.

2 Do either of the following:■ To convert from ANet format, choose Convert ➤ From ANet.■ To convert from Planet format, choose Convert ➤ From Planet.

3 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder containing the antenna patterns, choose the files that you want to convert and click Convert.

4 In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.

You can now add the antenna patterns to your Mentum Planet project. For more information, see “To add antenna pattern files to a project” on page 134.

If the antenna patterns include electrical tilt patterns, you must perform an additional conversion on these files before you add them to your project. For more information, see “Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tilt”.

Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tiltAntenna manufacturers often provide sets of antenna patterns that include additional patterns with electrical tilt. For example, a set of antenna patterns might include a parent antenna pattern (0° with no electrical tilt) and three additional patterns with 2°, 4°, and 6° electrical tilt.In order for a set of antenna patterns with electrical tilt to display hierarchically in Mentum Planet and work properly with some third-party tools, you must first create an antenna definition file, and then use the Antenna File Converter to modify the antenna patterns before you add them to your project.

Antenna patterns must be in Mentum Planet (.dpa) format before you can modify them. For more information, see “Converting antenna

patterns from ANet or Planet format” on page 121.

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Antenna definition filesAntenna definition files are delimited text files that define the relationship between parent antenna patterns and their associated electrical tilt patterns. You can create antenna definition files in a text editor, or you can use a spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel, and save the information as a tab delimited text (.txt) file.Antenna definition files must include the following information for each set of antenna patterns that you want to modify for use with Mentum Planet:

■ the parent antenna pattern file■ the corresponding electrical tilt antenna pattern files■ the electrical tilt values

Figure 3.4 shows a sample tab delimited antenna definition file that lists two separate sets of antenna patterns. Each line of text lists a single electrical tilt antenna pattern file, the parent antenna pattern file, and the electrical tilt value.

Figure 3.4 Sample antenna definition file

Figure 3.5 shows how you would create an antenna definition file in a spreadsheet application. Each row includes three cells indicating a single electrical tilt antenna pattern file, the parent pattern file, and the electrical tilt value.

TA-1404-120-T2.dpa TA-1404-120-T0.dpa 2TA-1404-120-T4.dpa TA-1404-120-T0.dpa 4TA-1404-120-T6.dpa TA-1404-120-T0.dpa 6umwd-09016-xd_2.dpa umwd-09016-xd_0.dpa 2umwd-09016-xd_4.dpa umwd-09016-xd_0.dpa 4umwd-09016-xd_6.dpa umwd-09016-xd_0.dpa 6umwd-09016-xd_8.dpa umwd-09016-xd_0.dpa 8

Parent antenna patternsElectrical tiltantenna patterns

Electrical tilt values

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Figure 3.5 Antenna definitions created in a spreadsheet application

For information on how to modify antenna patterns using an antenna definition file, see “To modify antenna patterns with electrical tilt” on page 124.

To create an antenna definition file1 Open a text editor or spreadsheet application.2 Do one of the following:

■ If you are using a text editor, create a separate line of text for each antenna pattern using the format shown in Figure 3.4. You can use tabs, commas, or semi-colons as delimiters between each item on a line.

■ If you are using a spreadsheet application, create a row for each antenna pattern, with separate columns for each item, as shown in Figure 3.5.

3 To save the antenna definition file, do one of the following:■ If you are using a text editor, save the file as a Text Document

(*.txt) file.■ If you are using a spreadsheet application, save the file as a Text

(Tab delimited) (*.txt) file.

To modify antenna patterns with electrical tiltTo convert the antenna pattern files with electrical tilt for use with Mentum Planet, you must have an antenna definition file. For more information, see “To create an antenna definition file” on page 124.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the Antennas node and choose Antenna File Converter.

The Antenna File Converter dialog box opens.

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2 In the Settings section, click Browse beside the Folder Containing the Antenna Files box, choose the folder that contains all of the antenna patterns that are listed in the antenna definitions file, and click OK.

3 Click Browse beside the Definitions File box, choose the definitions file that lists the antenna pattern files that you want to convert, and click Open.

4 In the Delimiter section, choose the type of delimiter used in the definitions file.

5 In the Log section, enable the Create File check box if you want to save a log file of actions and errors, then next to the Location of the Log File box click Browse, choose the folder in which you want to save the log file, and click Save.

6 Click Convert.

7 In the conversion notification dialog box, click OK.8 Click Close to close the Antenna File Converter dialog box.

You can now add the antenna patterns to your Mentum Planet project. For more information, see “To add antenna pattern files to a project” on page 134.

Opening and viewing antenna patternsThe file format of antenna patterns varies depending upon the manufacturer. Mentum Planet can directly open antenna patterns in several formats; however, you should verify that the data you want to open is valid and correctly formatted. For some antenna patterns, you will need to confirm whether the positive values contained in the antenna pattern file are gain values or not.You can view high quality plots of both the horizontal and vertical antenna patterns in the Antenna Editor. By default, the horizontal antenna pattern is shown in the large graph window, while the vertical antenna pattern is shown in the smaller graph window in the upper-right corner of the window. You can change the antenna pattern display by right-clicking in either graph window and choosing a command from the shortcut menu. You can enlarge, print, maximize, change font size, change grid lines, and choose color or monochrome display.

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If you click a color box on the Legend tab, you can choose a new color for the graph plot it represents.

To open an antenna pattern1 Choose Edit ➤ Antennas.2 In the Antenna Editor dialog box, choose File ➤ Open.3 If you want to open a file in a format other than .dpa, in the Open

Antenna File dialog box, choose All Files from the Files of Type list.4 Choose the antenna pattern that you want to open and click Open.5 If the Confirm dialog box appears, choose one of the following options:

■ Click Yes if positive values in the antenna pattern are gain values and you want to normalize values with a maximum of 0 dB.

■ Click No if positive values in the antenna pattern are not gain values and you want to multiply all antenna pattern values by -1.

■ Click Ignore to use existing antenna pattern values with no changes.

The antenna pattern is displayed in the Antenna Editor.

6 If you want to switch the patterns that are displayed in the small and large graph windows, click the Swap button.

To open an antenna pattern from the Project Explorer■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Antennas, right-click an antenna pattern and choose Edit.

Antenna patterns are listed in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. The icons of antenna patterns that have been assigned to a

When you open a National Spectrum Managers Association (NSMA) antenna file, the vertical pattern is inverted. If there is any tilt, you must

invert the pattern again in the Antenna Editor in order to be correct. See “To edit antenna information” on page 130.

When you open antenna patterns from text files, the Antenna Editor may not be able to identify the units. Ensure that the dBd or dBi

designation and boresight gain are correct. For a given antenna, its gain expressed in dBd is 2.15 dB less than its gain expressed in dBi.

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sector are displayed in color. The icons of antenna patterns that have not been assigned to sectors, but are located in the Antennas folder of the project, appear dimmed (see Figure 3.7 on page 134).

To view additional informationMany antenna patterns include additional descriptive information, including the manufacturer, frequency, horizontal and vertical beamwidth, and gain.

1 In the Antenna Editor, choose View ➤ Information.

A panel opens at the bottom of the Antenna Editor displaying the additional information.

2 Do any of the following:■ If you want to add information, right-click in the information

panel, choose Add, and type the information in the row at the bottom of the Antenna Editor.

■ If you want to edit information, right-click a row in the information panel, choose Edit, and then modify the information as required.

■ If you want to delete information, right-click a row in the information panel, and choose Delete.

3 Do either of the following to save the modified antenna pattern file:■ If you want to overwrite the existing antenna pattern, choose

File ➤ Save.■ If you want to save the antenna pattern as a new file, choose

File ➤ Save As, type a name in the File Name box, and click Save.

You can also open an antenna pattern by double-clicking it in the Project Explorer.

To close the information window, choose View ➤ Information again.

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To open antenna patterns in NotepadYou can open ANet, Planet, or NSMA antenna files in a text editor, such as Notepad, when you want to verify the values contained in the antenna file currently open in the Antenna Editor.■ In the Antenna Editor, choose View ➤ Open in Notepad.

To view antenna dependenciesIf the project contains antenna patterns with electrical tilt, you can create a text file that lists the antenna parent-child relationships (e.g., the name of the child antenna, the name of the parent antenna, and the electrical tilt value of the child antenna.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click Antennas, and choose Export Antenna Dependencies.

2 Do the following:■ From the Save In list, choose a folder.■ In the File Name box, type a name for the text file.■ Click Save.

Editing antenna patternsYou may need to edit antenna patterns so that they conform to Mentum Planet guidelines and accuracy principles or to correct the way the antenna patterns account for antenna gain.An antenna pattern must follow these basic guidelines to be usable with Mentum Planet:

■ The directivity of the antenna pattern must be the amount of gain in any given direction compared with the maximum gain of the

The Open in Notepad command is not available when working with .dpa files.

To improve the readability of the antenna dependency information, open the text file with Excel.

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antenna. The directivity, therefore, can only be equal to or less than zero decibels.

■ In most cases, the horizontal plane must be aligned so that the boresight angle is at zero degrees. Exceptions to this rule occur, for example, when the antenna has multiple main lobes or electronic tilts. In these cases, the boresight angle can be at an azimuth different than zero degrees.

■ The vertical plane must be aligned so that zero degrees is horizontal.

■ The horizontal pattern must always be provided. The vertical pattern is optional, and the vertical pattern gain will be assumed to be zero decibels at all inclinations when the vertical pattern is not provided. Nonetheless, it is not a sound engineering practice to use a horizontal-only pattern for signal strength predictions, as it can create significant prediction errors near the sector.

In Mentum Planet, the antenna pattern must be described as the amount of gain in any given direction compared with the boresight gain of the antenna. As a result, you may need to correct how the antenna pattern deals with gain by doing any of the following on the Adjust tab in the Antenna Editor:

■ Enter a positive or negative value in the Add box and click Apply.

■ Enable the Set Minimum check box, type a value in the Min box and adjust all remaining antenna values accordingly by clicking Apply. All antenna pattern values lower than the minimum value defined in the Min box will be readjusted to equal the minimum value.

■ Click Normalize to set the maximum antenna pattern value to 0 and update all other values relative to the maximum value (e.g., if the maximum value is -5, clicking Normalize sets it to 0 by adding 5, and then adds 5 to all other values in the pattern).

■ Click Change Sign to reverse the sign convention (i.e., multiplying all values by –1).

You cannot save antenna patterns to a .dpa format unless they have been normalized.

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To edit antenna informationInformation about antenna patterns is displayed on the tabs in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. The horizontal and vertical boresight angles and beamwidth angles are displayed on the Info tab.s

Figure 3.6 shows the beamwidth and the boresight angle.

Figure 3.6 Illustration of the beamwidth and the boresight angle

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand Antennas, right-click an antenna pattern and choose Edit.

2 In the Antenna Editor, you can click any of the following tabs to view and change information about the antenna:■ Info—displays information on the horizontal and vertical

boresight angles and beamwidths as well as the front-to-back ratio. The beamwidth is the sum of the angles on each side of the boresight (i.e., the physical axis of a directional antenna) to the angle in the pattern where the pattern gain is equal to the pattern

To revert to your original settings at any time prior to saving an antenna pattern, choose File ➤ Revert.

Changes to the antenna pattern made on the tabs in the lower-right corner of the dialog box apply only to the antenna pattern shown in the

large graph window.

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gain at the boresight minus 3 dB. If you want to change the scale of the antenna pattern plot, type values in the Max Scale and Min Scale boxes, and click Apply.

■ Rotate—enables you to change the azimuth (orientation in the horizontal plane) and vertical tilt of the antenna.

■ Flip—enables you to flip an antenna pattern along both axes. When editing the vertical antenna pattern for .dpa files, only the Flip Up/Down is available.

■ Adjust—enables you to adjust the pattern gains.■ Legend—displays a legend of the antenna pattern line colors

that distinguish horizontal, vertical, and modeled gain plots. You can click any legend color and choose a different one.

For more information on any of these tabs, press the F1 key.




To edit pattern gain valuesYou can edit the pattern gain values that define the shape of the antenna pattern. You can also create an antenna file by entering the pattern gain values manually.

1 In the Antenna Editor, choose View ➤ Data Values.

A window opens at the left of the Antenna Editor showing the antenna data values.

2 To edit a value in the Gain column, double-click the value and type a new value.

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To change multiple antenna gain valuesYou can use Excel to quickly change many antenna gain values as once.

1 In Excel, type in the antenna gain values (e.g., A1=-30, A2=-31, A3=-32).2 Select the column in Excel, and choose Edit ➤ Copy.3 In Mentum Planet, open a .dpa file in the Antenna Editor.4 Choose View ➤ Data Values.5 Put the cursor in the first field beneath Gain.6 Press Ctrl+V.

Saving antenna patternsYou can save the horizontal and the vertical antenna patterns separately. The horizontal pattern is saved with an .hrz extension, and the vertical pattern is saved with a .vrt extension.The NSMA defines a standard format for the electronic transfer of antenna pattern data. The conversion creates a text file that can be modified in a text editor.

To close the Data Values window, choose View ➤ Data Values again.

The vertical pattern in the resulting NSMA file is inverted. If there is any tilt, you must invert the pattern in the Antenna Editor to produce a

correct NSMA antenna file. See “To edit antenna information” on page 130.

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To save horizontal and vertical patterns separately1 In the Antenna Editor, view the antenna pattern that you want to save in

the large graph window.

You can click the Swap button to determine which antenna pattern appears in the large graph window.

2 Choose File ➤ Save One Pattern.

The Save Horizontal Pattern or Save Vertical Pattern dialog box opens.

3 In the File Name box, type a name for the pattern and click Save.

To save an antenna pattern in NSMA format1 Choose Edit ➤ Antennas.2 In the Antenna Editor, choose File ➤ Open, locate the antenna file to

open, and click Open.3 Choose File ➤ Save As.4 In the File Name box, type a name for the antenna pattern, or accept the

default.5 From the Save As Type list, choose NSMA Antenna Files (*.nsm).6 Click Save.

The NSMA file is saved with a .nsm extension in the same folder as the source file.

Printing antenna patternsYou can print antenna patterns from the Antenna Editor for your reference.

To print an antenna pattern1 In the Antenna Editor, choose File ➤ Print.2 In the Print dialog box, specify the printer, page size, source, and

orientation, and click OK.

Adding antenna patterns to a projectMentum Planet includes a small set of default antenna files; however, you can add additional antenna pattern files as required. Antenna files must be in the Mentum Planet antenna (.dpa) file format. For information on converting

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antenna patterns, see “Converting antenna patterns from ANet or Planet format” on page 121. Before you can add antenna patterns with electrical tilt to your project, you must modify them so that they display hierarchically within the Project Explorer and work with third-party tools (see “Modifying antenna patterns with electrical tilt” on page 122).Antenna patterns are added to the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. By default, only assigned antennas are displayed beneath the Antennas node when you open a project. Antenna patterns with electrical tilt are displayed under the parent antenna node, as shown in Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.7 Electrical tilt antenna patterns

To add antenna pattern files to a projectAntenna files must be saved in the Antennas folder either within a specific project or in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\global\Antennas folder. Antenna pattern files saved in the global\Antennas folder are available for all new projects you create.

If you are adding antenna patterns with electrical tilt, you must add the parent antenna file to the project or the electrical tilt patterns will not be

recognized by Mentum Planet.

Parent antenna pattern

Electrical tilt antenna patternsand tilt values

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1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click Antennas and choose Add.

2 In the Open dialog box, choose the Mentum Planet antenna (.dpa) files that you want to add to your project and click Open.

To view or hide unassigned antenna patterns1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Antennas and choose one of the following commands:■ Show Unassigned Antennas■ Hide Unassigned Antennas

To refresh antenna patterns■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Antennas and choose Refresh.

To rename antenna patterns1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Antennas and choose Rename.2 Type a new name for the antenna pattern.

The name of the antenna pattern displayed in the Project Explorer changes as does the underlying antenna pattern file. When you rename antenna patterns with electrical tilt, you are prompted to confirm how the underlying antenna files will be renamed.

To remove an antenna pattern from the Project Explorer■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the

Antennas node, right-click an antenna and choose Delete.While the antenna pattern is removed from the Project Explorer, the antenna file is not deleted.

You can only rename unassigned antenna patterns.

You can only remove unassigned antenna patterns from a project.

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Creating quasi-omnidirectional antenna patternsYou can combine antenna patterns of multiple directional antennas and model them in a quasi-omnidirectional pattern.Quasi-omnidirectional cells split the radio signal from the power amplifier of the same set of radios into two or three directional antennas for transmitting. At the receiving end, a multi-coupler is used to combine the radio signal from multiple directional antennas by using the strongest signal as a reference point, and feeding all of the signals into the radio transceiver processor.

Quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern guidelinesThe directional antennas patterns you choose to combine into a quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern should meet the following guidelines:

■ Horizontal and/or vertical patterns should be similar. If both the horizontal and vertical patterns are significantly different, the quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern will not work correctly.

■ When both horizontal and vertical patterns are similar you can change antenna azimuth or tilt, but not both azimuth and tilt.

■ When only the vertical patterns are similar you can change antenna azimuth, but not tilt.

■ When only the horizontal patterns are similar you can change antenna tilt, but not azimuth.

Quasi-omnidirectional antenna patterns work well in areas of less fluctuation and with similar antenna patterns among the directional antennas. Mentum Planet assumes that the shape of the elevation pattern does not change significantly and that the elevation patterns at different azimuth angle is the same as that at zero degree azimuth. Some deviation of the quasi-omnidirectional pattern from the real directional antenna situation may occur when the quasi-omnidirectional cell is in an area of significant terrain fluctuations, which means varying tilts for each sector, and when different antenna pattern is used for each sector.

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To create a quasi-omnidirectional antenna pattern

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a site and choose Edit.

2 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Sectors tab.3 Click the Antenna field for the sector that you want to modify, and then

click the Browse (...) button at the right of the field.4 In the Select Antenna Pattern dialog box, choose the Combined

(Quasi-omni cell) option.

For more information on the Single option, see “To change the antenna for a sector” on page 90.

5 In the Combined Antenna Pattern section, from the Name list, choose the first antenna pattern that you want to combine.

6 If you chose an antenna pattern with electrical tilt, from the Electrical Tilt list, choose the angle of electrical tilt for the antenna pattern. A positive (+) tilt value points downwards, while a negative (-) tilt value points upwards.

Electrical tilt angles will only be listed if you chose the parent antenna pattern in Step 5.

7 Do any of the following to edit the antenna pattern properties:■ To define the angle of the antenna pattern for the sector, click in

the Azimuth field and type a new value.■ To define the tilt of the antenna pattern for the sector, click in the

Tilt (-Down, + Up) field and type a new value.■ To define the power of the antenna pattern for the sector, enable

the Specify EIRP/ERP Per Antenna check box, click in the EIRP field and type a new value.

8 To choose the antenna to combine with the antenna that you chose in Step 5, click Add, choose the antenna from the Name list, and repeat Step 6 and Step 7 as required.

You can only combine antenna patterns that have been added to your project. For more information, see “Adding antenna patterns to a

project” on page 133.

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9 Click Combine.

When the antenna patterns are combined, the Information panel updates to display the Boresight Gain, the Front-to-Back, H Beamwidth, and V Beamwidth values of the new antenna pattern. The horizontal and vertical antenna patterns are also displayed on the right of the dialog box.

10 In the information dialog box, click OK.11 Click OK to close the Select Antenna Pattern dialog box.12 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Apply and then click Close.

The quasi-omnidirectional cell data is saved as an antenna (.dpa) file in the Antennas folder of the project, with the naming convention of Combined_<SiteId>_<SectorId>.dpa.

Grouping antenna patternsIn the Project Explorer, you can group antenna patterns based on the following criteria to make them easier to find:

■ horizontal beamwidth■ vertical beamwidth■ gain■ front-to-back ratio■ frequency■ manufacturer

Within the Antennas node, a new node is created for each group of antennas, as shown in Figure 3.8.

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Figure 3.8 Antenna patterns grouped by gain.

To group antenna patterns■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Antennas, choose Group By, and then choose the type of grouping that you want.

The antenna patterns are listed based on the type of grouping you chose.

To ungroup antenna patterns■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Antennas and choose Group By ➤ None.

The antenna patterns are now listed in order of name.

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Chapter 4: Working with Propagation Models

4.
Working with Propagation Models
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding the role of

propagation models■ Understanding propagation

model types■ Understanding clutter classes

and clutter properties■ Workflow for editing

propagation models■ Working with the Propagation

Model Editor■ Working with Clutter Property

Assignment files■ Understanding model tuning■ Guidelines for model tuning■ Workflow for model tuning■ Tuning models using the

Clutter Absorption Loss tuner■ Tuning the Planet General

Model using AMT

Using the Propagation Model Editor, you can adjust

the parameters of propagation models to account for

the characteristics of the environment.

A set of global propagation models is installed with

Mentum Planet and is copied to the project folder

when you create a new project. This chapter

describes how to choose and edit a number of

propagation models at either the project or global

level.

It also describes how to use the Model Tuning tool to

adjust the parameters of a propagation model in order

to produce signal strength predictions that are as

accurate and realistic as possible.

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Understanding the role of propagation modelsPropagation models simulate how radio waves travel through the environment from one point to another. In order to accurately model the behavior of radio waves, features in the environment such as the surface of the terrain (e.g., hilly or flat) and the presence of lakes must be taken into account. Ground cover such as buildings and trees must also be accounted for and is referred to as “clutter”.To model the real-world behavior of a network, you need both an elevation and a clutter file. Although it is possible to create predictions without one, a clutter file is necessary to produce accurate predictions. The clutter file (in the form of a classified grid) details surface features that are classified into meaningful categories. It is important to be flexible in defining the physical properties associated with each clutter type. For example, land on the west coast of North America categorized as forest may have physical properties significantly different from similarly categorized land on the east coast.A propagation model models how the radio waves react to elevation changes and clutter (e.g., reflection, diffraction, and scattering). You can choose from one of several propagation models.

Understanding propagation model typesThis section describes the propagation model types that Mentum Planet supports. Slope-based models, such as the Okumura-Hata model, take clutter into account automatically when generating predictions. Deterministic models, such as the CRC-Predict model, depend on the model of the environment and the specification of clutter property assignments. Table 4.1 rates how each of the three main propagation models perform when used under certain conditions.Table 4.1 Ratings for popular propagation models

Used ... CRC-Predict Planet General Model Universal Model

For macro-cell planning

Good Good Excellent

For mini-cell planning (urban)

Poor Fair Excellent

For micro-cell planning (urban)

Very poor Poor Excellent

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Working with Propagation ModelsMentum Planet User Guide

Free Space modelYou can use the Free Space propagation model where line of sight situations exist with no Fresnel zone obstructions. For example, this model is useful for high frequency, short distance, and Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) applications.The Free Space model is used for path loss estimation where there is an unobstructed line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver and there are no obstructions within the first Fresnel zone. This is often the case for satellite and microwave communications. The Free Space model is based on the Friis Free Space equation, which states that the received power drops off and is calculated as the square of the distance between transmitter and receiver (i.e., 20 dB/decade).

Okumura-Hata modelYou can use the Okumura-Hata model for urban or suburban areas if little is known about the terrain and clutter.The Okumura-Hata algorithm is entirely empirical. It is based on a multitude of measurements from selected urban centers in Japan. Okumura developed a set of curves giving the median attenuation relative to free space for an urban area of quasi-smooth terrain. Base station effective height varied from 30 meters to over 800 meters, and mobile antenna height was 3 meters and 1.3 meters, both using omni-directional antennas. Sets of signal attenuation curves were plotted as a function of frequency and distance by which relevant

Over large propagation distances

Excellent Fair Good

With no model tuning

Fair Poor Good

With cluster tuning Fair Fair Excellent

On a per sector basis

Good Excellent Excellent

With merged predictions

Good Fair Good

Table 4.1 Ratings for popular propagation models

Used ... CRC-Predict Planet General Model Universal Model

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gain factors were determined. Okumura calculated that the base station antenna height gain factor varies at a rate of 20 decibels per decade, and the mobile antenna height gain factor varies at a rate of 10 decibels per decade for heights less than three meters. Terrain corrections such as undulation height, isolated ridge height, and average slope can be applied to the Okumura model. The correction factors are published as plotted curves.The Hata equation model is appropriate if you do not have detailed terrain information and are working in urban or suburban environments. The Mentum Planet Hata equation model includes the COST 231 extensions from 1 500 MHz to 2 000 MHz.The Okumura model performs well for cellular systems in cluttered environments with common standard deviations between predicted and measured path loss values of approximately 10 to 14 decibels. Hata has reduced the main results of Okumura et al. to a few equations, and an application of these equations is commonly known as the Okumura-Hata method.

Model versionsTwo versions of the Okumura-Hata propagation model are shipped with Mentum Planet: 2.0 and 2.5. If you are building a new project, you can use version 2.5 of the Okumura-Hata model.The Hata method requires an average terrain elevation from the transmitter to the receiver. Averaging starts at 3 kilometers and goes to the receiver, or to 15 kilometers, whichever is less. If the receiver is less than 3 kilometers away from the transmitter, there is no average; the terrain height at the receiver is used. Version 2.0 of the Okumura-Hata propagation model calculates the average to 15 kilometers in all cases. If you have sites in a valley and have been getting excessively small predicted signal strengths, you can reconfigure these sites using version 2.5 of the Okumura-Hata model.

Planet General ModelThe Planet General Model is a flexible hybrid model that can be used to model many different kinds of propagation environments. It enables you to migrate data from Planet 2.8 to Mentum Planet and obtain the same coverage results as Planet 2.8.You can use the Planet General Model to model many different kinds of propagation environments. The path loss equation incorporates losses due to a number of models (such as Okumura-Hata), contributors, and coefficients that can be pieced together to create a user-defined propagation model. Some of these are defined by algorithms derived from statistical data. These algorithms

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are quite accurate under specific conditions, but become less appropriate as the terrain and clutter varies from these conditions. Various correction factors exist to compensate for these varying conditions, and it is very important for these values to be assigned accurately in order to make models simulate the real situation.The Planet General Model predicts the path loss for each element within the prediction area. This is achieved by constructing a terrain and clutter profile from the base station (transmitter) to each element and then computing the path loss for that profile. In order to ensure that path loss at each element within the prediction region is computed, a profile can be constructed to each element on the perimeter of the prediction region. Thus the number of radials,

, is given by

However, for most practical applications, a fraction of the above number of radials is sufficient. A corresponding signal strength at each element is also computed using the antenna pattern.One of the most visible differences between the Planet General Model used with Planet 2.8/Planet DMS and the one used with Mentum Planet is the shape of the prediction area; Planet 2.8/Planet DMS uses a square prediction area, whereas Mentum Planet defines a circular prediction area. Although the shape and the total area of the prediction areas are markedly different, this has no effect on the computed path loss or signal strength values. Using simple geometry, you can convert Planet 2.8 Prediction Size to Mentum Planet Propagation Distance using

.

The above equation overlaps the Mentum Planet circular prediction area with Planet 2.8 square prediction region, thus assuring total coverage of the prediction zone.For more information on the Planet General Model, see the Planet General Model Technical Note.

ITU 370-Recommendation modelYou can use the ITU 370-Recommendation 2.5 propagation model for modeling VHF and UHF broadcast services.Mentum Planet includes both the ITU 370-Recommendation 2.0 model and the 2.5 model. Version 2.0, which lacks the model tuning capability of version

N

N 2π Propagation Distance( )DEM Resolution( )

----------------------------------------------------- 1+=

Propagation Distance( ) Prediction Size( ) 2( )⁄=

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2.5, has been added for backward compatibility with existing projects. The ITU 370-Recommendation model is the implementation of ITU Recommendation ITU-R P.370-7 and is designed specifically for broadcast services in the VHF and UHF bands. The model is based on propagation curves and correction factors that determine the dependency of signal strength on transmitting-antenna height and on the distance from a transmitter. Each propagation curve shows the effect of the frequency band, landscape type, and the percentage of time on the signal strength. In Mentum Planet, you can specify percentages of time and of locations, frequency mode, bandwidth, environmental settings, and terrain factors. The ITU 370-Recommendation model provides coefficients of correction for Rural, Suburban, and Urban clutter types, which are user selectable. You cannot make any numeric adjustments (e.g., dB) to the clutter attenuation. The ITU 370-Recommendation model is best suited to frequencies between 30 and 1000 MHz and distances up to 1000 kilometers.

Interpreting Recommendation 370 resultsWhen you are interpreting Recommendation 370 results, keep in mind the following points:

■ The signal strengths in the ITU 370-Recommendation models refer to one kilowatt Effective Radiated Power (ERP) from a half-wave dipole. However, Mentum Planet adjusts the results to the sector’s parameters in the site table.

■ The basic calculation accommodates for any effective transmitter antenna height, while the receiving antenna height is fixed at 10 meters. However, a height gain function in the ITU 370-Recommendation models allows you to consider other receiving antenna heights.

■ The land path curves refer to the value of terrain irregularity at 50 meters, which generally applies to rolling terrain commonly found in Europe and North America. The ITU 370-Recommendation models also include a terrain-clearance-angle correction that depends on the terrain close to the receiver.

COST 231 Walfisch-Ikegami modelYou can use the Walfisch-Ikegami model for urban or suburban areas with uniform building heights and separation on flat ground.COST 231 has proposed a combination of the Walfisch and Ikegami models that has been accepted by the ITU-R and included in Report 567-4. This

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model is statistical and not deterministic, because terrain and clutter are not considered.The parameters used by the model are shown in Figure 4.1. When you use the model, you need to input the height of the buildings (hRoof), the widths of roads (w), the building separation (b), and the road orientation. The parameters that you define in Mentum Planet include the transmitter height, the receiver height, and the frequency.

Figure 4.1 COST 231 Walfisch and Ikegami model parameters

The model distinguishes between line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) situations. The LOS case describes a street canyon situation, such as when the transmitter is located at a street corner and LOS is achieved in the direction of the streets. The NLOS case uses the building and street properties to estimate the path loss at a given location.COST 231 has defined the following restrictions on the model:

■ Frequency: 800-2000 MHz■ hBase: 4-50 m

■ hMobile: 1-3 m

■ Distance: 0.02-5 km

Mentum Planet does not restrict the range of these parameters; therefore, predictions must be considered with care outside of these ranges.The estimation of path loss agrees rather well with measurements for base station antenna heights above roof-top levels. The error becomes larger when hBase is approximately equal to hRoof. The performance of the model is quite poor when hBase is much less than hRoof.The parameters b, w, and φ are not considered in a meaningful way for microcells. Therefore, the prediction error in microcells might be quite large.The model does not consider multipath propagation, and the reliability of the prediction decreases if the terrain is not flat or the clutter is not homogeneous.

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Longley-Rice modelYou can use the Longley-Rice area calculation for rural (non-urban) areas if little is known about the terrain and clutter.The Longley-Rice model is applicable to point-to-point communication systems in the 20 MHz to 10 GHz range over different types of terrain (Rappaport, 1996). The Longley-Rice model operates in two modes. The point-to-point mode uses terrain information if it is available, while the point-to-area mode uses techniques that estimate the path-specific parameters when little terrain information is available.In point-to-point mode, median path loss is predicted by using tropospheric refractivity and terrain geometry. However, only some features of the terrain are used. The terrain profile is used to find effective antenna heights, horizon distances and elevation angles as seen from the antennas, the angular distance for a trans-horizon path, and the terrain irregularity of the path. The prediction is performed in terms of these parameters. A ray optic technique using primarily a two-ray ground reflection model is used within the radio horizon. The two or three isolated obstacles causing the greatest obstruction are modeled as knife edges using the Fresnel Kirchoff theory. Forward scatter theory is used to make troposcatter predictions for long paths and far field diffraction losses are predicted using a modified Van der Pol-Bremmer method (Rappaport, 1996). The Longley-Rice point-to-point model is also referred to as the Irregular Terrain Model (ITM) (Hufford, et al. 1982).Although the point-to-area mode is an old method, it is still perhaps the best method of estimating path loss in open country if the only parameters known about the ground are its irregularity and (less importantly at UHF) its electrical constants.The Longley-Rice model is best suited to the following parameters:

■ Frequency: 20 MHz to 10 GHz■ Distance: 1 km to 2000 km■ Antenna Heights: 0.5 m to 3000 m■ Polarization: Vertical or Horizontal

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ReferencesFor more information about the Longley-Rice model, see the following references:

■ Rappaport, T.S. Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice. Prentice Hall, 1996.

■ Hufford, Longley, and Kissick. “A Guide to the Use of the ITS Irregular Terrain Model in the Area Prediction Mode”, U.S. Department of Commerce. April 1982.

Lee modelYou can use the Lee propagation model when you have survey results that show the nature of signal decay for local propagation conditions. The Lee model combines both an analytical and experimental approach to the estimation of both signal strength and path loss.The standard equation for the Lee propagation model is described below.

Where: is the mean received signal level at distance R from the transmit antenna.

is the expected signal strength in dBm for the reference conditions defined by , , , and .

is the slope or rate of signal strength decay as a function of distance from the transmitter in dB/decade.

is the distance from the transmitter in kilometers.

is the reference distance from the transmitter in kilometers.

is the effective antenna height of the transmitter in meters.

is the antenna height of the reference transmitter in meters.

is the effective antenna height of the receiver in meters.

is the antenna height of the reference receiver in meters.

is the effective radiated power of the transmitter in watts.

is the effective radiated power of the reference transmitter in watts.

Pr Pref α RRref---------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞log– 15 HT

HrefT

----------⎝ ⎠⎜ ⎟⎛ ⎞

log 10 HM

HrefM

----------⎝ ⎠⎜ ⎟⎛ ⎞

log 10 ERPT

ERPrefT

-----------------⎝ ⎠⎜ ⎟⎛ ⎞

log KED APE+ + + + +=

Pr

PrefRref Href

T HrefM ERPref

T

α

R

Rref

HT

HrefT

HM

HrefM

ERPT

ERPrefT

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is the knife-edge diffraction losses or additional loss due to terrain obstruction.

is the antenna pattern gain or additional loss or gain as a result of the actual antenna pattern used in the prediction.

The Lee model relies on a set of path loss curves that apply to a reference transmitter. These curves are straight lines on a logarithmic scale of distance, and are defined by a slope (α) and an intercept at 1.0 or 1.6 kilometers. These parameters are usually obtained from survey measurements that show the speed of signal decay as a function of distance under local propagation conditions. The Lee model formula calculates the signal strength at any given point by modifying the reference signal strength to take into account the distance, the antenna heights, and so on actually encountered.If the terrain is flat, nothing more is done. With hilly terrain, the terrain data is used to calculate an effective antenna height for the transmitting antenna, and also to estimate the additional path loss due to terrain obstructions modeled as knife edges. The changes in signal strength due to a modified effective antenna height and due to the knife-edge obstructions are added to the signal strength calculated for flat terrain.

IEEE 802.16 modelYou can use the IEEE 802.16 model when designing Multipoint Distribution System (MDS) and LMDS networks with frequencies in the 10 to 66 GHz range. This frequency range is characterized by very high data rates and short range due to rain and foliage attenuation.

Terrain typesThe following types of terrain are recommended for use with the IEEE 802.16 model:

■ Type A—characterized by hilly, moderate-to-heavy tree density (for light to moderate urban areas)

■ Type B—characterized by hilly, light tree density or flat, moderate-to-heavy density

■ Type C—characterized by flat, light tree density

The IEEE 802.16 model is recommended for use with broadband wireless access technologies.

KED

APE

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Path loss equationThe standard path loss equation for the IEEE 802.16 model is described below.

Where: is equal to .

is the wavelength in meters.

is the path loss exponent equal to .

is the height of the base station in meters.

is equal to 100 m.

, , and are constants dependent on the terrain type.

is a statistical term for random shadow fading (zero mean).

ReferencesFor more information about the IEEE 802.16 model, see the following references:

■ Erceg, Vinko, et al. “An Empirically Based Path Loss Model for Wireless Channels in Suburban Environments”. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. Vol. 17, No 7, July 1999.

■ The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards web site at http://ieee802.org/16.

■ Chang, D.K. “IEEE 802.16 Technical Backgrounder”. IEEE 802.16 Broadband Wireless Access Working Group. May 2002.

The path loss calculation only accounts for the following parameters:

• transmitter height • receiver height• frequency• the ground type as defined in the IEEE.802.16 dialog box

The clutter grid, the elevation file, the rain attenuation, and clutter absorption losses have no effect on the path loss calculation.

PL A 10γ log10( ) d d0⁄( ) s+ +=

A 20log10 4πd0 λ⁄( )

λ

γ a b hb c hb⁄+( )–

hb

d0

a b c

s

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http://ieee802.org/16


CRC-Predict model

CRC-Predict is a general-purpose model intended for macrocell planning. It is not a ray-tracing model and, as such, should not be used with high-resolution data. Instead, it is best used with geodata with a resolution between 20 to 30 meters. You can use it in most circumstances, regardless of the kind of terrain, if detailed terrain or clutter information or both are available. The following cases are exceptions:

■ for very short paths, for example micro-cellular paths, in which the locations of individual buildings are important

■ when a very rapid calculation is wanted, because the CRC-Predict model is more computationally intensive than most models

The path loss calculation in the CRC-Predict model is designed for the VHF to UHF (30 MHz to 3 GHz) frequency range. The physical principles used by the CRC-Predict model are also applicable up to 30 GHz. However, accurate predictions for that range depend on very detailed and accurate terrain data, and currently there are no supporting test measurements. Also, above 10 GHz, rain attenuation becomes significant. The principal algorithm is a diffraction calculation, based on the Fresnel-Kirchoff theory that takes terrain into account in a detailed way. An estimate of the additional loss for obstructions such as trees, buildings, or other objects is included when data on clutter classes are available. Tropospheric scatter is included for long paths. Estimates of time and location variability can be made.The diffraction algorithm samples the propagation path from the transmitter to the receiver and determines the signal strength at many points in space. First, the wave field is determined as a function of height (a vertical column of many values) above a terrain point close to the transmitter by an elementary calculation. Then, using the Huygens principle of physical optics, each of these field points is regarded as a source of radiation, and from them, the signal strength is calculated a little farther away. In this way, a marching algorithm simulates the progress of the radio wave from the transmitter to the end of the path. Even though the signal strength is calculated at many points, an efficient integration algorithm and a choice of only the most important

You can obtain information about CRC-Predict model properties by pressing the F1 key from the Predict Parameters or the Predict

Properties dialog box. For more detailed information about the model, see the CRC-Predict Propagation Model Technical Note.

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signal strength points permit the integration calculation to be fast enough for practical use.The CRC-Predict model also uses surface-type or clutter data in its calculations. See “Appendix C: Clutter Properties” on page 455. Because CRC-Predict is a deterministic model, the more precise and physically realistic terrain and clutter information you use, the more accurate the output tuned model will be. Clutter interacts with the algorithm in two ways:

■ As the wave propagates over the ground toward a distant receiver, the effective height of the ground is assumed to be the real height of the ground plus the assumed clutter height.

■ Clutter close to the receiver is assumed to terminate close to the receiver, e.g., 50 meters. That is, the receiving antenna is not assumed to be on the doorstep of a building, or in the middle of a forest, but rather on a street or in a road allowance in the forest. Part of the calculation is an estimate of the attenuation from the clutter down to street level.

In addition to the height and distance of solid (opaque) clutter, there is an additional attenuation, entirely empirical, which takes into account trees and other absorbing material adjacent to the receiving antenna. This attenuation factor (expressed in decibels) is the parameter most easily used to make median predictions agree with measurements in a particular area (model tuning).

CRC-Predict Air

CRC-Predict Air is a unique model designed for high-altitude communication (e.g., aircraft to ground) where the signal is being broadcast upwards (between 0 and +90/-90 degrees). It is based on the CRC-Predict 4.0 propagation model. You can use the CRC-Predict Air model in two modes:

Only masked path loss is calculated and saved in the prediction files. As a result, if you change any site setting (other than transmitted

power), all of the prediction files are regenerated.

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■ AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level) mode—in this mode, you can define the antenna height. For the purpose of propagation calculation, the receive height remains at a constant height above sea level.

■ AGL (Above Ground Level) mode—in this mode, the receiver antenna height will be relative to the ground level as defined by the input Digital Elevation Model (DEM).

Unlike the CRC-Predict model, this new model will not generate path loss predictions (grid files) which can be re-masked. It is also important to note that you cannot tune CRC-Predict Air models.

Universal model

The Universal model is a high-performance deterministic propagation model that has been integrated into Mentum Planet. Unlike other propagation models, the Universal model automatically adapts to all engineering technologies (i.e., micro, mini, small, and macro cells), to all environments (i.e., dense urban, urban, suburban, mountainous, maritime, and open), and to all systems (i.e., GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, WIFI, and WIMAX) in a frequency range that spans from 400MHz to 5GHz. In addition, the Universal Model:

■ uses a new AGL layer and a new polygon layer where modifications to the layers can be done directly in the Map window.

■ outperforms other models in terms of the speed and accuracy of predictions.

The Point-to-Point tool does not support the CRC-Predict Air propagation model; however, the CRC-Predict 4 model provides results

similar to the CRC-Predict Air model when used in AGL mode.

The Universal model is only available if you have purchased a license. You can obtain detailed information about the Universal model by

pressing the F1 key from the Universal Model Parameters dialog box. The online Help for this model contains context-sensitive help, as well as the Universal Model User Guide.

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Q9 modelThe Q9 propagation model is based on the Okumura-Hata model. Using the variables shown in Figure 4.2, it calculates the expected pathloss between the transmitter and the receiver using the terrain profile. In other words, it considers a cross-section of the earth along a straight line between the transmitter and the receiver. This propagation model is most useful for frequency bands in the 150-2000 MHz range and works best within a radius of 0.2-100 km. The Q9 model is intended for use with high-resolution elevation and clutter data.

Pathloss depends on frequency as well as the antenna heights of the transmitter and the receiver. The Q9 model allows for both uptilt and downtilt of antennas and takes into account the vertical antenna pattern.There are three input values that the Q9 model considers:

■ Okumura-Hata’s wave propagation equations with modifying parameters A0 to A3. See Equation 4.2 on page 156. For more information on the A0 to A3 parameters, press the F1 key in the Q9 Parameters dialog box.

■ Extra losses that occur when wave propagation is disturbed by obstacles such as mountain peaks. When the distance between the transmitter and receiver becomes sufficiently large, a correction due to earth’s curvature is necessary.

■ Land use code loss.Figure 4.2 illustrates the variables that are taken into account to calculate pathloss.

Figure 4.2 The process of calculating pathloss

Q9 Model

A0 – A3Hb Hm f, ,

Path lossanalysis values

Terrain profileKnife-edge diffractionSpherical earth correctionBuilding data

ConstantsLand usage code tables

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Equation 4.1 details the formula used to calculate pathloss.

Equation 4.1 Pathloss calculation

Where:Lb is the pathlossHOA (Hata Open Area) is a variant of Okumura-Hata’s equation in dB as shown in equation Equation 4.2mk[mobile] is the land use code at the mobile in dB

is a parameter related to the knife-edge diffractionKDFR is the contribution from knife-edge diffraction in dBJDFR is the diffraction loss due to the spherical earth in dB

Equation 4.2 Hata Open Area equation

Where:A11 is equal to A1 x log dg(F) is equal to 44.49 x logF - 4.78 x (logF)2

HEBK is the effective antenna height in meters as defined in the Q9 propagation model.d is the distance from the base antenna to the mobile in kilometersA0, A1, A2, A3 are Q9 model tuning parameters

WaveSight model

The WaveSight model is based on the uniform theory of diffraction. To predict the signal power, the WaveSight model takes individual buildings and vegetation, as well as terrain and clutter, into account.

The WaveSight™ model is only available if you have purchased a license. You can obtain detailed information about the WaveSight

model by pressing the F1 key from the WaveSight Model Properties dialog box. The online Help for these models contains context-sensitive help, as well as the WaveSight User Guide.

Lb HOA mk mobile[ ] a KDFR×( )2 JDFR( )

2++ +=

α

HOA A0 A11 A2 HEBKlog A3 d HEBKloglog 3.2 11.75hm( )log[ ]2 g F( )+( )–+ + +=

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The WaveSight model is not restricted to specific environments. It can be applied in urban, suburban, rural, and open areas. However, most of the tests on the model were conducted in urban and suburban areas. No tests were conducted for a radius greater than 20 km.Because of the physical nature of the model, which uses the uniform theory of diffraction, frequency is a parameter of the model. Extensive tests were performed in the 800, 900, 1800, and 2000 MHz bands.The WaveSight model enables computations with no limitation on transmitter or receiver heights; however, no drive test data was available for receiver heights greater than 2 m above ground.The WaveSight model uses raster data, e.g., terrain and clutter, in a format similar to that used with Planet DMS. In certain cases, the raster data is available in several resolutions—typically a resolution of 20 m or more for a large area such as an entire state or nation, and 5 m for small built-up areas. In such cases, the WaveSight model uses the highest available resolution associated with the area under consideration. The required accuracy is ± 2 m on the wall position. All buildings with a footprint larger than 16 m2 must be represented in the building database. The WaveSight User Guide lists the consistency rules required from the vector database, i.e., no open polygons or building overlap.One of the input parameters used by the WaveSight model is the attenuation loss incurred going from outdoor to indoor. The WaveSight model uses this value to compute the signal strengths inside the building.Wavecall is constantly improving WaveSight performance on an increasing pool of measurements. Whenever a divergence between model and data is observed, the model is updated and retested on all available routes to ensure that the modified model is consistent with experimental data. Therefore the overall performance of the model is constantly increased. Thus, in general, there is no need for the model to be tuned.Because of the subjective nature of the clutter, tuning is advisable in open and rural areas where clutter significantly influences propagation. Tuning must be applied with care and only when there are sufficient measurement samples available that are representative of the environment.

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Understanding clutter classes and clutter propertiesPropagation models perform path loss calculations based on the types of clutter through which the signal passes. The terrain is classified into clutter classes based on land use or ground cover, e.g., Industrial, Residential, Forest. For each clutter class, a set of clutter properties is specified, depending on the propagation model. All models specify clutter absorption loss. Some models specify additional properties, such as average obstacle height. Table 4.2 on page 158 lists the properties defined for each propagation model. The propagation model uses the values of these properties in its calculations.For your project, the clutter file specifies the clutter class for each bin of the coverage area. Before you can generate signal strength predictions or do model tuning, you must create the Clutter Property Assignment (.cpa) file, in which the values of the clutter properties for each clutter class are stored.When you create or edit a Clutter Property Assignment file, your choice of ground type for each clutter class sets default values for numeric properties, such as Clutter Absorption Loss. You can edit these values. Usually this is done as part of model tuning.Table 4.2 Clutter properties of propagation models

Propagation model Clutter properties

CRC-Predict 4.0 ■ Clutter Height■ Clutter Separation■ Receiver Height■ Clutter Absorption■ Advanced Clutter Assignment. For more information,

see Appendix C.

CRC-Predict 2.0 ■ Average Obstacle Height■ Clutter Absorption Loss■ Ground Type (Residential, Industrial, Dense Urban,

Core Urban, Forest, User Defined).■ Advanced Clutter Assignment. For more information,

see Appendix C.■ Advanced Predict Properties (Predict 2.0 and earlier).

For more information, see Appendix C.

Free Space ■ Clutter Absorption Loss

ITU 370-Recommendation

■ Clutter Absorption Loss■ Clutter Type (Rural, Suburban, Urban)

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Workflow for editing propagation modelsStep 1 Define propagation model settings. See “Working with the

Propagation Model Editor.”

Step 2 Define the effects of clutter. See “Working with Clutter Property Assignment files” on page 163.

Working with the Propagation Model EditorYou can refine how a propagation model behaves by modifying the propagation model settings using the Propagation Model Editor. Once you have refined the model, you can apply the propagation model to an individual site or sector.You can modify the propagation model for the current project, or modify the global version of the model that is used each time you create a new project.

Free Space Line-of-Sight ■ Average Obstacle Height■ Clutter Absorption Loss

Lee ■ Clutter Absorption Loss

Longley-Rice ■ Clutter Absorption Loss

Okumura-Hata ■ Clutter Absorption Loss

Planet General Model ■ Clutter Factor (Clutter Absorption Loss)■ Clutter Height (Average Obstacle Height)■ Clutter Separation (Clear Distance)■ Receiver Height■ Building Density■ Standard Deviation■ Okumura Class (Clutter Class)—Open, Water,

Suburban, Unknown

Cost-231 Walfisch-Ikegami

■ Clutter Absorption Loss

Table 4.2 Clutter properties of propagation models (continued)

Propagation model Clutter properties

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To define propagation model settings in your project1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Propagation Models, right-click a propagation model and choose Edit.

Propagation models are organized in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. The icons of propagation models that have been assigned to a site are displayed in color. The icons of propagation models that have not been assigned to a site, but are located in the Model folder of the project, appear dimmed.

2 In the Propagation Model Editor, modify any of the settings on the following tabs.■ Settings—sets frequency, receiver height, earth curvature and

antenna polarization. Click Edit to set parameters specific to the model type you have chosen.

■ Clutter Properties—determines whether or not the model uses a clutter grid. If you choose to use a clutter file, you can click Edit CPA to edit the Clutter Property Assignment (.cpa) file, or browse for a new one. If you choose not to use a clutter file, you can click Select to choose a single clutter property to use for the project.

■ Rain Attenuation—determines whether or not rain attenuation is calculated. If you choose to include rain attenuation, you can define an attenuation rate or a rate of rainfall.

■ Advanced—enables you to use a different resolution elevation grid or clutter file with the propagation model than that which is specified in the project settings. This is useful if you want to generate a prediction where you are using a high-resolution grid in urban areas and a lower-resolution grid in the rest of the project area.

For additional information about the settings on each tab, press the F1 key.

3 Click Save.4 Click Close.

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5 In the Mentum Planet confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

To define propagation model settings globally1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Propagation Models and choose New.

2 In the Propagation Model Type dialog box, click Open.

Ensure that you do not choose a propagation model from the list or click OK. Doing this will create a new model based on a global model, but in this case you are editing the global model.

3 In the Open Model File dialog box, navigate to the Mentum Planet Global\Model folder, choose a propagation model file, and click Open.

4 In the Propagation Model Editor, modify any of the settings on the following tabs:■ Settings—sets frequency, receiver height, earth curvature and

antenna polarization. Click Edit to set parameters specific to the model type you have chosen.

■ Clutter Properties—determines whether or not the model uses a clutter grid. If you choose to use clutter file, you can click Edit CPA to edit the Clutter Property Assignment file, or browse for a new one. If you choose not to use a clutter file, you can click Select to choose a single clutter property to use for the project.

■ Rain Attenuation—determines whether or not rain attenuation is calculated. If you choose to include rain attenuation, you can define an attenuation rate or a rate of rainfall.

■ Advanced—enables you to use a different resolution elevation grid or clutter file with the propagation model than that which is specified in the project settings. This is useful if you want to generate a prediction where you are using a high-resolution grid

You can also access the Propagation Model Editor from the Site Properties dialog box. To edit the model for a site, in the Site Properties

dialog box, click the Site tab and click Edit next to the Model box.To use different models for individual sectors, enable the Set Prediction Parameters by Sector check box on the Site tab of the Site Properties dialog box, and click the Sectors tab. You can then choose different models for each sector by choosing a model from the list in the Propagation Model field.

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in urban areas and a lower-resolution grid in the rest of the project area.

For additional information about the settings on each tab, press the F1 key.

5 Click Close.6 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

The modified Propagation model contained in the Global\Model folder is copied to the Model folder of each new project you create.

To define a new propagation model1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Propagation Models and choose New.2 From the Propagation Models list, choose the model on which you want

to base your new model, and then click OK.3 In the Propagation Model Editor, modify the parameters of the

propagation model to correspond to your network design.4 Click Save, type a name for the new model, and click Save.

5 Click Close.

To include the effects of clutterYou can specify how the propagation model accounts for elements in the environment such as buildings and trees.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand Propagation Models, right-click the propagation model and choose Edit.

2 In the Propagation Model Editor, click the Clutter Properties tab, and choose one of the following options:■ Dependent on Project Settings—enables you to assign the

properties of the clutter grid to the propagation model. You must have specified a clutter file on the Data tab in the Project Settings dialog box and enabled the Use a Clutter Grid File

If you save your new model when you have a project open, the Save As dialog box opens at the Model folder of your project. If you save the

new model with no project open, the Save As dialog box opens at the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\Global\Model folder.

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check box. Click Edit CPA to edit the clutter property assignment file. For more information, see “Working with Clutter Property Assignment files” on page 163.

■ Use Single Clutter Property—enables you to assign a single clutter property to the model. Click Select, choose the clutter property you want to use, and click OK. When you choose this option, a clutter grid is not used with the propagation model.

3 Click Close.4 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

Working with Clutter Property Assignment filesA Clutter Property Assignment file (.cpa) is a binary file containing a table of physical properties for each clutter class. The values assigned to the electrical and physical properties for each clutter class are determined from observations of the physical area and from data gathered during surveys. Mentum Planet provides a default .cpa file for each propagation model. These files are located in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\Global\Model folder and are automatically copied to your Project\Model folder when you create a Mentum Planet project.

To define clutter properties for a propagation model1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand

Propagation Models, right-click a propagation model and choose Edit.2 In the Propagation Model Editor dialog box, click the

Clutter Properties tab, and then click Edit CPA.3 In the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box, edit the properties for

each clutter type.

Clutter types and the properties you can define for them vary by model type.

4 Double-click a field to modify parameters for a clutter class as required.

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5 Click Save.

When you exit the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box, the new .cpa file name is displayed in the Propagation Model Editor.

To convert a .cpa file created for CRC-Predict 1.25 or 1.5You can convert a .cpa file that uses version 1.25 or 1.5 of CRC-Predict so that it uses version 2.0 of CRC-Predict. This eliminates the need to re-create the clutter classes in a .cpa file to match a given clutter map.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand Propagation Models, right-click the propagation model and choose Edit.

2 In the Propagation Model Editor dialog box, click the Clutter Properties tab, and then click Edit CPA.

3 In the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box, choose File ➤ Open CPA File.

4 Locate the .cpa file that was created using a version of CRC-Predict other than 2.0 and click Open.

5 Choose File ➤ Convert Predict CPA.6 In the Convert Predict CPA dialog box, type a name for the new file in

the New File Name box and click OK.

7 Read the message in the Information dialog box and click OK.

Understanding model tuningThe term model tuning applies generally to the process of adjusting the parameters of a propagation model in order to generate predictions that are as accurate and realistic as possible.Model tuning is usually performed using measured signal strength data collected during surveying. This survey data is used to change clutter absorption loss values and other parameters in the propagation model. For

When you choose the ground type for the CRC-Predict model, the Clutter Absorption Loss is set to 0. When you optimize survey results

using the Model Tuning tool, the tool calculates the Clutter Absorption Loss.

If you used the original .cpa file for model tuning, you must repeat the tuning process with the converted file.

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more information on collecting and working with survey data, see “Chapter 5: Managing Survey Data” on page 173.To tune a model in Mentum Planet, you can use:

■ the Clutter Absorption Loss tuner which enables you to tune all propagation model types

■ the Planet Automatic Model Tuner (AMT) which enables you to tune the Planet General Model

Guidelines for model tuningHere are some general guidelines for model tuning:

■ Follow the recommended guidelines for collecting survey data. See “Collecting survey data” on page 176.

■ Aggregate survey data in order to account for Rayleigh fading. See “Modifying survey data” on page 193.

■ Ensure that the frequency of the input model used in model tuning is accurate and the receiver height corresponds to measured data.

■ Ensure that the clutter maps you use are accurate and up-to-date.■ Verify that the model uses clutter heights that are recommended

or appropriate for the model. For CRC-Predict, see “Appendix C: Clutter Properties” on page 455.

■ Ensure that ground types, if used, are appropriate. For example, moist ground should be assigned to farmland.

■ Create one model to cover all surveys with similar characteristics. For example, for a given metropolitan area, start with one input propagation model. Tune one model for the sub-urban area. Using the same input model, tune a second model for very dense urban and downtown area. The tuned models will provide reasonably accurate predictions for topologies of similar clutter characteristics (such as neighboring regions). This approach can be fine tuned by subdividing the metropolitan area to more than two areas and generating corresponding models for each area.

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Workflow for model tuningStep 1 Collect survey data and modify as required. See “Workflow for

surveys” on page 175.

Step 2 Configure the model (e.g., matching the frequency used when collecting the survey data with the frequency in the tuned propagation model). See “Workflow for editing propagation models” on page 159.

Step 3 Tune the propagation model. See:

■ If you are tuning the Planet General Model, see “Tuning the Planet General Model using AMT” on page 170.

■ If you are tuning any other propagation model, see “Tuning models using the Clutter Absorption Loss tuner” on page 167.

Step 4 Validate the model.

■ Generate predictions for the survey sites using the tuned model. See “Generating predictions” on page 277.

■ View a thematic map of survey points and compare them to the prediction layer. See “Displaying survey data” on page 181.

Step 5 Investigate discrepancies between the survey data and the prediction layer by comparing the survey data to the prediction output and reviewing survey reports. Once you have examined the differences, you may decide to remove additional points, modify the .cpa file, or change the propagation model settings. See “Viewing survey statistics” on page 185, “Creating survey reports” on page 193, and “Combining and comparing surveys” on page 200.

The data in the model tuning report does not provide a comparison between the survey data and the final prediction. In most cases, the

differences will be negligible; however, if required, you can generate an additional prediction and use the Compare to Grid feature to view final comparison statistics. See “Combining and comparing surveys” on page 200.

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Tuning models using the Clutter Absorption Loss tunerUsing the Clutter Absorption Loss (CAL) tuner, you can determine the appropriate clutter property assignment values for clutter absorption loss for a single site. The CAL tuner can be used to optimize all propagation model types, except for third-party models, i.e., Volcano and WaveSight.The Clutter Absorption Loss tuner enables you to calculate the mean error between the predicted signal strength and the survey data for each clutter class. The mean error is then used as the value for the clutter absorption loss of each clutter class in the clutter property assignment file.Tuning is different for slope-based models and deterministic models such as CRC-Predict. Slope-based models take clutter into account automatically when generating predictions. For example, when using the Okumura-Hata model, you can choose from four clutter classes: Urban, Suburban, Quasi-Open, and Open. Each clutter class implies a generalized clutter environment that affects the slope of the model’s algorithm. When using the Planet General Model, you can set many parameters.The CRC-Predict model, however, depends on the model of the environment and the specification of clutter property assignments. The CRC-Predict algorithm interacts with a model of the clutter environment in a deterministic fashion to predict path loss. Path loss is calculated by simulating the propagation of a radio wave as it passes over various terrain features. Model tuning with survey data for all models involves updating the clutter absorption loss values. Model tuning for the CRC-Predict model involves the additional step of adjusting the clutter property assignments for average obstacle height and ground type.

To tune a model using the Clutter Absorption Loss tuner1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a

survey and choose Model Tuning.

The Model Tuning dialog box opens.

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2 Type a name for the tuned model in the New Model Name box.3 From the Model To Tune list, choose the model that you want to tune.4 From the Model Tuner list, choose Clutter Absorption Loss.5 If you want to edit the properties of the model before you tune it, click

Edit Model, and in the Propagation Model Editor, edit the properties.6 If you want to define iterations and number of radials, click Edit Tuner.

The Clutter Absorption Loss Properties dialog box opens.

7 From the Number of Iterations list, choose the number of times that you want to update the clutter absorption loss values with the survey analysis prediction values for each clutter class.

The default value is 1. Usually, choosing 2 iterations provides acceptable results. For each iteration, a survey analysis prediction is created. If more than one iteration is applied to the .cpa file, the updated values are applied cumulatively. Similarly, if an analysis is carried out starting from clutter

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absorption loss values obtained from a previous analysis, the effect is the same as doing more iterations.

8 To define the distance from the survey antenna that survey points used to tune the model must fall within, enable the Enable Survey Filtering by Distance check box and type a value in the Distance box.

The Clutter Absorption Loss tuner will ignore any survey points further than this distance from the survey antenna.

9 In the Number of Radials section, choose one of the following options:■ Computed Number of Radials—use the computed number of

radials to calculate predictions. Mentum Planet divides the propagation distance by the bin distance to compute the number of radials to use, which is displayed in the box to the right. For example:

■ Propagation distance: 15 km (15000 m)■ Bin distance: 30 m■ Calculation: 15000 m/30 m■ Result: 500 radials

■ User Defined Number of Radials—define the number of radials to use to calculate predictions. In the box to the right, type or choose the number of radials to use.

10 In the Clutter Absorption Loss Properties dialog box, click OK.11 In the Model Tuning dialog box, click OK to begin the tuning process.

The Model Tuning dialog box opens and displays the progress of the model tuning process.

12 When the process is complete, click Close in the Model Tuning dialog box.

13 To view a model tuning report in text format, click Yes in the Mentum Planet dialog box.

When the model tuning process is complete, the tuned model is added to the Propagation Models node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer.

If the calculated Clutter Absorption Loss (CAL) values are overwhelmingly negative, lower the clutter heights and retune the

model. CAL values should normally fall between -3 dB and +12 dB.

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Tuning the Planet General Model using AMTYou can use the Planet Automatic Model Tuner (AMT) to automatically optimize components of the Planet General Model using survey data from single or multiple sites. You can tune the Planet General Model using one of the following methods:

■ Smart—simplifies the tuning process and is recommended if you have little or no knowledge of model tuning

■ Standard—enables you to manually tune the model using a complex, multi-step procedure. For detailed information on using the Standard option, see “Tuning the Planet General Model using AMT” in the Planet General Model Technical Note.

When you use the Smart option, all of the model parameters are set to Optimize. When set to Optimize, the Planet AMT runs various correlation and cross-correlation tests to determine which model parameters can be optimized. If any parameters cannot be optimized, default values are used.

To tune the Planet General Model using AMT1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a

survey and choose Model Tuning.2 In the Model Tuning dialog box, type a name for the tuned model in the

New Model Name box.3 From the Model To Tune list, choose a Planet General Model template.4 If you want to edit the properties of the model before you tune it, click

Edit Model, and in the Propagation Model Editor, edit the general, clutter, rain attenuation, and advanced properties of the model, and then click OK.

If you chose to tune the default_PlanetGeneralModel, you must update the default .cpa file in the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box to ensure that all clutter types use classes from the clutter grid prior to tuning. To access the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box from the Propagation Model Editor, click Edit CPA on the Clutter Properties tab.

You can edit the general, clutter, rain attenuation, and advanced properties of the tuned model using the Propagation Model Editor. To

access the Propagation Model Editor, expand Propagation Models in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer, right-click the tuned model and choose Edit.

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5 From the Model Tuner list, choose Planet AMT Version 1.5.6 Click Edit Tuner.

The Planet Automatic Model Tuner dialog box opens.

7 In the Tuner Type section, choose the Smart option.

For information on using the Standard AMT option, see “Tuning the Planet General Model using AMT” in the Planet General Model Technical Note.

8 If you want to define custom optimization values, in the Model Parameters section, choose the type of model that you want to optimize from the K1 to K5 or Clutter Offsets lists, and type a new value in the box.

Any custom model parameter values will not be optimized. If a factor cannot be optimized, a suitable default value is used.

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9 To define custom correlation or cross-correlation values, in the Correlation/Cross-Correlation Threshold Values section, type values in any of the following boxes:■ Correlation P3T■ Correlation P4T■ Cross-Correlation P35T■ Cross-Correlation P45T

Defining a custom correlation or cross-correlation value is useful if you want to optimize a particular factor that does not meet the threshold requirements. For example, if p4T = 0.4, and p4 = 0.15, K4 cannot be optimized. You can enable K4 to be optimized by setting p4T to 0.1.

If you chose to define custom thresholds, the resulting factors might produce an invalid model. Before applying the model, you must ensure that the ranges you have specified are valid. For more information, see the Planet General Model Technical Note.

10 To save the settings in a Planet AMT settings (.set) file, click the Save As button, and in the Save As dialog box, type a new name for the file, and then click Save.

11 Click OK to close the Planet Automatic Model Tuner dialog box.12 In the Model Tuning dialog box, click OK to begin the model tuning

process.

The Model Tuning dialog box opens and displays a progress report of the model tuning process.

13 When the process is complete, click Close in the Model Tuning dialog box.

14 To view a model tuning report in text format, click Yes in the Mentum Planet dialog box.

When the model tuning process is complete, the tuned model is added to the Propagation Models node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer.

You can edit the general, clutter, rain attenuation, and advanced properties of the tuned model using the Propagation Model Editor. To

access the Propagation Model Editor, expand Propagation Models in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer, right-click the tuned model and choose Edit.

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Chapter 5: Managing Survey Data

5.
Managing Survey Data
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding surveys■ Workflow for surveys■ Collecting survey data■ Adding surveys to a project■ Adding survey header

information■ Saving a copy of a survey■ Displaying survey data■ Viewing survey statistics■ Assigning surveys■ Creating survey reports■ Modifying survey data■ Combining and comparing

surveys

You can use survey data to accurately analyze the

network based on information from the field.

This chapter describes how to import and add survey

data, work with survey statistics, and create a new

survey.

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Understanding surveysSurveying involves collecting signal strength values at small intervals, including many samples from all clutter classes wherever possible. For best results, the raw data collected must be modified to filter unrepresentative points and average duplicate points.Using Mentum Planet, you can work with and analyze survey data. Survey data can greatly increase the accuracy of predictions. For information on merged predictions that combine survey data with prediction outputs, see “Choosing a prediction mode” on page 272.After you import or add a survey to a project, you can modify the properties of the survey and choose different methods of viewing the survey data in a Map window. You can also view statistical data about the survey. Based on these statistics, you can choose to create a new survey by averaging, filtering, combining, or comparing existing survey data.

How survey data is organized in the Project ExplorerWhen you add or import survey data, it is added to the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer under one of the following categories:

■ Surveys RSSI—contains surveys with valid antenna information■ Surveys Delta—contains surveys that measure differences, such

as those you create when comparing surveys■ Surveys Other—contains surveys with data other than RSSI

valuesOnce a survey is added to the project, the status of the survey is identified using the following icon colors:

■ Blue icons—identify valid surveys that have not been assigned to a sector.

■ Yellow icons—identify valid surveys that have been assigned to a sector.

■ Red icons—identify surveys that have invalid parameters or no antenna information. By adding antenna information to surveys based on the sector properties, you can change an invalid survey to a valid one. For more information, see “Adding survey header information” on page 180.

Figure 5.1 on page 175 shows the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer. In this example, survey 1008-2 has been assigned, survey 1009-3 is valid but has not been assigned, and survey 1175_1 is invalid.

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Managing Survey DataMentum Planet User Guide

Figure 5.1 Survey Data node in the Project Explorer.

Workflow for surveysStep 1 Determine the sites from which you want to collect data and plan

the survey routes.

Step 2 Collect the survey data. See “Collecting survey data” on page 176.

Step 3 Import the survey data into Mentum Planet or add survey data to the project. See “To import surveys” on page 178 and “Adding surveys to a project” on page 177.

Step 4 If required, modify the properties of the surveys that you have imported or added. See “Adding surveys to a project” on page 177 and “Adding survey header information” on page 180.

Step 5 Assign surveys to sectors. See “Assigning surveys” on page 190.

Step 6 Edit survey data to remove anomalous points (e.g., points that are very close to the site, points where the survey route passes under a bridge or where it goes over water). Survey data should also be averaged in order to account for Rayleigh fading. See “Modifying survey data” on page 193.

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Step 7 Combine and compare surveys in order to better understand survey data. See “Combining and comparing surveys” on page 200.

Collecting survey dataWhen collecting survey data, you should collect data for one sector at a time to avoid introducing errors that arise from signals from other sectors. You should also collect a statistically meaningful number of samples from all clutter classes and cover both flat and hilly areas. For the CRC-Predict model, for example, 100 aggregated data points is the minimum number of points for the analysis to be statistically significant. The more sample points you collect, the more accurate the data. The following are some general guidelines for collecting survey data:

■ Select sites where you are certain that the antenna/sector characteristics and location coordinates are well documented, and avoid sites with very high gain antennas where possible.

■ Select sites that are free from near-field obstructions when outside a dense urban environment.

■ Drive regular grid patterns, avoiding elevated highways or roads.■ Ensure that the distribution of data extends a reasonable distance

from the site. You should collect data outside the expected effective range of the site, because it is important to collect data at values where coverage is questionable and to verify the border or edge of the coverage, and to accurately predict interference to other cells.

■ Take samples in all clutter classes and include representative samples in each drive as much as possible.

For best results, it is recommended that survey data be collected using a CW (continuous wave) transmitter with an omni test antenna.

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Adding surveys to a projectYou can add a survey directly to the project if it is in a MapInfo table (.tab) format and it is mappable (i.e., you must be able to view the survey points in a Map window). If the survey data is not in MapInfo table format, you can import the survey and convert it from the following formats into MapInfo table format:

■ Microsoft® Excel—A Microsoft Excel format (.xls) survey file consists of a minimum of three columns with latitude, longitude, and signal strength values specified. It does not contain a header row. You can select multiple Microsoft Excel format survey files to import, but all of the files must use the same column settings.

■ ASCII text—An ASCII text format (.txt) survey file has flexible delimiters, and consists of a minimum of three columns with latitude, longitude, and signal strength values specified. It also contains a header row. You can choose multiple ASCII text format survey files to import, but all of the files must use the same column settings.

■ Planet DMS files—A Planet DMS or 2.8 format survey file consists of a header file and a results file. The results file must be in the same folder as the header file or in a results folder at the same level as the folder that contains the header files. If you want to use Planet DMS or 2.8 format survey files in merged predictions, you need to import them so that they are available as MapInfo tables.

To ensure that the survey data you add is valid, the survey must contain a minimum of three columns with latitude, longitude, and signal strength values specified. The columns must be in this order. The data in additional columns is added or imported if the columns come after these first three.The names of the columns are not taken into account when adding or importing. For example, the first three columns could be named “x”, “y”, and “RSSI” or “1”, “2”, and “3”.If required, you can also modify survey properties such as survey date, operator, and antenna information.

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.

To add surveys to the project1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

Survey Data and choose Add.

2 In the Add Survey (Mentum Planet Format) dialog box, choose one or more surveys that you want to include in your project, and click Open.

The surveys are added to the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer.

To import surveys1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

Survey Data, choose Import, and then choose the format of the survey that you want to import.

2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the file that you want to import, and click Open.

Before you import a survey, ensure that you:

• Check the projection that is specified in the survey file. By default, the Latitude/Longitude projection value is WGS84. Specify a valid projection or the data will not be positioned correctly in the survey when you import the data.

• Check the survey data for integrity. Problems in the data may not be easily visible. For example, check that the sector, its power, and its antenna are correct.

For more information on creating survey points in a Map window, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

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3 Do one of the following:■ If you are importing a survey in ASCII format, define delimiter

and projection settings in the ASCII Import Parameters dialog box, and click OK.

■ If you are importing a survey in Excel format, define named range and projection settings in the Excel Import Parameters dialog box, and click OK.

■ If you are importing a Planet DMS survey, define the projection parameters, and click OK.

The survey is added to the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer.

To modify the properties of a survey1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a

survey and choose Properties.

The Properties dialog box opens.

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2 Do any of the following:■ To modify the general properties of the survey, including

assignments, modify the values in the General section.■ To modify the antenna information about the sector from which

the survey was created, modify the values in the Antenna Information section.

For more information on the fields and options in the Properties dialog box, press the F1 key.

3 Click OK.

Adding survey header informationYou can update survey header information using the antenna properties of a sector in your project. You can update existing survey header information or add information to surveys that have invalid or missing header information.

To update survey header information using sector properties1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, choose the sector that you

want to use to update the surveys.

The sector is highlighted in the Project Explorer.

In CDMA-based systems, the EIRP power shown in the Survey Properties dialog box corresponds to the pilot power (i.e., CPICH).

If you want to use the survey in merged predictions, ensure that you have provided the following information in the Antenna Information

section: • A name for the antenna in the Name box. The name must match an

antenna available in Mentum Planet.• A value for antenna power in the Power box

If you want to use a merged prediction with the Model Tuning tool, all antenna parameters must be valid. For more information on merged predictions, see “Choosing a prediction mode” on page 272.

To delete a survey, in the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a survey, and choose Delete.

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2 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose one or more surveys that you want to update, right-click one of the surveys, and then choose Generate Header From Sector.

The Generate Survey Headers dialog box opens, showing the sector that will be used and the surveys that will be updated.

3 If you want to view or edit the sector data that will be added to the surveys, click View/Edit Data, modify the information in the Properties dialog box as required, and then click OK.

For more information on the fields and options in the Properties dialog box, press the F1 key.

4 In the Generate Survey Headers dialog box, click OK.

The sector information is added to the surveys. The color of the survey icon will change from red to blue if the survey originally contained invalid header or antenna information.

Saving a copy of a surveyYou can save a copy of a survey with a new name.

To save a copy of a survey1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a

survey and choose Save Copy As.2 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to save

the file, type a name for the file in the File Name box, and click Save.

Displaying survey dataAfter you import or add a survey, you can choose different methods of displaying survey data. You can view the survey data points in the Map window, locate and zoom in on survey data points, browse longitude, latitude, and signal strength values for each point in the survey, or create and view a thematic map of the survey data.

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To view a survey in the Map window■ In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand

the Survey Data node, right-click a survey and choose View.

Each survey data point is displayed in the Map window using the default symbol and color as shown in Figure 5.2 on page 182.

Figure 5.2 Survey data displayed in the Map window using the default symbol and color.

To find survey data points in the Map windowAfter you view the survey data in a Map window, you can use the Locate function to zoom in on it.■ In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand

the Survey Data node, right-click a survey and choose Locate.

The survey data is centered in the Map window and the Map window zooms in on it.

To clear the survey display in the Map window, choose File ➤ Close Table, then choose the survey from the Close Tables list, and click

Close.

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To view survey data in tabular format■ In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand

the Survey Data node, right-click a survey and choose Browse.

The Browser window opens containing the data used in the survey.

To create a thematic map of survey data■ In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category,

right-click the surveys you want to view and choose Thematic Map.

The thematic map is displayed in the Map window as shown in Figure 5.3.

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Figure 5.3 Survey data points shown as a thematic map.

For more information on thematic maps, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

To modify display options for thematically mapped surveysYou can modify the display options when thematically mapping surveys. You can change both the color profile used and the symbol point size.By default, surveys are thematically mapped using the color profile defined for signal strength files. You can use a different color profile for surveys beneath the Surveys Delta node and the Surveys Other node but you cannot change the color profile for surveys beneath the Surveys RSSI node.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Survey Data and choose Options.

The Survey Data Options dialog box opens.

When you create and view a thematic map of the survey data, the standard color profile selected for signal strength grids is automatically

applied. See “Defining color profiles” on page 56 for more information.

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2 To change the size of the survey point display symbol in the Map window, type the new size in the Symbol Size box.

3 To define a different color profile to use when thematically mapping surveys beneath the Surveys Delta node, click Browse next to the Surveys Delta Color Profile box, navigate to the folder that contains the color profile that you want to use, and then click Open.

4 To define a different color profile to use when thematically mapping surveys beneath the Surveys Other node, click Browse next to the Surveys Other Color Profile box, navigate to the folder that contains the color profile that you want to use, and then click Open.

5 Click OK.

Viewing survey statisticsYou can view statistics about the collected sample points in one or multiple surveys. Statistics are generated using the following types of graphs:

■ Survey Histogram—displays the points of the signal strength survey data in a histogram and a cumulative histogram. You can also view the mean, standard deviation, and the root mean square (RMS) of the points.

■ Survey Clutter Distribution—displays the number of points of the survey data by clutter class in a stacked format.

■ Survey Regression Analysis—displays the points of signal strength mapped versus the distance to the antenna with either a user-defined or Lee model regression line. You can also edit some of the regression parameters and view a Free Space curve.

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These graphs enable you to view statistics of multiple surveys simultaneously. This is useful when you want to compare statistics on survey data before you average, filter, compare, or combine it.

To view a survey histogram1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the

surveys that you want to view in a histogram.2 Right-click and choose Analyze ➤ Histogram.

The Survey Histogram dialog box opens, displaying a histogram for the chosen surveys.

3 Choose any of the following options to view statistics:■ To view a symbol at each data point in the histogram, enable the

Show Points check box.■ To view a cumulative histogram for multiple surveys, enable the

Cumulative Data check box.■ To view horizontal grid lines, enable the Show Horizontal Grid

check box.■ To view vertical grid lines, enable the Show Vertical Grid

check box.4 To save the statistics in a text (.txt) file, click Save, navigate to the folder

where you want to save the file, type the file name, and then click Save.

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5 Click Close.

To view a survey clutter distribution histogram1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the

surveys that you want to view in a clutter distribution histogram.2 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Clutter

Distribution.

The Survey Clutter Distribution dialog box opens, displaying a clutter distribution histogram for two surveys.

3 Do any of the following:■ To view the number of survey sample points collected for each

clutter class by percentage, enable the Show % of Points check box.

■ To view the number of survey sample points collected for each clutter class, enable the Label Columns check box.

4 To save the statistics in a text (.txt) file, click Save, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type the file name, and then click Save.

5 Click Close.

To view a survey regression analysisYou can view a regression curve of surveys that have valid antenna files.

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1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the surveys that you want to view in a regression histogram.

2 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Regression.

The Survey Regression Analysis dialog box opens, displaying a regression curve for two surveys.

3 Click Curves.

The Curve Parameters dialog box opens.

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4 To manually define the curve, do any of the following in the boxes in the User Defined section:■ In the Intercept box, type the value of the signal strength at the

intercept distance.■ In the Intercept Distance box, type the value of the signal

strength at which the regression curve starts.■ In the Slope box, type the value of the logarithmic regression

curve slope, expressed as dB/Dist for a linear regression or dB/Decade for a logarithmic regression.

5 In the Selected Curve section, do any of the following to generate the values saved with the survey points when you click Save in the Survey Regression Analysis dialog box:■ To save the curve using the values in the Best Fit section, choose

the Best Fit option.■ To save the curve using the values in the User Defined section,

choose the User Defined option.6 In the Draw Curve section, do any of the following:

■ To draw a curve using the values in the Best Fit section, enable the Best Fit check box.

■ To draw a curve using the values in the User Defined section, enable the User Defined check box.

7 If you want to draw a free space curve on the regression graph, enable the Draw Free Space Curve check box in the Free Space Loss Curve section, and do any of the following:■ To define the power with which to draw the free space line, type

a value in EiRP dBm in the Power box.■ To define the frequency with which to define the free space line,

type a value in MHz in the Frequency box.8 Click OK to close the Curve Parameters dialog box.9 To view the regression graph using a linear instead of a logarithmic scale,

clear the Use Log Scale check box.10 To save the statistics in a text (.txt) file, click Save, navigate to the folder

where you want to save the file, type the file name, and then click Save.11 Click Close.

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Assigning surveysAfter you add a survey and modify its properties, you can assign the survey to a sector. You must assign the appropriate survey to the corresponding sector. When you create merged predictions, these assignments determine the survey that will be used when updating a prediction for a site.

To assign a survey to a sector■ Do one of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, drag a survey from the Operational Data category to a sector in the Sites category.

■ Use a survey assignment file to associate multiple surveys with multiple sectors. See “To create a survey assignment file” on page 190 and “To assign multiple surveys using an assignment file” on page 191.

When a survey is assigned to a sector, the survey icon turns yellow.

To create a survey assignment fileA survey assignment file is a text file that defines the surveys that are associated with each sector.

1 Create the survey assignment file in a text editor using the following conventions:■ The first line is a header and must contain the following text:

HEADER Planet EV 3.1 SPT Assignments file Version 1.0

■ Subsequent lines use the following format:CELLID <Site_ID>:<SectorID> <Survey file name>

For example:CELLID Site_44:3 survey_1164

If you are assigning multiple surveys to a sector, separate the survey file names with a comma.

2 When you have completed assigning all of the surveys, save the file as a text file.

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To assign multiple surveys using an assignment file1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

Survey Data and choose Assignment ➤ Assign from File.

The Assign From File dialog box opens.

2 In the Survey Assignment section, choose one of the following options:■ Assign Surveys in File—adds survey assignments from the

chosen survey assignment file to the sectors in a project. All existing survey assignments are retained.

■ Reassign All Surveys—deletes any existing survey assignments and assigns the surveys from the chosen survey assignment file.

3 In the Assignment File section, click Browse, choose the assignment file that you want to use, and click Open.

4 Click OK.

The Assignment Report dialog box opens.

5 Do one of the following:■ Review the report and click Close without saving the report to a

file.■ Click Save As to save the report.

6 If you want to save the report, in the Save Report As dialog box, do the following:■ From the Save In list, choose the folder to which you want the

file saved.■ In the File Name box, type a name for the report.■ Click Save.

7 In the Assignment Report dialog box, click Close.

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To view and update survey assignments1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a site or a sector

and choose Assigned Surveys.

The Assigned Surveys dialog box opens.

2 To unassign a survey from the sector, clear the check box next to the survey.

3 Click OK.

To export a survey assignment fileYou can export a survey assignment file that contains the current assignments. This is useful if you have assigned surveys by dragging and dropping them onto sectors, and you want to save the assignments.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Survey Data and choose Assignment ➤ Save to File.

2 In the Save Assignment File As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type a name for the file, and click Save.

You can save the file with any extension.

To clear all survey assignments1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

Survey Data and choose Assignment ➤ Clear All Assignments.2 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

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Creating survey reportsYou can create a number of reports that enable you to view survey assignments. You have the following options for reports:

■ By Site/Sector—lists any sectors that have surveys assigned to them and identifies the survey

■ By Survey—lists the available surveys and identifies which sector each survey is assigned to

■ By Prediction—lists surveys in one of three categories according to whether the survey metadata is correct:

■ Valid Assigned Surveys■ Assigned Surveys Missing Metadata■ Unassigned Surveys

To create survey assignment reports1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

Survey Data, choose Reports, and then choose one of the following:■ By Site/Sector■ By Survey■ By Prediction

2 In the Survey Report dialog box, do one of the following:■ If you want to save the report, click Save As, and in the Save

Report As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type a name for the file, click Save, and then click Close.

■ If you do not want to save the report, click Close.

Modifying survey dataAfter adding or importing a survey, you can modify survey data to remove anomalous survey points and account for Rayleigh fading. This creates a new

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survey that more closely resembles the topography and clutter along the survey route. To this end, you can:

■ average survey data. See “To average survey data” on page 194.■ filter survey data using one of three methods:

■ By creating survey filters using the Survey Filtering dialog box where you can view a graph display of survey points and create, edit, and save survey filters. See “To filter survey data” on page 196.

■ By filtering survey points based on the points selected in the Map window. See “To filter survey data by selection” on page 199.

■ By filtering survey points based on a polygon selected in the Map window. See “To filter survey data by polygon” on page 199.

■ remove data from the Map window. See “To remove survey data points from the Map window” on page 200.

To average survey data1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the

surveys that you want to average.2 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Average.

The Survey Averaging dialog box opens.

3 In the Rayleigh Fading Distance box, type a value or accept the default.

To remove Rayleigh fading, the recommended aggregation distance is 40 wavelengths. For example, 13 m at 900 MHz, and 5 m at 2400 MHz. The resulting survey will have data points spaced no closer than the specified distance, and the signal strength values will be the median of signal

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strengths in the original survey within this distance. The points to aggregate are selected using the Distance method in Step 4.

4 In the Averaging section, choose one of the following options to average data points:■ Area Method—Data points are averaged using the median by

dividing the area covered by the point file into adjacent squares in a rectangular array. The sides of the squares have the length defined in the Averaging Distance box. The points that fall inside any of these squares are averaged to create one point at the geocenter of the averaged points (not at the center of the square). The averaging areas do not depend on the distribution of points in the original survey.

■ Distance Method—Data points are averaged using the median by dividing the area covered by the point file into circles that may overlap, but which include all of the points in the original survey. (Points in the overlapping areas are assigned to only one circle.) The diameters of the circles are defined in the Averaging Distance box. The points that fall inside any of these circles are averaged to create one point at the geocenter of the averaged points (not at the center of the circle). The averaging areas do depend on the distribution of points in the original survey.

Either method can be used for any survey, but there may be a slight advantage in using the Area method for a survey done on a rectangular grid of roads, and the Distance method for more randomly distributed survey points.

5 To define the minimum separation allowed between data points, type a value in the Averaging Distance box, or accept the default, which is the elevation grid resolution.

This second level of aggregation is used to remove signal strength variations due to shadowing by buildings and other objects smaller than the grid resolution. Averaging by Distance is not necessary for deterministic, urban models because the prediction resolution is close to the value in the Rayleigh Fading box. If you do not require this second aggregation, set the Averaging Distance to be equal or less than the Rayleigh Fading Distance.

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6 Do one of the following:■ If you averaged one survey, type a name for the new survey in

the Survey Name box.■ If you averaged multiple surveys, type a suffix for the new

survey in the Survey Suffix box. Each survey that you average will be created as a new survey, with the original name and the suffix that you define.

7 Click OK.

The new survey is added to the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer.

To filter survey data1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the

surveys that you want to filter.

2 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Filter.

The Survey Filtering dialog box opens.

3 From the Filter Type list, choose the type of filter that you want to use.

For information on the types of filters available, press the F1 key.

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4 Click in the Minimum and Maximum fields and type new values to specify the range of points to be saved.

Survey sample points below the defined minimum value and above the defined maximum value are removed from the resulting survey.

For the Clutter Class and Line of Sight filters, you can only choose the type of points that you want to remove.

5 In the Filters section, click Apply.

The Removed and Remaining fields update to display the number of data points that have been filtered out of the survey and the number of data points remaining in the survey.

6 Click Curves.

The Curve Parameters dialog box opens.

7 To manually define the curve, do any of the following in the User Defined section:■ In the Intercept box, type the value of the signal strength at the

intercept distance.■ In the Intercept Distance box, type the value of the signal

strength at which the regression curve starts.■ In the Slope box, type the value of the logarithmic regression

curve slope, expressed as dB/Dist for a linear regression or dB/Decade for a logarithmic regression.

8 In the Selected Curve section, do any of the following to generate the values saved with the survey points when you apply the Distance from Reg. Line filter type in the Survey Filtering dialog box:■ To draw a curve using the values in the Best Fit section, choose

the Best Fit option.■ To draw a curve using the values in the User Defined section,

choose the User Defined option.9 In the Draw Curve section, do any of the following:

■ To draw a curve using the values in the Best Fit section, enable the Best Fit check box.

■ To draw a curve using the values in the User Defined section, enable the User Defined check box.

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10 If you want to draw a free space curve on the regression graph, enable the Draw Free Space Curve check box in the Free Space Loss Curve section, and do any of the following:■ To define the power with which to draw the free space line, type

a value in EiRP dBm in the Power box.■ To define the frequency with which to define the free space line,

type a value in MHz in the Frequency box.11 Click OK to close the Curve Parameters dialog box.12 To view the results in a graphical format, choose one of the following

formats from the Graph Display list:■ Histogram—displays a histogram of the sample points

contained in the chosen survey. The X-axis displays the range of signal strengths found in the chosen survey and the Y-axis displays the number of sample points collected for each signal strength.

■ Cumulative Histogram—displays a cumulative histogram of the sample points contained in the chosen surveys. The X-axis displays the range of signal strengths found in the chosen survey and the Y-axis displays the cumulative sum of the number of sample points collected for each signal strength.

■ Distance Plot—displays a graph of Signal Strength and Distance for the sample points in a chosen survey

■ Clutter Distribution—displays a graph of survey sample points and the clutter classes from which they were collected

13 To view the regression graph using a linear instead of a logarithmic scale, clear the Use Log Scale check box.

This option is only available if you have chosen the Distance Plot format from the Graph Display list.

14 Click Save, and do one of the following:■ If you filtered one survey, in the Filtered Survey Name dialog

box, type a name for the new survey in the Survey Name box.■ If you filtered multiple surveys, in the Filtered Survey Name

Suffix dialog box, type a suffix for the new survey in the Survey Suffix box. Each survey that you filter will be created as a new survey, with the original name and the suffix that you define.

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15 Click Close.


To filter survey data by selection1 In the Map window, using any of the Select tools on the Main toolbar,

select survey data points from the survey that you want to filter.2 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the

survey that you want to filter.3 Right-click the survey and choose Analyze ➤ Filter From Selection.

The Filtered Survey Name dialog box opens.

4 Type a name for the new survey in the Survey Name box.5 Click OK.


To filter survey data by polygon1 In the Map window, using the Polygon tool on the Drawing toolbar, draw

a polygon object around the survey data points in the survey you want to filter.

2 In the Map window, using the Select tool on the Main toolbar, select the polygon object.

3 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the surveys that you want to filter.

4 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Filter From Polygon.

5 Do one of the following:■ If you filtered one survey, in the Filtered Survey Name dialog

box, type a name for the new survey in the Survey Name box.■ If you filtered multiple surveys, in the Filtered Survey Name

Suffix dialog box, type a suffix for the new survey in the Survey Suffix box. Each survey that you filter will be created as a new survey, with the original name and the suffix that you define.

6 Click OK.


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To remove survey data points from the Map windowUsing RF knowledge, you may want to remove additional survey data points.

1 Click the Zoom-in button on the Main toolbar and zoom in to the area where you want to remove survey points.

2 In the Windows category of the Project Explorer, expand the Windows node, and then expand the Map Windows node.

3 Right-click the survey and choose Editable if the layer is not already editable.

A check mark next to Editable indicates that the survey can be modified.

4 Click the Select button on the Main toolbar.5 Click in the Map window to select the survey points you want to remove.6 Press the Delete key.

7 When you have finished deleting survey points, choose File ➤ Save Table to save the updated survey.

Combining and comparing surveysYou can combine two surveys together if you have two surveys that overlap and you need only one survey for the entire area. You can compare:

■ two surveys and generate a new survey that represents the difference of the two. See “To compare two surveys” on page 201.

■ a survey with a numeric grid to create a new survey. See “To compare a survey with a numeric grid” on page 203.

■ a survey with a model prediction to create a new survey. See “To compare a survey with a modeled prediction” on page 204.

These comparisons are useful when you want to determine if the predicted signal strength data is relevant based on the actual signal strength data from the field.

You can use any of the MapInfo select tools to select points in the Map window. See the MapInfo Professional User Guide or online Help.

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To combine surveys1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the

surveys that you want to combine. 2 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Combine.

The Combine Surveys dialog box opens.

3 From the Use Header From list, choose the survey that contains the header information that you want to use to create the new survey.

4 Type a name for the new survey in the Output Survey Name box.5 Click OK.


To compare two surveysThe results of the comparison will be more useful if you compare surveys that are located beneath the same survey node in the Survey Data node.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, choose the surveys that you want to compare.

2 Right-click one of the surveys and choose Analyze ➤ Compare Two Surveys.

The Compare Two Surveys dialog box opens.

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3 From the Reference Survey list, choose the survey that contains the reference data.

The Comparison Survey field updates to display the second survey. The data from the Comparison Survey is subtracted from the data in the Reference Survey.

4 In the Survey Interpolation Distance box, type a value to define the distance of the radius around each reference point of the Reference Survey.

The distance units that are displayed are defined on the System Settings tab of the Project Settings dialog box.

5 In the Max Number of Interpolation Points box, type a value to define the maximum number of points from the radius around each reference point that will be included in the comparison.

If you define the maximum number of points as 1, the closest point from the radius is included in the comparison. If you define the maximum number of interpolation points as 10, but there are 100 points within the radius, the 10 points that are closest to the reference point are retained and averaged. The remaining 90 points are discarded.

6 In the Delta Survey Name box, type a name for the new survey.7 Click OK.

The new survey is added to the Survey Delta node in the Survey Data node.

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To compare a survey with a numeric gridYou can compare a survey with the following types of numeric grids:

■ Signal strength layers—compare an RSSI survey with the predicted signal strength of a propagation model. Signal strength layers are located in the SignalStrength folder of the project.

■ Analysis layers—compare an RSSI survey with a Best Server RSSI analysis layer, or an RxQual survey with a predicted RxQual analysis layer. Analysis layer files are located in the <technology>_Analyses folder of the project. For more information on analysis layers, see the appropriate User Guide.

For information on the calculations used in the comparison, see “Appendix D: Survey to Numeric Grid Calculations” on page 463.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a survey and choose Analyze ➤ Compare to Grid.

2 In the Compare Survey to Grid dialog box, navigate to the folder that contains the numeric grid that you want to compare, and click Open.

The Survey to Grid Comparison dialog box opens.

3 To save the new survey, click Save, type a name for the survey, and then click OK.

The new survey is added to the Surveys Delta node in the Survey Data node. To view the survey, see “To view a survey in the Map window” on page 182.

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To compare a survey with a modeled predictionYou can create a delta survey showing a comparison between survey values and modeled prediction values. Values in the delta survey are calculated by subtracting the model prediction values from the survey values (i.e., survey values - modeled prediction values). A positive value indicates that the predicted grid value is less than the survey value. For information on the calculations used in the comparison, see “Appendix D: Survey to Numeric Grid Calculations” on page 463.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click a survey and choose Analyze ➤ Compare to Modeled Prediction.

2 If the survey is assigned to more than one sector, in the Choose Sector dialog box, choose the sector that you want to use for the comparison, and click OK.

The Survey to Modeled Prediction Comparison dialog box opens.

3 To save the new survey, click Save, type a name for the survey, and then click OK.

The new survey is added to the Surveys Delta node in the Survey Data node. To view the survey, see “To view a survey in the Map window” on page 182.

The predicted values for W-CDMA and cdma2000 sectors are calculated using the pilot power.

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Chapter 6: Managing Test Mobile Data

6.
Managing Test Mobile Data
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding test mobile

data■ Workflow for test mobile data■ Importing test mobile data■ Viewing information about a

test mobile data file■ Viewing and locating test

mobile data■ Displaying test mobile data in

a Map window■ Viewing test mobile data in

graph format■ Allocating test mobile data to

sectors■ Exporting test mobile data to

surveys

Test mobile data consists of data relating to calls

made by the mobile and general network

measurements collected by it along a defined route

over a period of time. A test mobile is a functioning

phone and collects data about an actual phone call/

data session.

This chapter describes how to import and work with

test mobile data. It also explains how to export test

mobile data to survey data.

For details on scan receiver data, see “Chapter 7:

Managing Scan Receiver Data” on page 237.

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Understanding test mobile dataTest mobile equipment enables network operators to collect reporting and measurement data. Typically, test mobile equipment takes measurements along a defined route over a period of time. The use of test mobile equipment in operational cellular networks is a common network optimization practice.Test mobile data consists of records organized into columns. Mentum Planet enables you to work with and analyze test mobile data to increase the accuracy of predictions. For example, you can compare a test mobile value against network analysis layers that contain the same value, or you can export test mobile data to a survey and use the survey to increase the accuracy of Mentum Planet predictions.For information on merged predictions that combine survey data with prediction outputs, see “Choosing a prediction mode” on page 272.

Input file requirements for test mobile dataThe Test Mobile tool supports most delimited text files. Data readers that support additional formats are being developed. Data readers can be downloaded and installed separately from Mentum Planet. For the most up-to-date list of data readers, go to http://www.mentum.com/products/support/planet/planet.asp, type your Product ID number, and click Submit.

In addition, test mobile data that you want to import into Mentum Planet must:

■ use a technology that is supported by Mentum Planet and is enabled in your project

■ overlap the DEM file for the project■ be in text (.txt or .csv) format■ contain data from only one test mobile (if you have combined

data from multiple test mobiles, the test mobile tool will not

The Agilent E6474A format is supported for scan receiver data only. For details, see “Chapter 7: Managing Scan Receiver Data” on

page 237.

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http://www.mentum.com/products/support/planet/planet.asp


Managing Test Mobile DataMentum Planet User Guide

distinguish between the measurements taken by each one, and will treat the data as though it came from a single test mobile)

■ contain the following information in each record:■ latitude or northing■ longitude or easting■ signal strength (RSSI or equivalent in GSM (RxLev) or

CDMA (Ec)), if you want to export the data to a survey

Test mobile data file headerBecause networks are not static, a test mobile recording is only valid for the network configuration when it was recorded. If any attributes of the network, for example, antennas or powers, are changed, the data may be less accurate or invalid. To ensure that the test mobile data is valid, a snapshot is taken of the network configuration at the time the data was collected, and this information (referred to as header information) is recorded along with the test mobile data file. See “To view information about a test mobile data file” on page 213.

Workflow for test mobile dataStep 1 Import test mobile data. See “Importing test mobile data” on

page 208.

Step 2 View the data in a Map window, table, or graph. See

■ “Viewing and locating test mobile data” on page 213

■ “Viewing test mobile data in graph format” on page 224

Step 3 If you want to export the signal strength values (RSSI or equivalent in GSM (RxLev) or CDMA (Ec)), do the following:■ Allocate the data to Mentum Planet sectors. See

“Allocating test mobile data to sectors” on page 227.

■ Export the data to a survey. See “Exporting test mobile data to surveys” on page 234.

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Importing test mobile dataThe Test Mobile Data Import Wizard guides you through the process of importing your test mobile data.As you proceed through the wizard, you must provide the following information:

■ the network technology used in the test mobile data file■ the file type (delimited text file or comma-separated value file)■ the file or files to import■ the delimiter between columns in the test mobile data file, if

applicable■ the date the test mobile data file was created■ the coordinate system of the test mobile data file

You must also bind the columns in the imported data to fields in Mentum Planet. At a minimum, you must bind latitude and longitude, but you can bind additional columns depending on the technology. Once you have bound the columns, you can save the binding information as a template to use again. This is useful for files from the same equipment that have been exported in the same manner.

To import test mobile data

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the Field Measurement Data node.

2 Right-click Test Mobile, and choose Import.

The Test Mobile Data Import Wizard opens.

3 On the Welcome page, click Next.4 On the Choose a Technology page, choose the technology of the test

mobile data file and click Next.

This procedure may vary slightly depending on the type of data that you are importing.

When binding data using the Test Mobile Wizard, you must choose a value from the list or click the down arrow a second time to close the

list.

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5 On the Choose the Type of the Source Data File page, choose the file type of the test mobile data file and click Next.

6 On the Choose the Data File(s) You Want to Use page, click Browse, navigate to the test mobile data file or files, click Open, and then click Next.

7 On the Choose the Format of the Source Data File page, do the following:■ In the Delimiters section, enable one or more of the check boxes

(Tab, Semicolon, Comma, Space, Other) to identify the delimiters used to separate values in the test mobile data file.

■ If you enabled the Other check box, type a delimiter in the adjacent box.

■ If the test mobile data file contains a header row, enable the Use Header Row check box and, from the Header Row list, choose the row number of the header row.

■ From the Start Import at Row list, choose the row number at which to start the import. This option is useful if your test mobile data file has comments at the beginning or multiple header rows that do not need to be imported.

■ In the Rows With Invalid Latitude/Longitude section, choose one of the following options to define how to manage invalid coordinates:

■ Discard Rows With Invalid Coordinates—do not import records with invalid latitude and longitude values.

■ Use Value From Last Valid Record—copy valid latitude and longitude values from the previous record. The cooridnate values 0,0 are used if it is the first record.

The lower part of the page updates to show the results of your choices.

8 Click Next.

The Choose How You Want the Data Bound Page opens.

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9 For each column that you want to bind, do the following:■ Click in the Mentum Planet Field box and, from the list, choose

the Mentum Planet field to which you want to bind the test mobile data column.

■ Click in the Data Format row and choose the format for the data. Typically, you will only need to choose a format for latitude, longitude, and BSIC. All other columns offer only one option that is automatically chosen.

At a minimum, you must bind columns to the latitude and longitude fields in Mentum Planet. A green indicator is displayed if the binding is successful and a red indicator if the binding is unsuccessful. Any columns that you do not bind are shown as <Unbound>. You can move the cursor over the indicator for more information.

The Binding Status section displays the available Mentum Planet columns. When the binding is successful, a check mark is displayed. When the binding is unsuccessful, an X is displayed.

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10 If you want to use a template to bind the test mobile data to Mentum Planet fields, click Load Template, navigate to the template file that you want to use, and click Open.

By default, templates are stored in the Test Mobile Data/Template Files folder.

Once you load the template, you can modify any of the rows for a single use, save them as a new template, or overwrite the current template.

11 If you want to bind multiple columns to a single Mentum Planet field (for example, if you have multiple PN offset columns), do the following:■ Choose the columns by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key and

clicking the column headers.■ Click Multiple Bindings.■ In the Bind Multiple Columns dialog box, from the Mentum

Planet Field list, choose the Mentum Planet field to which to bind the columns, from the Data Format list, choose the format for the data, and click OK.

12 If you want to save the binding information to use with other test mobile data files, click Save as Template, navigate to the folder where you want to save the template, type a name for the binding template file in the Name box, and click Save.

13 In the Test Mobile Data Import Wizard, click Next.14 If you want to modify the file header information, on the Enter Header

Information page, do any of the following:■ In the Data Name box, type a new name. The default data name

is the file name minus the extension. This is the name that will be displayed in the Project Explorer.

■ In the Operator Name box, type the name of the network operator.

■ Click the down arrow in the Data Date box and choose a different date to apply to the test mobile data file.

■ Beside the Coordinate System box, click Change, and in the Choose Projection dialog box, choose the new projection category and member, and then click OK.

■ In the Comments box, type any additional comments or modify the existing comments.

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15 Click Next.

The Data Import dialog box displays the progress of the import process.

16 On the Choose a Map View Template page, do one of the following:■ If you do not want to apply a map view template, choose

<None> from the Map View Template list.■ To use an existing map view template to display data points in

the Map window, choose a template from the Map View Template list.

■ To create a new template, click New Template and follow Step 3 to Step 7 in the procedure, “To create a map view template for test mobile data” on page 223.

For details on map view templates, see “Displaying test mobile data in a Map window” on page 215.

17 Click Next and then click Finish.

The test mobile data file is added as a node to the Test Mobile node under the Field Measurement Data node in the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer.

Viewing information about a test mobile data file At any time, you can view information about a test mobile data file, including the following:

■ data name■ data date■ network technology■ operator name■ coordinate system■ any comments that you have entered about the test mobile data

file

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To view information about a test mobile data file1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click a test mobile data node and choose Properties.

The Test Mobile - Data Properties dialog box opens.

3 If you want to modify the information, do any of the following and click OK:■ Click the down arrow in the Data Date box and choose a

different date to apply to the test mobile data file.■ In the Operator Name box, type the name of the network

operator.■ In the Comments box, type any additional comments or modify

the existing comments.

Viewing and locating test mobile dataAfter you import a test mobile data file, you can quickly view

■ the data points (i.e., the location where each record was captured) in the Map window

■ the test mobile data records in tabular format

To view the test mobile data locations in a Map window1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click a test mobile data node and choose View.

Each data location is displayed in the Map using a default symbol and color.

You can also display the values in individual columns in the Map window, but you must first define the settings to use for these values.

See “Displaying test mobile data in a Map window” on page 215.

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To find test mobile data in a Map windowYou can use the Locate function to view and zoom in on the test mobile data in the Map window.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.

2 Right-click a test mobile data node and choose Locate.

The test mobile data is centered in the Map window and the Map window zooms in on it.

To view test mobile data in tabular format1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click a test mobile data node and choose Browse.

The Test Mobile Browser window opens containing the test mobile data in tabular format. Any columns that you have bound are identified by a Mentum Planet icon. You can move your cursor over the Mentum Planet icon to view the name of the Mentum Planet field to which the column has been bound.

To remove the test mobile data from the Map window, right-click the test mobile data node and choose View again.

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3 To sort the data, in ascending or descending order, click the header of the column that you want to use for sorting. To reverse the order, click the column header again.

4 To filter the data, click the down arrow in the column header that you want to use for filtering and choose the value to display.

The name of the filter (the column name plus the value that you chose to display) is shown at the bottom of the dialog box, for example ([Message Type] = ‘Cell Report’).

5 If you filtered the data, in the filter section at the bottom if the dialog box, do any of the following:■ To remove the filter temporarily, clear the check box associated

with it.■ To remove the filter completely, click the close button located to

the left of the filter name.

Displaying test mobile data in a Map windowYou can graphically display the data associated with the points in the drive test by defining map view settings for the test mobile data file. Map view settings identify which columns to display and which point display settings to apply to each column.

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Understanding point display settingsPoint display settings define how to present the data in a column. They enable you to define the symbol, size, and color for each value or range of values in a column. There are three types of point display settings:

■ individual—enables you to assign a single symbol and color for a specific value. Use this option for columns that contain textual data or that have a limited number of fixed values. For example, if your test mobile data file has a column called Direction with values of Uplink and Downlink, you can assign a different symbol and color for Uplink and Downlink.

■ ranges—enable you to assign a symbol size to a range of values. Use this option for columns with a high number of individual values. For example, if your test mobile data file has a column for RxLev (the received power level), you can assign symbols to ranges of RxLev values (e.g., 0-5.6, 5.6-11.2, 11.2-16.6, etc.).

Automatic selectionWhen you define map view settings for a test mobile data file, if you choose to create new point display settings, the Test Mobile tool automatically chooses an appropriate point display setting type, and, by default, assigns the column name and display values based on the content of the column. You can modify these values.

Understanding how display information is organizedTest mobile display information is located in three sections under the Field Measurement Data node in the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer:

■ Point display settings are stored under the Point Display Settings node. They are classified as either Local (i.e., not stored in Data Manager), or Shared (i.e., stored in Data Manager).

■ Map view templates, which are groups of point display settings and associated column names, are stored under the Map View Templates node under the Test Mobile node.

■ If you have defined map view settings for a test mobile data file, the names of any columns that have a point display setting assigned to them are displayed under the test mobile data node along with the name of the point display setting, in the format <column name> - <point display setting>. For example, in

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Figure 6.1, the All-ARFCN TCH column in the TMData test mobile data file is assigned the Channels point display setting.

Figure 6.1 shows the organization of point display and map view settings in the Project Explorer.

Figure 6.1 Point display and map view settings in the Project Explorer

To define map view settings for a test mobile data file1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click a test mobile data node and choose Map View Settings.

The Map View Settings dialog box opens. The Map View Settings dialog box enables you to define point display settings for the columns in your test mobile data file. If you applied a template when you imported the test mobile data file or if you have already defined map view settings for the test mobile data file, the Map View Settings dialog box contains the defined values. Otherwise, it contains no values.

Point display settings

Map view templates

Names of columns in the test mobile data file that have point displaysettings assigned to them, along withthe name of the point display setting

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3 If you want to apply a map view template to the test mobile data, click Load, and in the Load Template dialog box, choose a template from the list and click OK.

For information on creating a map view template, see “To create a map view template for test mobile data” on page 223.

4 To add a data column from the test mobile data file, click Add.

The Column Assignment dialog box opens.

5 From the Data Columns list, choose one or more columns in the test mobile data file that you want to display.

6 Do one of the following:■ From the Point Display Setting list, choose an existing point

display setting to apply to the test mobile column, click OK, and go to Step 10.

■ From the Point Display Setting list, choose Create New Setting, click OK, and go to Step 7. The Test Mobile tool automatically chooses the correct display setting type or types (individual or ranges) based on the contents of the data column that you chose, and provides a default name for the setting.

7 In the New Point Display Settings dialog box, choose a display setting type, type a name or accept the default, and click OK.

If the data in the column is textual, only the Individual display setting type will be available. If the data is numeric, all three types will be available.

8 Click OK.

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9 Do one of the following:■ If you chose to define individual point display settings, see “To

define individual point display settings” on page 219.■ If you chose to define ranges, see “To define point display

settings for ranges of values” on page 220.10 If you want to view the data in the Map window, in the Map View

Settings dialog box, choose the point display setting that you want to view and click View.

A new layer is added to the Map window.

11 If you want to save the map view settings as a template, click Save As, and in the Save Template dialog box, type a name for the template, and click OK.

12 When you have finished defining map view settings, in the Map View Settings dialog box, click OK.

The names of the columns with point display settings assigned are displayed in the Project Explorer under the test mobile data file (see Figure 6.1 on page 217). To view them, see “To display the test mobile data points in a Map window” on page 222.

The point display settings are also added to the Shared node under the Point Display Settings node. These settings can be used again for other test mobile or scan receiver data files.

To define individual point display settingsWhen you are defining map view settings for a test mobile data file, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is automatically populated with values from the column that you chose.

You can also apply a map view template by dragging it onto a test mobile data file in the Project Explorer.

You can move point display settings between the Local and Shared node by choosing one or more point display settings in the Project

Explorer and dragging them to the Local or Shared node.

To edit point display settings, under the Local or Shared node, right-click the point display setting and choose Edit.

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1 To add a row, in the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box, click Add.

2 To remove a row, choose the row and click Remove.

You cannot remove the Default value. This value is used to define display settings for any value that you do not specifically enter.

3 To modify a row, do any of the following:■ Click in the Name box and type a new column name. ■ If you do not want the value to be visible in the Map window,

clear the Visible check box. Clearing the Visible check box is useful if you do not want to view points that match this value now, but may want to view them later.

■ To change the symbol, click in the Symbol box, and from the list, choose the font, and then choose the individual symbol, and click OK.

■ Click in the Size box and type or choose the symbol size that you want.

■ To modify the color, click in the Color box and choose the color that you want.

4 When you have finished defining individual point display settings, in the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box, click OK.

To define point display settings for ranges of valuesWhen you are defining map view settings for a test mobile data file, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is automatically populated with values from the column that you chose.

You can also define individual point display settings by right-clicking Local or Shared under the Point Display Settings node and choosing

New. Then, in the New Point Display Settings dialog box, choose Individual and click OK. In this case, because you are not defining individual point display settings based on an existing column, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is not automatically populated. You must define the values manually. If you define the values manually, you should define them to match the types and ranges of values that are likely to occur in your test mobile data.

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2 To remove a row, choose the row and click Remove.3 To modify a row, do any of the following:

■ In the >=Min box, type or choose the minimum value for the range.

■ In the <Max box, type or choose the maximum value for the range.


■ Click in the Size box and type or choose the symbol size.

■ To modify the color, click in the Color box and choose a color.4 To define ranges automatically, click Auto, and in the Auto Range

Settings dialog box, do the following:■ In the Minimum and Maximum boxes, type the minimum and

maximum values for the range. ■ In the Interval Method section, choose one of the following:

■ Interval—to define an interval between range values■ Number—to define a number of range values

■ In the Value box, type a value to indicate the interval or the number of range values. For example, if you choose a minimum value of 2 and a maximum value of 8, if you choose Interval and type 2 in the Value box, the ranges created will be 2-4, 4-6, and 6-8. If you choose Number and type 2 in the Value box, the ranges created will be 2-5 and 5-8.

■ Click OK.

A maximum of 16 ranges will be created. The ranges will overwrite any existing ranges. You can remove or modify any of these ranges as described in Step 2 and Step 3.

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5 When you have finished defining ranges, in the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box, click OK.

If any ranges overlap (for example, 610-620 and 615-625), when a value falls into both ranges, only the symbol associated with the first set of values will be displayed.

To display the test mobile data points in a Map windowAfter you define map view settings for a test mobile data file, you can display the data points in a Map window. Any columns to which you have assigned point display settings are displayed as nodes in the Project Explorer under the test mobile data node.


2 Expand the test mobile data node for which you want to view data points.3 Right-click the column node that you want to view, and choose View.


You can also define ranges by right-clicking Local or Shared under the Point Display Settings node and choosing New. Then, in the New Point

Display Settings dialog box, choose Ranges and click OK. In this case, because you are not defining ranges based on an existing column, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is not automatically populated. You must define the values manually.If you define the values manually, you should define them to match the types and ranges of values that are likely to occur in your test mobile data.

To remove the test mobile data points from the Map window, in the Project Explorer, right-click the test mobile data node (one level up from

the column node) and choose View. This clears the check box and removes the data from the Map window.

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To create a map view template for test mobile dataYou can create a map view template that you can apply to multiple test mobile data files. This is useful if you have similar data collected at another location. You can apply templates

■ when you are importing a test mobile data file (see “To import test mobile data” on page 208)

■ when you are defining map view settings (see “To define map view settings for a test mobile data file” on page 217)

■ at any time by dragging the template onto a test mobile data file in the Project Explorer


2 Choose a test mobile data node and drag it onto the Map View Templates node.

The Edit Template dialog box opens with the columns in the test mobile data file listed under the Data Columns heading.

3 For each column that you want to display, from the Point Display Setting list, choose a setting to apply to the column.

4 If you want to add a row, click Add and type a name for the test mobile data column in the Data Columns column.

5 If you want to remove a row, choose the row and click Remove.6 Click OK.7 In the Save Template dialog box, type a name in the New Template

Name box and click OK.

The template is added to the Map View Templates node under the Test Mobile node.

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Viewing test mobile data in graph formatYou can view information about the records in your test mobile data file in graph format. This format enables you to view and compare the following types of information:

■ parameters—the values for a specific parameter or parameters, such as quality, over a period of time or sequence of events

■ events—the values for events such as handovers or dropped calls, over a period of time or sequence of events

This information provides useful options for analyzing test mobile data. Viewing multiple parameters over time enables you to visualize the interaction between parameters. For example, in Figure 6.2 on page 224, the RxLev is compared to the occurrences of the No Service Mode event (vertical lines).

Figure 6.2 Comparison of data in the Test Mobile Graph dialog box

In the Test Mobile Graph dialog box, the x-axis is either Time or Index. Index identifies the sequence of records in the test mobile file. You can display up to four values for the y-axis.

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The Test Mobile Graph dialog box provides two toolbars:■ The first toolbar enables you to format the graph.■ The second toolbar enables you to zoom, print, and navigate

through the graph. For more information about how to use the second toolbar, press the F1 key.

When the Test Mobile Graph dialog box is open, if you also have a Test Mobile Browser window or Map window open, they are all synchronized. If you choose a record in one, the same record is also chosen in the others.

To view test mobile data in graph format1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click the test mobile data node that you want to view and choose

Graph.

The Test Mobile Graph dialog box opens.

3 To modify the format of the x-axis, from the Settings list, choose X Axis and do any of the following:■ From the Data list, choose Time or Index.■ From the Color list, choose the color to use for the lines in the

graph and the axis label.■ From the Font Size list, choose the font size for the axis label.■ If you want to view grid lines in the graph, enable the Grid

Lines check box.

The display updates dynamically as you choose your options.

4 To define y-axis values, from the Settings list, choose one of the following options:■ First Y Series—defines the first column (numeric data only) to

be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be used. The label for this series is located on the y-axis to the left of the graph.

■ Second Y Series—defines the second column (numeric data only) to be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be

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used. The label for this series is located on the y-axis to the right of the graph.

■ Third Y Series—defines the third column (numeric data only) to be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be used. The label for this series is located on the y-axis to the left of the label for the First Y Series.

■ Message Series—defines the fourth column (textual data only) to be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be used.

5 From the Data list, choose the type of data to display.

If you choose Message Series in Step 4, the list available in the Data box is limited to the textual columns in the imported test mobile data file. Otherwise, the list is limited to numerical values.

6 If you chose First Y Series, Second Y Series, or Third Y Series in Step 4, to format the data, do any of the following:■ From the Color list, choose the color to use for the point or lines

in the graph and the axis label.■ From the Font Size list, choose the font size for the axis label.■ Choose Points or Lines to use for the data in the graph. If you

chose Points, choose a point size from the Point Size list.■ If you want to view grid lines in the graph, enable the Grid

Lines check box.

The display updates dynamically as you choose your options. For numerical values, the Numerical legend box updates to display the legend for the data and color that you chose.

7 If you chose Message Series in Step 4, in the Message Legend box, enable the check boxes for the types of message that you want to view.

8 If you want to compare multiple types of data, repeat Step 4 to Step 7 for the data that you want to view.

You can compare up to three types of numeric data (using the First Y Series, Second Y Series, and Third Y Series options) and one type of string data.

To close the Test Mobile Graph dialog box, right-click the test mobile data node and choose Graph again.

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To print the data in the Test Mobile Graph window■ In the Test Mobile Graph dialog box, click the Print button.

Allocating test mobile data to sectorsIf you want to convert your test mobile data to surveys or identify sectors by carrier or color code information, you must allocate the data to sectors. You can allocate data either automatically or manually.There are two steps in the automatic allocation process:

■ looking up sectors■ allocating records to sectors

For details on the manual allocation process, see “To assign sectors to test mobile carrier nodes manually” on page 230.

Looking up sectors for test mobile dataDuring this part of the process, the Test Mobile tool attempts to match the information in the test mobile data file to sector information in Mentum Planet. This process differs slightly depending on the technology:

■ For TDMA/FDMA technologies, the color code and, optionally, the control carrier are used. (For IS-136, DVCC is used for color code and the digital control channel is used in instances where more than one control channel is assigned.) During the automatic allocation process, the Test Mobile tool attempts to match carrier and color code combinations in the test mobile data file to the carrier and color code combinations in Mentum Planet. For example, if there are 300 records in the test mobile data file that have a carrier and color code combination of 280-67, the tool matches any sectors in Mentum Planet with the same carrier and

When you minimize the Test Mobile Graph dialog box, a Test Mobile Graph icon appears at the bottom of the Project Explorer. Click the icon

to restore the dialog box.

You can also preview the printed version by clicking the Print Preview button.

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color code combination to these records. For more information on carriers and color codes, see the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.

■ For cdma2000, the PN offset code and, optionally, the carrier are used. During the automatic allocation process, the Test Mobile tool attempts to match the carrier and PN offset code combinations in the records in the test mobile data file to the carrier and PN offset code combinations in Mentum Planet. For more information on carriers and PN offset codes, see the CDMA User Guide.

■ For W-CDMA, the scrambling code and, optionally, the carrier are used. During the automatic allocation process, the Test Mobile tool attempts to match the carrier and scrambling code combinations in the records in the test mobile data file to the carrier and scrambling code combinations in Mentum Planet. For more information on carriers and scrambling codes, see the CDMA User Guide.

The values that are looked up are saved with the test mobile data file. This retains the attributes of the sectors that were used when the measurements were taken.

Allocating test mobile records to sectorsDuring this part of the process, the Test Mobile tool assigns the records in the test mobile data file to the sectors that match those records using one of the following methods:

■ by distance—attempts to assign sectors to test mobile data records using the sector closest to the location where the record was captured

■ by path loss—attempts to assign sectors to test mobile data records using the sector with the least path loss to the location where the record was captured. The path loss is calculated using a free space loss calculation that takes into consideration the effects of ERP, the antenna pattern, and the azimuth.

Records with a null RSSI value will not be assigned to a sector.

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To look up sectors for test mobile data automatically1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click the test mobile data node for which you want to look up

sectors and choose Allocate Records.

The Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box opens.

By default, the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view displays a list of carrier nodes that show the combinations of carrier and color code, PN offset, or scrambling code that appear in the test mobile data file. Only nodes for which there are records with valid RSSI values are displayed. For these nodes, the number of records with valid RSSI values is shown in parentheses. If a record is missing a carrier or color code, PN offset, or scrambling code, it is identified as missing.

For example, if the test mobile data uses GSM technology and the carrier node is labeled 69-67 (317), this means that there are 317 records in the test mobile data file with a BCCH of 69 and a BSIC of 67. If the node is labeled Missing-Missing (108), this means that there are 108 records that do not contain a BCCH or BSIC.

3 In the Sectors section, click Look Up, and then in the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group of sectors to use and click Continue.

The Serving Site/Sector Information tree view is updated to show which carrier nodes match values from the Mentum Planet sectors. Carrier nodes that do match Mentum Planet sectors are shown in red. You can manually assign sectors to unmatched carrier nodes. See “To assign sectors to test mobile carrier nodes manually” on page 230.

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4 If you want to look up additional sectors from a different group, repeat Step 3, and then in the confirmation dialog box, do one of the following:■ Click Yes to remove existing sector assignments. Any sectors

that have already been allocated to the test mobile records will be removed.

■ Click No to keep existing sector assignments.5 If required, manually adjust any sector assignments. See “To assign

sectors to test mobile carrier nodes manually” on page 230.

To assign sectors to test mobile carrier nodes manuallyIf you want to assign a sector to a carrier node, and the sector has either not been assigned automatically or has been assigned incorrectly, you can assign a sector manually. You can assign multiple sectors to each carrier node.

You can also look up sectors by doing one of the following:

• To look up sectors for all carrier nodes, right-click the top-level node and choose Look Up Sectors.

• To look up sectors for a single carrier node, right-click the carrier node and choose Look Up Sectors.

Assigned

Unassigned carrier node

carrier nodes

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1 In the Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose a carrier node and click Assign Sector.

2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group that contains the sector that you want to assign, and click Continue.

3 In the Site Lookup dialog box, choose the sector to assign to the carrier node and click OK.

To add a virtual test mobile sectorA virtual sector is one that does not exist in your Mentum Planet project, but that was part of the drive test. This sector could be part of another region, a competitor’s sector, or no longer on the air.You can add a virtual sector to the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view and allocate the appropriate records to it. Virtual sectors appear only as part of the Test Mobile tool. They are not added to your Mentum Planet project.

1 In the Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, right-click the carrier node to which you want to assign the virtual sector, and click Add Virtual Sector.

2 In the Add Virtual Sector dialog box, in the Site Name box, type a name for the site to which the virtual sector belongs, and in the Sector Name box, type a name for the virtual sector.

You can also assign a sector by right-clicking a carrier node in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view and choosing Assign Sector.

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3 In the Antenna Information section, do the following:■ From the Name list, choose the name of the antenna.■ In the X/Long box, type the x-coordinate of the sector. This

value must be within the co-ordinates of the DEM file for the project.

■ In the Y/Lat box, type the y-coordinate of the sector. This value must be within the co-ordinates of the DEM file for the project.

■ In the Height box, type the height of the sector above ground level.

■ In the Power box, type the power of the sector.■ In the Azimuth box, type the azimuth of the sector.■ In the Tilt box, type the tilt of the sector.

For more information on any of these values, press the F1 key.

4 Click OK.

To view or modify sector informationYou can view information about any of the serving sectors in the Serving Site/Sector tree view. The information that is displayed originally is the information associated with that sector in Mentum Planet.When you modify information in the Sector Information section of the Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, you are modifying only the data associated with the test mobile data file. You are not changing the values assigned to the sectors in Mentum Planet. Typically, you would modify this data when you know that a sector that actually exists (and was used to collect the test mobile data) has different values than those assigned in Mentum Planet.

1 In the Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose the sector.

The Sector Information displays the information for the chosen sector.

2 If you want to modify the sector information, type new values in any of the editable boxes, and click Apply.

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To allocate test mobile records to sectors1 In the Records section, choose the By Distance or By Path Loss option

for assigning records where there is more than one possible match.

See “Allocating test mobile data to sectors” on page 227 for more information on these options.

2 Do one of the following:■ To allocate records to all sectors, in the Serving Site/Sector

Information tree view, choose the top-level node and in the Records section, click Allocate. The Serving Site/Sector Information tree view is updated to show the number of records that have been assigned to all sectors in parentheses following the sector names.

■ To allocate records to a single sector only, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose a sector and in the Records section, click Allocate. The Serving Site/Sector Information tree view is updated to show the number of records that have been assigned to the chosen sector in parentheses following the sector name.

If you click Allocate, but you have not yet looked up sectors, the Test Mobile tool automatically looks up sectors before allocating records.

You can also allocate records by right-clicking a carrier node in the Site/Sector Information tree view and choosing Allocate Records by

Minimum Distance or Allocate Records by Minimum Path Loss. This option is only available if you have looked up sectors automatically or assigned sectors manually first.

If you want to hide sectors that have not been allocated, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, right-click the top-level node, and

choose Hide All Unmatched Sectors. You can view all sectors by right-clicking the top-level node again and choosing Show All Sectors.

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To view the test mobile recordsYou can view the test mobile data records associated with a sector or a carrier node.■ In the Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the

Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, right-click the item and choose Browse Records.

A Test Mobile Browser window opens, showing the records associated with the item that you chose.

To unassign sectors■ In the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose the sector,

and in the Sectors section, click Unassign Sector.

To modify the display in the Test Mobile tree viewBy default, when you assign sectors to carrier nodes, the sectors are added to the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view under each carrier node. You can reverse the order to display the carrier nodes under the sectors.■ In the Test Mobile - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the

Serving Site/Sector Information section, right-click the top-level node, and choose Toggle View.

You can restore the original view by right-clicking the top-level node and choosing Toggle View again.

Exporting test mobile data to surveysAfter you have allocated test mobile data to sectors, you can export the test mobile data to one or more surveys. For information on allocating test mobile data to sectors, see “Allocating test mobile data to sectors” on page 227. When you export the test mobile data to a survey, the latitude, longitude,

You can also unassign a sector by right-clicking the sector and choosing Unassign Sector.

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signal strength, and sector header information are exported. You can choose one of the following options for export:

■ With Assignment—creates an assignment file with the survey assigned to the matched sector (see “To export a survey assignment file” on page 192 for details on assignment files).

■ Without Assignment—does not create an assignment fileFor more information on what you can do with the exported surveys, see “Chapter 5: Managing Survey Data” on page 173.

To export test mobile data to surveys1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Test Mobile node.2 Right-click the test mobile data node you want to view and choose one of

the following:■ Export to Survey ➤ With Assignment■ Export to Survey ➤ Without Assignment

The test mobile data is converted to one or more surveys. The exported surveys are grouped under the Surveys RSSI node. The name of the group is the same as the test mobile data name. Surveys with invalid header information are identified by a red icon in the Project Explorer. A warning message identifies the surveys with invalid headers.

The Export to Survey function for test mobile data files is subject to the sampling rates of the original test mobile data files. The equipment

used to create the original test mobile data files is not always configured to sample data with enough samples for quality model tuning purposes (for example, to satisfy the Lee Criteria).

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Chapter 7: Managing Scan Receiver Data

7.
Managing Scan Receiver Data
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding scan receiver

data■ Workflow for scan receiver

data■ Importing scan receiver data■ Viewing information about a

scan receiver data file■ Viewing scan receiver data■ Displaying scan receiver data

in a Map window■ Viewing scan receiver data in

graph format■ Allocating scan receiver data

to sectors■ Exporting scan receiver data

to surveys

Scan receiver data consists of data relating to the

location and signal strength of multiple carriers. A

scan receiver collects only information related to

signal strength and is never involved in an actual call.

This chapter describes how to import and work with

scan receiver data. It also explains how to export

scan receiver data to survey data.

For details on test mobile data, see “Chapter 6:

Managing Test Mobile Data” on page 205.

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Understanding scan receiver dataScan receiver equipment enables network operators to collect reporting and measurement data. Typically, scan receiver equipment takes measurements along a defined route over a period of time. The use of scan receiver equipment in operational cellular networks is a common network optimization practice.Scan receiver data consists of records organized into columns. Mentum Planet enables you to work with and analyze scan receiver data to increase the accuracy of predictions. For example, you can compare a scan receiver value against network analysis layers that contain the same value, or you can export scan receiver data to a survey and use the survey to increase the accuracy of Mentum Planet predictions.For information on merged predictions that combine survey data with prediction outputs, see “Choosing a prediction mode” on page 272.

Input file requirements for scan receiver dataThe Scan Receiver tool supports the following formats:

■ Agilent E6474A (cdma2000 technology) with specific export requirements. See “To export scan receiver data from Agilent E6474A software” on page 239.

■ most delimited text filesData readers that support additional formats will continue to be developed. The data readers can be downloaded and installed separately from Mentum Planet. For the most up-to-date list of data readers, go to http://www.mentum.com/products/support/planet/planet.asp, type your Product ID number, and click Submit.In addition, scan receiver data that you want to import into Mentum Planet must:

■ use a technology that is supported by Mentum Planet and is enabled in your project

■ overlap the DEM file for the project■ be in text (.txt or .csv) format■ contain data from only one scan receiver (if you have combined

data from multiple scan receivers, the scan receiver tool will not

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Managing Scan Receiver DataMentum Planet User Guide

distinguish between the measurements taken by each one, and will treat the data as though it came from a single scan receiver)

■ contain the following information in each record:■ latitude or northing■ longitude or easting■ signal strength (RSSI or equivalent in GSM (RxLev) or

CDMA (Ec)), if you want to export the data to a survey

To export scan receiver data from Agilent E6474A softwareIf you are exporting drive test data from Agilent E6474A (Nitro) software for use in Mentum Planet, you must export it as follows:

1 Choose Tools ➤ Export Wizard.2 In the Export Wizard, do the following:

■ Choose the scan receiver data (.sd5) file to export.■ Choose the Fixed Scheme option and the .csv or tab-delimited

sub-option.

The export process creates a number of files. The following two files (which will have either a .csv or .txt suffix depending on which sub-option you chose) are required to import data into Mentum Planet:

■ <filename>CDMA Pilot Top N Multipath■ <filename>GPS position

Scan receiver data file headerBecause networks are not static, a scan receiver recording is only valid for the network configuration when it was recorded. If any attributes of the network, for example, antennas or powers, are changed, the data may be less accurate or invalid. To ensure that the scan receiver data is valid, a snapshot is taken of the network configuration at the time the data was collected, and this information (referred to as header information) is recorded along with the scan receiver data file. See “To view information about a scan receiver data file” on page 246.

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Workflow for scan receiver dataStep 1 Import scan receiver data. See “Importing scan receiver data” on

page 240.

Step 2 View the data in a Map window, table, or graph. See

■ “Viewing scan receiver data” on page 246■ “Viewing scan receiver data in graph format” on

page 257

Step 3 If you want to export the signal strength values (RSSI or equivalent in GSM (RxLev) or CDMA (Ec)), do the following:■ Allocate the data to Mentum Planet sectors. See

“Allocating scan receiver data to sectors” on page 260.

■ Export the data to a survey. See “Exporting scan receiver data to surveys” on page 267.

Importing scan receiver dataThe Scan Receiver Data Import Wizard guides you through the process of importing your scan receiver data.As you proceed through the wizard, you must provide the following information:

■ the network technology used in the scan receiver data file■ the file type (delimited text file or comma-separated value file)■ the file or files to import■ the delimiter between columns in the scan receiver data file, if

applicable■ the date the scan receiver data file was created■ the coordinate system of the scan receiver data file

You must also bind the columns in the imported data to fields in Mentum Planet. At a minimum, you must bind latitude and longitude, but you can bind additional columns depending on the technology. Once you have bound the

If you are importing an Agilent file, you must choose two files for import: the CDMA Pilot Top N Multipath file and the GPS location file.

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columns, you can save the binding information as a template to use again. This is useful for files from the same equipment that have been exported in the same manner.

To import scan receiver data

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the Field Measurement Data node.

2 Right-click Scan Receiver and choose Import.

The Scan Receiver Data Import Wizard opens.

3 On the Welcome page, click Next.4 On the Choose a Technology page, choose the technology of the scan

receiver data file and click Next.5 On the Choose the Type of the Source Data File page, choose the file

type of the scan receiver data file and click Next.6 On the Choose the Data File(s) You Want to Use page, click Browse,

navigate to the scan receiver data file or files, click Open, and then click Next.

This procedure may vary slightly depending on the type of data that you are importing.

When binding data using the Scan Receiver Wizard, you must choose a value from the list or click the down arrow a second time to close the

list.

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7 On the Choose the Format of the Source Data File page, do the following:■ In the Delimiters section, enable one or more of the check boxes

(Tab, Semicolon, Comma, Space, Other) to identify the delimiters used to separate values in the scan receiver data file.

■ If you enabled the Other check box, type a delimiter in the adjacent box.

■ If the scan receiver data file contains a header row, enable the Use Header Row check box and, from the Header Row list, choose the row number of the header row.

■ From the Start Import at Row list, choose the row number at which to start the import. This option is useful if your test mobile data file has comments at the beginning or multiple header rows that do not need to be imported.

■ In the Rows With Invalid Latitude/Longitude section, choose one of the following options to define how to manage invalid coordinates:

■ Discard Rows With Invalid Coordinates—do not import records with invalid latitude and longitude values.

■ Use Value From Last Valid Record—copy valid latitude and longitude values from the previous record. The cooridnate values 0,0 are used if it is the first record.

The lower part of the page updates to show the results of your choices.

8 Click Next.

The Choose How You Want the Data Bound Page opens.

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9 For each column that you want to bind, do the following:■ Click in the Mentum Planet Field box and, from the list, choose

the Mentum Planet field to which you want to bind the scan receiver data column.

■ Click in the Data Format row and choose the format for the data. Typically, you will only need to choose a format for latitude, longitude, and BSIC. All other columns offer only one option that is automatically chosen.

At a minimum, you must bind columns to the latitude and longitude fields in Mentum Planet. Any columns that you do not bind are shown as <Unbound>.

At a minimum, you must bind columns to the latitude and longitude fields in Mentum Planet. A green indicator is displayed if the binding is successful and a red indicator if the binding is unsuccessful. Any columns that you do not bind are shown as <Unbound>. You can move the cursor over the indicator for more information.

The Binding Status section displays the available Mentum Planet columns. When the binding is successful, a check mark is displayed. When the binding is unsuccessful, an X is displayed.

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10 If you want to use a template to bind the scan receiver data to Mentum Planet fields, click Load Template, navigate to the template file that you want to use, and click Open.

By default, templates are stored in the Scan Receiver Data/Template Files folder.

Once you load the template, you can modify any of the rows for a single use, save them as a new template, or overwrite the current template.

11 If you want to bind multiple columns to a single Mentum Planet field (for example, if you have multiple PN offset columns), do the following:■ Choose the columns by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key and

clicking the column headers.■ Click Multiple Bindings.■ In the Bind Multiple Columns dialog box, from the Mentum

Planet Field list, choose the Mentum Planet field to which to bind the columns, from the Data Format list, choose the format for the data, and click OK.

12 If you want to save the binding information to use with other scan receiver data files, click Save as Template, navigate to the folder where you want to save the template, type a name for the binding template file in the Name box, and click Save.

13 In the Scan Receiver Data Import Wizard, click Next.14 If you want to modify the file header information, on the Enter Header

Information page, do any of the following:■ In the Data Name box, type a new name. The default data name

is the file name minus the extension. This is the name that will be displayed in the Project Explorer.

■ In the Operator Name box, type the name of the network operator.

■ Click the down arrow in the Data Date box and choose a different date to apply to the scan receiver data file.

■ Beside the Coordinate System box, click Change, and in the Choose Projection dialog box, choose the new projection category and member, and then click OK.

■ In the Comments box, type any additional comments or modify the existing comments.

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15 Click Next.

The Data Import dialog box displays the progress of the import process.

16 On the Choose a Map View Template page, do one of the following:■ If you do not want to apply a map view template, choose

<None> from the Map View Template list.■ To use an existing map view template to display data points in

the Map window, choose a template from the Map View Template list.

■ To create a new template, click New Template and follow Step 3 to Step 7 in the procedure, “To create a map view template for scan receiver data” on page 256.

For details on map view templates, see “Displaying scan receiver data in a Map window” on page 248.

17 Click Next and then click Finish.

The scan receiver data file is added as a node to the Scan Receiver node under the Field Measurement Data node in the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer.

Viewing information about a scan receiver data file At any time, you can view information about a scan receiver data file, including the following:

■ data name■ data date■ network technology■ operator name■ coordinate system■ any comments that you have entered about the scan receiver data

file

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To view information about a scan receiver data file1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click a scan receiver data node and choose Properties.

The Scan Receiver - Data Properties dialog box opens.

3 If you want to modify the information, do any of the following and click OK:■ Click the down arrow in the Data Date box and choose a

different date to apply to the scan receiver data file.■ In the Operator Name box, type the name of the network

operator.■ In the Comments box, type any additional comments or modify

the existing comments.

Viewing scan receiver dataAfter you import a scan receiver data file, you can quickly view

■ the data points (i.e., the location where each record was captured) in the Map window

■ the scan receiver data records in tabular format

To view the scan receiver data locations in a Map window1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click a scan receiver data node and choose View.

A new layer is added to the Map window displaying each location using a default symbol and color.

You can also display the values in individual columns in the Map window, but you must first define the settings to use for these values.

See “Displaying scan receiver data in a Map window” on page 248.

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To find scan receiver data in a Map windowYou can use the Locate function to view and zoom in on the scan receiver data in the Map window.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.

2 Right-click a scan receiver data node and choose Locate.

The scan receiver data is centered in the Map window and the Map window zooms in on it.

To view scan receiver data in tabular format1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click a scan receiver data node and choose Browse.

The Scan Receiver Browser window opens containing the scan receiver data in tabular format. Any columns that you have bound are identified by a Mentum Planet icon. You can move your cursor over the Mentum Planet icon to view the name of the Mentum Planet field to which the column has been bound.

To remove the scan receiver data from the Map window, right-click the scan receiver data node and choose View again.

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3 To sort the data, in ascending or descending order, click the header of the column that you want to use for sorting. To reverse the order, click the column header again.

4 To filter the data, click the down arrow in the column header that you want to use for filtering and choose the value to display.

The name of the filter (the column name plus the value that you chose to display) is shown at the bottom of the dialog box, for example ([Message Type] = ‘Cell Report’).

5 If you filtered the data, in the filter section at the bottom if the dialog box, do any of the following:■ To remove the filter temporarily, clear the check box associated

with it.■ To remove the filter completely, click the close button located to

the left of the filter name.

Displaying scan receiver data in a Map windowYou can graphically display the data associated with the points in the drive test by defining map view settings for the scan receiver data file. Map view settings identify which columns to display and which point display settings to apply to each column.

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Understanding point display settingsPoint display settings define how to present the data in a column. They enable you to define the symbol, size, and color for each value or range of values in a column. There are three types of point display settings:

■ individual—enables you to assign a single symbol and color for a specific value. Use this option for columns that contain textual data or that have a limited number of fixed values. For example, if your scan receiver data file has a column called Direction with values of Uplink and Downlink, you can assign a different symbol and color for Uplink and Downlink.

■ ranges—enable you to assign a symbol size to a range of values. Use this option for columns with a high number of individual values. For example, if your scan receiver data file has a column for RxLev (the received power level), you can assign symbols to ranges of RxLev values (e.g., 0-5.6, 5.6-11.2, 11.2-16.6, etc.).

Automatic selectionWhen you define map view settings for a scan receiver data file, if you choose to create new point display settings, the Scan Receiver tool automatically chooses an appropriate point display setting type, and, by default, assigns the column name and display values based on the content of the column. You can modify these values.

Understanding how display information is organizedScan receiver display information is located in three sections under the Field Measurement Data node in the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer:

■ Point display settings are stored under the Point Display Settings node. They are classified as either Local (i.e., not stored in Data Manager), or Shared (i.e., stored in Data Manager).

■ Map view templates, which are groups of point display settings and associated column names, are stored under the Map View Templates node under the Scan Receiver node.

■ If you have defined map view settings for a scan receiver data file, the names of any columns that have a point display setting assigned to them are displayed under the scan receiver data node along with the name of the point display setting, in the format <column name> - <point display setting>. For example, in

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Figure 7.1, the All-ARFCN TCH column in the TMData scan receiver data file is assigned the Channels point display setting.

Figure 7.1 shows the organization of point display and map view settings in the Project Explorer.

Figure 7.1 Point display and map view settings in the Project Explorer

To define map view settings for a scan receiver data file1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click a scan receiver data node and choose Map View Settings.

The Map View Settings dialog box opens. The Map View Settings dialog box enables you to define point display settings for the columns in your scan receiver data file. If you applied a template when you imported the scan receiver data file or if you have already defined map view settings for the scan receiver data file, the Map View Settings dialog box contains the defined values. Otherwise, it contains no values.

Point display settings

Map view templates

Names of columns in the scan receiver data file that have point displaysettings assigned to them, along withthe name of the point display setting

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3 If you want to apply a map view template to the scan receiver data, click Load, and in the Load Template dialog box, choose a template from the list and click OK.

For information on creating a map view template, see “To create a map view template for scan receiver data” on page 256.

4 To add a data column from the scan receiver data file, click Add.

The Column Assignment dialog box opens.

5 From the Data Columns list, choose one or more columns in the scan receiver data file that you want to display.

6 Do one of the following:■ From the Point Display Setting list, choose an existing point

display setting to apply to the scan receiver column, click OK, and go to Step 10.

■ From the Point Display Setting list, choose Create New Setting, click OK, and go to Step 7. The Scan Receiver tool automatically chooses the correct display setting type or types (individual or ranges) based on the contents of the data column that you chose, and provides a default name for the setting.

7 In the New Point Display Settings dialog box, choose a display setting type, type a name or accept the default, and click OK.

If the data in the column is textual, only the Individual display setting type will be available. If the data is numeric, all three types will be available.

8 Click OK.

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9 Do one of the following:■ If you chose to define individual point display settings, see “To

define individual point display settings” on page 252.■ If you chose to define ranges, see “To define point display

settings for ranges of values” on page 253.10 If you want to view the data in the Map window, in the Map View

Settings dialog box, choose the point display setting that you want to view and click View.


11 If you want to save the map view settings as a template, click Save As, and in the Save Template dialog box, type a name for the template, and click OK.

12 When you have finished defining map view settings, in the Map View Settings dialog box, click OK.

The names of the columns with point display settings assigned are displayed in the Project Explorer under the scan receiver data file (see Figure 7.1 on page 250). To view them, see “To display the scan receiver data points in a Map window” on page 255.

The point display settings are also added to the Shared node under the Point Display Settings node. These settings can be used again for other scan receiver or scan receiver data files.

To define individual point display settingsWhen you are defining map view settings for a scan receiver data file, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is automatically populated with values from the column that you chose.

You can also apply a map view template by dragging it onto a scan receiver data file in the Project Explorer.

You can move point display settings between the Local and Shared node by choosing one or more point display settings in the Project

Explorer and dragging them to the Local or Shared node.

To edit point display settings, under the Local or Shared node, right-click the point display setting and choose Edit.

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2 To remove a row, choose the row and click Remove.

You cannot remove the Default value. This value is used to define display settings for any value that you do not specifically enter.

3 To modify a row, do any of the following:■ Click in the Name box and type a new column name. ■ If you do not want the value to be visible in the Map window,

clear the Visible check box. Clearing the Visible check box is useful if you do not want to view points that match this value now, but may want to view them later.


■ Click in the Size box and type or choose the symbol size that you want.

■ To modify the color, click in the Color box and choose the color that you want.

4 When you have finished defining individual point display settings, in the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box, click OK.

To define point display settings for ranges of valuesWhen you are defining map view settings for a scan receiver data file, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is automatically populated with values from the column that you chose.

You can also define individual point display settings by right-clicking Local or Shared under the Point Display Settings node and choosing

New. Then, in the New Point Display Settings dialog box, choose Individual and click OK. In this case, because you are not defining individual point display settings based on an existing column, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is not automatically populated. You must define the values manually.If you define the values manually, you should define them to match the types and ranges of values that are likely to occur in your test mobile data.

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1 In the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box, if you want to add a row, click Add.

2 To remove a row, choose the row and click Remove.3 To modify a row, do any of the following:

■ In the >=Min box, type or choose the minimum value for the range.

■ In the <Max box, type or choose the maximum value for the range.


■ Click in the Size box and type or choose the symbol size.

■ To modify the color, click in the Color box and choose a color.4 To define ranges automatically, click Auto, and in the Auto Range

Settings dialog box, do the following:■ In the Minimum and Maximum boxes, type the minimum and

maximum values for the range. ■ In the Interval Method section, choose one of the following:

■ Interval—to define an interval between range values■ Number—to define a number of range values

■ In the Value box, type a value to indicate the interval or the number of range values. For example, if you choose a minimum value of 2 and a maximum value of 8, if you choose Interval and type 2 in the Value box, the ranges created will be 2-4, 4-6, and 6-8. If you choose Number and type 2 in the Value box, the ranges created will be 2-5 and 5-8.

■ Click OK.

A maximum of 16 ranges will be created. The ranges will overwrite any existing ranges. You can remove or modify any of these ranges as described in Step 2 and Step 3.

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5 When you have finished defining ranges, in the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box, click OK.

If any ranges overlap (for example, 610-620 and 615-625), when a value falls into both ranges, only the symbol associated with the first set of values will be displayed.

To display the scan receiver data points in a Map windowAfter you define map view settings for a scan receiver data file, you can display the data points in a Map window. Any columns to which you have assigned point display settings are displayed as nodes in the Project Explorer under the scan receiver data node.


2 Expand the scan receiver data node for which you want to view data points.

3 Right-click the column node that you want to view, and choose View.


You can also define ranges by right-clicking Local or Shared under the Point Display Settings node and choosing New. Then, in the New Point

Display Settings dialog box, choose Ranges and click OK. In this case, because you are not defining ranges based on an existing column, the Editing Point Display Settings dialog box is not automatically populated. You must define the values manually.If you define the values manually, you should define them to match the types and ranges of values that are likely to occur in your test mobile data.

To remove the scan receiver data points from the Map window, in the Project Explorer, right-click the scan receiver data node (one level up

from the column node) and choose View. This clears the check box and removes the data from the Map window.

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To create a map view template for scan receiver dataYou can create a map view template that you can apply to multiple scan receiver data files. This is useful if you have similar data collected at another location. You can apply templates

■ when you are importing a scan receiver data file (see “To import scan receiver data” on page 241)

■ when you are defining map view settings (see “To define map view settings for a scan receiver data file” on page 250)

■ at any time by dragging the template onto a scan receiver data file in the Project Explorer


2 Choose a scan receiver data node and drag it onto the Map View Templates node.

The Edit Template dialog box opens with the columns in the scan receiver data file listed under the Data Columns heading.

3 For each column that you want to display, from the Point Display Setting list, choose a setting to apply to the column.

4 If you want to add a row, click Add and type a name for the scan receiver data column in the Data Columns column.

5 If you want to remove a row, choose the row and click Remove.6 Click OK.7 In the Save Template dialog box, type a name in the New Template

Name box and click OK.

The template is added to the Map View Templates node under the Scan Receiver node.

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Viewing scan receiver data in graph formatYou can view information about the records in your scan receiver data file in graph format. This format enables you to view and compare the following types of information:

■ parameters—the values for a specific parameter or parameters, such as quality, over a period of time or sequence of events

■ events—the values for events such as handovers or dropped calls, over a period of time or sequence of events

This information provides useful options for analyzing scan receiver data. Viewing multiple parameters over time enables you to visualize the interaction between parameters. For example, in Figure 7.2 on page 257, the RxLev is compared to the occurrences of the No Service Mode event (vertical lines).

Figure 7.2 Comparison of data in the Scan Receiver Graph dialog box

In the Scan Receiver Graph dialog box, the x-axis is either Time or Index. Index identifies the sequence of records in the scan receiver file. You can display up to four values for the y-axis.

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The Scan Receiver Graph dialog box provides two toolbars:■ The first toolbar enables you to format the graph.■ The second toolbar enables you to zoom, print, and navigate

through the graph. For more information about how to use the second toolbar, press the F1 key.

When the Scan Receiver Graph dialog box is open, if you also have a Scan Receiver Browser window or Map window open, they are all synchronized. If you choose a record in one, the same record is also chosen in the others.

To view scan receiver data in graph format1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click the scan receiver data node that you want to view, and choose

Graph.

The Scan Receiver Graph dialog box opens.

3 To modify the format of the x-axis, from the Settings list, choose X Axis and do any of the following:■ From the Data list, choose one of the following:

■ Time—displays the time on the x-axis■ Index—displays sequence numbers on the x-axis

■ From the Font Size list, choose the font size for the axis label.■ If you want to view grid lines in the graph, enable the Grid

Lines check box.

The display updates dynamically as you choose your options.

4 To define y-axis values, from the Settings list, choose one of the following options:■ First Y Series—defines the first column (numeric data only) to

be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be used. The label for this series is located on the y-axis to the left of the graph.

■ Second Y Series—defines the second column (numeric data only) to be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be

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used. The label for this series is located on the y-axis to the right of the graph.

■ Third Y Series—defines the third column (numeric data only) to be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be used. The label for this series is located on the y-axis to the left of the label for the First Y Series.

■ Message Series—defines the fourth column (textual data only) to be displayed on the y-axis and the display settings to be used.

5 From the Data list, choose the type of data to display.

If you choose Message Series in Step 4, the list available in the Data box is limited to the textual columns in the imported scan receiver data file. Otherwise, the list is limited to numerical values.

6 If you chose First Y Series, Second Y Series, or Third Y Series in Step 4, to format the data, do any of the following:■ From the Color list, choose the color to use for the point or lines

in the graph and the axis label.■ From the Font Size list, choose the font size for the axis label.■ Choose Points or Lines to use for the data in the graph. If you

chose Points, choose a point size from the Point Size list.■ If you want to view grid lines in the graph, enable the Grid

Lines check box.

The display updates dynamically as you choose your options. For numerical values, the Numerical legend box updates to display the legend for the data and color that you chose.

7 If you chose Message Series in Step 4, in the Message Legend box, enable the check boxes for the types of message that you want to view.

8 If you want to compare multiple types of data, repeat Step 4 to Step 7 for the data that you want to view.

You can compare up to three types of numeric data (using the First Y Series, Second Y Series, and Third Y Series options) and one type of string data.

To close the Scan Receiver Graph dialog box, right-click the scan receiver data node and choose Graph again.

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To print the data in the Scan Receiver Graph window■ In the Scan Receiver Graph dialog box, click the Print button.

Allocating scan receiver data to sectorsIf you want to convert your scan receiver data to surveys or identify sectors by carrier or color code information, you must allocate the data to sectors. You can allocate data either automatically or manually.There are two steps in the automatic allocation process:

■ looking up sectors■ allocating records to sectors

For details on the manual allocation process, see “To assign sectors to scan receiver carrier nodes manually” on page 263.

Looking up sectors for scan receiver dataDuring this part of the process, the Scan Receiver tool attempts to match the information in the scan receiver data file to sector information in Mentum Planet. This process differs slightly depending on the technology:

■ For TDMA/FDMA technologies, the color code and, optionally, the control carrier are used. (For IS-136, DVCC is used for color code and the digital control channel is used in instances where more than one control channel is assigned.) During the automatic allocation process, the Scan Receiver tool attempts to match carrier and color code combinations in the scan receiver data file to the carrier and color code combinations in Mentum Planet. For example, if there are 300 records in the scan receiver data file that have a carrier and color code combination of 280-67, the tool matches any sectors in Mentum Planet with the same carrier and color code combination to these records. For more

When you minimize the Scan Receiver Graph dialog box, a Scan Receiver Graph icon appears at the bottom of the Project Explorer.

Click the icon to restore the dialog box.

You can also preview the printed version by clicking the Print Preview button.

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information on carriers and color codes, see the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.

■ For cdma2000, the PN offset code and, optionally, the carrier are used. During the automatic allocation process, the Scan Receiver tool attempts to match the carrier and PN offset code combinations in the records in the scan receiver data file to the carrier and PN offset code combinations in Mentum Planet. For more information on carriers and PN offset codes, see the CDMA User Guide.

■ For W-CDMA, the scrambling code and, optionally, the carrier are used. During the automatic allocation process, the Scan Receiver tool attempts to match the carrier and scrambling code combinations in the records in the scan receiver data file to the carrier and scrambling code combinations in Mentum Planet. For more information on carriers and scrambling codes, see the CDMA User Guide.

Allocating scan receiver records to sectorsDuring this part of the process, the Scan Receiver tool assigns the records in the scan receiver data file to the sectors that match those records using one of the following methods:

■ by distance—attempts to assign sectors to scan receiver data records using the sector closest to the location where the record was captured

■ by path loss—attempts to assign sectors to scan receiver data records using the sector with the least path loss to the location where the record was captured. The path loss is calculated using a free space loss calculation that takes into consideration the effects of ERP, the antenna pattern, and the azimuth.

Records with a null RSSI value will not be assigned to a sector.

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To look up sectors for scan receiver data automatically1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click the scan receiver data node for which you want to look up

sectors and choose Allocate Records.

The Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box opens.

By default, the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view displays a list of carrier nodes that show the combinations of carrier and color code, PN offset, or scrambling code that appear in the scan receiver data file. Only nodes for which there are records with valid RSSI values are displayed. For these nodes, the number of records with valid RSSI values is shown in parentheses. If a record is missing a carrier or color code, PN offset, or scrambling code, it is identified as missing.

For example, if the scan receiver data uses GSM technology and the carrier node is labeled 69-67 (317), this means that there are 317 records in the scan receiver data file with a BCCH of 69 and a BSIC of 67. If the node is labeled Missing-Missing (108), this means that there are 108 records that do not contain a BCCH or BSIC.

3 In the Sectors section, click Look Up, and then in the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group of sectors to use and click Continue.

The Serving Site/Sector Information tree view is updated to show which carrier nodes match values from the Mentum Planet sectors. Carrier nodes that do match Mentum Planet sectors are shown in red. You can manually assign sectors to unmatched carrier nodes. See “To assign sectors to scan receiver carrier nodes manually” on page 263.

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4 If you want to look up additional sectors from a different group, repeat Step 3, and then in the confirmation dialog box, do one of the following:■ Click Yes to remove existing sector assignments. Any sectors

that have already been allocated to the scan receiver records will be removed.

■ Click No to keep existing sector assignments.5 If required, manually adjust any sector assignments. See “To assign

sectors to scan receiver carrier nodes manually” on page 263.

To assign sectors to scan receiver carrier nodes manuallyIf you want to assign a sector to a carrier node, and the sector has either not been assigned automatically or has been assigned incorrectly, you can assign a sector manually. You can assign multiple sectors to each carrier node.

You can also look up sectors by doing one of the following:

• To look up sectors for all carrier nodes, right-click the top-level node (the file name) and choose Look Up Sectors.

• To look up sectors for a single carrier node, right-click the carrier node and choose Look Up Sectors.

Assigned

Unassigned carrier node

carrier nodes

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1 In the Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose a carrier node and click Assign Sector.

2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group that contains the sector that you want to assign, and click Continue.

3 In the Site Lookup dialog box, choose the sector to assign to the carrier node and click OK.

To add a virtual scan receiver sectorA virtual sector is one that does not exist in your Mentum Planet project, but that was part of the drive test. This sector could be part of another region, a competitor’s sector, or no longer on the air.You can add a virtual sector to the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view and allocate the appropriate records to it. Virtual sectors appear only as part of the Scan Receiver tool. They are not added to your Mentum Planet project.

1 In the Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, right-click the carrier node to which you want to assign the virtual sector, and click Add Virtual Sector.

2 In the Add Virtual Sector dialog box, in the Site Name box, type a name for the site to which the virtual sector belongs, and in the Sector Name box, type a name for the virtual sector.

You can also assign a sector by right-clicking a carrier node in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view and choosing Assign Sector.

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3 In the Antenna Information section, do the following:■ From the Name list, choose the name of the antenna.■ In the X/Long box, type the x-coordinate of the sector. This

value must be within the co-ordinates of the DEM file for the project.

■ In the Y/Lat box, type the y-coordinate of the sector. This value must be within the co-ordinates of the DEM file for the project.

■ In the Height box, type the height of the sector above ground level.

■ In the Power box, type the power of the sector.■ In the Azimuth box, type the azimuth of the sector.■ In the Tilt box, type the tilt of the sector.

For more information on any of these values, press the F1 key.

4 Click OK.

To view or modify sector informationYou can view information about any of the serving sectors in the Serving Site/Sector tree view. The information that is displayed originally is the information associated with that sector in Mentum Planet.When you modify information in the Sector Information section of the Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, you are modifying only the data associated with the scan receiver data file. You are not changing the values assigned to the sectors in Mentum Planet. Typically, you would modify this data when you know that a sector that actually exists (and was used to collect the scan receiver data) has different values than those assigned in Mentum Planet.

1 In the Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose the sector.

The Sector Information displays the information for the chosen sector.

2 If you want to modify the sector information, type new values in any of the editable boxes, and click Apply.

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To allocate scan receiver records to sectors1 In the Records section, choose the By Distance or By Path Loss option

for assigning records where there is more than one possible match.

See “Allocating scan receiver data to sectors” on page 260 for more information on these options.

2 Do one of the following:■ To allocate records to all sectors, in the Serving Site/Sector

Information tree view, choose the top-level node and in the Records section, click Allocate. The Serving Site/Sector Information tree view is updated to show the number of records that have been assigned to all sectors in parentheses following the sector names.

■ To allocate records to a single sector only, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose a sector and in the Records section, click Allocate. The Serving Site/Sector Information tree view is updated to show the number of records that have been assigned to the chosen sector in parentheses following the sector name.

If you click Allocate, but you have not yet looked up sectors, the Scan Receiver tool automatically looks up sectors before allocating records.

You can also allocate records by right-clicking a carrier node in the Site/Sector Information tree view and choosing Allocate Records by

Minimum Distance or Allocate Records by Minimum Path Loss. This option is only available if you have looked up sectors automatically or assigned sectors manually first.

If you want to hide sectors that have not been allocated, in the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, right-click the top-level node, and

choose Hide All Unmatched Sectors. You can view all sectors by right-clicking the top-level node again and choosing Show All Sectors.

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To view the scan receiver recordsYou can view the scan receiver data records associated with a sector or a carrier node.■ In the Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in

the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, right-click the item and choose Browse Records.

A Scan Receiver Browser window opens, showing the records associated with the item that you chose.

To unassign sectors■ In the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view, choose the sector,

and in the Sectors section, click Unassign Sector.

To modify the display in the Scan Receiver tree viewBy default, when you assign sectors to carrier nodes, the sectors are added to the Serving Site/Sector Information tree view under each carrier node. You can reverse the order to display the carrier nodes under the sectors.■ In the Scan Receiver - Allocate Records to Sectors dialog box, in

the Serving Site/Sector Information section, right-click the top-level node, and choose Toggle View.

You can restore the original view by right-clicking the top-level node and choosing Toggle View again.

Exporting scan receiver data to surveysAfter you have allocated scan receiver data to sectors, you can export the scan receiver data to one or more surveys. For information on allocating scan receiver data to sectors, see “Allocating scan receiver data to sectors” on page 260. When you export the scan receiver data to a survey, the latitude,

You can also unassign a sector by right-clicking the sector and choosing Unassign Sector.

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longitude, signal strength, and sector header information are exported. You can choose one of the following options for export:

■ With Assignment—creates an assignment file with the survey assigned to the matched sector (see “To export a survey assignment file” on page 192 for details on assignment files).

■ Without Assignment—does not create an assignment fileFor more information on what you can do with the exported surveys, see “Chapter 5: Managing Survey Data” on page 173.

To export scan receiver data to surveys1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand the

Field Measurement Data node, then expand the Scan Receiver node.2 Right-click the scan receiver data node you want to view and choose one

of the following:■ Export to Survey ➤ With Assignment■ Export to Survey ➤ Without Assignment

The scan receiver data is converted to one or more surveys. The exported surveys are grouped under the Surveys RSSI node. The name of the group is the same as the scan receiver data name. Surveys with invalid header information are identified by a red icon in the Project Explorer. A warning message identifies the surveys with invalid headers.

The Export to Survey function for scan receiver data files is subject to the sampling rates of the original scan receiver data files. The

equipment used to create the original scan receiver data files is not always configured to sample data with enough samples for quality model tuning purposes (for example, to satisfy the Lee Criteria).

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Chapter 8: Generating Predictions

8.
Generating Predictions
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding path loss and

signal strength predictions■ Path loss and signal strength

files■ Choosing a prediction mode■ Defining output settings■ Generating predictions■ Generating multi-threaded

predictions■ Viewing predictions from the

Project Explorer■ Viewing predictions from the

View menu■ Displaying, filtering, and

deleting predictions

Predictions use a propagation model, terrain and

clutter information, and general sector settings

including the power, antenna, and azimuth to predict

the signal strength and path loss of a sector at any

location where the signal exceeds the defined

minimum level.

Path loss and signal strength predictions are used in

network analyses to determine coverage and other

metrics. The procedure for generating analysis layers

varies, depending on the technology. For information

on generating analysis layers, see the appropriate

User Guide.

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Understanding path loss and signal strength predictionsWhen you generate a network analysis, Mentum Planet analyzes the path loss predictions and, depending on the technology, the signal strength predictions for each sector to generate analysis layers. You can generate and view predictions prior to and separate from an analysis, or you can generate them as required, as part of an analysis. For more information, see “Generating predictions” on page 277.By default, Mentum Planet checks to make sure that valid prediction files are available when you generate an analysis. If you have not generated predictions or the files have been deleted or are out of date, they are generated as part of the analysis. The process for generating network analyses and the analysis layers that are available varies depending on the technology. For information on generating network analyses, see the appropriate User Guide.Predictions and analysis layers are available to view or to use as inputs for other Mentum Planet tools, including the Neighbor List Generator and the Interference Matrix Generator. For more information, see “Viewing predictions from the Project Explorer” on page 282.You can use the Prediction Manager to remove prediction files that are no longer valid or are no longer required. For more information, see “Displaying, filtering, and deleting predictions” on page 286.

Path loss and signal strength filesThe following sections describe path loss files, signal strength files, and combined signal strength files.

Path loss filesWhen you generate predictions, a set of path loss files (a .bin file and a corresponding .txt log file) is created based on the site and sector settings. The log files list the parameters used for the predictions. If the sector settings for the site are the same, only one set of path loss files is generated for the site. If the Set Prediction Parameters By Sector option is enabled, and the sectors have unique settings, a set of path loss files is created for each sector. Path loss files use the following naming convention:

<Site_ID>_<Sector_number>_<Grid_resolution>_<Distance>

For example, Site_1_3_225_20000.bin is a path loss file for Site_1, sector 3, using a grid resolution of 25 m, as well as a Distance of 20 km. The grid resolution number is calculated using various inputs and isn’t the grid

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Generating PredictionsMentum Planet User Guide

resolution itself. If the sector settings are the same, the sector designation in the file name indicates the first sector, but all sectors are included in the prediction. A .txt file that lists the parameters used in the prediction is also created.Each set of path loss files is stored in a separate folder within the Bin folder. The folder names include the Site ID, Sector ID, and a unique ID to differentiate between predictions. When you regenerate predictions, new path loss files are created, and any existing files and folders are left intact.

Signal strength filesSignal strength predictions are based on the path loss values and the associated sector properties. A set of signal strength files (a .grd file and a .tab file) is created for each sector, using the following naming convention: <Site_ID>_<Sector_number>_<Grid_resolution>_<Distance>For example, Site_1_3_225_20000.grd is a signal strength grid file for the Site_1, sector 3, using a grid resolution of 25 m, and a Distance of 20 km. An index.xml file that lists the parameters used in the prediction is also created.Each set of signal strength files is stored in a separate folder within the SignalStrength folder. The folder names includes the Site ID, Sector ID, and a unique ID to differentiate between predictions. When you regenerate predictions, new signal strength files are created, and any existing files and folders are left intact.

Combined signal strength filesWhen you view the predictions for a site, a combined set of signal strength files for all of the sectors at the site is created. The combined files are located in the FieldStrength\Combined folder. Table 8.1 on page 272 provides a description of the combined layer types and the file name conventions.

High resolution grids can result in very large bin files. For information on setting the bin file size, see “Defining output settings” on page 273.

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Choosing a prediction modePropagation models cannot always account for the complexities of signal propagation in urban environments. Hence, to predict more accurately how a signal will behave, you can merge survey and prediction data. This is valuable because survey data represents the actual coverage provided by the network, improving the accuracy of your predictions. When you configure sites and sectors, you have the choice of two prediction modes:

■ Modeled—using this mode, predictions are generated using the assigned propagation model. See “Generating predictions” on page 277.

■ Merged—using this mode, modeled predictions are merged with survey data. See “Generating predictions” on page 277.

The prediction mode you choose is used to create prediction files. When you choose the Merged prediction mode, two .bin files and two signal strength files are generated for each site or sector.

Modeled predictionsModeled predictions are calculated using the propagation model assigned to the site or sector. See “Working with Propagation Models” on page 141.

Table 8.1 Combined signal strength layers

Layer Description and file name

Combined Signal Strength—Total Power

Composite coverage of the signal strength for the selected site at total power.

CFS_<Project_ID>_<Site_ID>_<Sector_list>

Combined Signal Strength—Specified Power

Composite coverage of the signal strength for the selected site at a specified power, available for certain technologies only. For more information, see the appropriate User Guide.

CFS_<Project_ID>_<Site_ID>_<PowerSelectionName>_<Sector_list>

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Merged predictionsMerged predictions are calculated using unmasked survey data and path loss values converted from signal strength readings. Bins that are outside the Interpolation Distance (defined in the Site Properties dialog box) contain model prediction values. Bins that are within the Interpolation Distance contain interpolated values calculated by merging survey data and model prediction values.

Defining output settingsYou can choose to define additional output options, such as advanced prediction layers, bin file resolution, and output options, when generating predictions.Analysis output settings can be defined on a per-project basis using the Advanced Options tab on the Project Settings dialog box (see “Advanced prediction layers”), or they can be set for individual analyses using the Generations Options dialog box, accessible from Prediction Generator dialog box (see “Generating predictions” on page 277).

Advanced prediction layersWhen you generate predictions, you can choose to include a number of advanced prediction layers that provide additional information about the sites specified in the analysis.When you generate advanced prediction layers, a folder with the same name as the layer type—for example, Azimuth—is created in the root of your project folder. A .grd file and a .tab file are stored for each of the advanced layer types listed in Table 8.2.Table 8.2 Advanced prediction layers


Azimuth The bearing between the site and the receiver, corrected for map projection.

AZ_<Site_ID>_<Site_ID>_<Sector>_<Grid_resolution>_<Distance>

Inclination The angle below the horizontal from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna.

IN_<Site_ID>_<Site_ID>_<Sector>_<Grid_resolution>_<Distance>

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Bin file size and resolutionWhen you generate merged or modeled predictions, bin files are created. Bin files contain path loss and other values, and are constructed as a two-dimensional matrix with prediction values stored at the intersection of each row and column.The resolution of a signal strength grid is equal to the resolution of the elevation grid file. When high resolution elevation grid files (such as a 5-meter DEM) are combined with large prediction areas, bin files can be created that are large enough to exceed the available disk space.

Bin file size limitTo avoid exceeding disk space, you can limit the size of bin files. For information on how to do so, contact Technical Support. See “Getting technical support” on page 4.

When a generated bin file exceeds the limit, Mentum Planet compresses the file by degrading the resolution of the grids stored in the file by factors of two. Mentum Planet performs this degradation to fit the resulting file size within the limit. The signal strength grid is displayed at the same resolution as the

Path Loss Loss or attenuation of the electromagnetic wave between the transmitter and the receiver. This may be due to various factors including free space path loss, refraction, reflection, or diffraction of the transmitted signal.

PL_<Site_ID>_<Site_ID>_<Sector>_<Grid_resolution>_<Distance>

The additional layers you choose in the Generate Options dialog box override the additional layer settings on the Advanced Options tab in

the Project Settings dialog box.

Bin files are background project files. Do not open or edit them.

Limiting the bin file size impacts the precision of prediction values in both modeled and merged predictions.

Table 8.2 Advanced prediction layers


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elevation grid, but the real resolution of the signal strength grid is equal to that of the other grids in the bin file.A value of 10.5 MB will accommodate most situations; however, you can set the value to suit the available disk space, up to a maximum of 1.8 GB.

Relationship between bin width, prediction radius, and file sizeThe following equation displays the relationship between the bin width, the radius of the prediction area, and the size of the resulting bin file.

Equation 8.1 Bin file size equation

Where is the grid resolution (bin width) in meters

is the radius of the prediction area in kilometers

is the maximum byte size required to store the values of all grids for one bin, where the area of the square prediction grid equals

ExampleThe following table displays the resulting bin file sizes for combinations of

and .

The calculations in Table 8.3 are derived using a default size of six bytes per bin. In most situations, only four bytes are required, creating files that are correspondingly smaller.

Table 8.3 Relationship between grid resolution, prediction radius, and file size

Grid resolution (bin width) ( ) Prediction radius ( ) File size

100 m 10 km 0.24 MB

100 m 20 km 1 MB

30 m 10 km 2.7 MB

30 m 20 km 10.7 MB

10 m 10 km 24 MB

10 m 20 km 96 MB

FileSize MB( ) 6 2RΔd-------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞ 2

=

Δd

R

64R2

Δd R

Δd R

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Using values from Table 8.3, the following three examples describe the bin file size process:

■ If the maximum file size is 10.5 MB, and the grid resolution and prediction radius are 30 m and 10 km respectively, the resulting file size of 2.7 MB is less than the maximum file size of 10.5 MB. Mentum Planet does not degrade the signal strength resolution in the bin file.

■ If the maximum file size is 10.5 MB, and the grid resolution and prediction radius are 10 m and 10 km respectively, the resulting file size of 24 MB is greater than the maximum file size of 10.5 MB. Mentum Planet degrades the signal strength resolution in the bin file by a factor of two to 20 m. The resulting file size is 6 MB, which fits within the limit of 10.5 MB. At this level of degradation, little significant detail of the predicted signal strength is lost.

■ If the maximum file size is 10.5 MB, and the grid resolution and prediction radius are 10 m and 20 km respectively, the resulting file size of 96 MB is greater than the maximum file size of 10.5 MB. In this case, the resolution degradation by a factor of two is insufficient, and Mentum Planet degrades the resolution by a factor of four to 40 m. The resulting file size is 6 MB, which fits within the limit of 10.5 MB. However, at this level of degradation, it is possible that a significant level of detail in the predicted signal strength will be lost.

To define analysis output settings1 Choose Edit ➤ Project Settings.2 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the Advanced Options tab.3 In the Output Options section, enable any of the following check boxes:

■ Compute Distance to Receiver—pre-calculates the time the transmitted signal takes to reach the receiver and stores the value in the path loss files

■ Maintain Maximum Inclination—calculates the over-obstacle corrected distance and the angle to the top of the single most significant obstructing obstacle. You must know the angle between the sector and the receiver to determine the actual antenna gain directed at a location. However, if the signal gets diffracted over an interfering obstacle, Mentum Planet uses the

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angle to the top of the obstacle for the appropriate antenna gain. This effect can be important, especially when the location is relatively close to the sector, where inclinations are relatively significant (i.e., more than -5 degrees), and the antenna pattern is very directional. If you clear this check box, the direct angle to the receiver is calculated.

■ Interpolate Elevation Between Null Points—approximates elevation values in regions with no associated data. Elevation values are calculated using a straight line between the last valid values on either side of the null region. If you clear this check box, the analysis is terminated when an analysis crosses one of these null areas.

■ Interpolate Clutter Between Null Points—splits land use between categories on either side of the null region for regions with no associated data. If you clear this check box, an unknown land use type is assumed. In both cases, the analysis continues.

4 In the Additional Layers section, enable the check boxes for the advanced prediction layers that you want to generate and click OK.

For more information on the prediction layers that you can generate, see “Advanced prediction layers” on page 273.

For information on the Sharing section of the Advanced Options tab, see “Creating projects” on page 38. For information on the CDMA Analysis Optimization section, see the CDMA User Guide.

Generating predictionsPath loss and signal strength predictions are a prerequisite to network analyses. You can generate predictions prior to, or as part of a network analysis. When you generate predictions, the status of any existing prediction files is verified using either the Fast or In-Depth option. By default, prediction files are only generated as required; however, you can choose to generate all prediction files, regardless of their status.You can greatly increase the accuracy of predictions by generating merged predictions. To do so, you must import at least one survey, associate it with your project, and assign it to a sector. For more information, see “Chapter 5: Managing Survey Data” on page 173.

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When you are generating merged predictions, the following files are created in the Site folder (e.g., Site_1_1_6DCCCABFE512183CA1B8C6A) within the Signal Strength folder of your project:

■ a .grd file and a .tab file for the modeled output ■ a .grd file and a .tab file for the merged output.■ two .bin files

To generate predictions1 Do any of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, choose one or more groups, sites, or sectors, right-click and choose Generate Predictions.

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Flags node and then choose Generate Predictions.

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Repeaters node and then choose Generate Predictions.

■ Choose Analysis ➤ Generate Predictions, choose a group in the Select Sectors dialog box, and click Continue.

The Prediction Generator dialog box opens.

2 Click Options, and in the Generation Options dialog box, do any of the following:■ If you want to generate additional layers, in the Generate

Additional Layers section, enable the check boxes for the

By default, predictions are generated at the same resolution as the elevation file specified in the Project Settings. If you want to generate

network analyses at the same resolution as predictions created using either the Volcano or Wavesight propagation models, you need to choose an elevation file and, optionally, a clutter file, that uses the same resolution as the predictions on the Advanced tab in the Propagation Model Editor. See “To define propagation model settings in your project” on page 160.

If you want to keep working in Mentum Planet while the predictions are being generated, you can minimize the Generator dialog box. When

you minimize the dialog box, a Generator icon appears at the bottom of the Project Explorer. Click the icon to restore the dialog box.

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advanced prediction layers that you want to generate. The settings will apply only to the current set of predictions being generated. For more information, see “Advanced prediction layers” on page 273.

■ If you want to specify the type of file checking that is performed, in the File Checking section, choose one of the following options:

■ In-depth—performs a full integrity check of any existing prediction files

■ Fast—verifies only that prediction files are present and are current

3 If you only want to check the status of the current set of prediction files, click Check.

The status of the current set of prediction files is verified using the file checking option you chose in Step 2.

4 To generate predictions, do one of the following:■ If you want to generate only predictions that are missing or out

of date, click Generate.■ If you want to generate predictions for all sectors regardless of

their status, click Regenerate.

Predictions will be generated or regenerated only for the sectors and repeaters listed in the Prediction Generator dialog box. The Progress section of the Prediction Generator dialog box provides an indication of the overall progress, as well as the time elapsed and an estimate of the time remaining.

5 When the generation of predictions is complete, click Close.

You can also choose one or more sectors or repeaters in the Prediction Generator dialog box, right-click, and then choose one of the following

commands:• Generate Predictions for the Selected Sectors/Repeaters• Regenerate Predictions for the Selected Sectors/Repeaters• Check Selected Sectors/Repeaters

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Generating multi-threaded predictionsIn order to take advantage of multi-core workstations, you can generate multi-threaded predictions.The interpolation method used in multi-threaded predictions differs from the method used in predictions generated using the traditional Prediction Generator. As a result, you may see slight differences between traditional and multi-threaded predictions. When you use fewer radials or a large propagation distance, these differences will be greater.

To generate multi-threaded predictions1 Choose Tools ➤ Prediction Generator (Multi-Threaded).2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the sector group for which you

want to generate predictions and click Continue.

The following site restrictions apply when you generate multi-threaded predictions:

• Only the distance increment of “Auto” is supported.• Only the “Modeled” prediction mode is supported. (i.e., merged

predictions are not supported)The following model restrictions apply:

• Only the clutter and elevation files defined in the project settings are supported.

• Rain attenuation is not supported.• The “Use Single Clutter Property” option is not supported.• Only the Planet General Model is supported in this version of Mentum

Planet. Propagation model options that are not supported will be listed in the summary section at the bottom of the Messages box.

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The Prediction Generator (Multi-Threaded) dialog box opens.

3 If you only want to check the status of the current set of prediction files, click Check.

4 To generate predictions, do one of the following:■ If you want to generate only predictions that are missing or out

of date, click Generate.■ If you want to generate predictions for all sectors regardless of

their status, click Regenerate.

Predictions will be generated or regenerated only for the sectors and repeaters listed in the Prediction Generator (Multi-threaded) dialog box. The Progress section of the Prediction Generator dialog box provides an

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indication of the overall progress, as well as the time elapsed and an estimate of the time remaining.

If errors occur during prediction generation, the Messages box opens displaying error messages.

5 To close the Messages box if required, click Hide Messages.6 When the generation of predictions is complete, click Close.

Viewing predictions from the Project ExplorerYou can view prediction layers for individual sites, sectors, or repeaters from the Project Explorer. This is a fast and easy way to view predictions in the same Map window. You can display prediction layers for various powers depending on the technology of the sector.

■ For TDMA/FDMA sectors, the only available power is the total power.

■ For cdma2000 sectors, available powers include the total power, the pilot power, the paging power, and the synchronization power. Note that if:

■ a sector has only one EV-DO carrier, only the Total power option is available.

■ a sector has multiple EV-DO carriers with different PA power settings, the prediction is based on the power of the first EV-DO carrier.

■ a sector has EV-DO and 1xRTT/IS-95 mixed carriers, the Total, Pilot, Paging and Synchronization options are available.

■ The prediction is based on the power settings of the first non-EV-DO carrier (even

■ if EV-DO carrier is the first carrier).■ For W-CDMA sectors, available powers include the total power,

the CPICH power, and the SCH/P-CCPH powers.

You cannot view predictions from the Project Explorer when you use the Shift key to select multiple sectors or sites.

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To view predictions for a sector1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the Sites node.2 Right-click a sector, choose View Predictions, and choose one of the

following:■ Model ➤<Power>—to view a prediction layer for the chosen

power. The options available depend on the technology of the sector.

■ Merged ➤<Power>—to view a merged prediction layer based on survey data and model prediction values for the chosen power. The options available depend on the technology of the sector.

The prediction layers for the sector are displayed in the Map window.

To view predictions for a repeater1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the Repeaters

node.2 Right-click a repeater and choose View Predictions ➤<Power>.The prediction layer for the repeater is displayed in the Map window.

To view combined predictions for a site or sectorYou can view a combined prediction layer for all sectors at a site or for a sector and all associated repeaters.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the Sites node and choose a site or a sector with associated repeaters.

2 If you chose a site, right-click, choose View Predictions, and choose one of the following:■ Model ➤<Power>—to view a combined prediction layer for the

chosen power. The options available depend on the technology of the sector.

■ Merged ➤<Power>—to view a combined prediction layer based on survey data and model prediction values for the chosen power. The options available depend on the technology of the sector.

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3 If you chose a sector with repeaters, right-click and choose View Combined Predictions➤<Power>.

The combined prediction layer is displayed in the Map window.

Viewing predictions from the View menuYou can display prediction layers for various powers depending on the technology of the sector.

■ For TDMA/FDMA sites, the only available power is the total power.

■ For cdma2000 sectors, available powers include the total power, the pilot power, the paging power, and the synchronization power. Note that if:

■ a sector has only one EV-DO carrier, only the Total power option is available.

■ a sector has multiple EV-DO carriers with different PA power settings, the prediction is based on the power of the first EV-DO carrier.

■ a sector has EV-DO and 1xRTT/IS-95 mixed carriers, the Total, Pilot, Paging and Synchronization options are available.

■ For W-CDMA, available powers include the total power, the CPICH power, and the SCH/P-CCPH powers.

You can also display predictions in a new Map window.

You can set the translucency of the prediction layer you display by defining user preferences for viewing. See “Defining user preferences”

on page 32.

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To view predictions using the View menu1 Choose View ➤ Predictions.

The View Predictions dialog box opens.

2 To view predictions for sites, select the sites in the Map window and click the Sites tab.

3 In the List box, choose the sites for which you want to see predictions.

You can choose multiple sites by dragging the pointer.

4 In the Type section, choose the type of prediction you want to display.

If the generated prediction is a modeled prediction, the Merged option is not available.

5 From the Power list, choose which power you want to view.6 To display the prediction layer in a new Map window, enable the New

Window check box.

For each site chosen in the List box, a combined prediction opens in a new Map window.

7 Click View to view the predictions for the chosen sites. 8 To view predictions for sectors, click the Sectors tab, and in the List box,

choose the sectors for which you want to view predictions. 9 Repeat Step 4 to Step 7.

When you select multiple sectors that assigned different technologies, the only power available is total power.

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10 To view predictions for repeaters, choose the repeaters in the Map window.

11 In the View Predictions dialog box, click the Repeaters tab and, in the List box, choose the repeaters for which you want to view predictions.

12 Repeat Step 4 to Step 7.

For repeaters, the only available prediction type is modeled and the only available power is total.

13 To view predictions for a site, sector, or repeater not currently displayed in the View Predictions dialog box, choose a site, sector, or repeater in the Map window and click the appropriate tab in the View Predictions dialog box.

14 Repeat Step 4 to Step 7.15 Click Save Settings to save the settings currently chosen in the View

Predictions dialog box.16 To view details about a prediction that is currently displayed in a Map

window or to close displayed predictions, click the Displayed tab and do any of the following:■ In in the List box, choose the predictions you want to close and

click Close.■ Click Close All to close all predictions currently being displayed

in a Map window.

You can choose multiple predictions by dragging the pointer.

17 When you have finished viewing predictions, click OK.

Displaying, filtering, and deleting predictionsYou can use the Prediction Manager to view a list of the predictions that have been generated for a project, and remove any files that you no longer require. You can view a list of all of the predictions that have been generated for a project or you can use the Filter dialog box to display only specific predictions based on the file type and status, and the sector settings.

To view predictions for a site, you can also click the View Predictions button on the Site toolbar and then click an individual site in the Map

window. You can also right-click a site in the Map window and use the commands from the shortcut menu to generate and view predictions or open the Prediction Manager.

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The Prediction Manager dialog box displays a number of different properties for each prediction, including the Type (Bin or Signal Strength), Site Name, Sector Name, and Model Name, to help you identify the predictions. You can also view a detailed list of the properties associated with each prediction.

When you select one or more rows in the Prediction Manager, the status bar at the bottom of the window indicates the number of files selected and the total amount of disk space used by the files.If your project contains a large number of predictions, you can filter the list of predictions based on a number of different criteria. For example, you could filter the list of predictions by file date and remove any predictions that were more than two weeks old.

To display, filter, and delete predictions1 Choose Tools ➤ Prediction Manager.

The Prediction Manager dialog box opens with no predictions displayed.

2 If you want to display predictions based on a defined criteria, choose View ➤ Filter and, in the Filter dialog box, and do the following:■ From the File Type list, choose to filter either the bin files or the

signal strength files.■ From the File Status list, choose the status of the file on which

you want to filter.■ Enable the check box next to the properties upon which you

want to filter and define or choose the filter criteria.

For information on the Filter dialog box, press the F1 key.

3 In the Filter dialog box, click OK.

A list of predictions is displayed based on the options you chose.

4 If you want to display all predictions that have been generated for the project, in the Prediction Manager, choose View ➤ Show All.

You cannot view detailed properties for predictions that were generated prior to Mentum Planet version 4.1.

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5 If you want to limit the columns or change the order in which they are displayed in the Prediction Manager, choose View ➤ Columns, do any of the following, and then click OK:■ To define which columns are displayed, enable the check boxes

beside the items in the Visible Columns list.■ To define the order in which the columns are displayed, choose

the columns in the Visible Columns list and click Add. Use the Up and Down buttons to arrange the items, and then in the Sorting Order section, choose either Ascending or Descending.

6 If you want to view detailed information for a prediction, choose a row in the table, and then choose View ➤ Properties.

The Prediction Properties dialog box opens.

7 Do any of the following and then click OK.■ Click the Categorized button to display the properties in

grouped categories.■ Click the Alphabetic button to display the properties in

alphabetical order.■ Click any row in the table to view a description of the property at

the bottom of the dialog box.8 To view the prediction in a Map window, in the Prediction Manager,

choose a row in the table and click the View Prediction button.9 To delete predictions, choose one or more rows, and then choose

Prediction ➤ Delete or press the Delete key.

The predictions that you chose are deleted from the project folder.

There are other ways to open the Prediction Manager. You can right-click one or more sites, sectors, or groups in the Project Explorer, or

right-click the Sites or Flags node and choose Prediction Manager. A list of predictions is displayed based on the nodes you selected. No predictions are displayed if you use the Sites node. You can also right-click sites in the Map window and choose Prediction Manager.

You can also use the toolbar buttons to access Prediction Manager commands.

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Chapter 9: Generating Signal Strength Predictions Between Two Points

9.
Generating Signal Strength Predictions Between Two Points
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding point-to-point

analyses■ Workflow for point-to-point

analyses■ Understanding the Point-to-

Point Profile Tool dialog box■ Generating point-to-point

profiles■ Understanding how to

interpret a point-to-point profile

■ Customizing the point-to-point profile graph window

■ Viewing the height of clutter above the elevation profile

■ Exporting a point-to-point graph

■ Printing point-to-point graphs■ Saving and opening point-to-

point profiles

Using Mentum Planet, you can focus an analysis on

two points. These two points can represent, for

example, a base station and a mobile subscriber or a

base station and a possible candidate site. This type

of analysis can provide valuable information about

the effect that changing sector heights, antenna

properties, transmit power, or rain fade has on the

signal path and quality.

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Understanding point-to-point analysesHow a signal travels over the terrain and is attenuated by obstructions within the Fresnel zone can have important ramifications on the overall performance of your network. To better understand the effects of changing the height of a sector or modifying antenna properties, you can visualize the signal path by generating a profile between two points, such as a base station and a mobile subscriber. Because signal strength profiles are generated on-the-fly, you do not have to generate predictions for the entire area of a sector but can focus instead on the signal path alone. As a result, you can quickly and easily create a profile of the terrain (elevation or clutter), the signal strength, the path loss, or the Fresnel zone. In addition, you can model changes to transmitter and receiver heights, locations, or antenna parameters within the Point-to-Point Profile Tool. Once you have achieved the desired result, you can print a profile or export it for use in reports.

The Fresnel zoneThe Fresnel zone is the area around the visual line-of-sight where radio waves spread as they move out from the antenna. In the Point-to-Point dialog box, the Fresnel zone is shown as the perpendicular distance from the line of sight.Generally, each Fresnel zone is reserved for a specific type of propagation. The first zone typically shows the obstruction and clearance levels of the signal. The higher zones include interference that cause the original signal to attenuate.The perpendicular distance is calculated as:

WhereK is a constant that determines the percentage of the Fresnel zone to be shown

N is the number of the Fresnel zone

is the wavelength calculated as c/f

D1 is the horizontal distance from the start point

D2 is the horizontal distance from the end point

Fn KN λ D1 D2×××

D1 D2+----------------------------------------×=

λ

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Generating Signal Strength Predictions Between Two PointsMentum Planet User Guide

Workflow for point-to-point analysesStep 1 In the Map window, choose a start point. The Point-to-Point

Profile Tool dialog box opens.

Step 2 In the Map window, move the cursor over the map. The profile displayed in the Point-to-Point graph window will update dynamically until you click on an end point. The default profiles (i.e., elevation and clutter (if the project includes clutter)) are automatically updated. By default, the line-of-sight is also displayed.

Step 3 Add additional profiles (e.g., propagation model, Fresnel zone and line-of-sight) as required.

Step 4 Customize the point-to-point profiles as required. This includes choosing color and line style. See “Customizing the point-to-point profile graph window” on page 300.

Step 5 If required, export or print point-to-point profiles. See “Exporting a point-to-point graph” on page 303 and “Printing point-to-point graphs” on page 304.

Step 6 Save point-to-point profiles. See “Saving and opening point-to-point profiles” on page 304.

If you want to generate a sector-to-sector profile, open the Point-to-Point Profile Tool by choosing Tools ➤ Point-to-Point Profile.

When you minimize the Point-to-Point dialog box, a Point-to-Point icon appears at the bottom of the Project Explorer. Click the icon to restore

the dialog box.

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Understanding the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog boxThe Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box contains the following elements:

■ Graph window—displays the selected profiles. You can customize the look and feel of the graph window and display a legend if required.

■ Profile pane—displays a list of profiles with the associated line color. You can view profiles by enabling the check box next to the profile or remove the profile from the graph window by clearing the check box.

■ the Transmitter tab—displays transmitter location and frequency as well as details about the transmitting antenna. You can adjust transmitter settings and view changes in the profiles by clicking the Refresh button.

■ the Receiver tab—displays the location and height of the receiver as well as details about the receiving antenna. You can adjust antenna settings and view changes in the profiles by clicking the Refresh button.

■ Options tab—displays an additional geodata setting (i.e., the maintain maximum inclination setting). It also displays additional network settings such as the earth curvature and the rain factor.

■ Tracking tab—displays the values for the profiles at a specific point. This tab is only displayed when you have clicked the Cursor Tracking button.

■ Clutter legend—displays the color scheme and classes contained in the clutter file.

■ Information bar—displays the angle, the inclination, the height of the terrain at the transmitter and the height of the terrain at the receiver as well as information about the clutter class.

For detailed information on any of these sections, press the F1 key.

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You can quickly access the main features of the Point-to-Point Tool using the following toolbar buttons.

■ Refresh—redraws the profiles in the graph window based on current settings

■ Toggle Real-time updates—updates the signal strength and path loss profiles on-the-fly as you move the cursor over the map. In addition, changes to the power setting, frequency setting, or antenna settings are automatically reflected in the graph window as soon as you make a change.

■ Toggle Profile Capture—freezes the profiles displayed in the graph window. This is useful when you want to display a different profile in a second Point-to-Point Tool dialog box.

■ View Path loss—adds the path loss profile to the graph window if you have a prediction profile listed in the Profiles list. You can view either the signal strength profile or the path loss profile at any one time.

■ View Signal Strength—adds the signal strength profile to the graph window if you have a prediction profile listed in the Profiles list. You can view either the signal strength profile or the path loss profile at any one time.

■ Pan—enables you to move the profile graph around the graph window.

■ Cursor Tracking—displays additional information on the Tracking tab about a specific point along a profile.

■ Zoom In—zooms in on the graph by a predefined factor.

■ Zoom Out—zooms out of the graph by a predefined factor.

■ Toggle Legend—displays a legend in the upper right corner of the graph window. You turn the display off or on but you cannot change the location of the legend.

■ Toggle Split Axes—stacks the vertical axes above each other.

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Figure 9.1 Elements of the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box

Generating point-to-point profilesUsing point-to-point profiles, you can analyze the path of the signal between two points. These two points can be a sector and a mobile user or they can be two sectors.The Point-to-Point Profile tool uses project information to determine which elevation and clutter grids to use for calculations. Signal strength values are calculated on-the-fly along the path you specify.

Graph window

Profile toolbar

Transmitter, Receiver, Options and Tracking tabs

Point-to-Point Tool toolbar

Information

Clutter legend

Graph legend

Profile panel

Clutter Height Edit buttons

When you enable the Use Maximum Gain check box on the Antenna tab for either the transmitter or receiver, Mentum Planet assumes that

the direction of the corresponding antenna is always such that it receives with the maximum gain. If you do not enable the Use Maximum Gain check box, the gain is calculated according to the angle of departure or the angle of arrival.

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To generate a point-to-point profile1 With a Mentum Planet project open, on the Tools toolbar, click the

Point-to-Point Profile Tool button and click in the Map window at the start point.

The Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box opens.

2 Do one of the following:■ If you want to create a point-to-point profile, in the Map

window, click to define the end point of the signal path.■ If you want to create a sector-to-sector profile, in the Point-to-

Point Profile Tool dialog box, click the Transmitter tab, click Select Sector, and in the Sector Selection dialog box, choose a sector to mark the start point, and click OK. Repeat on the Receiver tab to define the end point.

The signal path is drawn in the Map window.

3 If you want to add prediction profiles to the graph, in the Profiles pane, click the Add Prediction Profile button and do the following:■ In the Profile Name box, type a name for the profile ■ From the Propagation Model list, choose the propagation

model to use for the profile and click OK.

The profile is added to the profile list and displayed in the graph window.

4 If you want to add a Fresnel profile to the graph, click the Add Fresnel Zone Profile button and, in the Add Fresnel Zone Profile dialog box, define the following parameters and click OK.■ Fresnel Zone—zone number. The zone number you specify

depends on the type of clearance or interference you want to see. The first zone typically shows the obstruction and clearance

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levels of the signal. The higher zones include interference that cause the original signal to attenuate.

■ Fresnel Constant—fixed value indicating the percentage of the Fresnel zone that will be displayed. For wireless applications, 60% is generally required.

■ Frequency—frequency of the signal. Defining a higher frequency will reduce the amount of spread within the Fresnel zone.

Both the Fresnel zone and the line-of-sight will be added to the graph window.

5 If you want to view the path loss profile, click the View Path Loss button.

The path loss profile is added to the graph window. To change the color of the profile line, right-click on the profile in the Profiles pane and choose Format.

6 If you want to view the signal strength profile, click the View Signal Strength button.

The signal strength profile is added to the graph window. To change the color of the profile line, right-click on the profile in the Profiles pane and choose Format.

7 If you want to remove the profile from the graph window, but not delete the profile, in the Profiles pane, clear the check box next to the profile name.

8 Do any of the following and click Refresh:■ To change the height or frequency of the transmitter, override the

propagation model frequency, or update antenna settings, click the Transmitter tab and modify transmitter and antenna settings accordingly.

■ To change the height or frequency of the receiver, override the propagation model frequency, or update antenna settings, click the Receiver tab and modify transmitter and antenna settings accordingly.

For information on these tabs, press the F1 key.

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9 If you want to enable the maintain maximum inclination setting, modify the earth curvature, or change the rain factor, click the Options tab, and do any of the following:■ To calculate the “over obstacle” corrected distance and the angle

to the top of the single most significant obstructing obstacle, double-click in the box next to Maintain Max Inclination if the current setting is False. You need to know the angle between the sector and the receiver in order to determine the actual antenna gain directed at a location. However, if the signal gets diffracted over an interfering obstacle, the appropriate antenna gain is considered to be the angle to the top of the obstacle over which the signal was diffracted. This effect can be important, especially when the location is relatively close to the sector, where inclinations are relatively significant (i.e., more than -5 degrees), and the antenna pattern is very directional. If you clear this check box, the direct angle to the receiver is calculated.

■ Expand the Network Options node and type a value in the Earth Curvature (K Factor) box and, if required, click the arrow next to Rain Factor and specify the rain attenuation and rate.

10 If you want to view profiles for a different signal path, click in the Map window to define a new start point and a new end point.

11 Click Refresh.

The profiles in the graph window are updated.

12 Choose File ➤ Exit to close the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box.

You can customize the contents of the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box using the commands from the View menu. You can also resize the

graph area by dragging its edges.

To change the color of the Fresnel profile or edit the values used in the profile, right-click on the Fresnel Profile in the Profiles pane and choose Format or Edit Profile. Similarly, you can change the color of the line-of-sight profile or the elevation profile by right-clicking the profile and choosing Format.

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Understanding how to interpret a point-to-point profileThere is a lot of information contained in a point-to-point profile that you can use to help better model a network. Understanding how to interpret a point-to-point profile will enable you to make the best use of the tools provided.

Figure 9.1 Example of a typical point-to-point profile

You can open multiple instances of the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box when you want to view multiple profiles. Use the View ➤ New

Window in the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box to open a new Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box or click the Point-to-Point Profile button on the Tools toolbar. If you have two dialog boxes open and draw the signal path in the Map window, by default, both graph windows will be updated with the same profile. Use the Toggle Profile Capture button to freeze the profiles in one Point-to-Point Tool dialog box.

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What you seeIn Figure 9.1, the graph window has been divided into two using the Toggle Split Axes button. The lower graph window displays the physical elevation and clutter profiles along a defined line. It also displays the line-of-sight profile and the Fresnel zone. The bottom half of the Fresnel zone is red indicating that the Fresnel zone crossed the elevation profile. The upper graph window displays the signal strength profile along the same line. Using the View Pathloss toolbar button, you can quickly change the profile in the upper window to show path loss instead of signal strength. You can also remove the legend from the display using the Toggle Legend button.

What you can doIn order to analyze different scenarios, you can:

■ change the height, power, frequency, and antenna parameters for the transmitter or receiver.

■ change the earth curvature, rain factor, and the Maintain Max. Inclination setting.

■ change the look and feel of the profile displayed in the graph window. See “To customize the Point-to-Point profile graph window” on page 300.

■ zoom in or out of the graph using the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons or the Enable Zoom command from the shortcut menu.

■ pan across the graph using the Pan button or the Enable Pan command from the shortcut menu.

■ enable cursor tracking. See “Exporting a point-to-point graph” on page 303.

For detailed information on the options in the Point-to-Point Tool dialog box, press the F1 key.

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Customizing the point-to-point profile graph windowYou can change the colors and line styles displayed in the graph window and specify which elements of the graph you want to view.

To customize the Point-to-Point profile graph window1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool, generate the profiles you want to

display.2 If you want to display two graph windows, click the Toggle Split Axes

button to stack the vertical axes above each other.3 Do one of the following:

■ To view the signal strength, click the View Signal Strength button.

■ To view the path loss, click the View Pathloss button.4 To format the color and style of profile lines, in the Profiles pane, right-

click the profile and choose Format. 5 In the Line Properties Editor dialog box, define the line color, width,

and style and click OK.6 To format the axes displayed for the graph, right-click in the graph

window and choose Axes Options.7 In the Axes Options dialog box, specify the appearance of the axes and

line ticks and click OK.

For information on axes options, press the F1 key.

8 To display a legend in the graph window, click the Legend button.9 To close the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Exit.

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To inspect individual points on a profileWhen you enable cursor tracking, a Tracking tab appears at the bottom of the Point-to-Point Tool dialog box. As you move the cursor over a profile, values relative to the cursor position are displayed on the tab.

1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, do one of the following:■ Click the Cursor Tracking button.■ Right-click in the graph window and choose Enable Cursor

Tracking.

A Tracking tab appears next to the Transmitter and Receiver tabs at the bottom of the dialog box.

2 Move the cursor over the signal strength or path loss profile.

Distance, elevation, and path loss or signal strength values are displayed on the Tracking tab. The values change as you move the cursor along the profile.

3 To exit the cursor tracking mode, click the Cursor Tracking button a second time.

Viewing the height of clutter above the elevation profileIn order to more accurately assess the line-of-sight and the Fresnel zone clearance along the signal path, you can view the clutter height above the elevation.

To define clutter height values1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool, generate the profiles you want to

display.2 Click the Edit button beneath the clutter legend.3 In the Clutter Height Editor, for each clutter class where you want to

view the clutter height above the elevation, click in the Clutter Height column, and enter the appropriate value.

4 When you have finished entering values, click OK.

Clutter heights are saved in the DefaultClutterHeight.cpa file in the project Model folder.

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To view clutter heights■ Do one of the following:

■ To view clutter heights above the elevation profile, click the Toggle Clutter Heights button beneath the clutter legend.

■ To view the clutter heights up to the elevation profile, click the Toggle Clutter Heights button a second time.

Displaying reflection pointsYou can display reflection points in a point-to-point profile to determine whether there are multipath signals between the transmitter and the receiver that would interfere with the signal and impact your network performance. You can then change the height of the receiver or transmitter in order to eliminate multipath signals.

To display reflection points1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool, on the Profile toolbar, click the

Display Reflection Points button.2 To define your start point (or the transmitting sector), do one of the

following:■ Click at a point in the Map window.■ Click the Transmitter tab, click the Select Sector button,

choose a sector, and click OK.3 To define your end point (or the receiving sector), do one of the

following:■ Click at a point in the Map window.■ Click the Receiver tab, click the Select Sector button, choose a

sector, and click OK.

If there is a multipath signal where the reflected angles between the transmitter and the receiver are the same at a point on the elevation profile, it is displayed in the point-to-point graph as shown in Figure 9.2. If the reflected lines intersect with the terrain, the reflection point is not displayed.

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Figure 9.2 Point where the reflected angles between the transmitter and the receiver equal 1.06 degrees.

Exporting a point-to-point graphYou can export a graph generated in the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box as a graphic file or as a text file. Graphic file formats include .bmp, .gif, .jpeg, tiff, and .wmf files. The data export format is comma-separated value. Depending on the format, you can send outputs to the clipboard, a printer, or a file.

To export a point-to-point graph as an image1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Export ➤

Export Image.2 In the Save As dialog box, do the following:

■ From the Save In list, choose the destination folder.■ In the File Name box, type a name for the file.■ From the Save As Type list, choose the format of the image.

3 Click Save.

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To export a point-to-point graph to a text file1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Export ➤

Export Data.2 In the Save As dialog box, do the following:

■ From the Save In list, choose the destination folder.■ In the File Name box, type a name for the file.■ From the Save As Type list, choose csv files (*.csv).

3 Click Save.

Printing point-to-point graphsYou can customize the print layout of point-to-point graphs you want to send to a printer.

To print a point-to-point graph1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Page Setup

to define the layout of the graph print out.2 In the Page Setup dialog box, define the paper size, source, orientation

and margins.3 Do one of the following:

■ If you want to preview the print layout, in the Page Setup dialog box, click OK and go to Step 4.

■ If you want to send the point-to-point graph to the printer, click the Printer button, review the printer settings, and click OK.

4 Choose File ➤ Print Preview.

Saving and opening point-to-point profilesYou can save a profile for later use when you want to make comparisons between profiles. Profiles are saved as .xml files.

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To save a point-to-point profile1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Save

Profile.2 Navigate to the folder where you want to save the profile, in the File

Name box, type a name for the profile, and click Save.

To open a point-to-point profile1 In the Point-to-Point Profile Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Open.2 Locate the .xml file you want to open and click Open.

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306

Chapter 10: Working with Traffic Maps

10.
Working with Traffic Maps
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding traffic maps■ Understanding clutter

weighting■ Workflow for creating and

editing a traffic map■ Creating traffic maps from

regions, vectors, and classified grids

■ Creating a traffic map from network data

■ Applying clutter weighting■ Modifying clutter relative

weightings■ Viewing traffic maps■ Adding traffic maps to the

Project Explorer■ Modifying traffic maps■ Converting traffic maps■ Scaling traffic maps■ Combining traffic maps■ Deleting traffic maps

Traffic maps enable you to optimize your network in

the areas with the most subscribers.

You can use traffic maps to create interference

matrices and neighbor lists. Traffic maps are

important input data for various technology-specific

network analyses as well.

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Understanding traffic mapsTraffic maps provide data about the geographical distribution of subscriber traffic in a network. You can generate a traffic map from demographic data, such as population census data, or from network data.When planning a network, you can use demographic data to estimate subscriber numbers. The variation in subscriber density across the network coverage area is likely to be similar to the variation in population density. When optimizing an existing network, you can base your traffic map on network data that reflects the actual usage patterns in the network.Traffic maps that you create or add to the project are displayed in the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category. The icon beside the traffic map name (see Table 10.1) indicates whether or not you can view properties and edit the traffic map.Table 10.1 Traffic map icons

Icon Description

The traffic map was created within the current project using one of the methods described in this chapter. You can view and edit certain properties.

The traffic map was modified or added to the project. You cannot view the properties or edit the traffic map.

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Working with Traffic MapsMentum Planet User Guide

Types of input traffic dataYou can base your traffic map on one of the following types of data:

■ Regions—traffic data for a set of polygon regions, such as postal codes

■ Vectors—traffic data for geographical vector objects, such as roads

■ Classified grid—geographical regions and a text file containing the traffic data for each region. This can be information converted from region and vector data.

■ Network data—imported traffic data

Conversion factors for input traffic dataThe input traffic data can be measured in subscribers, Erlangs, or Kilobits per second (Kbps). The Traffic Map Generator output is a numeric grid of traffic density values expressed as subscribers, Erlangs, or Kbps per km2. The conversion factors between traffic units have default values, but you can also specify them within a range, as described in Table 10.2.

Longitude/latitude projection is not supported for input data. Re-project the original region or vector table into UTM.

If a region is inside another region in the input data, it is discarded.If clutter weighting is needed, the clutter file and the input table must be in the same projection.

For information on creating composite traffic maps using subscriber types, see Chapter 12, “Generating Performance Analyses”, in the

TDMA/FDMA User Guide.

Table 10.2 Conversion factors for input traffic data

Conversion Default Factor Range

Subscribers to Erlangs 0.025 0.000001 to 1.0

Erlangs to Subscribers 40 1 to 1 000 000

Subscribers to Kbps 1 0.000001 to 1 000 000

Kbps to Subscribers 1 0.000001 to 1 000 000

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When you work with population data, your conversion factor must include the conversion from population to subscribers, also known as the penetration rate. For example, if your network has a penetration rate of 10% and you want to use a subscribers-to-Erlangs conversion of 0.025, the conversion factor when using population data is 0.0025.You can use the Traffic Map Generator to create all traffic maps, but the procedure differs depending on the form of the input.

Understanding clutter weightingWireless network traffic is not uniform across a region. There are more users in urban and suburban areas than in forests and open land. Clutter weighting provides a more realistic view of traffic density. When you apply relative weighting factors, the Traffic Map Generator redistributes the amount of traffic within each census region according to the underlying clutter types. Figure 10.1 shows a traffic map created from population data without applying clutter weighting. Each census region is marked with a color reflecting its total population. Red areas are the most populated, blue areas the least. Figure 10.2 shows the same traffic map after clutter weighting is applied.

Figure 10.1 Traffic map made from population data by region without clutter weighting

Erlangs to Kbps 1 0.000001 to 1 000 000

Kbps to Erlangs 1 0.000001 to 1 000 000

Table 10.2 Conversion factors for input traffic data (continued)

Conversion Default Factor Range

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Figure 10.2 Traffic map made from population data by region with clutter weighting

Clutter weighting reduces the traffic data value where the underlying clutter type implies few subscribers, for example, water, open areas, and forest. Values are increased where the underlying clutter is urban or industrial. Only the distribution of traffic is affected. The total amount of traffic is unchanged. You control clutter weighting by defining a relative weighting value for each clutter type.The clutter file you use for predictions and analyses is probably not the best one to use for clutter weighting. Instead of ground cover types, clutter weighting requires land use information about areas such as shopping centers, stadiums, and highways so that subscriber densities can be determined.

Including vectors in clutterWireless network traffic is often concentrated along roads. It is useful to include roads on the clutter grid so that they can be assigned clutter classes for clutter weighting. You do this by merging your base clutter file with the vector file containing the roads.During merging, vector objects are converted to bins in the clutter grid file and assigned a clutter class. You can set the width of vector objects on the grid by setting their buffer radius. If the vector file contains this information, you can use a separate buffer radius setting for each type of vector object. A vector object, such as a road, added to the clutter grid, can be assigned a clutter class that replaces the underlying clutter type. Or, you can create a new combined clutter type that reflects both the vector type and the underlying clutter type. For example, you could create new clutter types such as Highway/Urban and Highway/Open.

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Workflow for creating and editing a traffic mapStep 1 Create a base traffic map based on:

■ Regions, vectors, or a classified grid. See “Creating traffic maps from regions, vectors, and classified grids” on page 312.

■ Network data. See “Creating a traffic map from network data” on page 315.

Step 2 If required, apply clutter weighting. See “Applying clutter weighting” on page 319.

Step 3 If required, modify the traffic map properties. You can

■ Convert traffic maps. See “Converting traffic maps” on page 324.

■ Scale traffic maps. See “Scaling traffic maps” on page 325.

■ Combine traffic maps. See “Combining traffic maps” on page 327.

Creating traffic maps from regions, vectors, and classified gridsThe procedure for creating traffic maps using data from regions or vectors differs from that used to create traffic maps from a classified grid.

To create a traffic map from regions or vectors1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Traffic Maps and choose New From Map Data.

The Traffic Map Generator: General dialog box opens.

2 Type a name in the Name box.

The name must contain only alphanumeric characters and no spaces.

3 In the Traffic Data Input Format section, choose one of the following options:■ Regions—if your traffic data is a .tab file that defines regions

where a total traffic count is assigned to each region.■ Vectors—if your traffic data is a .tab file that contains vectors

with the total traffic count assigned to each vector.

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4 From the Input Data Unit list, choose the units used in the input data.5 From the Output Data Unit list, choose the units that you want to use in

your traffic map.6 If the units for the input and output data do not match, in the Conversion

Factor box, type a conversion factor for input data unit to output data unit, or accept the default.

When converting from subscribers, the conversion factor should account for both the conversion of units and the conversion of population to subscribers (penetration rate). For more information, see “Conversion factors for input traffic data” on page 309.

7 In the Description box, type a brief description of up to 64 characters.8 Click Next.

The Traffic Map Generator: Traffic Data dialog box opens.

9 Do one of the following:■ From the Region/Vector Layer list, choose the map layer that

contains the traffic data.■ Click Open Table, navigate to the table that contains the traffic

data, and click Open.10 From the Name Column list, choose the column that contains the

identifying names of the regions or vector objects. This option enables density values to be calculated based on the combined data values for all region objects with the same value in the chosen Name Column, divided by the combined area for these objects.

When your data does not contain polygon names, choose the <Blank> option to treat each region as a separate area for generating a traffic map.

11 From the Data Column list, choose the column that contains the traffic or subscriber counts.

12 Click Next.

The Traffic Map Generator: Clutter Weighting dialog box opens.

13 Do one of the following:■ Enable the Apply Clutter Weighting check box to use clutter

weighting. See “To apply clutter weighting using a clutter file” on page 320 or “To apply clutter weighting using a merged

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clutter/vector file” on page 321. For an explanation of clutter weighting, see “Understanding clutter weighting” on page 310.

■ Clear the Apply Clutter Weighting check box, and in the Traffic Map Resolution box, type a value or accept the default. You will not be able to change the resolution after you apply clutter weighting, since the traffic map is produced at the same resolution as the clutter file.

14 Click Finish.

To create a traffic map from a classified grid1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Traffic Maps and choose New From Map Data.

The Traffic Map Generator dialog box opens.



3 In the Traffic Data Input Format section, choose the Classified Grid option.




When converting from subscribers, the conversion factor should account for both the conversion of units and the conversion of population to subscribers (penetration rate). For more information, see “Conversion factors for input traffic data” on page 309.



You can apply or alter clutter weighting in the Traffic Map Properties dialog box. To access this dialog box, right-click the traffic map in the

Project Explorer and choose Properties.

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9 Click Browse beside the Region Definition File box, navigate to the classified grid that defines the regions, and click Open.

10 Click Browse beside the Traffic Assignment File box, navigate to the text file that contains the traffic values for the regions, and then click Open.

11 If you want to edit the data, click Edit and do any of the following:■ To change a data value, click the row in the Total Traffic

column, and type a new value.■ To load an assignment file, click Load, navigate to the file, and

then click Open.■ To save an assignment file, click Save As, navigate to the folder

where you want to save the file, type a file name, and click Save.■ To save your modified data and return to the Traffic Map

Generator, click OK.■ To return to the Traffic Map Generator without changing data

values, click Cancel.12 Click Next.

The Traffic Map Generator: Clutter Weighting dialog box opens.

13 Do one of the following:■ Enable the Apply Clutter Weighting check box to use clutter

weighting. See “To apply clutter weighting using a clutter file” on page 320 or “To apply clutter weighting using a merged clutter/vector file” on page 321. For an explanation of clutter weighting, see “Understanding clutter weighting” on page 310.

■ Clear the Apply Clutter Weighting check box, and in the Traffic Map Resolution box, type a value or accept the default.

14 Click Finish.

Creating a traffic map from network dataYou can create a traffic map from network data. Network data is data collected from wireless network switching equipment. It contains information about network configuration and performance. You use the Network Data tool to map network data to Mentum Planet data. This is referred to as binding.

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Before you can create a traffic map from network data, you must generate signal strength predictions for the sectors specified in the network data. For more information, see “Generating predictions” on page 277.This section explains how to bind network data to create a traffic map. The procedures in this section focus on how to use the Network Data tool to create traffic maps only. You can use the Network Data tool for other purposes as well. For more information on using the Network Data tool, see “Using the Network Data tool” on page 390.Your network data must be in an Excel spreadsheet or tab-delimited text file. To create a traffic map, your network data must contain the following fields, which you will need to map to Mentum Planet data:

■ the Site ID of the serving sector■ the Sector ID of the serving sector■ information about traffic for each sector

To import network data for a traffic map1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

Network Data and choose New.

The Network Data dialog box opens.

2 In the External Data Source section, click Browse, navigate to your Microsoft Excel (.xls) or text network data file, and click Open.

3 Do the following to associate the required network data fields to the corresponding site data:■ On the Data Binding tab, in the External Data column, find the

row that contains the site ID, and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the sector ID, and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the traffic information, and choose Carried Erlangs or Offered Erlangs from the Planet Data list in that row.

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4 If you want to save the binding rules that you created in Step 3 for use with other external data sources, click Save As, type a name in the File Name box, and click Save.

Saving the rules means that you can use them with other network data files that use the same column names. Instead of recreating the binding rules each time, you can load the appropriate binding rules file.

5 Click the Results tab.6 Click Fetch.

You can examine the fetched data in the table. There should be traffic data for all sectors for which you are creating the traffic map. Sectors with network data are shown with a colored background. Sectors without network data are shown with a white background and gray text. If the data import is not as you want it, you can return to the Data Binding tab and make changes.

7 Clear the Generate Display Info When Saving Results check box.8 To save the results, click Save.

9 Click Close to close the Network Data dialog box.

To create a traffic map from network dataBefore you create a traffic map from network data, you must

■ Generate signal strength predictions for the sectors specified in the network data. See “Generating predictions” on page 277.

■ Import the network data. See “To import network data for a traffic map” on page 316.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click Traffic Maps and choose New From Map Data.

The Traffic Map Generator dialog box opens.

If you later want to generate display info for use with the Network Data tool, right-click the network data file in Operational Data category of the

Project Explorer and choose View. The Network Data dialog box opens and you can enable the Generate Display Info When Saving Results check box. Click Save, enable the check box for each performance indicator that you want to view, and click OK. Click Close. For more information, see “Using Network Data Display” on page 399.

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3 In the Traffic Data Input Format section, choose the Network Data option.




For more information, see “Conversion factors for input traffic data” on page 309.



9 From the Select Prebound Network Data list, choose the network data to use.

10 From the Select Traffic Data Column list, choose the network data column to use.

11 Do one of the following:■ If you want to use an existing best serving sector grid or best

serving signal strength grid, click Browse, navigate to the best serving sector grid or the best serving signal strength grid, and click Open. Depending on your project, these grids will be located in the TDMA_FDMA Analyses folder, the cdma2000_Analyses folder, or the WCDMA_Analyses folder.

■ If you want to have the Traffic Map Generator generate a best serving sector grid, enable the Create the BSC On-the-Fly check box and type a threshold value in the Min. Signal Strength box to limit the traffic spreading to within the best serving area of a sector. Areas where the best serving signal strength is below the threshold will be discarded when creating the best serving sector grid.

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12 If you chose to create the best serving sector grid on the fly, and you want to define the resolution for the classified grid, do one of the following in the Analysis Resolution section:■ To generate the interference matrix by automatically optimizing

the multiple resolutions of the generated best server coverage grid, enable the Optimal option.

■ To specify the resolution to be used when generating the best server coverage grid, enable the User Defined option, and either choose a value from the list or type a value in the box.

13 Click Next.

The Traffic Map Generator: Clutter Weighting dialog box opens. You can apply clutter weighting now or add it later using the Traffic Map Properties dialog box. For information about applying clutter weighting, see “Applying clutter weighting” on page 319.

The Traffic Map Resolution box is unavailable. The traffic map has the same resolution as the best server coverage grid.

14 Click Finish.

Applying clutter weightingClutter weighting redistributes traffic values according to the type of clutter in each region. The result is a more realistic prediction of where your traffic loading will occur. You can base your clutter weightings on

■ a clutter grid■ a clutter grid merged with a vector file

When you merge a vector file with a clutter grid, you can include significant sources of traffic represented by vectors, such as major roads, in your clutter weighting. The merging technique enables you to set a buffer zone around vector objects that is written with the vector object’s traffic value. You can use a single buffer size for all vector objects, or use a different value for each vector object type, as specified in your vector table.

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To apply clutter weighting using a clutter file1 Do one of the following:

■ On the Clutter Weighting panel in the Traffic Map Generator dialog box, enable the Apply Clutter Weighting check box.

■ Right-click an existing traffic map in the Project Explorer, choose Properties, and, in the Traffic Map Properties dialog box, choose Clutter Weighting, then enable the Apply Clutter Weighting check box.

2 If you want to use a different clutter file than the default one displayed in the Underlying Clutter File box, click Browse, navigate to the clutter file that you want to use, and click Open.

The default underlying clutter file is the clutter file for the project, if one has been specified.

3 Do one of the following:■ To reuse an existing clutter weighting file (.crd), click Load,

navigate to the .crd file you want to use, and click Open.■ To create a new clutter weighting file (.crd), click Edit, in the

Clutter Property Assignment: Clutter Relative Weighting dialog box, modify the relative weighting values and the unit conversion factors as required, click Save, and click Close.

Values must be positive. The values in the Relative Weighting column reflect the relative traffic in each clutter type. The values in the Unit Conversion Factor column reflect the relationship between subscribers and traffic in each clutter type. The general conversion factor between input and output units is set in the traffic map general properties.

■ To save a clutter weighting file (.crd) with a new name, click Save As, type a name for the file and click Save.

4 To finish, do one of the following:■ If you are in the Traffic Map Generator dialog box, click

Finish. ■ If you are in the Traffic Map Properties dialog box, click

Update.

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To apply clutter weighting using a merged clutter/vector file1 Do one of the following:

■ On the Clutter Weighting panel in the Traffic Map Generator, enable the Apply Clutter Weighting check box.

■ Right-click an existing traffic map in the Project Explorer, choose Properties, and then, in the Traffic Map Properties dialog box, choose Clutter Weighting, then enable the Apply Clutter Weighting check box.

2 Click New from Vectors.

The Vector and Clutter Merging dialog box opens.

3 On the General tab, beside the New Clutter File Name box, click Save.4 Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type a name in the

File Name box, and click Save.5 Do one of the following:

■ From the Vector Layer list, choose a vector layer. Only currently open vector layers are listed.

■ Click Open, navigate to the vector .tab file that you want to use, and click OK.

6 From the Name Column list, choose the column that contains the vector object names.

7 Beside the Base Clutter File box, click Browse, navigate to the clutter file that you want to use, and click Open.

8 Do one of the following:■ If you want to create new clutter types that combine vector types

with the underlying clutter types, enable the Create Combined Clutter Types check box. For example, where a single Highway vector object overlaps Urban and Residential Clutter types, create the new clutter types Highway/Urban and Highway/Residential. This option increases computation time.

■ If you want to replace the underlying clutter type with the vector object where there is an overlap, clear the Create Combined Clutter Types check box.

9 Click the Buffer Settings tab.

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10 In the Radius section, do one of the following:■ To use the same buffer radius for all objects, choose the Value

option, and type a radius value in the adjacent box.■ To use different radius values for each vector object, choose the

From Column option, and then from the list, choose the vector table column containing the buffering radius values.

11 If you chose the Value option and you want to include region objects from the vector file in your merged clutter/vector file, enable the Include Regions check box.

Otherwise, only point and line objects are merged.

12 From the Units list, choose the units for the radius value or values.13 Click Generate.

The Vector and Clutter Merging dialog box closes and the Clutter Property Assignment: Clutter Relative Weighting dialog box reopens.

For detailed instructions on editing clutter weighting factors, see “To modify clutter relative weightings” on page 322.

14 Do one of the following:■ If you are in the Traffic Map Generator dialog box, click

Finish. ■ If you are in the Traffic Map Properties dialog box, click

Update.

Modifying clutter relative weightingsThe relative weightings of different clutter types determine how traffic densities are distributed in the traffic map.

To modify clutter relative weightings1 Right-click an existing traffic map in the Project Explorer, choose

Properties, and then, in the Traffic Map Properties dialog box, choose Clutter Weighting.

2 Click Edit.

The Clutter Property Assignment: Clutter Relative Weighting dialog box opens.

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3 To change any numeric value in the Properties table, click in the cell and type a new value.

Values must be positive. The values in the Relative Weighting column reflect the relative number of subscribers in each clutter type. The values in the Unit Conversion Factor column reflect the relationship between subscribers and traffic in each clutter type. The general conversion factor between input and output units is set in the traffic map general properties.

4 When you have finished modifying values, click Save, and then click Close.

5 Click Update.

Viewing traffic mapsYou can view traffic maps in the current Map window. In the Windows category of the Project Explorer, the traffic map layer name is prefixed with “TM_.”

To view a traffic map■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

traffic map and choose View.

Adding traffic maps to the Project ExplorerTraffic maps are automatically added to the Project Explorer when you create them. You can also add traffic maps that you did not create in the current project.

To add a traffic map to the Project Explorer1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click

Traffic Maps and choose Add.2 In the Add Traffic Map dialog box, navigate to the traffic map that you

want to add, and click Open.

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Modifying traffic mapsThere are various ways that you can modify and reuse the traffic maps that are generated in Mentum Planet. All of the following operations create a new map:

■ Convert a map to a different traffic unit, changing subscribers/km2 to Erlangs/km2, for example. See “To convert a traffic map” on page 324.

■ Scale the traffic values by a percentage value. You could do this to adjust for traffic growth, for example. See “To scale a traffic map by percentage” on page 325.

■ Scale the traffic values by a positive or negative offset. See “To scale a traffic map by offset” on page 325.

■ Scale traffic values by a multiplier depending on the underlying clutter type. You could do this to adjust for traffic growth in certain clutter types, for example. See “To scale a traffic map using clutter scaling factors” on page 326.

■ Combine maps, converting traffic units as needed. The maps must use the same coordinate system, but can be based on different types of input data. See “To combine traffic maps” on page 327.

Converting traffic mapsYou can convert a traffic map to a different traffic unit and save it as a new file.

To convert a traffic map1 In the Project Explorer, right-click on a traffic map and choose Convert.

The Convert Traffic Map dialog box opens.

2 In the Converted Traffic Map Name box, type a name for the new traffic map, or accept the default.

3 From the Converted Traffic Map Unit list, choose the traffic unit to which you want to convert.

4 In the Conversion Factor box, type the conversion factor, or accept the default.

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5 Click Convert.

The converted map is added to the Traffic Maps node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. Its properties are not editable.

Scaling traffic mapsYou can change the values in an existing traffic map by scaling them in one of three ways:

■ multiply each value by a factor expressed as a percentage■ add or subtract an offset amount to each value■ multiply each value by a factor dependent on clutter type

To scale a traffic map by percentage1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click on a

traffic map and choose Scale.

The Scale Traffic Map dialog box opens.

2 In the Scaled Traffic Map Name box, type a name for the new map, or accept the default.

3 From the Scaling Method list, choose Percentage.4 In the Scaling Factor box, type the scaling factor.

For percentage scaling, the factor must be between 0 and 100 000, inclusive. A value of 100% leaves the map unchanged.

5 Click Scale.

The scaled map is added to the Traffic Maps node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. Its properties are not editable.

To scale a traffic map by offset1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click on a




3 From the Scaling Method list, choose Offset.

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4 In the Scaling Offset box, type the scaling offset.

For Offset scaling, the factor must be between -100 000 and 100 000.

5 Click Scale.


To scale a traffic map using clutter scaling factors1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click on a




3 From the Scaling Method list, choose Clutter.

By default, the Scaling Clutter File box shows the name of the clutter file that was used to create the original traffic map. The project clutter file is set as the default clutter file when the original traffic map was created without using a clutter weighting file.

4 If you want to create a different clutter file, click Browse, navigate to the clutter file that you want to use, and click Open.

5 Do any of the following:■ Click Edit—to modify clutter scaling factors. The Clutter

Property Assignment: Clutter Scaling Factor dialog box opens.■ Click Load—to open an existing Clutter Scaling Factors (.csf)

file.■ Click Save As—to save the clutter scaling factors to a .csf file.

6 If you chose Edit, in the Clutter Properties Assignment: Clutter Scaling Factor dialog box, click in the cell and type a new value to change Scaling Factor values in the Properties table.

Values must be positive and between 0.001 and 10 000, inclusive.

7 When you have finished modifying values, click Save, and then click Close.

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8 Click Scale.


Combining traffic mapsYou can combine traffic maps to produce a map of a larger area. The process of combining grids is similar to that of grid splicing, except that traffic counts for overlapping areas can be combined using any of the following methods:

■ Average—the average traffic value at each bin of all of the traffic maps that have coverage at that bin

■ Average of Min & Max—the average traffic value between the minimum traffic value and the maximum traffic value at each bin of all of the traffic maps that have coverage at that bin

■ Maximum—the maximum traffic value at each bin of all of the traffic maps that have coverage at that bin

■ Minimum—the minimum traffic value at each bin of all of the traffic maps that have coverage at that bin

■ Sum—the sum traffic value at each bin of all of the traffic maps that have coverage at that bin

The maps that you are combining must have the same coordinate system. Differences in traffic units between the input maps and the new combined map are resolved through conversion. You can specify conversion factors or use the defaults.

To combine traffic maps 1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click one of

the traffic maps that you want to combine and choose Combine.

The Combine Traffic Maps dialog box opens.

2 In the Combined Traffic Map Name box, type a name for the new map, or accept the default.

3 From the Combining Method list, choose the method that you want to use to combine the traffic maps.

4 In the Other Compatible Traffic Maps box, enable the check boxes beside the traffic maps that you want to combine.

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5 From the Combined Traffic Map Unit list, choose the traffic unit that you want to use for the new map.

6 Click Combine.7 If you are prompted to convert traffic map units, in the Mentum Planet

dialog box, click OK.

The Assign Conversion Factors dialog box opens.

8 For each map that requires conversion, in the Conversion Factor box, type the conversion factor or accept the default and click Next.

9 When you have finished assigning the conversion factors, click Finish.

The new combined traffic map is added to the Traffic Maps node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer. Its properties are not editable.

Deleting traffic mapsYou can remove a traffic map from the Project Explorer and delete the associated traffic map files using the Project Explorer.

To delete a traffic map1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

traffic map that you want to delete and choose Delete.2 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

If you want to combine traffic maps that all use the same traffic unit, you can use the quick combine method. In the Project Explorer, in the

Project Data category, choose the traffic maps that you want to combine. Right-click any of the traffic maps you selected and choose Combine. In the Combine Traffic Maps dialog box, type a name in the Combined Traffic Map Name box, and click OK.

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Chapter 11: Working with Interference Matrices

11.
Working with Interference Matrices
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding interference

matrices■ Workflow for creating

interference matrices■ Creating Modeled

interference matrices■ Creating Network Data

interference matrices■ Creating Local Knowledge

interference matrices■ Viewing interference matrices■ Viewing sector-to-sector

interference in a Map window■ Converting a matrix to a

standard interference matrix■ Merging interference matrices■ Deleting interference matrices

An interference matrix is an important input to

neighbor lists and to some tools that are part of

specific technologies.

This chapter describes how to generate and edit the

different types of interference matrices.

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Understanding interference matricesAn interference matrix compares sector signal strengths throughout the network and identifies the sectors that potentially interfere with each other. Sectors with similar signal strengths produce interference when they are on the same or adjacent channels. An interference matrix can be based on any or all of the following:

■ a network analysis■ a traffic map■ network data■ local RF engineering knowledge

For all projects, an interference matrix is used for creating neighbor lists. It is also used as an input to other tools such as the Automatic Frequency Planning tool, the Interactive Frequency Planning tool, and the Color Code Planning tool.The completed interference matrix shows the sources of interference for each sector in a table format.

Figure 11.1 Interference matrix listing the sectors that interfere with Site 1001, Sector 1

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Working with Interference MatricesMentum Planet User Guide

Interference matrix typesThere are three types of interference matrices:

■ Modeled (of which there are two variants—Standard and Histogram)

■ Network Data■ Local Knowledge

This chapter provides detailed information about creating each type. You can merge the information from the different interference matrix types into a single interference matrix to compensate for the disadvantages of each type and produce a more accurate list of interferers.Table 11.1 Types of interference matrices

Type Description Disadvantages

Modeled Interference Matrix(Standard)(see “Creating Modeled interference matrices” on page 334)

■ Based on signal strength predictions (from propagation model and/or drive test data) and a best server grid for the selected sites

■ Looks at the C/I value between sectors using the best server area that is independent of the current serving area

■ Provides statistical C/I information for sectors that are far away.

■ Provides statistical interference information between any combination of two sectors

■ accounts for C/I only at the ground level; does not account for mobile use in buildings

■ only approximates subscriber traffic locations, unless the matrix is based on a traffic map

■ provides only the percentage of interference; additional parameters affect the quality of reuse

Modeled Interference Matrix(Histogram)(see “Creating Modeled interference matrices” on page 334)

■ Based on signal strength predictions (from propagation model and/or drive test data)

■ Looks at C/I values on a bin-by-bin basis using the best server area that is independent of the current serving area

■ Assigns a weighting value to non best serving areas

■ accounts for C/I only at the ground level; does not account for mobile use in buildings

■ only approximates subscriber traffic locations, unless the matrix is based on a traffic map

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Network Data(see “Creating Network Data interference matrices” on page 340)

■ Based on actual network performance from switch data

■ Provides C/I statistics from all the subscriber calls of the network

■ Indirectly accounts for subscribers in buildings that the Modeled interference matrix cannot account for

■ Accounts for the true traffic distribution whereas the Modeled interference matrix uses a best guess based on clutter weights

■ Can be converted to a Modeled interference matrix.

■ does not account for all offending interferers

■ provides only the percentage of interference; additional parameters affect the quality of reuse

■ does not account for problem areas where calls are dropped

■ does not account for interference of co-channel sectors

Local Knowledge(see “Creating Local Knowledge interference matrices” on page 344)

■ based on an RF engineer’s categorical assessment of the level of interference from each potential server; RF engineers can use local knowledge and overwrite the previous interference matrices

■ allows the Automatic Frequency Planning tool to determine the validity of reuse so it does not rely on interference statistics

■ allows storage of the local knowledge

■ provides a fine-tuning of the interference matrix

■ can be converted to a Modeled interference matrix

■ does not provide sufficient information when used by itself; it must be merged with other types of interference matrices

Table 11.1 Types of interference matrices (continued)

Type Description Disadvantages

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Workflow for creating interference matricesStep 1 Create a sector group to use when creating interference

matrices. For valid results, each step in the workflow must be based on the same sectors. For more information about sector groups, see “Working with sector groups” on page 93.

Step 2 Create signal strength predictions for the sector group. See “Generating predictions” on page 277. If you want to use a best server grid for your specific technology instead of the best server grid that is generated by the Interference Matrix tool, generate a best server analysis. For information on generating analyses, see the appropriate User Guide.

Step 3 If you want to include traffic information in your interference matrix, create the traffic map. For more information, see “Chapter 10: Working with Traffic Maps” on page 307.

Step 4 Create interference matrices of the types you need:

■ “Creating Modeled interference matrices” on page 334■ “Creating Network Data interference matrices” on page 340■ “Creating Local Knowledge interference matrices” on page 344

Step 5 View the interference matrix. See “Viewing interference matrices” on page 346.

Step 6 If you want to use switch data or an RF engineer’s categorical assessments for modeling a network, convert a Network Data or Local Knowledge interference matrix to a Modeled interference matrix. See “Converting a matrix to a standard interference matrix” on page 350

Step 7 If you want to combine multiple interference matrices into a single matrix, merge the interference matrices. See “Merging interference matrices” on page 351.

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Creating Modeled interference matricesA modeled interference matrix is generated using signal strength predictions and a best server grid for the selected sites. Technology-specific projects can use a best server grid generated in the project.There are two types of modeled interference matrix. Each matrix is identified in the Project Explorer with a unique icon.

■ Standard Interference Matrices—details how much traffic or how much of the serving sector area is affected by an interfering sector on both the co- and adjacent channels

■ Histogram Interference Matrices—details the C/I distribution of the servers for a given interferer

Standard interference matrixIn a standard interference matrix, the analysis can include areas where a server is not the best server but can still provide service. These are areas where handover occurs. You define this area by specifying the maximum permissible difference between the signal strength of the server and the best server. Affected area and affected traffic values for the non-best servers are reduced by the non-best server weighting factor that you define.For each sector, the matrix lists the area affected by co-channel interference and the area affected by adjacent channel interference. These values are in square kilometers. If you provide a traffic map, the interference matrix also calculates the amount of traffic, in milliErlangs, affected by co-channel and adjacent channel interference.The standard interference matrix relies on C/I weights tables to determine the probability of interference from a competing signal, based on the difference in strength between the serving and interfering sectors. There are two C/I weights tables, one for co-channel interference and one for adjacent-channel interference. These tables define the points of a C/I curve. See “To create a standard interference matrix” on page 335.

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Histogram interference matrixIf you are working with third-party AFP tools, you can generate histogram interference matrices to use with these tools.A histogram interference matrix is generated “on-the-fly” by calculating C/I values at each bin across the network. In each histogram interference matrix, C/I values are calculated for “strong” interferers and the mean and standard deviation values are calculated for “weak” interferers. Which interferers are considered “strong” and which are considered “weak” is determined by the C/I thresholds that you define.When you generate a histogram matrix, a folder is created that contains multiple files (.srv files). By saving a series of smaller files, you can improve the time required to open an interference matrix.

To create a standard interference matrix1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Right-click the Modeled node and choose New Standard Matrix.3 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the appropriate group and click

Continue.

When the generation of predictions is complete, the Generate a Standard Interference Matrix dialog box opens.

4 If you want to base your interference matrix on a traffic map, in the Traffic section, enable the Use a Traffic Map check box, and choose a traffic map from the Traffic Map list.

5 In the C/I Weights Tables section, do one of the following: ■ To use existing tables, from the Co-channel and Adjacent

Channel lists, choose a C/I weights table.■ To create new default C/I weights tables, click New below the

Co-channel and Adjacent Channel lists and modify the curves as required. For information on the Curve Editor, press the F1 key.

6 If you want to use a best server grid for your specific technology instead of the best server grid that is generated by the Interference Matrix tool,

You can generate a histogram interference matrix only forTDMA/FDMA sites.

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enable the Use a Technology-Dependent Best Server check box, and choose a best server grid from the Best Server Analysis list.

A technology-dependent best server grid includes the effect of hierarchical cell layers for technologies that support them.

7 In the Non Best Server Calculation section, do any of the following:■ If you want to define the value used to calculate the non-best

server region, type a value in the Include Servers Within box, or accept the default. The non-best server region is the region where the server is not the best server, but can provide coverage. The value that you type in the Include Servers Within box defines the number of dB that the server can be less than the best server signal and still provide service.

■ If you want to define the relative importance of non-best server area interference, type a value in the Non-Best Server Weighting box, or accept the default. The Non-Best Server Weighting value is the percentage of interference that comes from areas where a server is a non-best server.

8 In the Data Sampling Resolution section, do one of the following:■ To generate the interference matrix by automatically optimizing

the multiple resolutions of the signal strength grid, choose the Optimal option.

■ To specify the resolution to be used when generating the interference matrix, choose the User Defined option, and either choose a value from the list or type a value in the box.

9 Do any of the following to specify the minimum signal strength of best servers, non-best servers, and interferers used when generating the interference matrix:■ Type a value in the Victim RSSI Threshold box to define the

minimum received signal strength indicator in dBm, or accept the default. RSSI values range from -200 to 0 dBm. Servers with signal strengths below this value will not be used when generating the interference matrix.

■ Type a value in the Offender RSSI Threshold box to define the received signal strength filter threshold. Interferers with signal strengths below this value will not be used when generating the interference matrix.

10 Click OK.

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11 In the Save As dialog box, type a name for the file, and click Save.

The interference matrix must be saved to the InterferenceMatrix folder in your project folder with a .imx extension (it is saved there by default). After you click Save, an information dialog box opens, displaying the status of the operation.

12 When the operation is complete, in the Interference Matrix dialog box, click Close.

The interference matrix is displayed under the Modeled node in the Project Explorer.

13 Click Close to close the Prediction Generator.

To create a histogram interference matrix1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Right-click the Modeled node and choose New Histogram Matrix.3 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the sectors for which you want to

generate a histogram interference matrix and click Continue.4 In the Generate A Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box, in the

left pane, expand the Settings node and choose Calculation.5 In the Name box, type a name for the interference matrix.6 If you want the interference matrix to account for traffic, in the Traffic

section, enable the Use a Traffic Map check box and choose a traffic map from the list.

7 In the RSSI Thresholds section, choose one of the following options for the victim:■ Use Network Settings Rx Sensitivity—to use the calculated

value of -103.99 dBm.■ User-Defined—to define the minimum received signal strength

indicator in dBm, or accept the default. RSSI values range from -200 to 0 dBm. Servers with signal strengths below this value will not be used when generating the interference matrix.

You can also access the Interference Matrix Generator dialog box by choosing Tools ➤ Interference Matrix Generator.

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8 In the Offender RSSI Threshold box, type a value to define the received signal strength filter threshold. Interferers with signal strengths below this value will not be used when generating the interference matrix.

9 In the Non-Best Server Calculation section, type values in the following boxes:■ Include Servers Within—this value is the maximum acceptable

difference between the signal strength and the best server signal strength that identifies a non-best server. This value must be greater than 0 to affect the generated interference matrix.

■ Non-Best Server Weighting—this value is the percentage of interference that comes from areas where a server is a non-best server. The range for non-best server weighting is 0% to 100%.

10 If you want to include Hierarchial Cell Layers (HCL) in the generation of the histogram interference matrix, enable the Use HCL (Hierarchial Cell Layers) check box.

The best server layers are generated “on-the-fly”.

11 If you want to use the timing advance limit you defined in the Sector Settings dialog box, enable the Use Timing Advance Limit check box.

The timing advance limit is the maximum distance (in km) from a sector that a mobile user can be served.

12 In the left pane, choose Histogram.13 On the Histogram panel, in the Histogram Intervals section, define the

following values:■ Minimum C/I—the minimum C/I value stored in the histogram

in dB. Any C/I value below the minimum will be considered equal this value.

■ Maximum C/I—the maximum C/I value stored in the histogram in dB. Any C/I value above the maximum will be considered equal to this value.

■ Number of Steps—the number of values saved in the histogram.

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14 In the Histogram Based Interferers Filtering section, enable any of the following check boxes:■ Use Nth Strongest—C/I histograms are saved for the Nth

strongest interferers while only the average and standard deviation values are saved for other interferers.

■ Use Relative Threshold—full histograms are saved for the interferer that has an average C/I value that is lower than the worst interferer C/I value plus the relative threshold.

■ Use Absolute Threshold—full histograms are saved for interferers that have an average C/I value that is lower than the absolute threshold.

The settings on the Conversion panel are not used in the generation of a new histogram interference matrix.

15 Click Generate.

To create a histogram interference matrix using existing settings1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Expand the Modeled node and choose a histogram interference matrix.3 Right-click and choose New ➤ Histogram Matrix From Same Settings.4 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the sectors for which you want to

generate a histogram interference matrix and click Continue.5 In the Generate A Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box, expand

the Settings node and choose any of the following panels in the left pane:■ Calculation—to define traffic settings, RSSI thresholds, non

best server calculation settings, and specify whether to consider hierarchical cell layers and use the timing advance limit.

■ Histogram—to define histogram intervals, specify how the histogram interference matrix is saved, and what interferer filtering you want to use.

The settings on the Conversion panel are not used in the generation of a new histogram interference matrix.

For information on these panels, press the F1 key.

6 Click Generate.

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To update an existing histogram interference matrix1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Expand the Modeled node and choose a histogram interference matrix.3 Right-click and choose Update.4 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the sectors for which you want to

update the histogram interference matrix and click Continue.5 In the Generate A Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box, in the

left pane, expand the Settings node and choose Calculation if it’s not already chosen.

6 In the Name box, type a name for the updated interference matrix or accept the current name, and click Generate.

7 Click Close.

The chosen histogram interference matrix is updated or a new histogram interference matrix is added beneath the Modeled node.

Creating Network Data interference matricesYou can generate an interference matrix based on actual network performance by using the Network Data tool to import data on the percentage of traffic experiencing interference. A Network Data interference matrix uses imported switch information that lists the sources of interference for each sector and the percentage of affected traffic. Network data is data collected from wireless network switching equipment. It contains information about network configuration and performance. You use the Network Data tool to map network data to Mentum Planet data. This is referred to as binding. This section explains how to bind network data to create an interference matrix, and how to add that information to the Project Explorer. The procedures in this section focus on how to use the Network Data tool to create interference matrices only. You can use the Network Data tool for other purposes as well. For more information on using the Network Data tool, see “Using the Network Data tool” on page 390.Your network data must be in an Excel spreadsheet or tab-delimited text file. To create an interference matrix, your network data must contain the

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following fields, which you will need to map to Mentum Planet data, as described in “To create a Network Data interference matrix” on page 343:

■ Site ID of the serving sector■ Sector ID of the serving sector■ Site ID of the interfering sector■ Sector ID of the interfering sector■ Affected Traffic

If the network data has a Cell_ID column, the Network Data tool can convert the Cell_ID data to site and sector identifiers. The Cell_ID data must be in the form “sitenameX,” where sitename is the site identifier and X is an alphabetic character representing the sector number: A for 1, B for 2, and so on.

To import network data for an interference matrix1 Choose Data ➤ Import ➤ Network Data.


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2 In the External Data Source section, click Browse, navigate to your Microsoft Excel (.xls) or text network data file, and then click Open.


If the external data contains a Cell_ID column, the Mentum Planet dialog box opens.

3 Do one of the following:■ Click No to import the Cell_ID column with no change. To do

this, you must have a Cell_ID column in the site table that contains data in the following format sitenameA, sitenameB.

■ Click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and Sector_ID.

The columns SiteId(Converted) and SectorId(Converted) are listed in the External Data column of the Rules table.

4 Map the fields required to generate an interference matrix by doing the following:■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the

serving site ID, and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the serving sector ID, and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the interfering site ID, and choose Interfering Site from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the interfering sector ID, and choose Interfering Sector from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the affected traffic value as a percentage, and choose Affected Traffic from the Planet Data list in that row.

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5 If you want to save the binding rules that you created in Step 4 for use with other external data sources, click Save As, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.



You can examine the fetched data in the table. The table rows are shaded for sites in the site table that have network data, unshaded for sites that have no data. You can also use the Filter Options list to list only sites with data or only sites without data. If the data import is not as you want it, you can return to the Data Binding tab, and make changes.

8 Clear the Generate Display Info When Saving Results check box.

You cannot display network data about interference.

9 To save the data, click Save.10 Click Close to close the Network Data dialog box.

To create a Network Data interference matrixAfter you have imported network data for an interference matrix, as described in “To import network data for an interference matrix” on page 341, you need to create the interference matrix from the network data.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Interference Matrices and choose New ➤ From Network Data.

The Import Interference Matrix From Network Data dialog box opens.

2 In the Import Interference Matrix From Network Data dialog box, from the Network Data list, choose the same network data file that you chose in Step 2 of “To import network data for an interference matrix” on page 341.

3 Click Select Sectors, choose the sectors for which you want to create an interference matrix, and then click Continue.

4 To view statistics about the data bindings for your network data file, click Refresh, and then click Close when the refresh is completed.

5 Click OK.

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6 In the Save As dialog box, type a name in the File Name box and click Save.

The Interference Matrix dialog box opens, displaying the new interference matrix.

7 Click Close.

Creating Local Knowledge interference matricesA Local Knowledge interference matrix consists of an RF engineer’s categorical assessment of the level of interference from each potential interferer—high, moderate, low, or none. You can also define the traffic affected by interference.This type of interference matrix is usually merged with a standard interference matrix and serves to override the conclusions of the automated calculations.

To create a Local Knowledge interference matrix1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click

Interference Matrices and choose New ➤ From Local Knowledge.2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the appropriate group and click

Continue.

The Local Knowledge Interference Matrix dialog box opens.

3 In the Servers tree view, choose the serving sector.

When interferers are defined, the affected sites and sectors are shown in red.

4 Click Add.5 In the Interferers panel, do all of the following:

■ From the Site list, choose the interfering site.■ From the Sector list, choose the interfering sector.■ From the Interference list, choose the interference level.

After you choose the interference level, the row background is color-coded.

6 To add more interferers, repeat Step 3 through Step 5.

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7 To remove an interferer from the interference matrix, choose the serving sector in the Servers tree view, then choose the interferer that you want to remove in the Interferers panel, and click Remove.

8 To sort the interference matrix by any column, click on the header of that column.

9 If you want to define values for interference weightings, see “To define Local Knowledge affected traffic”.

10 In the Local Knowledge Interference Matrix dialog box, choose File ➤ Save, type a name for the interference matrix, and click Save.

11 Click OK.

To define Local Knowledge affected trafficThe percentage of affected traffic is calculated using the following equation.

Traffic Threshold*Interference Weighting

1 In the Project Explorer, right-click a Local Knowledge interference matrix and choose Edit.

2 In the Local Knowledge Interference Matrix dialog box, click Interference Thresholds.

The Interference Thresholds dialog box opens.

3 In the Traffic Threshold box, type a baseline percentage defining the minimum affected traffic percentage to consider in the calculations.

4 For each row in the table, click in a field and type a value, or accept the default.

5 Do one of the following:■ Click Calculate to calculate the affected traffic percentage for

each interference level.■ Click Default to reset the affected traffic percentages to default

values.6 Click OK.7 In the Local Knowledge Interference Matrix dialog box, choose

File ➤ Save, type a name for the interference matrix, and click Save.8 Click OK.

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Viewing interference matricesYou can view the interferers and their effects for each sector in a table format. The interference metrics that are displayed depend on the type of interference matrix you view.

To view a standard interference matrix1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click the

interference matrix that you want to view and choose View.2 In the Interference Matrix dialog box, do any of the following:

■ In the Servers tree view, choose a sector and view its interferers in the Interferers table.

■ To view adjacent channel interferers in a standard interference matrix, choose the Adjacent Channel option from the Interference Display section.

■ To open another interference matrix file, click Open, navigate to the .imx file that you want to view, and then click Open.

3 Click Close.

Table 11.2 Metrics of interference matrices

Matrix type Metrics

Modeled(Standard)

Co-channel affected area (km2)Co-channel affected area (%)Co-channel affected traffic (mE)Co-channel affected traffic (%)

Adjacent channel affected area (km2)Adjacent channel affected area (%)Adjacent channel affected traffic (mE)Adjacent channel affected traffic (%)

Modeled(Histogram)

Co-channel affected area (km2)Co-channel affected area (%)

Adjacent channel affected area (km2)Adjacent channel affected area (%)

Network Data Co-channel affected traffic (%)

Local Knowledge Co-channel affected traffic (%)

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To view a histogram interference matrix1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Expand the Modeled node, right-click the histogram interference matrix

that you want to view, and choose View.

The Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box opens.

3 In the Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box, do any of the following:■ In the Servers tree view, choose a sector and view its interferers

in the Interferers table.■ To view adjacent channel interferers in a histogram interference

matrix, choose the Adjacent Channel option from the Interference Display section.

■ To view the Interferer Histogram curve of an interfering sector, click Browse in the Display Curve column. The Curve Editor

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dialog is displayed. For more information about the Curve Editor, press the F1 key.

4 Click Close.

To view histogram interference matrix settings1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Expand the Modeled node and choose a histogram interference matrix.3 Right-click and choose View Settings.

The Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box opens where you can view the setting used in the generation of the interference matrix as well as details about the creation of the matrix.

4 When you have finished reviewing the details, click Close.

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Viewing sector-to-sector interference in a Map windowYou can view a representation of the sources and intensity of interferers to a sector in a Map window. In Figure 11.2, the red lines show interference between the sites in the project. The thicker the line, the higher the level of interference. In the figure, the interference between Site_5 and Site_4 is greater than between Site_5 and Site_1.

Figure 11.2 Lines of interference between sites

To view interferers for a sector1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click the

interference matrix that you want to use and choose Active if the check box is not already enabled.

If the interference matrix is not active, no check mark will be visible.

2 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click on the sector that you want to view and choose Display Interference ➤ Use Interference Matrix.

The Display Interference dialog box opens.

3 From the Number of Interferers to Display list, choose the maximum number of interfering sectors to display.

4 In the Interference Metric section, choose the interference metric that you want to view.

Depending on the interference matrix you chose, some interference metrics might be unavailable. For example, a network data interference matrix does not contain information about adjacent channel interference.

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5 Click OK.

The sector-to-sector interference is shown in a Map window. Thicker lines indicate higher levels of interference.

To remove a sector-to-sector interference display■ In the Project Explorer, in the Windows category, expand the Map

Windows node and do one of the following:■ To remove the sector-to-sector interference display layer without

closing the table, right-click the SectortoSectorInterference layer and choose Remove.

■ To remove the sector-to-sector interference display layer and close the table, right-click the SectortoSectorInterference layer and choose Close.

Converting a matrix to a standard interference matrixYou can convert a Network Data or Local Knowledge interference matrix (IM) to a standard modeled interference matrix. This option is useful when you want to use switch data or an RF engineer’s categorical assessments for modeling a network. You can also convert a histogram interference matrix to a standard interference matrix.

To convert a Network Data or Local Knowledge IM1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click the

Network Data or Local Knowledge interference matrix that you want to convert and choose Convert to Modeled.

2 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the InterferenceMatrix folder in your project folder, type a name for the converted interference matrix in the File Name box, and click Save.

The converted interference matrix is displayed under the Modeled node in the Project Explorer.

You can use the Info tool on the Main toolbar to read the level of interference by clicking a sector-to-sector interference line on the map.

If you view interference for another sector, the current sector-to-sector interference layer is replaced.

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To convert a histogram interference matrixWhen you convert a histogram interference matrix to a standard interference matrix, the co-channel and adjacent-channel thresholds you define on the Conversion Settings panel in the Generate a Histogram Interference Matrix dialog box are used.

1 In the RF Tools category, expand the Interference Matrices node.2 Expand the Modeled node and choose a histogram interference matrix.3 Right-click and choose Create Standard Matrix.4 In the Create Standard Matrix dialog box, choose the standard

interference matrix you want to convert.5 Click OK.

Merging interference matricesYou can merge any combination of Modeled, Network Data, and Local Knowledge interference matrices.It is possible to create a merged interference matrix with no original Modeled interference matrix, but it would contain no information about affected areas, affected traffic, total area, or total traffic. These values would all be zero. If a sector exists in the Local Knowledge or Network Data interference matrix, but does not exist in the Modeled matrix, its total traffic and total area values are assigned the average values of total traffic and total area for the whole interference matrix.When you merge interference matrices, you set the priority of the information from the different interference matrix types. For example, you might specify the following priority, in descending order:

■ Local Knowledge■ Network Data■ Modeled

By default, this functionality is not enabled in Mentum Planet. For information on how to enable the Histogram Interference matrix

feature, contact Technical Support. See “Getting technical support” on page 4.

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This would mean that co-channel interference information derived from network data overrides the predictive information contained in the Modeled interference matrix. Local knowledge, which is based on the judgement of an RF engineer, can override both the predicted and measured interference information.The actual use of priorities depends on the merging method you choose:

■ Maximum Value—for each sector-interferer pair, the maximum value from the matrices is used in the merged matrix

■ Minimum Value—for each sector-interferer pair, the minimum value from the matrices is used in the merged matrix

■ Highest Priority—for each sector-interferer pair, the value from the highest priority matrix is used in the merged matrix

■ Weighted Sum—for each sector-interferer pair, the values from each matrix are summed and weighted according to the priority of the matrix and the specified Weighting Factor.

■ Add values—for each sector-interferer pair, the values from each matrix are summed.

Priorities affect merging only if you choose the Highest Priority or Weighted Sum methods. If you choose Weighted Sum, you must also define the Weighting Factor. This factor, a percentage, reduces each lower priority matrix value by the defined proportion. At the same time, the total weight of all of the matrices is maintained at 100 percent.For example, a weighting factor of 40% for three interference matrices results in the following calculation:0.510204082* Matrix1 + 0.306122449 * Matrix2 + 0.183673469 *Matrix3The multiplier for each matrix is 50% of the preceding one and the total of the multipliers is 1.

If you enter 0% as the weighting factor, all matrices will be averaged. If you enter 100%, only the first matrix will be taken into account.

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To merge interference matrices1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, choose the

interference matrices that you want to merge.2 Right-click one of the interference matrices and choose Merge.

The Merge Interference Matrices dialog box opens. The table in the Priorities section contains the interference matrices you chose in the Project Explorer.

3 In the Priorities section, do any of the following:■ To change the priority of an interference matrix, click its row,

and then click Up or Down as needed.■ To add an interference matrix, click Add, and choose the

interference matrix from the list in the Interference Matrix column of the new row.

■ To remove an interference matrix, click its row, and then click Remove.

If you do not include a Modeled interference matrix, your merged matrix will contain no information about affected areas, affected traffic, total area, or total traffic.

4 In the Options section, choose the method that you want to use to merge the matrices.

5 If you chose the Weighted Sum option, type a value in the Weighting Factor box.

6 Click OK.7 In the Save As dialog box, type a name in the File Name box, and click

Save.

The merged interference matrix is added to the Project Explorer in the RF Tools category as a Modeled interference matrix.

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Deleting interference matricesYou can delete interference matrices using the Project Explorer.

To delete interference matrices1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, choose the

interference matrices that you want to delete.2 Right-click one of the interference matrices and choose Delete.3 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

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Chapter 12: Working with Neighbor Lists

12.
Working with Neighbor Lists
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding neighbor lists■ Workflow for creating

neighbor lists■ Creating neighbor lists■ Creating multi-technology

neighbor lists■ Comparing neighbor lists■ Editing neighbor lists■ Viewing neighbor lists■ Exporting neighbor lists■ Copying neighbor lists■ Adding neighbor lists to the

Project Explorer■ Changing the active neighbor

list■ Merging neighbor lists■ Deleting neighbor lists

In order to design a wireless network where users can

move between sectors smoothly with no interruption

of service, you need to understand how sites

influence each other and how they can better interact

with each other.

You can create a list of neighboring sites and sectors

based on best server coverage or an interference

matrix, or you can import a neighbor list from

network data.

You can use this information about neighboring sites

to make decisions about network design.

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Understanding neighbor listsEach sector in a wireless network coordinates with its neighbors to maintain good quality coverage to mobile users. As a mobile user reaches the margins of coverage within a sector, stronger signals become available from other sectors. Through a process called handover, the network re-routes the user’s call to one of the neighbor sectors to maintain the connection.Neighbor relationships affect frequency planning, because neighbor sectors cannot use the same frequencies. If sectors have more neighbors than are required for reliable service, the result can be an inefficient use of the available spectrum. For more information on using neighbor lists with frequency plans, see the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.You can create a list of neighboring sectors within a single-technology network or within a multi-technology (W-CDMA and GSM) network. Single-technology neighbor lists can be based on a best server layer, an interference matrix, or from actual network data, while multi-technology neighbor lists can only be based on a best server layer.

Best Server methodThe Best Server method uses a best serving sector classified grid to examine the best server coverage area (i.e., the area where the signal is strongest) of each sector.Neighbors are sectors with adjacent best server coverage areas. However, this definition could result in a large number of neighbors. Therefore, you can set minimum length requirements for the common border between coverage areas to reduce the number of sectors that qualify as neighbors. With the Best Server method, the priority of neighbors is determined based on the area between a server and a neighbor.

Interference Matrix methodCreating a neighbor list from an interference matrix is a more sophisticated technique than the Best Server method. An interference matrix calculates the effect of sectors upon each other, both as interferers and as potential neighbors. An interference matrix can be based on any or all of the following:

■ a best server sector classified grid■ a traffic map■ network data■ local RF engineering knowledge

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Working with Neighbor ListsMentum Planet User Guide

The more information you can include in the creation of your neighbor list, the better suited it will be to your network environment. With the Interference Matrix method, the priority of neighbors is determined based on the thresholds you define.

Network dataIf you have network data available, you can import neighbor list information. Network data is collected from wireless network switching equipment and contains information about network configuration and performance.

Workflow for creating neighbor listsStep 1 Create a sector group or choose an existing sector group. For

valid results, each step in the workflow must be based on the same sectors. For information about creating a sector group, see “To create a sector group” on page 94.

Step 2 If you want to create a neighbor list based on the best serving sector, create a best serving sector layer. For more information on generating analyses, see the appropriate User Guide.

Step 3 If you want to create a neighbor list based on interference, create an interference matrix. For more information, see “Chapter 11: Working with Interference Matrices” on page 329.

Step 4 Create the neighbor list using:

■ a Best Serving Sector grid. See “Creating neighbor lists” on page 358 or see “Creating multi-technology neighbor lists” on page 365.

■ an Interference Matrix. See “To create a neighbor list from an interference matrix” on page 359

■ network data. See “To import network data for a neighbor list” on page 363

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Step 5 If required, do any of the following:

■ Compare a neighbor list with another one. See “Creating multi-technology neighbor lists” on page 365.

■ Modify a neighbor list. See “Editing neighbor lists” on page 369.

■ View a neighbor list in a Map window. See “Viewing neighbor lists” on page 377.

■ Export a neighbor list for use in network equipment. See “Exporting neighbor lists” on page 378.

■ Merge two neighbor lists. See “Merging neighbor lists” on page 381.

Creating neighbor listsYou can create a neighbor list for single-technology networks based on any one of three methods:

■ best server■ interference matrix■ network data

To create a neighbor list from a best server gridWhen you create a neighbor list from a best server grid, the neighbor priorities are calculated based on the area between a server and a neighbor.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Neighbor Lists and choose New ➤ Single Technology ➤ From Best Server.

2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group for which you want to create a neighbor list and click Continue.

The Neighbor List Generator - Best Server Method dialog box opens.

3 From the Best Serving Sector Layer list, choose a best serving sector classified grid.

The best serving grid must include all of the sectors chosen in Step 2.

4 If you want to specify length requirements for the border between the best server coverage areas to determine which sites qualify as neighbors,

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enable any of the following check boxes and type a value in the adjacent box:■ Use Absolute Border Length Threshold—defines the

minimum border length required between the coverage area of two sectors in order to qualify them as neighbors.

■ Use Relative Border Length Threshold—defines the minimum common border length relative to the total border length of the reference sector to qualify the sectors as neighbors.

5 Click OK.6 In the Save As dialog box, type a name in the Filename box and click

Save.

The Neighbor List Generation dialog box shows the progress of neighbor list generation, including error messages.

7 When neighbor list generation is complete, click Close to close the Neighbor List Generation dialog box.

The new neighbor list is added to the Neighbor Lists node of the RF Tools category in the Project Explorer.

To create a neighbor list from an interference matrixWhen you create a neighbor list from an interference matrix, the neighbor priorities are calculated based on the thresholds you defined.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Neighbor Lists and choose New ➤ Single Technology ➤ From Interference Matrix.

2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group for which you want to create a neighbor list and click Continue.

The Neighbor List Generator - Interference Matrix Method dialog box opens.

3 In the Interference Matrix section, do one of the following:■ If you want to use a standard interference matrix to create a

neighbor list, choose the Standard option, and from the list to the right, choose an interference matrix.

■ If you want to use a histogram interference matrix to create a neighbor list, choose the Histogram option, and from the

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Traffic Based and/or Area Based list, choose an interference matrix.

4 In the Neighbor Constraints section, enable any of the following check boxes and type a value in the adjacent box if required:■ Enforce Mutual Neighbors—specifies that relationships are

mutual. For example, if sector B is a neighbor of sector A, then sector A is a neighbor of sector B.

■ Use Maximum Distance Between Neighbors—limits neighbors to the sectors within a defined distance from the serving sector.

5 If you want to limit the number of neighbors for each sector, enable the Use Maximum Neighbors check box, type a value in the Neighbors box, and from the Based On list, choose one of the following selection methods:■ Absolute Area—neighbors are ranked by overlapping coverage

area and included, in descending order, until the maximum number of neighbors is reached.

■ Relative Area—neighbors are ranked by the size of the overlapping coverage area relative to this sector’s coverage area and included, in descending order, until the maximum number of neighbors is reached.

■ Absolute Traffic—neighbors are ranked by traffic in the overlapping coverage area and included, in descending order, until the maximum number of neighbors is reached.

■ Relative Traffic—neighbors are ranked by the traffic in the overlapping coverage area relative to this sector’s traffic and included, in descending order, until the maximum number of neighbors is reached.

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6 To define the criteria for determining neighbors, in the Thresholds section, enable any of following check boxes and define a value in the associated box:■ Use Absolute Area—if enabled, the overlapping coverage area

must at least equal the value you specify.■ Use Relative Area—if enabled, the overlapping coverage area

must at least equal the proportion of this sector’s coverage area that you specify.

■ Use Absolute Traffic—if enabled, the traffic in the overlapping coverage area must at least equal the value you specify.

■ Use Relative Traffic—if enabled, the traffic in the overlapping coverage area must at least equal the proportion of this sector’s traffic that you specify.

The prospective neighbor must meet all of the threshold requirements you define.

7 From the Determine Priority Using list, choose one of the following options:■ Area—priorities will be determined using the area thresholds

you define.■ Traffic—priorities will be determined using the traffic

thresholds you define.8 Click OK.9 In the Save As dialog box, type a name in the Filename box, and click

OK.

The Neighbor List Generation dialog box shows the progress of neighbor list generation, including error messages.

10 Click Close to close the Neighbor List Generation dialog box.


Importing network data for a neighbor listBefore you can create a neighbor list using network data, you must use the Network Data tool to map network data to Mentum Planet data. This is referred to as binding.

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This section explains how to bind network data to create a neighbor list, and how to add this information to the Project Explorer. The procedures in this section focus on how to use the Network Data tool to create neighbor lists only. You can use the Network Data tool for other purposes as well. For more information, see “Using the Network Data tool” on page 390.Your network data must be in an Excel spreadsheet or tab-delimited text file. To create a neighbor list, your network data must contain the following fields, which you will need to map to Mentum Planet data, as described in “To import network data for a neighbor list” on page 363:

■ Site ID of the serving sector■ Sector ID of the serving sector■ Site ID of the neighbor sector■ Sector ID of the neighbor sector

If the network data has a Cell_ID column, the Network Data tool can convert the Cell_ID data to site and sector identifiers. The Cell_ID data must be in the form “sitenameX,” where sitename is the site identifier and X is an alphabetic character representing the sector number: A for 1, B for 2, and so on.The network data can also contain the following optional fields:

■ neighbor’s allowed status—indicates whether the sector is allowed as a neighbor

■ priority of the neighbor—enables you to implement the hierarchical cell layers of technologies such as TDMA/FDMA. The priority value can range is 0 to 32767.

■ traffic level—provides the amount of traffic on the sector in milliErlangs (mE)

■ number of handovers (also known as handoffs)—provides the number of calls on the sector that are handed over to another sector

■ percentage of handovers—provides the percentage of handovers as a percentage of total calls handled by the sector

■ common coverage area—provides the overlapping area between the neighbors in square kilometers

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To import network data for a neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click



2 In the External Data Source section, click Browse, navigate to your Microsoft Excel (.xls) or text network data file, and then click Open.


3 In the Mentum Planet dialog box, do one of the following:■ Click No to import the Cell_ID column data with no changes.

There must be a Cell_ID column in the site table with data in the form “sitenameX,” where sitename is the site identifier and X is an alphabetic character representing the sector number: A for 1, B for 2, and so on.

■ Click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and Sector_ID. The columns SiteId(Converted) and SectorId(Converted) are listed in the External Data column of the Rules table.

4 Do all of the following to map the fields required to generate a neighbor list:■ On the Data Binding tab, in the External Data column, find the

row that contains the serving site ID, and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the serving sector ID, and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the neighbor site ID, and choose Neighbor Site from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ In the External Data column, find the row that contains the neighbor sector ID, and choose Neighbor Sector from the Planet Data list in that row.

5 If a row in the External Data column contains data about the number of handovers to the neighbor, choose Number of Handoffs from the Planet Data list in that row.

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6 If a row in the External Data column contains data about the percentage of handovers to the neighbor, choose Percentage of Handoffs from the Planet Data list in that row.

7 If any of the following optional External Data columns are present, enable the check box for that row to bind the column using its name:■ Allowed■ Priority■ Area(Km2)■ Traffic(mE)

The column name must be exactly as shown.

8 If you want to save the binding rules that you created in Step 4 and Step 7 for use with other external data sources, click Save As, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.



You can examine the fetched data in the table. Use the Filter Options list to determine whether there are sites without data. If the data import is not as you want it, you can return to the Data Binding tab, and make changes.

11 To save the data, click Save.12 Click Close to close the Network Data dialog box.

To create a neighbor list from network data1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Neighbor

Lists and choose New ➤ Single Technology ➤ From Network Data.

The Import Neighbor List From Network Data dialog box opens.

2 Do one of the following:■ From the Network Data list, choose the network data file.■ Click Open Network Data to import network data for the

neighbor list. See “Importing network data for a neighbor list” on page 361.

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3 Click Select Sectors, choose the sector group for which you are importing neighbor list information, and click Continue.

4 To view statistics about the data bindings for your network data file, click Refresh, then click Close when the refresh is completed.

5 Click OK.6 In the Save As dialog box, type a name in the Filename box and click

OK.


Creating multi-technology neighbor listsMulti-technology neighbor lists provide useful information that will help you understand how sites influence each other and how to better ensure that mobile phone users moving through your GSM network have coverage across overlaid a W-CDMA network. Multi-technology neighbor lists are based on the best server method and, as a result, the neighbor priorities are calculated based on the area between a server and a neighbor.

To create a multi-technology neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Neighbor

Lists and choose New ➤ Multi-Technology ➤ GSM/W-CDMA.2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group for which you want to

create a neighbor list and click Continue.

The Multi-Technology Neighbor List Generator dialog box opens.

3 In the Best Serving Sector Layer section, do the following:■ From the GSM list, choose the best server layer for the coverage

area you want to evaluate.■ From the W-CDMA list, choose the best server layer for the

coverage area you want to evaluate.

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4 If you want GSM to GSM relationships included in the neighbor list, in the Neighbor Relationship section, enable the GSM <-> GSM check box and do any of the following:■ To specify a minimum common border length for neighbors,

enable the Use Absolute Border Length Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

■ To specify a minimum relative common border length for neighbors in relative terms, enable the Use Relative Border Length Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

5 If you want W-CDMA to W-CDMA relationships included in the neighbor list, in the Neighbor Relationship section, enable the W-CDMA <-> W-CDMA check box and do any of the following:■ To specify a minimum common border length for neighbors,

enable the Use Absolute Border Length Threshold check box, and type a value in the adjacent box.

■ To specify a minimum relative common border length for neighbors in relative terms, enable the Use Relative Border Length Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

6 If you want GSM to W-CDMA relationships included in the neighbor list, in the Neighbor Relationship section, enable the GSM <-> W-CDMA check box and do any of the following:■ If you want to specify a minimum common overlap area for

neighbors, enable the Use Absolute Overlap Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

■ If you want to specify a minimum common overlap area for neighbors in relative terms, enable the Use Relative Overlap Length Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

■ From the Neighbor List Construction list, choose All Neighbors to include all qualified neighbors in the generated list or choose Boundary Cells Only to include only those qualified neighbors that fall on the coverage boundary between W-CDMA coverage and GSM coverage.

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7 If you want W-CDMA to GSM relationships included in the neighbor list, in the Neighbor Relationship section, enable the W-CDMA <-> GSM check box and do any of the following:■ If you want to specify a minimum common overlap area for

neighbors, enable the Use Absolute Overlap Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

■ If you want to specify a minimum common overlap area for neighbors in relative terms, enable the Use Relative Overlap Length Threshold check box and type a value in the adjacent box.

■ From the Neighbor List Construction list, choose one of the following options:

■ All Neighbors to include all qualified neighbors in the generated list

■ Boundary Cells Only to include only those qualified neighbors that fall on the coverage boundary between W-CDMA coverage and GSM coverage.

8 Click OK.9 In the File Name box, type a name for the generated neighbor list and

click Save.10 When the neighbor list generation is complete, click Close.

Comparing neighbor listsThe Neighbor List Generator can produce several neighbor lists for the same sectors using different settings. You can compare any two of these lists.Figure 12.1 shows a comparison of two neighbor lists. For each sector, there is a side-by-side comparison of the neighbors. For example, the first neighbor list shows five neighbors for Site GSM11_gsm1, while the second neighbor list shows seven.

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Figure 12.1 Comparison between a multi-technology neighbor list generated for all neighbors and one generated for boundary neighbors only.

If there are many sites, the comparison can be lengthy. Figure 12.2 shows the same neighbor list comparison, but displays only the differences between the two lists. Sectors common to both neighbor lists are not shown. For example, for Site GSM11_gsm1, the “GSMmultigroupcompare” neighbor list counts as neighbors two sectors that were not included in the “gsm3sites” neighbor list.

Figure 12.2 Comparison between a multi-technology neighbor list generated for all neighbors and one generated for boundary neighbors only. Only the differences between the two lists are displayed.

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To compare neighbor lists1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, choose the neighbor

lists that you want to compare.2 Right-click and choose Compare.

The Neighbor Lists Comparison dialog box opens.

3 To view only the differences between the neighbor lists, enable the Show Differences Only check box.

4 To save the comparison to a text file, click Export, type a name for the exported file, and click Save.

In addition to the information displayed in the dialog box, the exported neighbor list comparison contains the priority, allowed status, distance, overlapping area, traffic, and handover information for each neighbor.

5 Click Close.

Editing neighbor listsYou might decide to manually modify the neighbor list by adding or removing a sector or by disallowing a sector that is included in the list. You can edit an

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entire neighbor list or just the portion of it that pertains to a particular site or sector. You can edit a neighbor list using the Neighbor List Editing dialog box or you can interactively edit a neighbor list using the Neighbor List Graphical Editing dialog box. See “To edit a neighbor list graphically” on page 375.The Neighbor List Editing dialog box displays:

■ a tree view listing sectors contained in the neighbor list■ the technology of the sector (for multi-technology neighbor lists

only)■ whether the sector is a boundary neighbor■ whether the neighbor is allowed■ the priority of the neighbor■ the distance between each pair of neighbor sectors■ the coverage area common to each pair of neighbor sectors■ the traffic level of the neighbor in the overlapping coverage area■ the number of calls the neighbor sector hands over to other

sectors■ the percentage of calls the neighbor sector hands over to other

sectors■ whether the sector is a mutual neighbor

Figure 12.3 shows the Neighbor List Editing dialog box.

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Figure 12.3 Neighbor List Editing dialog box

The Neighbor List Editing dialog box and the Neighbor List Graphical Editing dialog box are the same. The only difference being that using the Neighbor List Graphical Editing dialog box, you can add or delete neighbors by clicking in the Map window using the Interactive Neighbor List tool pointer. When you edit a neighbor list, you can:

■ edit only the Allowed and Priority columns. ■ add or remove neighbor sectors from the list using the Add and

Remove buttons.■ clear the Allowed check box next to a neighbor sector so that it

does not function as a neighbor.■ set the handover priority of neighbor sectors in the Priority

column. This enables you to implement the hierarchical cell layers of technologies such as TDMA/FDMA. The priority value range is 0 (highest) through 32767 (lowest). Mentum Planet calculates the priority based on the settings you define. You can change the calculated priority and create less preferred neighbors by increasing the priority value.

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Information displayed in the Neighbor List Editing dialog box is calculated as follows:

■ Information in the Distance and Area columns is calculated during neighbor list generation.

■ Information in the Traffic column, which is the amount of traffic in the overlapping coverage area carried by the sector, comes from the interference matrix. If you want to use this column, you must use the Interference Matrix method to create the neighbor list, and your interference matrix must be created using a traffic map. Otherwise, the Traffic column values are zero. For information about creating an interference matrix, see “To create a standard interference matrix” on page 335.

■ Information in the Number Handover and Percentage Handover columns comes from network data. If you want to use these columns, you must use the Interference Matrix method to create the neighbor list, and your interference matrix must include network data. Otherwise, the handover-related column values are zero. For more information, see “To create a Network Data interference matrix” on page 343.

■ Whether a neighbor relationship is mutual is determined during neighbor list editing. This information is not saved.

To edit a neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click a neighbor

list and choose Edit.

The Neighbor List Editing dialog box opens.

You can edit or export the neighbors for a single sector. To do so, in the RF Tools category, right-click a neighbor list and choose Active if the

check box is not already enabled. Then, in the Sites category, right-click a sector and choose one of the following commands:

• Neighbors ➤ Edit• Neighbors ➤ Graphical Edit• Neighbors ➤ Export

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2 To edit a row in the table, do any of the following:■ To include a neighbor sector in the neighbor list, enable the

check box in the Allowed column.■ To change the handover priority between the server and the

neighbor server that was calculated by Mentum Planet, click in the Priority field and type a new value.

■ To exclude a sector from the neighbor list, clear the check box in the Allowed column.

■ To convert neighbor relationships into mutual relationships, choose a sector in the Site tree, choose a neighbor sector in the Neighbor Sector list, and click Add Selected Mutual Neighbors. For example, if you choose Site 4_1 in the Site tree and Site 3_1 in the Neighbor Sector list, when you click Add Selected Mutual Neighbors, Site 4_1 becomes a neighbor sector for Site 3_1.

3 If you want to add all mutual neighbors to the neighbor list, click Add All Mutual Neighbors.

A mutual neighbor relationship exists when, for example, sector A is a neighbor of sector B and sector B is a neighbor of sector A.

4 In the Add All Mutual Neighbors dialog box, clear the check box next to any serving sector/neighbor sector relationship you do not want to add.

5 In the Priorities Generation section, choose one of the following options and click OK:■ Keep Neighbor Priorities—priorities generated with the

original neighbor list will be kept. ■ Regenerate Priorities Using Area—priorities will be

determined using the area thresholds you define.■ Regenerate Priorities Using Traffic—priorities will be

determined using the traffic thresholds you define.6 When you have finished editing the neighbor list, in the Neighbor List

Editing dialog box, click OK.

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To add neighbor relationships to a neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click a neighbor

list and choose Edit.


2 Click Add.

The Add New Neighbor dialog box opens.

3 From the Sector list, choose the sector to which you are adding a neighbor.

4 Choose the new neighbor from the Neighbor Sector list. 5 If you want to add the neighbor but exclude it from being used, clear the

Allowed check box.

6 In the Priority box, type the priority for the new neighbor.

A priority of zero is the highest priority.

7 To add additional information, type values in any of the following boxes:■ Area—the coverage area common to the sector chosen from the

Sector list and the new neighbor sector.■ Traffic—the traffic between the sector chosen from the Sector

list and the new neighbor sector.■ Number Handover—the number of handovers between the

sector chosen from the Sector list and the new neighbor sector■ Percentage Handover—the percentage of handovers between

the sector chosen from the Sector list and the new neighbor sector.

8 Click OK.9 When you have finished adding neighbors, click OK to save the modified

neighbor list.

To remove neighbor relationships from a neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click the

neighbor list you want to modify and choose Edit.


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2 Do one of the following:■ Click the row of the sector you want to remove.■ Hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple rows to remove.

3 Click Remove.4 When you have finished removing neighbor relationships, click OK to

save the modified neighbor list.

To edit a neighbor list graphicallyIn order to edit a neighbor list graphically, you must first have generated best serving sector analysis layers.

1 Do one of the following:■ In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click a

neighbor list and choose Graphical Edit.■ Click the Graphical Neighbor List Edit Tool button on the

Mobile Technology toolbar. The tool uses the active neighbor list.

The Neighbor List Graphical Editing dialog box opens.

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2 From the Identify Closest Sector Using list, choose the best serving sector layer you want to use to identify the closest sector.

If the layer is not currently open, you will be prompted to open it in the Map window.

3 If you want to add all mutual neighbors to the neighbor list, click Add All Mutual Neighbors.

A mutual neighbor relationship exists when, for example, sector A is a neighbor of sector B and sector B is a neighbor of sector A.

4 In the Add All Mutual Neighbors dialog box, clear the check box next to any serving sector/neighbor sector relationship you do not want to add, and click OK.

5 To convert a neighbor relationships into a mutual relationship, choose a sector in the Site tree, choose a neighbor sector, and click Add Selected Mutual Neighbors.

For example, if you choose Site 4_1 in the Site tree and Site 3_1 1 in the Neighbor Sector list, when you click Add Selected Mutual Neighbors, Site 4_1 becomes a neighbor sector for Site 3_1.

6 If you want to view neighbors for the sector selected in the Site tree, click View Neighbors in Map.

See “Viewing neighbor lists” on page 377.

7 If you want to interactively modify the neighbor list, from the Operation Mode list, choose one of the following options:■ Add—adds the best serving sector for the location where you

click in the Map window as a neighbor to the sector selected in the Site tree

■ Delete—deletes the neighbor relationship between the best serving sector for the location where you click in the Map window and the sector selected in the Site tree

■ Add/Delete—adds or deletes a neighbor relationship between the best serving sector at the location where you click in the Map window and the sector selected in the Site tree. For example, in this toggle mode, the first time you click a location a sector could be added to the neighbor list. If you click the same location a second time, the sector would be deleted. The reverse is also true. If the last time you clicked in the Map window, you

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deleted a relationship, the next time you click in the Map window, a relationship will be added.

8 Click in the Map window.9 Click OK.

Viewing neighbor listsYou can view neighbor relationships for any sector graphically in a Map window. Your project can contain several neighbor lists, but only one of them can be active. The neighbor list display function displays neighbor relationships for a single sector based on the active neighbor list.

When you minimize the Neighbor List Graphical Editing dialog box, a Neighbor List Graphical Editing icon appears at the bottom of the

Project Explorer. Click the icon to restore the dialog box.

You cannot interactively modify a neighbor list using the MapInfo Select tool. Instead, click the Graphical Neighbor List Edit Tool button on the

Mobile Technology toolbar and then click in the Map window.

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Figure 12.4 Neighbor List display showing the neighbors of site GSM11, sector 2. A solid line indicates a normal neighbor. A dotted line, such as that between GSM11 sector 2 and GSM13, sector 3, indicates a neighbor that is not allowed. The dash-dot line indicates a multi-technology neighbor.

To view a neighbor list in a Map window1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click the

neighbor list you want to use and choose Active if the check box is not already enabled.

A green arrow identifies the active neighbor list.

2 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the sector for which you want to view neighbors and choose Neighbors ➤ View.

The neighbor list information is displayed in the active Map window.

Exporting neighbor listsYou can export your neighbor list to an Excel (.xls) file where you can make changes to the neighbor list as required. You can then import the updated neighbor list into your Mentum Planet project. See “To import project data” on page 388.

For information on how to remove the neighbor list display from the Map window, see “To manipulate map layers with the Project Explorer”

on page 52 or “To manipulate map layers with the Layer Control” on page 53.

Active neighbor list

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To export an entire neighbor list or a neighbor list for one sector1 In the Project Explorer, do one of the following:

■ In the RF Tools category, right-click the neighbor list that you want to export and choose Export.

■ In the Sites category, right-click the sector for which you want to export a neighbor list and choose Export.

The Export Wizard opens.

2 On the Data Selection page, in the Tables list, enable the check box next to Neighbor List if it is not already enabled and then enable the check boxes for each of the columns that you want to export.


3 Click Next.4 On the File Location page, do one of the following:

■ If you want to export neighbor list data to an Excel file, choose the Microsoft Excel option. If you want to automatically open the exported Excel file, enable the Open the File in Microsoft Excel After Export check box.

■ If you want to export neighbor list data to a folder of comma separated text files, choose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option.

5 Click Browse, and do one of the following:■ If you chose the Microsoft Excel option in Step 4, navigate to the

folder in which you want to save the Excel file, type a name in the File Name box, and click Save.

■ If you chose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option in Step 4, navigate to the folder in which you want to save the comma separated text files, and click OK.

6 Click Finish.

The data types that you chose in Step 2 are exported to the type of file you chose in Step 4. If you chose the Microsoft Excel option and enabled the Open the File in Microsoft Excel After Export in Step 4, Microsoft Excel opens automatically.

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Copying neighbor listsIn order to easily compare neighbor lists based on the same sector group, you can create a copy of an existing neighbor list, edit one of the neighbor lists as required, and then compare the two lists. See “To compare neighbor lists” on page 369.

To copy a neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click a neighbor

list and choose Save Copy As.

The Save As dialog box opens.

2 In the File Name box, type a name for the copied neighbor list, and click Save.

Adding neighbor lists to the Project ExplorerNeighbor lists are automatically added to the Project Explorer when you create them. However, you can also add an existing neighbor list to your project.

To add a neighbor list to the Project Explorer1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click

Neighbor Lists and choose Add.2 Navigate to the neighbor list you want to add, and click Open.

The neighbor list is added to the Neighbor Lists node in the Project Explorer and the .nl file is copied to the NeighborList folder.

Changing the active neighbor listAny of the actions you perform from an individual sector such as Neighbors ➤ View, Neighbors ➤ Edit, or Neighbors ➤ Export use the active neighbor list. The active neighbor list is also used by default when you create frequency plans.

You must save the neighbor list in the project’s NeighborList folder with a .nl extension.

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To change the active neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, expand Neighbor

Lists.2 Right-click the neighbor list that you want to set as the active neighbor list

and choose Active.

A green arrow identifies the active neighbor list.

Merging neighbor listsWhen you merge two neighbor lists, data from one neighbor list is added to the other neighbor list. When duplicates are found in the neighbor lists, data from the master list is used in the merged output.

To merge neighbor lists1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, choose the neighbor

lists that you want to merge.2 Right-click and choose Merge.3 In the Merge Neighbor Lists - Addition dialog box, choose a master

neighbor list.

Data from the master neighbor list will over-write data in the second list in the case of duplicates.

Active neighbor list

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4 In the Priorities Generation section, choose one of the following options for determining neighbor priorities:■ Keep Neighbor Priorities—priorities from the master neighbor

list are kept.■ Regenerate Priorities Using Area—priorities are regenerated

based on the area thresholds you set initially when generating the neighbor lists.

■ Regenerate Priorities Using Traffic—priorities are regenerated based on the traffic thresholds you set initially when generating the neighbor lists.

5 Click OK.6 In the File Name box, type a name for the merged neighbor list file, and

click Save.

Deleting neighbor listsYou can delete neighbor lists using the Project Explorer.

To delete a neighbor list1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, choose one or more

neighbor lists, right-click and choose Delete.2 In the Mentum Planet dialog box, click Yes.

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Chapter 13: Working with Network and Project Data

13.
Working with Network and Project Data
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Importing, replacing, and

exporting project data■ Using the Network Data tool■ Using Network Data Display■ Importing site data■ Exporting site table and

model files to Planet 2.8■ Using the Demographic

Analysis tool■ Using the Network Statistics

Mapping tool■ Using the Tool Manager

Mentum Planet includes a number of different tools

to help you to import and export data, and to better

understand network performance. This chapter does

not describe all of the tools available in Mentum

Planet. For information about other tools, see the

appropriate User Guide.

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Importing, replacing, and exporting project dataYou can import and export project data using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xls) or comma separated value (.csv) files. When you export data from your project to a spreadsheet, individual worksheets are created in the .xls file for each category of project data. When you export project data to .csv files, a folder is created containing individual .csv files for each project data category. You can choose the types of project data that you want to import or export. For example, you could import or export only site and sector location data, but not the detailed sector settings. You can also import or export project data only for specific sectors.

Importing dataYou can use .xls or .cvs files to add or remove sites, edit project settings, and then import the new or updated data. Each worksheet in an .xls file or each .csv file you use to import project data must contain the required and mandatory columns, and must be formatted correctly for the type of data in a column (i.e., text or numeric). Unless you specifically request that data be replaced on import, data is never removed from a project when you use the Import Wizard. For example, if the worksheet or .csv file from which you are importing does not contain all of the sectors currently in your project, only the sectors listed in the worksheet or .csv file are updated in the project. The other sectors in your project are not affected by the Import Wizard. If you are

You can use the Import/Export command-line utility (iecon.exe) to export Mentum Planet data to an .xls file, .csv file, or database. You can

then make changes to the data and use iecon.exe again to import the data back into Mentum Planet or Data Manager. The iecon.exe utility is useful if you want to automate the import and export of data using scripts (e.g., if you want to make Mentum Planet data accessible to other systems via a database or import updates to projects from another source). See “Appendix A: Import/Export Command-Line Utility” in the Data Manager Server Administrator Guide. When you use the iecon utility to import sites and sectors, you must always include the Summary.csv file in the data import.

If your project is stored in Data Manager, and you export it and re-import it using the Import/Export tool, Data Manager will treat it as a

new project if you use the Replace All Data option. In this case, if you want to continue using the existing project, you must merge the new project into the existing project. See Chapter 2, “Using Data Manager” in the Data Manager User Guide.

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Working with Network and Project DataMentum Planet User Guide

working with a large project and only want to update specific project data, you can import individual worksheets or .csv files, and include only the sites or sectors that require updating or are being added. For descriptions of worksheets or .csv files and the columns they contain, valid values and ranges, and an indication of required and mandatory columns, see “Appendix E: Import and Export Tables” on page 467.For information on how to import data, see “To import project data” on page 388.

Replacing dataWhen you import data, you can choose to replace specific data. This can be useful, for example, if:

■ you want to delete sites from your project. When you delete a site, however, you must delete the site from all dependent worksheets.

■ you want to change the prefix used in the site IDs (e.g., from “Site” to “Ott”). When you change site IDs, however, you must change the site ID on all dependent worksheets.

■ you want to share and merge project data without using Data Manager.

For information on how to replace data, see “To import project data” on page 388.

Exporting dataWhen you export data to a spread sheet, individual worksheets are created in the .xls file for each category of project data. When you export data to a .csv file, a folder is created containing individual .csv files for each category of project data. In addition, a Summary worksheet or .csv file is also created for the exported project. For descriptions of the data types that can be exported, and the corresponding location (dialog box) of the field in the Mentum Planet graphical user interface, see “Appendix E: Import and Export Tables” on page 467.By default, when you export data, the site coordinates are saved in the Longitude/Latitude (WGS 84) projection and the sector coordinates are saved in the projection specified when you originally created the project. If you

To ensure the proper worksheet or .csv file format when importing, use previously exported .xls or .csv files to edit or update project data.

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import an exported .xls file or .csv files, only the site and sector coordinate systems are imported from the Summary worksheet or .csv file.

To export project data1 Do any of the following:

■ If you want to export project data for all sites and sectors, choose Data ➤ Export ➤ Project Data.

■ If you want to export project data for individual sites, sectors, or groups, in the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, choose one or more groups, sites, or sectors, right-click and choose Export.

■ If you want to export repeater data, in the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Repeaters node, and choose Export.

■ If you want to export project data based on enabled flag conditions, in the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Flags node, and choose Export.

■ If you want to export subscriber data, right-click any Subscriber Manager node in the Project Explorer and choose Export.

The Export Wizard opens.

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2 On the Data Selection page, in the Tables list, enable the check boxes for each of the tables that you want to export.

Each selected table is exported to an individual worksheet in an Excel file or a single comma separated value file. For example, if you enable only Sites and Sectors, then only the basic site and sector information will be exported. When you enable the Sectors, TDMA Repeaters, or the CDMA Repeaters check box in the Tables box, by default, the Bin File Name, the Bin Hash Code, the Signal Strength File Name, and the Signal Strength Hash Code columns are not enabled (i.e., they are cleared).


3 In the Columns list, for each of the tables that you chose in Step 2, enable the check boxes for each of the columns that you want to export.

4 To export the DEM elevation values at the site, enable the DEM Elevation Values check box.

5 To export the name of the frequency plan used on a sector, enable the Include Frequency Plan Files check box.

6 Click Next.7 On the File Location page, do one of the following:

■ If you want to export project data to an Excel file, choose the Microsoft Excel option. If you want to automatically open the exported Excel file, enable the Open the File in Microsoft Excel After Export check box.

■ If you want to export project data to a folder of comma separated text files, choose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option.

8 Click Browse, and do one of the following:■ If you chose the Microsoft Excel option in Step 7, navigate to the

folder in which you want to save the Excel file, type a name in the File Name box, and click Save.

■ If you chose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option in Step 7, navigate to the folder in which you want to save the comma separated text files, and click OK.

9 Click Finish.

The data types that you chose in Step 2 and Step 3 are exported to the type of file you chose in Step 7. If you chose the Microsoft Excel option and

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enabled the Open the File in Microsoft Excel After Export in Step 7, Microsoft Excel opens automatically.

To import project dataWhen you import data, the coordinate systems (along with the distance and height units) are imported from the Summary worksheet or .csv file and, if required, sites and sectors are reprojected automatically. A list of supported projections is contained in the mapinfo.prj file located in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\mapinfo folder. Additional information about projections can be found in Appendix B, “Elements of a Coordinate System” in the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

1 Do any of the following:■ If you want to import general site, sector and project data,

choose Data ➤ Import ➤ Project Data.■ If you want to import subscriber data, right-click any top-level

node in the Subscriber Manager category of the Project Explorer and choose Import.

The Import Wizard opens.

2 On the File Location page, do one of the following:■ If you want to import project data from an .xls file, choose the

Microsoft Excel option.■ If you want to import project data from a folder of .csv files,

choose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option.3 Click Browse, and do one of the following:

■ If you chose the Microsoft Excel option in Step 2, navigate to the .xls file containing the data you want to import, and click Open.

■ If you chose the Comma Separated Values Text Files option in Step 2, navigate to the folder containing the .csv files you want to import, and click OK.

All values in the Excel file from which you are importing must use the default units indicated in the worksheet column names, and the file

must contain required and mandatory columns. For more information, see “Appendix E: Import and Export Tables” on page 467.

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4 Click Next.

The Data Selection page lists the tables available to import and options for replacing project data on import.

5 On the Data Selection page, enable the check boxes for each of the tables that you want to import.


6 If you want to overwrite existing data or remove data from a project, enable any of the following check boxes.■ All Data—replaces data in all categories listed in the Replace

section.■ Groups—replaces data listed in the Groups category.■ Flags—replaces data listed in the Flags category.■ Site Data—replaces site data including data in the following

categories: Sites, Sectors, WCDMA_Sector_Settings, CDMA2000_Sector_Settings, EVDO_Sector_Settings, TDMA_Sector_Settings, Link_Budget, TDMA_Repeaters,

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CDMA_Repeaters, and Carrier_Requirements. Exceptions, frequency plans, and neighbor lists are also overwritten.

■ Exceptions—replaces carrier exceptions and HSN exceptions.

■ Frequency Plan—replaces MALs, carrier assignments, and color codes. Enabling this option does not replace frequency plan (.fpl) files.

■ Base Station Link Budget—replaces data listed on the link budget worksheet.

■ Repeaters—replaces data listed in the TDMA_Repeaters or CDMA_Repeaters categories.

■ Neighbor Lists—replaces neighbor lists.■ Subscriber Data—replaces subscriber data including services,

session types, qualities, bearers, clutter types, subscriber equipment types, subscribers, and usages.

When you replace data, the selected data is first deleted from the project and the new data is then imported into the project. Once data has been replaced, the original data cannot be recovered.

7 Click Finish.

The project data you chose will be updated or added to your project. The Log dialog box displays the status of the import operation.

Using the Network Data toolNetwork data is data collected from wireless network switching equipment. It contains information about network configuration and performance. You use the Network Data tool to bind network data to Mentum Planet data. The bound network data can then be used in Mentum Planet in traffic maps, interference matrices, neighbor lists, technology-specific features such as Automatic Frequency Planning, and for display purposes.Your network data must be in an Excel spreadsheet or tab-delimited text file.

Status messages are displayed cumulatively in the Log dialog box. Click the Export button to save the log messages to a text file. Click the

Clear button to remove all messages from the Log dialog box.

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Binding network dataBinding network data means mapping columns in the network data to Mentum Planet data columns, and then fetching the data from the network data file. The mapping is done in the Rules section of the Data Binding tab of the Network Data tool. The Rules section lists all of the columns from the network data file in the External Data column. You can map a network data column to a Planet Data column by enabling the check box for the network data column, and then choosing the Planet Data column to map the network data column to. You do not need to map all of the items in the External Data column to Planet columns.In the example shown in Figure 13.1, to map the SITEID column, you would enable the check box beside SITEID, and then choose Site_ID from the Planet Data list.You must map network data columns identifying the site and sector to the Site_ID and Antenna_ID columns in Mentum Planet. If the network data has a Cell_ID column, the Network Data tool can convert the Cell_ID data to site and sector identifiers. The Cell_ID data must be in the form “sitenameX,” where sitename is the site identifier and X is an alphabetic character representing the sector number: A for 1, B for 2, and so on.

Figure 13.1 External data columns mapped to Planet data columns

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Mentum Planet dataYou can choose from three types of information when selecting Mentum Planet data:

■ site table columns—these are columns that are available in the Mentum Planet site table, for example, Site_ID and Antenna_ID

■ predefined metrics—these are values that are typically required by one or more of the tools that use information made available by the Network Data tool. You can view descriptions of each one in the Metrics section at the bottom of the Data Binding tab. For example, if you are creating an interference matrix using network data, you must map a column from the network data file to Affected_Traffic in the Mentum Planet Data column. See “To create a Network Data interference matrix” on page 343 for more information on Network Data interference matrices.

■ user-defined metrics—these are values that are defined by the user. You can create and map these as required.

You can save your binding rules and reuse them later with updated network data or with external data files that require the same bindings.

Results of data bindingOnce you have completed binding the data, you can preview it on the Results tab in the Network Data dialog box. The Results tab shows the data that has been bound and that will be available for use by Mentum Planet tools. You can use the Results tab to verify that the data is being imported correctly. You

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can also use the Results tab to determine whether there are any sites or sectors for which the external data file contains no data.

Figure 13.2 Example Network Data Results tab

To import network data This procedure for importing network data is a general one. For each feature that uses network data, this user guide provides a specific procedure that explains how to make the correct bindings for that feature.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Network Data and choose New.


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3 Do one of the following:■ Click No to import the Cell_ID column with no change. To do

this, you must have a Cell_ID column in the site table that contains data in the following format sitenameA, sitenameB.

■ Click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and Sector_ID.


4 In the External Data column, find the row that contains the site ID, and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

5 In the External Data column, find the row that contains the sector ID, and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

6 If you want to create a user-defined metric, click the User Defined tab in the Metrics section, click in the Name column and type a name, then click in the Description box and type a description.

7 In the row of the External Data column that contains the network data that you want to use, do any of the following:■ In the Planet Data column, choose the user-defined or

predefined metric that corresponds to the data in the External Data Column. For descriptions of predefined metrics, see the Metrics section at the bottom of the dialog box.

■ If you want to use an external data column without binding it to a Mentum Planet column, enable the check box at the left of the row. The External Data Column name is automatically entered in the Planet Data column. This is a quick method for preparing data for display, and can be used when external data column names are descriptive.

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8 If you want to save the binding rules for use with other external data sources, click Save As, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.



You can examine the fetched data in the table. The table rows are shaded for sites in the site table that have network data, unshaded for sites that have no data. Use the Show list to determine whether there are sites without data. If the data import is not as you want it, you can return to the Data Binding tab to modify the settings.

11 Enable the Generate Display Info When Saving Results check box, and click Save.

12 In the Generate Display Info dialog box, enable the check box for each performance indicator you want to view, and click OK.

This option generates the information needed to create a thematic display of the data. You could use this, for example, to produce a map showing the number of dropped calls for each sector. For more information, see “Using Network Data Display” on page 399. Only numeric data can be displayed.

13 Click Close.

Each metric is added to the Project Explorer as a node under the network data file in the Operational Data category.

If the network data file you just imported does not appear in the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer, click the Refresh button at the top of the Project Explorer to reveal the imported network data file.

If the network data file you just imported does not appear in the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer, click the Refresh

button at the top of the Project Explorer to display the imported network data file.

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To import network data using saved binding rules 1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click




3 If the external data contains a Cell_ID column, in the Mentum Planet dialog box, do one of the following:■ click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and

Sector_ID.


4 On the Data Binding tab, click Open, choose the data binding rules file, and click Open.


You can examine the fetched data in the table. The table rows are shaded for sites in the site table that have network data, unshaded for sites that have no data. Use the Show list to determine whether there are sites without data. If the data import is not as you want it, you can return to the Data Binding tab, and make changes.




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9 Click Close.


To add network data to your projectUsing the Add command, you can add network data stored in Excel files or tab-delimited text files to your project. The network data file must contain a site ID column and an antenna ID column (i.e., one column identifying the site and one column identifying the sector). For information on binding the data, see “Binding network data” on page 391.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, expand Network Data.

2 Right-click Excel Format or Text Format and choose Add.3 In the Open dialog box, click Browse, navigate to your Microsoft Excel

(.xls) or text network data file, and click Open.

The file is added to the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer under the Excel Format or Text Format node.

4 To bind the data, right-click the network data file and choose View.


5 In the Mentum Planet dialog box, click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and Sector_ID.


The Network Data tool stores the source data file in the project’s Network_Data folder. Excel files are stored in the XLS subfolder, text

files in the TXT subfolder. If the source data file is not in this location when you bind the data, the Network Data tool copies it there. You can update the bound data by replacing the project’s copy of the source data file, but display information must be regenerated using the Network Data tool.



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6 In the External Data column, find the row that contains the site ID, and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

7 In the External Data column, find the row that contains the sector ID, and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

8 If you want to create a user-defined metric, click the User Defined tab in the Metrics section, click in the Name column and type a name, then click in the Description box and type a description.

9 In the row of the External Data column that contains the network data that you want to use, do any of the following:■ In the Planet Data column, choose the user-defined or

predefined metric that corresponds to the data in the External Data Column. For descriptions of predefined metrics, see the Metrics section at the bottom of the dialog box.

■ If you want to use an external data column without binding it to a Mentum Planet column, enable the check box at the left of the row. The External Data Column name is automatically entered in the Planet Data column. This is a quick method for preparing data for display, and can be used when external data column names are descriptive.

10 If you want to save the binding rules for use with other external data sources, click Save As, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.



You can examine the fetched data in the table. The table rows are shaded for sites in the site table that have network data, unshaded for sites that have no data. Use the Show list to determine whether there are sites without data. If the data import is not as you want it, you can return to the Data Binding tab to modify the settings.


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15 Click Close.


Using Network Data DisplayNetwork Data Display enables you to view network data graphically on a map of your network’s coverage area. Any numeric metric, for example, dropped calls or carried Erlangs, that you bound and generated display information for can be displayed.The data value for each sector is displayed as a colored region resembling a sector coverage area. The color scheme and the size of the display region are adjustable options.

Figure 13.3 A three-sector site with Network Data Display. For each sector, a colored region displays a measured value, such as dropped calls, according to a user-defined histogram. The size of the colored region is adjustable to suit the scale of the map.

There can be only one value for each metric for each sector. You can display multiple metrics on the same map.In the Project Explorer, display information for an imported metric appears as a node below the network data file. If the network data file is listed with no metrics below it, display information was not generated.



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In Figure 13.4, Carried Erlangs and Dropped Call Rate metrics have been imported from an Excel file. The columns in the Excel file have been mapped to the Dropped Call Rate and Carried Erlangs Mentum Planet columns using the Network Data tool.

Figure 13.4 Operational Data category of the Project Explorer showing Carried Erlangs and Dropped Call Rate nodes.

To set metric display options1 If required, import the data you want to view. See “To import network

data” on page 393.2 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click

the metric and choose Options.

The Metric Display Options dialog box opens.

3 From the Site Selection list, choose the selection for which you want to view the metric.

4 In the Radius box, choose the size of the region that you want to use to view the metric thematically.

The radius should be large enough to be visible clearly at the current scale of the Map window.

5 Click Colors to set the color scheme.6 In the Color Tool dialog box, do any of the following:

■ To add a new inflection point, double-click on the color slider bar.

■ To set the color for an inflection point, double-click the inflection point or the corresponding box in the Color Scheme

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List, choose a color, and click OK. The chosen color applies to values between this inflection point and the next highest one.

■ To modify the position of an inflection point, drag the slider to a new position. The calculated values in the Color Scheme List are automatically updated. Do not move the sliders at either end of the color slider bar.

■ To delete an inflection point, click a color inflection point to select it, and press the DELETE key.

■ To reverse the order of the colors, click Flip Colors.■ To load an existing color profile (.vcp file), click Load, locate

the color profile you want to use, and click Open.■ To save a color profile for the metric, click Save, choose Value

or Percentile and click Close.■ To edit the value or percentile of an inflection point, click on the

entry in the Color Scheme List and type a new value, intermediate between the values above and below it.

7 Click OK to close the Color Tool dialog box.8 Click OK to close the Metric Display Options dialog box.

To view metrics■ In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category,

right-click the metric and choose View.

The metric is displayed in the Map window.

To remove metrics display■ In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category,

right-click the metric and choose Hide.

The metrics display is removed from the Map window.

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Importing site dataYou can use network data to update your site table with information about site configurations and, depending on the network technology, performance data.

To import data to the site table1 Bind external data columns to Mentum Planet data columns as

appropriate. For more information, see “To import network data” on page 393.

At minimum, you need to bind external data columns to the Site_ID and Antenna_ID columns of Mentum Planet, and then bind one of the columns of data you want to update in the site table.

2 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click the network data file and choose Import Site Data.

3 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the sectors for which you are importing data by choosing a sector group, Flags Filter, Current Selection or All Sectors, and click Continue.

The Import Site Data dialog box opens.

4 In each row where the Network Data Column contains data you want to add to the site table, choose the corresponding site table column in the Site Table Column list.

If you do not want to import a column, choose None in the Site Table Column list.

5 In each row, click the Preview (...) button at the end of the row.

The Import Site Data Preview dialog box opens, showing the site and sector ID, the network data, and the site table data that will be overwritten. Previewing the data is not compulsory, but it is strongly recommended so that you can avoid damaging your site table.

6 When you have finished previewing the data, click Close.

This procedure makes permanent changes to the site table. It is recommended that you save a copy of the site table first.

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7 Do one of the following:■ If you want to update the site table with the imported data, click

OK.■ If you do not want to update the site table, click Cancel.

Exporting site table and model files to Planet 2.8Mentum Planet site tables and propagation models based on the Planet General model can be exported to Planet 2.8.

To export site table and model files to Planet 2.81 Choose Data ➤ Export ➤ Planet 2.8 Site Table.

The Export Site Table and Planet General Model Files to Planet dialog box opens.

2 Click Browse beside the Output Folder box, choose the folder for the converted files, and click OK.

3 In the Select Files To Export box, enable the check boxes for the files that you want to export.

The Select Files To Export box lists the site table file with the propagation model files it uses indented below it. The check boxes beside these files are enabled by default. Below these files are listed any additional unused Planet General model propagation model files in the project. By default, their check boxes are not enabled.

4 If you want a report on sites that have different flag values for their sectors, enable the Generate Log File for Anomalous Sites check box.

In Mentum Planet each sector can have different flag conditions, but in Planet 2.8, flag conditions apply at the site level.

5 Click Export.

If the projection on which your site table is based is not compatible with Planet 2.8, the Choose Planet Projection dialog box opens.

The Message Window shows progress messages.

6 Click Close.

Only sites that use the Planet General model will be exported.

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Using the Demographic Analysis toolThe Demographic Analysis tool enables you to combine network coverage information and demographic information so that you can visualize the relationship between service and the population being served across the network. Using a classified grid (such as Best Serving Sector or Best Serving Class) and demographic information for the area covered by your project, you can determine information such as the number of subscribers that are best served by a given sector.For demographic analysis, you will typically use the following classified grids, which are produced when you run a network analysis:

■ Best Server Signal Strength Class■ Best Server Sector■ Second Best Server Signal Strength Class■ Second Best Server Sector■ Number of Serving Sectors

You also need a table of demographic data, such as a region table with population data for each census district.

Demographic Analysis tool outputsThe Demographic Analysis tool gives you the choice of six different output files. You can create a table, contour regions, or a numeric grid of either the distribution or the distribution density. The following table summarizes the possible outputs if you used a best server sector classified grid and the population column of your demographic table.

This tool cannot produce accurate results if the data files use longitude/latitude projection. Before using the tool, reproject files that

use longitude/latitude projection.

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Table 13.1 Explanation of output options for the Demographic Analysis tool

Type Distribution Distribution Density

Table Produces a table (opened in a Browser window) of the sum of the number of people from each of the individual regions for which a given sector provides the best service.

Produces a table (opened in a Browser window) of the total number of people served by each sector divided by the total area, in square kilometers, that the sector serves best.

Contour regions

Produces a region table of the sector best serving each demographic region and displays it in a new Map window. You can use the Info tool to view the sector and the number of people served in each region. This table will be substantially larger than the one produced using the Table option because a sector can be the best server for many regions. The sum of the number of people served in each region by a single sector will add up to the value displayed by the Table option.

Produces a region table of the sector best serving each region and opens a Browser window that displays the number of people served in each region divided by the area, in square kilometers, of the region. This table will be substantially larger than the one produced using the Table option because a sector can be the best server for many regions.

Numeric Grid

Produces a numeric grid of the number of people in each best serving area.

Produces a numeric grid of the number of people in each best serving area divided by the area of the region in square kilometers.

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To perform a demographic analysis1 Choose Analysis ➤ Demographic Analysis.2 In the Demographic Analysis Tool dialog box, click Browse next to the

Classified Grid box, navigate to your project’s <technology>_Analyses folder, choose the best server classified grid (.grc) you want to open, and click Open.

3 Click Browse next to the MapInfo Table box, choose the Region table (.tab) containing demographic data, and click Open.

4 Click Next.5 From the Demographic Data Column list, choose the column that

contains the demographic data, and click Next.6 In the Output Format section, choose any of the following options:

■ Table—output will be a table■ Contour—output will be a region contour ■ Grid—output will be a numeric grid

7 In the Output Data Type section, choose one of the following options:■ Distribution—uses the value in the demographic data table for

each sector or region■ Distribution Density—calculates a density value by taking the

value in the demographic data table for each sector or region and dividing it by the area of the region in square kilometers, resulting in a value per square kilometer

8 Click Next.

9 Choose an output folder or accept the default, and click Generate.

The default bin size used in the analysis is that of the .grc file used. If there are regions in the demographic data that do not encompass a

single grid node (usually regions that are smaller than the bin size), the region’s data is attributed to the closest node.When distribution density is chosen as the output type, the density value is calculated using the area of the bins found in each demographic region, not the area of the region itself.

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Using the Network Statistics Mapping toolIf you have network performance data in a .tab file, you can view a thematic map of your data using the Network Statistics Mapping tool. This is useful, for example, if you want to visually display the number of dropped calls for each sector in your network.

Figure 13.5 Thematic map showing the number of dropped calls per defined sector region

In order to map network performance outputs, you need the following files:■ classified grid (.grc) file—defines the boundaries of the serving

region for every sector. For example, the Best Server Sector (BestServTx) grid defines the regions where each sector is the one best capable of providing service. This grid is the result of a network analysis created using Mentum Planet. The grid you use depends on your purpose and the type of network you are

Open the Best Server Sector grid in the same window as the grid output from the Demographic Analysis tool and use the Grid Info tool to

see the sector serving the region at the same time as the demographic information.

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analyzing. For more information about technology-specific network analysis layers, see the appropriate User Guide.

■ table (.tab) file—must have at least two columns: one containing sector identifiers and one containing the network data to be mapped to the regions defined in the classified grid. The network data could be performance data, such as the number of dropped calls for each sector.

If you have a network data table that is not in table (.tab) format, use File ➤ Open Table to open it before using the Network Statistics Mapping tool. Mentum Planet automatically creates a .tab file with the same name. Mentum Planet can read tables in several formats, including delimited ASCII text.The sector identification column in the network data table and the site table Cell_ID column must use the same naming scheme. The Network Statistics Mapping Tool dialog box uses these values to match the network data values to the sectors. If the site table Cell_ID column is empty, as is the default, you must update it with the correct cell identifier values.

To update the site table Cell_ID column1 Do one of the following:

■ Choose GIS ➤ Table ➤ Update Column and create an expression to construct Cell_ID values from the values of other columns such as Site_ID and Antenna_ID. For more information, see “Adding to a Table” in Chapter 5 of the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

■ Use the Network Data tool to import a lookup table that contains Cell_ID as well as Site_ID and Antenna_ID values. Then update the site table using Import Site Data. For more information, see “Importing site data” on page 402.

To create a thematic map of network data1 Choose Tools ➤ Network Statistics Mapping.2 In the Network Statistics Mapping Tool dialog box, read the

introduction and click Next.3 Click Browse, select the classified grid (.grc) file that defines your sector

regions, and click Open. 4 Click Next.

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5 Do one of the following:■ If the network data file that you want to use is listed in the Data

Table list, choose the network data file from the list.■ If the network data file that you want to use is not listed in the

Data Table list, click Browse, find the file, and then click Open. Then, select the network data file from the Data Table list.

6 From the Identification Field list, choose the sector identification column and click Next.

7 Click Browse, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type a file name in the File Name box, and click Save.

8 If you want to map the results, enable the Thematically Map Results check box.

9 From the Data field list, choose the network data column and click Finish.

The thematic map is displayed in the current Map window. The ranges and colors displayed are defaults and can be modified by choosing the Modify Thematic Map command from the Map menu.

Using the Tool ManagerYou can use the Tool Manager to add custom tools or utilities to the Tools menu.

To add a tool to the Tools menu1 Choose Tools ➤ Tool Manager.2 In the Tool Manager dialog box, click Add.

The Add RF Tool dialog box opens.

3 Click Browse, locate the file for the tool you want to add, and click Open.4 In the Title box, type the name you want to see displayed in the Tools

menu.5 In the Description box, type the description you want to appear in the

Tool Manager dialog box.

Tool files, including .exe, .dll, and .mbx files, must be placed in the <Mentum Planet>\mapinfo\Tools folder.

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6 Click OK.7 Click OK to close the Tool Manager.

To enable and disable tools1 Choose Tools ➤ Tool Manager.2 In the Tool Manager dialog box, do one of the following:

■ To enable a tool that you want to use, enable its check box.■ To disable a tool, clear its check box.

3 Click OK.

The Tools menu is updated. 4 Click OK to close the Tool Manager.

You can click Edit in the Tool Manager dialog box to edit existing tools.

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Chapter 14: Working with Grids

14.
Working with Grids
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Getting information about a

grid■ Contouring a grid■ Creating smooth grid contours■ Creating slope and aspect

grids■ Working with area grids■ Analyzing visibility on a grid

Gridding is the basic mapping technique used in

Mentum Planet. The Grid Manager is the central

dialog box from which you can open, sort, view, and

manipulate grids. Mentum Planet also has tools that

enable you to retrieve information from grids and

perform basic topological analysis.

This chapter explains only some of the functionality

associated with grids. For more information about

grid analysis, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.

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Getting information about a gridYou can use the following tools to retrieve grid information:

■ Grid Legend—displays the color scheme and value ranges used for the map display.

■ Grid Manager Info function—provides information about the grid, including metadata.

■ Grid Info tool—returns information about the selected geographical location from all grids currently open in the Grid Manager. The grid files being inspected do not have to be layers in the current Map window.

■ Region Info tool—displays a statistical summary of the data within a selected region for all active grids in the Grid Manager.

■ Line Info tool—displays a statistical summary of the data along a selected line for the grid highlighted in the Grid Manager.

■ Find Maximum Point tool—finds the highest point in a region. This is an aid to finding good locations for sites. For more information, see “Using sector placement tools” on page 91.

■ Grid Query tool—builds new grids from existing grids where the new grid values are derived according to whether specific queries imposed on the existing grid files have been met. For more information, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.

■ Grid Calculator tool—creates mathematical expressions using an unlimited number of grids. For more information, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.

To view a grid legendA legend displays map information such as the color scheme used for the map display. You can quickly view legends in order to improve the readability of a map.

To get additional information on analysis files, you can use the Layer Statistics tool and the Pixel Info tool. For more information, see the

appropriate technology-specific User Guide.

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Working with GridsMentum Planet User Guide

1 Choose View ➤ Show Grid Legend.2 In the Grid Legend dialog box, choose the grid file for which you want to

see the legend.

Only grid files that are currently open appear in the list.

3 Click the button to the right of the list box to view the Dictionary Editor (for .grc files) or the Grid Color Tool (for .grd files) and modify the appearance of the legend.

For more information on modifying legends, see “Creating and printing legends” on page 436.

To use the Grid Manager Info function1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, choose a grid from the list, and click the Info

button.

The Grid Manager lists only grids that are currently open in the project. You can open other grids as needed from the Grid Manager.

For more information about the types of information available using the Grid Manager Info function, see Chapter 5, “Working with the Grid Manager”, in the Grid Analysis User Guide.

To use the Grid Info tool1 On the Analysis toolbar, click the Grid Info button. 2 Click in the Map window.

The Grid Info dialog box opens, listing the value of each open grid at the cursor location. You can click the Map to view information for other locations. The Cursor Tracking option provides a continuous display of data as you change the cursor position. The Capture Data option captures data to a table. For more information, see “Using the Grid Info tool” in Chapter 5 of the Grid Analysis User Guide.

You can specify Grid Info options in the Preferences dialog box accessible by choosing GIS ➤ Grid Analysis ➤ Preferences.

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If you need to inspect a large number of predefined points, you can use the Point Inspection function. For more information, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.

To use the Region Info tool1 Choose View ➤ Toolbars.2 In the Toolbar Options dialog box, enable the Grid Analysis check box,

and click OK.3 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Region Info button.

4 Select a region in the Map window.

To view statistical information for a large number of regions contained in the same table, use the Region Inspection function. For more information about region inspection, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.

To use the Line Info tool1 Choose View ➤ Toolbars.2 In the Toolbar Options dialog box, enable the Grid Analysis check box,

and click OK.3 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Line Info button.

4 Click on a line in the Map window.

The Volume calculation is the sum of all the values found in the region multiplied by the bin dimensions. This value is only meaningful when

the z-unit is a linear measurement. The % null value indicates how much of the enclosed area contains null values.

The number of samples taken along the line is determined by the Cross Section: No. of Samples parameter in the Preferences settings. The

default is 100. To change this value, choose GIS ➤ Grid Analysis ➤ Preferences and enter a new number in the No. of Samples box. For more information about preferences, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.You can choose whether or not values are interpolated within bins by enabling or clearing the Use Closest Node Values check box on the z-units tab in the Grid Manager Info function.

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To view information for a large number of lines contained in the same table, use the Line Inspection function. For more information about line inspection, see the Grid Analysis User Guide.

Contouring a gridMentum Planet provides tools to convert grids to attribute-coded vector files using processes that thread isolines, or contours, through the grid network (Figure 14.1). Contour lines are paths of constant values. Mentum Planet computes contour lines as separate polylines or closed complex regions where holes or islands have been “knocked-out”. This is important in the GIS environment because the contour regions can immediately be used for analysis.

Figure 14.1 Lines are threaded through bins at defined values.

Creating contours for a numeric gridA standard contour line map can be generated from within Mentum Planet using a process that threads polylines through an existing grid file. You can define a number of settings including the range of grid values to be contoured, the contour interval, and the color and style of individual contour lines. These settings can be saved in a configuration file and applied to other grid files.You can also generate contours as topologically built regions using a process similar to the polyline threader. Contour region intervals are user-defined with the additional option of applying a custom gradient color ramp to assign incremental colors to the contour regions.For contour regions, you can define the Greater than or Equal to Lower Value (>=Value) and the Less than Upper Value (<Value). These values define each

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contour region based on Contour settings. Each contour represents the lower value of the interval. For example, the 200 contour region encloses all values ≥ 200 and <250.

To define contour polylines or regions1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, click the Contour button. 3 In the Contour dialog box, choose the appropriate grid file from the Grid

list, and click Polylines if you want to create polyline contours or Regions if you want to create region contours.

4 Click Intervals.5 In the Intervals dialog box, do any of the following:

■ In the Minimum box, set the minimum value, defined as the lowest grid value that will be examined during the threading process.

■ In the Maximum box, set the maximum value, defined as the highest value that will be examined during the threading process.

■ In the Method section, choose one of the following options: ■ Interval—defines the range of values that each class will

encompass. The default setting is calculated by dividing the range between the minimum and maximum values into 10 classes. Use the Value box to define the interval.

■ Number—enables you to specify the number of classes that will be created based upon the Minimum, Maximum, and Interval settings. The default is 10 classes. Use the Value box to define the number.

6 Click OK to close the Intervals dialog box.7 To save contour profile settings, click Save As.

Profiles are saved as text files with a .pfc extension.

8 To save the contour map, click Browse, navigate to where you want to save the contour map, type a name or accept the default, and then click Save.

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9 Click OK to create contours.

Creating contours for a classified gridJust as region contours are created from numeric grids, they can also be created from classified grids. In this case, a simplified threading process is used to trace line work along the bin boundaries between different classes and convert each unique classified group of bins into a single region. The value of each classified group is attached as an entry to the region table in a column labeled “Class”.

To create contours for a classified grid1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, highlight a classified grid file in the list of open

grids and click the Contour button.3 In the Save Contours As dialog box, type a name in the File Name box

and click Save.

The contouring function automatically completes and draws the region table into a new Map window.

The new regions are an exact reproduction of the classified grid (.grc) regions but are in vector format with an attached column entry representing the contour class name.

To modify the interval values manually, double-click in any Value field in the Interval List and type a value.

The default setting in the Minimum box is the lowest value encountered in the grid file and may need to be changed for the contouring process.

If you want to maintain consistency in contour intervals throughout a series of grid files, you can save the settings for the contour plot in a

profile.

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Figure 14.2 A contour map created from a classified grid.

Creating smooth grid contoursMentum Planet includes many different conversion tools that enable you to generate the output format you require. One of these tools is the Smooth Contour Tool which creates generalized polygon data from large Mentum Planet numeric grid output files.This can be useful when you need to convert numeric grid data to a vector format. For example, if you are using a web-based mapping tool and require a network-wide best server signal strength polygon file, you can use the Smooth Contour Tool to convert the numeric grid output to a vector format.When you create grid contours using standard contouring tools, contour lines are threaded through bins at defined intervals. If you are contouring a complex grid with many isolated bins, holes, or islands, the resulting grid may be too visually crowded to be meaningful. The contouring process will also be very time consuming. Using the Smooth Contour tool, you can reduce the size and complexity of the grid before generating contours. As a result, the time required to contour a complex grid decreases and the resulting grid is simpler and more meaningful.

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How smooth grid contours are createdCreating smooth grid contours encompasses several phases as illustrated in Figure 14.3 on page 419.

Figure 14.3 Phase 1 of the Smooth Contouring process where the grid is resized and the new bin values are calculated.

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Phase 1In the first phase, the grid is resized and bin values recalculated based on one of five methods.

■ Average—bin values within the smoothing window are averaged and applied to the output

■ Minimum—the minimum bin value within the smoothing window is applied to the output

■ Maximum—the maximum bin value within the smoothing window is applied to the output

■ Median—the median bin value within the smoothing window is is applied to the output

■ Gaussian—a Gaussian curve is applied to bin values within the smoothing window and a weighted value applied to each point. The weighted points are then averaged as shown in Figure 14.4.

Figure 14.4 Using the Gaussian filter method, a Gaussian curve is applied to all the points in the Smoothing window and a weighted value is assigned to each point. The weighted values are then averaged to produce a value for the bin (i.e. the point at the top of the curve).

While the calculations used to determine the bin value are different, the method used to calculate the value is the same. Using the averaging method, for example, given an original bin size of 180m, an output bin size of 540m, and smoothing window of 3780 m, the Smooth Contour tool takes the bin values within the 3780m smoothing window, averages them and then applies this new value to the output bins.

Smoothing window

Interim window

3

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Figure 14.5 The Smooth Contour Tool uses all the values in the smoothing window to calculate the new bin value.

Phase 2In the second phase, contours are applied to the newly processed grid.

180

540

3780 Smoothing window

Output bin size

Original bin size

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Figure 14.6 Original map and the resulting smooth contours.

To create smooth grid contoursBefore you use the Smooth Contour tool, you must create and save an interval (.pfc) file that specifies the contouring intervals and colors. See “To define contour polylines or regions” on page 416. Alternately, you can use one of the .pfc files located in the <Mentum Planet>\global\Profiles folder.

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1 Choose Tools ➤ Smooth Contour Tool.

The Smooth Contour Tool dialog box opens.

2 From the Grid list, choose the grid you want to contour.3 In the Resize Options section, from the Filter Method list, choose one of

the following methods:■ Average—bin values within the smoothing window are

averaged and applied to the output■ Minimum—the minimum bin value within the smoothing

window is used in the output■ Maximum—the maximum bin value within the smoothing

window is used in the output■ Median—the median bin value within the smoothing window is

used in the output■ Gaussian—a Gaussian curve is applied to bin values within the

smoothing window and a weighted value given to each point. The weighted values are then averaged to determine the bin value.

4 From the Interim Bin Size list, choose the bin size you want to use during phase 1 of the contouring process.

5 From the Smoothing Window list, choose the area you want included in contouring calculations.

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6 To save the interim grid, enable the Preserve Interim Grid check box, click the Browse button, navigate to the folder where you want the file saved.

7 In the File Name box, type a name for the grid, and click Save.8 In the Contour Options section, click Browse, navigate to the interval

(.plc) file, and click Open.9 To save the new contour file, click the Browse button, navigate to the

folder where you want the file saved.10 In the File Name box, type a name for the grid, and click Save.11 Click OK.

Creating slope and aspect gridsAs it applies to grid geometry, slope is a measurement of the “steepness” of a bin in three-dimensional space and is therefore most applicable to elevation surfaces. In Mentum Planet, slope is calculated by averaging the slopes of the eight triangle faces that are formed from the surrounding nodes.Aspect measures the direction that each bin faces in three-dimensional space and is recorded in azimuth degrees relative to either true north or the top of the map. In Mentum Planet, aspect is calculated by averaging the aspects of the eight triangle faces that are formed from the surrounding nodes.

Figure 14.7 The eight triangles are created to determine the slope at node “A.”

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To create a slope and aspect grid1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, click the Analysis button and choose

Create Slope & Aspect.3 In the Slope and Aspect dialog box, choose a grid from the Grid list.

The z-unit of the grid must be a linear unit of distance, such as meters or feet. If this is not the case, you must reproject the grid.

4 To create a slope grid, enable the Create Slope Grid check box.5 Enable the Calculate as % Grade check box to calculate the slope as a

percent grade.

When you clear this check box, the slope is calculated in degrees.

6 To create an aspect grid, enable the Create Aspect Grid check box.7 In the Aspect Parameters section, choose one of the following options:

■ Calculate Aspect Relative to True North option—sets north to zero degrees azimuth and allows values to progress in a clockwise direction.

■ Calculate Aspect Relative to Y-axis option—sets “Y” at the top of the map.

8 In the Description boxes, enter a description.

The description will be carried as a header in the new grid file.

9 In the File Name boxes, enter a file name for each grid to be created.10 Click OK.

The new grids open, each in its own Map window.

Working with area gridsArea grids are classified grids that represent MapInfo region objects. Area grids enable you to define a working area, so that only pixels inside the area will be considered when performing calculations. Area grids are also used with some third-party products, such as the Optimizer.

To view slope and aspect values, choose Tools ➤ Grid Legends in the Grid Manager, and then choose the grid from the list in the Grid Legend

dialog box.

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Using the Area node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer, you can create area grids using MapInfo tables that contain region objects, or you can use the drawing tools to create vector objects, and then generate an area grid based on the vector objects. You can also add existing area grids to your project. The resolution of area grids is, by default, the same as the project elevation file, but you can define the resolution based on a number of preset values if required. For example, if you are defining a very small area, you may want to use a higher resolution.

To create an area grid

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the Areas node and choose Create.

The Area Generator dialog box opens.

2 On the Data Source tab, do one of the following:■ If you want to create an area grid using vector objects, choose

Selection. This option is only available if you selected the vector objects in the Map window.

■ If you want to create an area grid using a MapInfo file, choose File, click Browse, choose a .tab file that is associated with a MapInfo file that contains region objects, and then click Open.

3 Click the Resolution tab and do one of the following:■ If you want to use the same resolution as the project elevation

file, choose Optimal.■ If you want to define the grid resolution, choose User Defined,

and then choose a value from the Resolution list.4 Click Generate.5 When the generation is complete, click Close.

The area grid is saved in the Areas folder within your project folder and is listed in the Project Explorer under the Areas node in the Project Data category.

If you are creating an area grid using vector objects, you must select the vector objects in the Map window before you create the grid.

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To add an area grid■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the

Areas node and choose Add, then choose an area grid file, and click Open.

The area grid is copied to the Areas folder within your project folder and is listed in the Project Explorer under the Areas node in the Project Data category.

To rename an area grid■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click an

area grid under the Areas node, choose Rename and then type a new name for the grid.

To view an area grid■ In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click an

area grid under the Areas node and choose View.

The area grid is displayed as a layer in the Map window.

To delete an area grid1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click an area

grid under the Areas node and choose Delete.2 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

The area grid is removed from the Project Explorer and the files are deleted from the project folder.

Analyzing visibility on a gridYou can perform two types of visibility analysis:

■ Point-to-Point Visibility—determine whether there is a line-of-sight path between two points on the grid

■ Viewshed Analysis—identify all locations on a grid that are visible from one or more viewpoints

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Point-to-Point Visibility functionUsing the Point-to-Point Visibility function, you can either select a path from an existing line object in a Map window or draw the path in the Map window. The result is a graph like that shown in Figure 14.8.

Figure 14.8 Point-to-Point Visibility graph. The red line depicts the surface, the green line depicts what you can see.

You can use the point-to-point visibility function only on a numeric grid that has a z-unit type of feet or meters.

To determine point-to-point visibility1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, choose the grid on which you want to analyze

point-to-point visibility.3 In Mentum Planet, choose View ➤ Toolbars.4 Enable the Grid Analysis check box and click OK.5 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Point-to-Point Visibility button. 6 With the left mouse button held down, draw the path in the Map window

of the open elevation grid file, where the line direction corresponds to the direction of sight, i.e., the “looking from” position is the start of the line.

If you want to draw the path starting at a site location and snap the cursor to the nearest point, press the S key to activate the Snap tool.

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7 In the Point-to-Point Visibility dialog box, choose the grid file on which you want to use the Point-to-Point Visibility function from the Grid list.

8 In the Viewing Parameters section, choose all of the parameters that will be calculated for each region.

9 Enable the Plot on Map check box if you want view a line plot in the Map window after clicking Solve.

The line plot traces the extent of the line of sight and indicates, using color, the intervals between the endpoints that are visible (green) and obstructed (red) relative to the direction of sight. Line plots are saved as individual .tab files using default file names (subdirVMLineX.tab). As subsequent lines are chosen and solved, new files are saved with incremental numbers in the file name.

10 Enable the Create Results Table check box if you want to create a table of results.

11 Click 3D Viewer if you want to render a 3D image of the point-to-point visibility results.

For more information about creating 3D views, see Chapter 10, “Creating 3D Views Using GridView”, in the Grid Analysis User Guide.

12 Click Solve.

The results appear in the Point-to-Point Solution dialog box.

Viewshed functionViewshed is defined as a delineation process identifying all locations on a grid that are visually connected (visible in a direct line-of-sight) to a single observation point.

You can customize the appearance of the point-to-point solution graph using the shortcut menu. To access it, right-click in the graph window

and choose one of the available commands. You can also zoom in and zoom out of the graph by clicking in the graph window and dragging the cursor over the area you want to view.

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The Viewshed function computes visibility between one or more observation points (the viewpoints) and each of the bins in an elevation grid file (the destination bins) in one of two ways:

■ simple visible/invisible answer for each of the destination bins■ computed value representing the height that each destination bin

should be raised or lowered to make it just visible from the viewpoint.

In other words, if a destination bin is not visible from the viewpoint, then a negative value is returned specifying the height below the line of sight. To become just visible, this height has to be added to the destination bin. For example, if the number returned is -98 meters, then the destination bin must be raised 98 meters in order to be visible.If the destination bin is visible, then a positive value is returned specifying the height above the line of sight. In this case, the viewpoint can be lowered by this height and remain just visible. For example, if the number returned is 55 meters, then the viewpoint can be lowered 55 meters and still be visible.You use the Viewpoint Pick tool found on the Grid Analysis toolbar to identify the view point from which intervisibility for an entire elevation grid file is calculated or you can use it to select an existing point in the Map window.The Viewshed function is appropriate only for use on a grid file that has a unit of elevation (feet or meters) as its z-value.

To perform a single-point viewshed analysis1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, choose the grid on which you want to perform the

viewshed analysis.3 Choose View ➤ Toolbars.4 Enable the Grid Analysis check box and click OK.5 On the Grid Analysis toolbar, click the Viewpoint Pick button. 6 Using the left mouse button, choose a point in the Map window of the

open elevation grid file that represents the point of origin for the viewshed calculation.

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7 In the Viewshed dialog box, choose one of the following options in the Viewshed Methods section:■ Simple Calculation—enables you to create a classified grid file

and assigns the category “Visible” or “Invisible” to each bin, depending on whether it is visible or invisible from the viewpoint.

■ Complex Calculation—returns a value measured in grid z-units. The value represents either the height the bin should be raised to make it just visible from the viewpoint (a negative value because it lies below the site line), or the height that the bin could be lowered in order to become just visible (a positive value because it lies above the site line).

8 In the Viewing Parameters section, define the following settings:■ Viewpoint Height—type the height in meters above the ground

for the viewpoint. This could be the height of a tower, for example.

■ Viewshed Offset—type the height in meters above the ground for the destination bins. This compensates for the height of the object being viewed.

■ Viewing Radius—type the maximum radius in meters around the viewpoint to calculate Viewshed.

■ Earth Curvature—choose the earth curvature model to use: None, Normal, or 4/3 Earth Correction.

9 In the Description box, type a description for the viewshed grid.10 Click OK.

The Viewshed map opens in a new Map window.

To view visibility values, choose Tools ➤ Grid Legends in the Grid Manager, and then choose the grid from the list in the Grid Legend

dialog box.You can also access the Viewshed tool from the Grid Manager. Click the Analysis button, and choose the Viewshed Analysis command.

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To perform a multi-point viewshed analysis1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, choose the DEM grid. 3 In the Map window, using any of the Select tools on the Main toolbar,

select point objects representing the locations you want to perform the analysis on.

4 In the Grid Manager, click the Analysis button, and choose Viewshed Analysis.

5 In the Viewshed dialog box, choose the grid you want to analyze from the Grid list.

6 In the Viewshed Method section, choose one of the following:■ Simple Calculation—creates a classified grid that shows each

destination bin as either visible or invisible from the viewpoint.■ Complex Calculation—creates a numeric grid that indicates

how much each destination bin would have to be raised (negative value) or lowered (positive value) to be just visible from the viewpoint.

7 In the Viewing Parameters section, define the following settings:■ Viewpoint Height—type the height in meters above the ground

for the viewpoint. This could be the height of a tower, for example.

■ Viewshed Offset—type the height in meters above the ground for the destination bins. This compensates for the height of the object being viewed.

■ Viewing Radius—type the maximum radius in meters around the viewpoint to calculate Viewshed.

■ Earth Curvature—choose the earth curvature model to use: None, Normal, or 4/3 Earth Correction.

8 In the Description box, type a description for the viewshed grid.9 Click OK.

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Chapter 15: Generating Reports

15.
Generating Reports
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Producing coverage map

reports■ Creating and printing legends■ Exporting site tables■ Producing FCC reports

You can create a variety of reports in Mentum Planet.

Coverage map reports present analyses, and can

include legends and graphics. A site table report

exports the information from your site table to a

tab-delimited or comma-delimited text file. An FCC

report provides coverage and interference plots

required by FCC regulations.

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Producing coverage map reportsMentum Planet enables you to produce many different types of maps, including coverage maps. For example, you can generate the following output grids:

■ forward-link analysis■ reverse-link analysis■ combined analysis■ throughput analysis■ gain analysis

Once you have generated output grids, you can organize the grids in a report, which you can print. You do this using the Layout functionality, which enables you to customize a layout to your specific requirements. You can create a template that you can use to create all your reports. For more information on creating layouts, see “Working with Layouts” in Chapter 12 of the MapInfo Professional User Guide.To include elements such as company logos or other graphics and legends in your reports, you must first display them in Map windows. For more information on opening graphic files, see “To open a graphic file” on page 436.

To create a print layout1 Open each file that you want to include in the layout in the Map window.2 Choose Window ➤ New Layout Window.3 In the New Window Layout dialog box, choose one of the frame options,

and click OK.4 In the Layout window, you can do any of the following:

■ Move and resize frames by selecting a frame using the Select tool on the Main toolbar, and then resizing or repositioning the

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Generating ReportsMentum Planet User Guide

frame on the layout page. Using the Shift key when resizing will maintain the aspect ratio of the window.

■ Delete frames by selecting a frame using the Select tool, and then pressing the DELETE key.

■ Align objects by selecting a group of objects using the Select tool, choose Layout ➤ Align Objects, choose the horizontal and vertical alignment options, and then click OK.

■ Add text by clicking the Text button on the Drawing toolbar and adding text to the layout window.

■ Create a drop shadow by clicking a frame, then right-clicking and choosing Create Drop Shadows.

5 If you want to save the workspace immediately, choose File ➤ Save Workspace and save the layout as a .wor file.

This step is optional. Mentum Planet automatically saves the workspace when you close the project.

To add a frame1 On the Drawing toolbar, click the Frame button.2 Draw a frame in the layout window.3 In the Frame Object dialog box, choose the window you want to include

in the layout, and adjust the placement and the size as required.

4 Click OK.

To change the border of a frame1 On the Main toolbar, click the Select button.2 Choose an object.3 Choose GIS ➤ Options ➤ Region Style.

Choose Layout ➤ View Actual Size to view the layout window as it will appear when printed.

If you want to change the window displayed in the frame, click the Select button from the Main toolbar, double-click on the frame, select a

new window from the Window list, and click OK.

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4 In the Border section, choose the options you want for the border.5 Click OK.

To open a graphic fileTo add a company logo or other graphic file to your layout you must first open it in its own Map window.

1 Choose File ➤ Open Table.2 From the Files of Type list, choose Raster Image.3 Choose the graphic file you want to include.4 From the Preferred View list, choose New Mapper.5 In the Open Table dialog box, click Open.6 In the message dialog box, click Display.

Creating and printing legendsA legend explains the meaning of visual elements in the map. This section describes how to create and print a legend of a grid or a thematic map that you can include in reports.

To create and print a grid legend1 If the Grid Manager is not visible, choose View ➤ Show Grid Manager.2 In the Grid Manager, choose the grid for which you want to create a

legend.3 Click the Color button.

If you chose a numeric grid, the Grid Color Tool opens. If you chose a classified grid, the Dictionary Editor opens.

4 Click Legend. 5 In the Legend Generator, define the range, text, and format settings.6 If you want to save the legend configuration as a .vml file, click Save.

After you have saved a .vml file, you can use the same color configuration for other legends.

7 Click OK to view the legend in a new Map window.8 If you want to print the legend, choose File ➤ Print.

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9 In the Print dialog box, specify the printer, page size, source, and orientation, and click OK.

To create and print a thematic map legend1 Create a thematic map.

For general information about creating a thematic map, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide. For detailed instructions on creating a thematic map using survey or network data, see “To create a thematic map of survey data” on page 183 and “To create a thematic map of network data” on page 408.

2 Choose Map ➤ Create Legend.3 In the Create Legend dialog box, ensure that the thematic map layer is

the only layer listed in the Legend Frames section, and click Next.4 Define the legend properties as required, and click Finish.5 Click Finish to view the legend in a new Map window.

For more information on the Create Legend dialog box, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

6 To print the legend, choose File ➤ Print.7 In the Print dialog box, specify the printer, page size, source, and

orientation, and click OK.

If some of the text in your legend overlaps, choose File ➤ Close Table and close the legend file. Reopen the Legend Generator, and use the

Range, Text, and Format tabs to adjust the number and position of range values. A common cause of overlap is the alignment of value and percentile labels when both Show Value and Show Pct are enabled on the Range tab.

You can also view a legend of a grid by choosing View ➤ Show Legend Window. You cannot print the legend using this method. For more

information, see “To view a grid legend” on page 412.

You can modify the properties of the thematic map before creating the legend by choosing Map ➤ Modify Thematic Map. For more

information, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

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Exporting site tablesIn the course of network planning and design, you might need to print reports containing site table information. To facilitate this, you can export the site table to a tab-delimited or comma-delimited text file so that you can import it into Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet program.

To export the site table to a text fileAfter exporting the site table to a text file, you can open it in Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet program.

1 Choose GIS ➤ Table ➤ Export.2 In the Export Table dialog box, choose the site file and click Export.3 In the Export Table to File dialog box, choose Delimited ASCII (.txt)

from the Save as Type list, and click Save.4 In the Delimited ASCII Information dialog box, do the following:

■ In the Delimiter section, choose the delimiter appropriate for your spreadsheet program.

■ Enable the Use First Line for Column Titles check box.5 Click OK.

Producing FCC reportsThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires operators in the United States to submit coverage and interference plots as well as associated contour calculations when erecting new towers or amending existing ones.Service providers are licensed to serve a specific geographic area, and a variety of rules and restrictions apply for different systems and services. The rules are based upon a series of formulas defined by the FCC that rely on determining certain signal strengths at a given distance from the sector with regard to the power in ERP (Watts). An FCC contour is often referred to as a Service Area Boundary (SAB).For VHF and UHF services, Mentum Planet creates the area where an operator can provide a service without causing interference with any

You can also view a legend of a thematic map by choosing View ➤ Show Legend Window. You cannot print the legend using this

method. For more information, see “To view a grid legend” on page 412.

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neighboring carrier. In addition, it generates the interference contour for both VHF and UHF services, thereby helping you establish the interfering contour overlap and determining how it may affect a protected co-channel sector controlled by a carrier other than the applicant.You can choose from six FCC contour options:

■ 32 dBu—Cellular systems 32 dBu contour. The Cellular Geographic Service Area (CGSA) of a cellular system is the geographic area considered by the FCC to be served by the cellular provider under license. The CGSA is important because it defines the area in which the cellular operator has regulatory protection from the adverse effects of interference.

■ VHF Service—VHF paging systems with frequencies 36-36, 36-43, and 43-44 MHz

■ VHF Interference—VHF paging systems with frequencies 35-36, 36-43, and 43-44 MHz

■ UHF Service—UHF paging systems with frequency 931-932 MHz. The FCC contour is a circle centered on the transmitting antenna.

■ UHF Interference—UHF paging systems with frequency 931-932 MHz. The FCC contour is a circle centered on the transmitting antenna.

■ Narrowband PCS—The FCC requires narrowband PCS providers not to exceed the 47 dBuV/m contour outside their service areas.

Service Area Boundary (SAB) formulaThe FCC contour formula for calculating the distance to the Service Area Boundary is as follows:

Where: a, , are coefficients that are dependent on the type of serviceD is the distance to the SABH is the antenna height (m) above the average terrain (AHAAT)E is the radial Effective Radiated Power (W)

D a Ha Eβ××=

α β

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Understanding FCC table formatsWhen the FCC contours are generated, Mentum Planet creates a table set comprising the FCC_Points, FCC_Regions, and FCC_Combine tables. The format of each table is described below.The FCC_Points table represents the radial points generated for each of the eight radials per sector that make up the FCC contour. Click on an FCC radial point using the Info tool to view this information. The table includes

■ Site_Id■ Distance_Km■ ERP_Watts■ AHAAT (Antenna Height Above Average Terrain)■ Radial■ HAAT

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The FCC_Regions table provides information for each individual contour region that has been generated for each sector. Click on an FCC region using the Info tool to view this information. The table includes

■ Site_Id■ Max_Power■ Elevation (m)■ Radials■ Height (m)■ AHAAT■ Site_LocX■ Site_LocY ■ Antenna File■ Antenna Properties (Azimuth, Tilt, Twist, and Gain)■ Gulf Area ■ Contour type■ Frequency■ Rx_Height■ DEM■ DEM bin size■ HAAT

The FCC_Combine table contains the same column headings as the FCC_Regions table. When you generate a combined region for all the FCC contours, this table is not updated with any database information. The reason for this is that in order to support a spatial region, Mentum Planet must create a corresponding database table in order to view it in the map window.

To create FCC contours1 If you want to generate a contour for a single site or sector, select it in the

Map window.2 Choose Tools ➤ FCC Contour Generator or click the

FCC Contour Generator button on the Tools toolbar.

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3 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group for which you want to generate the FCC contours, and click Continue.

If you are generating a contour for a single site or sector, choose Current Selection.

4 Click the Settings tab and choose the contour type you want to generate from the Contour Type list.

5 In the Num. of Radials box, type the number of radials you require.

The default number of radials is eight as required by FCC regulations. Mentum Planet gives you the option to build a contour using a user-defined number of radials should greater accuracy be required.

6 If you chose VHF, UHF, or narrowband PCS contour types, from the Frequency list, choose the frequency range.

The frequency range is applicable to both service and interference contours.

7 Enable any of the following check boxes:■ Apply Smoothing—creates a spline or linear interpolation of

radials when deriving the FCC contours. A spline interpolation will be smoother than a linear interpolation. To specify the smoothing type, click the Advanced tab.

■ Draw Radials—displays all the radials for the FCC contour calculation.

■ Combine Regions—generates the composite contour belonging to your group of sectors.

■ Use Info. from Site Table—calculates FCC contours using values in the site table. If you clear this check box, you can choose any location or point on the DEM to generate the appropriate FCC contour. If this option is not enabled, you cannot combine regions. To override values for 32 dBu services, you must enable this check box. For more information, see “To define override values for 32 dBu services” on page 443.

■ Keep Previous Curves—enables you to preserve the contours that you previously generated. If you clear this check box, only one generated contour is displayed, and the previous contours are overwritten.

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8 If you want to define distance, ERP/EiRP, or HAAT overrides for 32 dBu services, click the Override button.

You can only override the service when it is defined along eight radials (as required by the FCC). See “To define override values for 32 dBu services”.

9 If you decide that the overrides are not needed, clear the Use Overrides check box.

10 Click Generate.

Your Map window refreshes to view the FCC contours. Dashed red lines highlight the composite region contour, and solid black lines indicate the individual sector contour regions.

To define override values for 32 dBu servicesYou can only override values for 32 dBu services defined along 8 radials. Override values are saved in the FCC_Overrides.ini file located in the project folder.

1 If you want to override distance, ERP/EiRP, or HAAT values for all sectors listed on the tabs in the 32 dBu Overrides dialog box, enable any of the following check boxes in the Override Options section:■ Distance—enables you to define the distance from the sector to

the contour for each radial. If you enable this check box, only the distance value is used in the generation of contours. However, all values (distance, the ERP/EiRP, and HAAT values) are output to the FCC report.

■ ERP—enables you to define a ERP value for each radial. ■ HAAT—enables you to define a HAAT for each radial.

2 If you want to use the same value for all sectors, enable the Override by Sector check box.

3 If you enabled the Distance (km) check box, click the Override Distance Values tab and do the following:■ Enable the check box next to a sector to use the distance values.■ Click in the field for each radial and enter a value.

Overriding values for 32 dBu services is not a practise that is endorsed by the FCC.

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4 If you enabled the Elevation (m) check box, click the Override Elevation Values tab and do the following:■ Enable the Use Elevation check box next to a sector to override

the DEM value or the surveyed value (depending on the setting specified in the Ground Elevation section on the Advanced tab of the FCC Contour Generator dialog box).

■ Click in the associated Value field for each sector and enter a value.

5 If you enabled the ERP/EiRP (dBm) check box, click the Override ERP Values tab and do the following:■ Enable the check box next to a sector to use the ERP values.■ Click in the field for each radial and enter a value.

6 If you enabled the HAAT (m) check box, click the Override HAAT Values tab and do the following:■ Enable the check box next to a sector to use the HAAT values.■ Click in the field for each radial and enter a value.

7 Click OK.

To use the FCC Point toolYou can generate an FCC contour for a potential sector location anywhere within the spatial extents of your project using the FCC Point tool. The FCC Point tool enables you to choose any point on the digital elevation model to generate an FCC contour.

1 In the FCC Contour Generator dialog box, clear the Use Info. From Site Table check box on the Settings tab.

The Point Options tab displays.

2 Click in the Map window at any location within the elevation grid to automatically generate an FCC service contour.

3 If you want to change the antenna pattern, on the Point Options tab, choose an antenna from the Antenna Pattern list.

You can filter what is displayed on the tabs in the 32 dBu Overrides dialog box by clicking the down arrow next to the column title and

making a selection. If you choose Custom, the Custom AutoFilter dialog box opens where you can create a custom display filter.

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4 Adjust other parameters including Azimuth, Power (ERP), Height, Tilt, and Twist as required.

5 Click the Advanced tab and define any of the following settings:■ Receiver Height—defines the height of the typical receiver

above ground. This is usually set to 1.5 meters, the height of the average mobile phone user.

■ Smoothing Type—creates a spline or linear interpolation of radials when deriving FCC contours when the Apply Smoothing check box on the Settings tab is enabled.

■ A spline interpolation will be smoother than a linear interpolation. By increasing the curve resolution, you can improve the smoothness of the contours.

■ A linear interpolation is based on degrees. The value you specify in the Smoothing Interval box controls the level of smoothing applied. For example, if the radius at 0 degree is 20km, and radius at 45 degree is 30 km, then the radius at 5 degree will be 20 + (30-20) * 5/(45-0) = 21.1 km.

■ Curve Resolution—sets the number of points required when generating the spline contour when using the Apply Smoothing option on the Settings tab. By increasing the curve resolution value you can improve the smoothness of the contour.

Figure 15.1 The impact of curve smoothing—in the output on the right, curve smoothing has been applied

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■ Zone Of Inactivity—applies only in the context of the 32dBu contours used by cellular operators. FCC regulations require operators to consider whether a sector is located in a served or unserved area. The unserved contour will be larger because it is assumed that no other providers are in the area.

■ Service Area—applies only in the context of the 32dBu contours used by cellular operators. It makes adjustments to the service contour based on whether the sector is located in the United States or the Gulf of Mexico area. This is required by FCC regulations.

■ Ground Elevation—this section determines the source of elevation information. By default, the T_Elevation column provides elevation data. To use an alternative column, clear the Use Project Setting check box and choose a column from the Surveyed Column list.

■ Use Project DEM—by default, FCC contours are generated using the elevation grid file specified in the Project Settings dialog box. To use a different elevation grid, clear the Use Project DEM check box and specify another file in the DEM box. The alternative elevation grid must cover the same geographical area as the project DEM. In most cases, a 500-meter resolution is required.

6 Click Generate.

To save FCC contour tablesMentum Planet automatically creates three temporary tables for the purpose of generating an FCC contour: the FCC Points table, the FCC Region table, and the FCC Combine table.

1 In the FCC Contour Generator dialog box, click Save To Table.2 In the Select FCC Output Table dialog box, choose <New Table>, and

click OK.3 In the New MapInfo Table dialog box, type a file name and click Save. The new tables are saved to the chosen folder with the given file name added as an extension. For example, if you save the file name as FCC_sample, the new tables become FCCRegion_FCC_Sample.tab, FCCPoints_FCC_sample.tab, and FCCCombine_FCC_sample.tab. You can add more FCC contour information to these tables.

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You can generate an FCC combine table only if you have enabled the Combine Regions check box and have generated a contour for a group of sectors. You can combine regions only for Mentum Planet site tables.

To export an FCC reportYou can create a text document that summarizes the FCC contours you created.

1 In the FCC Contour Generator dialog box, click Export.2 In the Select FCC Output Table dialog box, choose a valid FCC table

and click OK.

In general, you should choose either the FCC_Contours or the FCC_Points table.

3 In the Text Output File dialog box, type the name of the text file that will contain the FCC contour information and click Save.

Enable the View Export check box to automatically open the FCC contour information in Notepad.

You can also use Crystal Reports, included with Mentum Planet, to create specialized reports from FCC tables.

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Appendix A: Site Table Format

A.
Site Table Format
This appendix describes the standard Mentum Planet site table format. For additional fields relating to TDMA/FDMA, see the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.

Field Name Field Type Description

Site_Id character (30) Site name

Antenna_Id character (20) Unique ID of sector on site

Site_Index integer Optional sequential identifier

Technology character (10) Technology type, i.e., General, GSM, W-CDMA

Number_Of_Radials integer Number of radials solved in propagation model

Propagation_Dist float Radius around tower for solving propagation

Propagation_Dist_Inc float Distance increment along radial

Longitude float Longitude of sector

Latitude float Latitude of sector

T_Height float Height of the sectors on the site

T_Elevation float Terrain elevation at the base of the site

T_Power float This column is no longer used.

Antenna_File character (60) Antenna pattern file name (must be unique in the project)

Antenna_Azimuth float Boresight azimuth of the antenna with respect to true north (positive values go clockwise)

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Antenna_Tilt float Tilt of the antenna pattern with respect to the horizontal plane (negative values indicate downward tilt)

Antenna_Twist float Twist of the antenna with respect to a vertical tower (positive values indicate clockwise tilt as you look away from the tower)

Model character (60) Propagation model file name (e.g., Predict.dpm)

Use_SPT character (2) “T” if Enable SPT is enabled in Site Properties, otherwise “F”.

Cell_ID character (30) Unique identifier for a sector. Used in network data.

Prop_By_Sector logical True if Set Prediction Parameters by Sector is enabled in Site Properties. This field only appears if the site table was created using a version of Mentum Planet prior to version 4.0.

SiteLongitude float Longitude of Site

SiteLatitude float Latitude of Site

BaseStationUID character (40) Internal system mapping; do not modify

CellEquipmentUID character (40) Internal system mapping; do not modify

PhysicalAntennaUID character (40) Internal system mapping; do not modify

AntennaSystemUID character (40) Internal system mapping; do not modify

RowGuid character (40) Internal system mapping; do not modify

Field Name Field Type Description

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Appendix B: Mentum Planet File Types

B.
Mentum Planet File Types
When you design a wireless network using Mentum Planet, you will encounter the file types described in the tables below.

Project files

File Description

.cpa A clutter property assignment file, containing values that describe the physical and electrical properties of each clutter class.

.crd A file that contains clutter relative weighting values used in traffic maps.

.csf A file that contains the clutter scaling factors for a traffic map.

.csv A file containing comma-separated data values.

.curve A file that describes the relationship between two variables, C/I and interference, for example.

.data Imported test mobile or scan receiver data.

.dpa A binary file containing antenna gain patterns used by Mentum Planet.

.dbl A text file specifying the path for all of project files listed in the project (dbp) file.

.dbp A text file containing the project settings.

.dpm A Propagation Model file. Mentum Planet includes a set of default propagation models in its Global\Model folder. When you create a new project, these model files are copied to the project’s Model folder. Using the Propagation Model Editor, you can modify or create new .dpm files.

.dsc A text file containing the Mentum Planet site configuration settings.

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Output files

.exp A text file containing a list of expressions created using the Grid Calculator.

.set A group of project files containing default system settings.

.status The site table status file. If a site table file has been corrupted due to a crash or an abnormal close, it will be indicated in this file, and the site table file in the backup folder can be used.

.vcp A grid color profile file containing specific inflection points based on data within the grid. It is used to thematically shade a grid map highlighting specific ranges.

.vml A grid legend file.

.wor A workspace file.

.xml These files contain information about the project structure and identification. Sector display schemes are also stored as .xml files.

.xml.dat .xml.dat files store network configuration information, including sites, sectors, and repeaters. They are also used to store prediction information for TDMA/FDMA projects, as well as project log information.

File Description

.grd /.tab A numeric grid file that is always accompanied by an associated .tab file. The .grd file contains the raw grid and color information. The .tab file is required by MapInfo Professional to open and register the grid image. The .tab file also contains metadata of the grid data.

.grc /.tab A grid file that contains integer (not numeric) data. It is also referred to as a classified grid. The .tab file is required by MapInfo to open and register the grid image. The .tab file also contains metadata on the settings of the grid data.

.imx An interference matrix file.

.nl A neighbor list file.

.pfc A contour color profile with specific break points (ranges) that are applied when you convert a grid to a vector contour map.

.pfr A text file containing point-to-point profile settings (including data files), antenna pattern and azimuth, sector, and receiver values.

File Description

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MapInfo files

File Description

.map Map file for objects associated with .tab files (see “Output files” on page 452).

.id ID of objects associated with .tab file.

.dat Data file associated with .tab or .xml file.

.tda Intermediate file generated by MapInfo when edits have not been saved. Serves as an intermediate save. Handled only by MapInfo.

.tin Intermediate file generated by MapInfo when edits have not been saved. Serves as an intermediate save. Handled only by MapInfo.

.tma Intermediate file generated by MapInfo when edits have not been saved. Serves as an intermediate save. Handled only by MapInfo.

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Appendix C: Clutter Properties

C.
Clutter Properties
The default property values supplied with the CRC-Predict propagation model should be sufficient for most analyses. These defaults are applied when Ground Type is selected. CRC-Predict properties vary depending on the version of CRC-Predict you are using.

CRC-Predict 4.0 propertiesIf you are using CRC-Predict, version 4.0, all relevant properties are listed in the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box and include:

■ Clutter Height—the typical height of clutter above ground for each class. This value represents the typical built-up height for each clutter class. Use local knowledge of the area to determine an appropriate value. Avoid defining extreme values (i.e., be careful not to exaggerate or underestimate the clutter height). If you are unsure, use the following default values. Clutter height is always displayed in meters.

■ Residential 6.5 m■ Industrial 6 m■ Dense Urban 7 m■ Core Urban 15 m■ Forest 8 m

For large open areas, use a clutter height of 0. Avoid using a clutter height of 1 m as it is not practical.

■ Clutter Separation—the horizontal distance between clutter within each class. This property addresses the reality that clutter is not continuous. For example, clutter separation could represent the distance between buildings

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(including the road width and property front, etc.). A large clutter separation will lower pathloss while a smaller clutter separation will increase pathloss. If you are unsure, use the following default values. Clutter separation is always displayed in meters.

■ Residential 30 m■ Industrial 35 m■ Dense Urban 25 m■ Core Urban 20 m■ Forest 35 m

■ Receiver Height—the height of the receiving antenna above ground. This value is only used if the Receiver Height Definition defined in the Predict Properties dialog box is set to “Per Clutter”. Receiver height is always displayed in meters.

■ Clutter Absorption—the loss resulting from absorption by foliage. This value is added to the path loss, or subtracted from the signal strength.

You can use the clutter absorption property to tune the propagation model and account for differences between predicted signal strength (with the clutter

absorption loss set to zero) and surveyed signal strength. For example, if there is no survey available, a suitable value might be 0 dB in a dry area with little foliage, and 10 dB in an area with abundant foliage. After tuning with a survey, values would typically range from -3 dB to +12 dB. A resulting range that is generally negative may indicate that you have set the clutter heights too high. Conversely, a resulting range that is mainly positive may indicate that you have set the clutter heights too low.

If clutter is sparse in a particular class, use the default clutter height but specify a larger clutter separation distance.

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CRC-Predict 2.0 propertiesIf you are using CRC-Predict, version 2.0, properties are listed in the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box when you choose Advanced Predict Properties from the Options menu. Properties include:

■ Permittivity and conductivity—electrical constants of the ground. At UHF, these have little effect on the result.

■ Rms Roughness—local roughness of the ground. This property usually has a substantial effect only if it is unrealistically large.

■ Clear Distance—the distance from last effective diffracting clutter obstruction to receiving antenna. The CRC-Predict signal strength increases as this value increases.

■ Absorption Height Limit—the height of absorbers (usually individual trees in a residential or open area). This value serves only to reduce local absorption to zero as the receiving antenna rises from 0.5 to 1.5 times the absorption height limit. For a receiving antenna below the 0.5 times the height limit (the most common situation), this property has no effect.

When you tune the CRC-Predict model, the only advanced property that it is reasonable to modify for land mobile use is Clear Distance. However, it is usually best to accept the default values for all the advanced properties.You can also access advanced clutter assignment options. However, when you create a .cpa file from a specified clutter file, reassigning clutter classes is usually not required. For more information, see “To reassign clutter classes.”

To set advanced properties for the CRC-Predict 2.0 model1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the

Propagation Models node, right-click the Predict propagation model and choose Edit.

The Propagation Model Editor opens.

2 Click the Clutter Properties tab, and then click Edit CPA. 3 In the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box, choose

Options ➤ Advanced Predict Properties.

The Clutter Property Assignment dialog box opens. Advanced properties are added as columns in the Properties table.

4 To modify a value, click the field and type a new value.5 When you have finished modifying properties, click Save, and then click Close.

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To reassign clutter classesWhen you create a .cpa file from a clutter file, the default classes created for the .cpa file match the classes defined in the clutter file. As a result, you do not need to assign clutter classes except in specific instances (for example, if you want to consolidate classes in a .cpa file that was based on a clutter file with a large number of classes).

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the Propagation Models node, right-click the Predict propagation model and choose Edit.


2 Click the Clutter Properties tab, and then click Edit CPA. 3 In the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box, choose

Options ➤ Advanced Clutter Assignment.

4 Choose a clutter class in the Clutter List and drag it to the land-use category to which you want it assigned in the Reference List.

For example, if you have a land-use category called “Mixed Forest”, you could assign both Forest Coniferous and Forest Deciduous to this category.

5 When you have finished reassigning clutter classes, click Save, and click Close.

To edit clutter classesYou can change the name of clutter classes in the Reference List and add or delete classes in order to more closely resemble the area for which you are generating network analyses. When you add a new clutter class, the physical and electrical properties are set to zero.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the propagation model and choose Edit.


2 Click the Clutter Properties tab, and then click Edit CPA.

The Clutter Property Assignment dialog box opens.

3 In the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box, choose Options ➤ Advanced Clutter Assignment.

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4 Do any of the following:■ To change the name of the clutter class, choose it in the Reference List, click

Edit, type a new name, and then click OK.■ To add a new clutter class, click Add, type a name, and then click OK.■ To remove a clutter class, choose it in the Reference List, click Remove, and

then click Yes in the Confirm dialog box.5 When you have finished editing clutter classes, click Save, and then click Close.

To assign clutter classes1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the






4 In the Clutter List, choose a clutter class (e.g., dBP_Dense_Urban).5 Do one of the following:

■ Drag the chosen clutter class to the appropriate class in the Reference List.■ Choose the class in the Reference List to which you want to assign the

clutter and click Assign.■ Right-click the class in the Reference List to which you want to assign the

clutter and choose Assign.

The icon in the Clutter List changes to indicate that the class has been assigned.

6 When you have finished assigning clutter classes, click Save, and then click Close.

To unassign clutter classes1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the




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4 In the Reference List, expand the reference class, choose the clutter class you want to unassign, and click Unassign.

The icon in the Clutter List changes to indicate that the class has not been assigned.

5 When you have finished unassigning clutter classes, click Save, and then click Close.

To find an unassigned clutter class1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the






4 Click Unassigned?.

The first unassigned class is highlighted.

5 Choose a clutter class in the Reference List, and click Assign.6 Repeat the process if there are other unassigned classes.

To search for clutter assignments and classes1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the






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4 Do one of the following:■ In the Clutter List, choose a clutter class.■ In the Reference List, expand a land-use category and choose a clutter class.

5 Click Search to find the clutter class in the other list.

To copy clutter class propertiesTwo shortcut menus are available within the Clutter Property Assignment dialog box: one accessible from the Reference List, the other from the Clutter List. These shortcut menus allow you to access additional functions.

1 In the Reference List, choose a clutter class.2 Right-click the clutter class and choose Copy Properties.3 Highlight a clutter class and choose Paste from the shortcut menu.

The physical and electrical properties are copied to the second clutter class.

To change the color of a clutter classChanging the color of a clutter class only affects how clutter is displayed in the Point-to-Point Profile tool and in associated legends. It does not affect the color of the clutter file (.grc).

1 In the Reference List, choose the clutter assignment you want to change. 2 Right-click the clutter assignment and choose Update Color. 3 In the Color dialog box, choose a basic color definition or define your own custom

color, and click OK.

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Appendix D: Survey to Numeric Grid Calculations

D.
Survey to Numeric Grid Calculations
When you compare a survey to a numeric grid, the following comparisons are made for each clutter class.

MeanThe mean indicates the mean difference between the survey and grid signal strengths, and is calculated using the following formula.

Equation D.1 Survey to Grid mean

Wherex is the difference between the survey and grid signal strengths

n is the number of points

STD (standard deviation)The standard deviation indicates the spread around the mean of the difference between the survey and grid signal strengths and is calculated using the following formula.

Equation D.2 Survey to Grid standard deviation

x 1n--- xi

i 1=

n

∑=

s 1n 1–------------ xi x–( )2

i 1=

n

∑=

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RMS (root-mean-square)The RMS indicates the spread around zero in the difference between the survey and grid signal strengths, and is calculated using the following formula.

Equation D.3 Survey to Grid root-mean-square



The RMS includes the effects of both the mean difference and the spread. It is sometimes used to characterize the accuracy of a propagation model. Alternatively, the mean and standard deviation can be used. If model tuning has been performed, the mean should be close to zero and the standard deviation can be used alone

Confidence LevelThe confidence level equals the probability, in percent, that the true mean error is within ±1 dB of the calculated mean error, and is calculated using the following formula. The confidence level indicates the statistical significance of the survey to grid signal strengths and should generally be close to 100%. If, for example, the confidence level is 95% and drive test samples are collected from the same transmitter configuration and compared to the signal strengths, there is 95% chance that the mean error will be within ±1 dB of the results obtained using the original drive test data.

Equation D.4 Survey to Grid confidence level

RMS 1n--- xi

2

i 1=

n

∑n 1–

n------------s2 x2+= =

P x a μ x a+≤ ≤–( ) P a x≤ μ a≤––( ) P as n⁄------------- x μ–

s n⁄------------- a

s n⁄-------------≤ ≤–⎝ ⎠

⎛ ⎞ ga

s n⁄-------------–

as n⁄-------------

∫ y( )dy= = = =

1 2– Q as n⁄-------------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞ 1 erfc a 2⁄

s n⁄--------------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞–=

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Survey to Numeric Grid CalculationsMentum Planet User Guide

Wherea = 1 dB

g(y) is the standard normal distribution:

Q(z) is the integral of the standard normal distribution from z to infinity:

erfc is the complementary error function:

For example, assigning a the value 1 dB, produces the following result

The confidence level in percent is given by the following equation:

Correlation factorThe correlation factor indicates the correlation between the survey and grid signal strengths, and is calculated using the following formula.

Equation D.5 Survey to Grid correlation factor

Where

g y( ) 12π

----------e12---– y2

=

Q z( ) gz

∞

∫ y( )dy=

erfc z( ) 2Q 2z( )=

P x 1 μ x 1+≤ ≤–( ) 1 erfc– 1 2⁄s n⁄--------------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞ 1 erfc n 2⁄

s--------------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞–= =

P% x 1 μ x 1+≤ ≤–( ) 100 1 erfc– n 2⁄s

--------------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞

⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞=

ρ x y,( )

1n--- xiyi x y⋅–

i 1=

n

∑sxsy

-----------------------------------=

465

Appendix DMentum Planet User Guide

x and y are the survey and grid signal strengths, respectively. The smaller the standard deviation of x – y, the higher the correlation factor; however, it cannot exceed 1.0.

466

Appendix E: Import and Export Tables

E.
Import and Export Tables
The Import and Export Wizards use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xls) or comma separated value (.csv) files to import and export project data. The tables in this chapter provide descriptions of the data types that can be imported or exported, the possible values and ranges, and the corresponding location in the Mentum Planet graphical user interface. For information on importing and exporting project data, see “Importing, replacing, and exporting project data” on page 384. These tables also apply to the Tabular Edit tool (see “Using Tabular Edit” on page 102).

Column typesSpecial text formats are used to highlight different types of columns in the import and export tables. The following table describes the special text formats used in this chapter.

To address the 65 536 row per worksheet limit that exists in Excel, continuation sheets are created when you export large projects (e.g., Sheet_Name,

Sheet_Name2, Sheet_Name3, etc.).

bold text Columns in bold text are required columns. These columns must be present and must contain valid values for each of the worksheets or .csv files from which you are importing project data.

* Mandatory columns are identified with an asterisk. Mandatory columns must be present (along with required columns) and must contain valid values in order for a data import to add new items to a project (e.g., a new site).

Italic text Columns in italic text are ignored on import. The Import Wizard will not import data from these columns.

467

Appendix EMentum Planet User Guide

Change HistoryTable E.1 details the changes that have been made to the Import and Export tables between Mentum Planet 4.4 and Mentum Planet 4.5.

Table E.2 details the changes that have been made to the Import and Export tables between Mentum Planet 4.3.1 and Mentum Planet 4.4.

Table E.3 details the changes that have been made to the Import and Export tables between Mentum Planet 4.1.3 and Mentum Planet 4.3.

Table E.1 List of changes to the Import and Export tables

Worksheet Changes

Summary ■ Antenna Patterns Path row was added.■ Interference Matrices Path row was added.■ Traffic Maps Path row was added.■ Attachments Path row was added.■ Site Coordinate System Clause row was added.■ Sector Coordinate System Clause row was added.

Clutter_Types ■ Class Assignment column was added.


Worksheet Changes

Summary ■ Elevation Path row was added.■ Clutter Path row was added.

WCDMA_Sector_Settings ■ Downlink Total Traffic Power column was renamed DPCH Total Traffic Power (dBm).

■ Uplink Noise Rise column was renamed Uplink DPCH Noise Rise (dB).

■ Total Uplink Noise Rise (dB) column was added.■ Maximum Noise Rise column was renamed Maximum DPCH

Noise Rise (dB).■ Uplink Noise Rise was renamed Uplink DPCH Noise Rise

(dB).■ HSUPA Control Channel Power column was added.

Except where noted, for all worksheets and for all columns, the unit was removed from the column title.

468

Import and Export TablesMentum Planet User Guide


Worksheet Changes

Summary ■ Project Path row was added.■ Bin Path row was added.■ Signal Strength Path row was added.■ Transmitted Power Units row was added.

Sectors ■ EIRP column was replaced by the Transmitted Power column.

■ Bin File Name column was added.■ Bin Hash Code column was added.■ Signal Strength File Name column was added.■ Signal Strength Hash Code column was added.

CDMA2000_Sector_Settings ■ Primary (Per Carrier) Channel Elements column was replaced by the Forward Primary (Per Carrier) Channel Elements and Reverse Primary (Per Carrier) Channel Elements columns.

■ Forward Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) column was replaced by the Forward Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) and Reverse Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) columns.

■ Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements column was replaced by the Forward Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements and Reverse Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements.

469


WCDMA_Sector_Settings ■ Primary (Per Sector) Channel Elements column was replaced by the Downlink Primary (Per Sector) Channel Elements and Uplink Primary (Per Sector) Channel Elements columns.

■ Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) column was replaced by the Downlink Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) and Uplink Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) columns.

■ Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements column was replaced by the Downlink Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements and Uplink Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements columns.

■ Activated Technology column was added.■ 16-QAM Supported column was added.■ HS-DSCH Codes column was added.■ Maximum HSDPA Users (per sector) column was added.■ HS-SCCH Target Ec/Nt (dB) column was added.■ HS-SCCH Power (dB) column was added.■ HSDPA Scheduler Gain Curve column was added.

EVDO_Sector_Settings ■ Primary (Per Carrier) Channel column was renamed Reverse Primary (Per Sector) Channel.

■ Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%) column was renamed Reverse Handover Percent of Total Primary Channel Elements (%).

■ Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements column was renamed Reverse Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements.

■ Scheduler Gain column was renamed Scheduler Gain Curve.

Carrier Assignments ■ Is Plan Active column was added.■ Plan Name column was added.

Color_Codes ■ Is Plan Active column was added.■ Plan Name column was added.

TDMA_Repeaters ■ Bin File Name column was added.■ Bin Hash Code column was added.■ Signal Strength File Name column was added.■ Signal Strength Hash Code column was added.


Worksheet Changes

470


CDMA_Repeaters ■ Bin File Name column was added.■ Bin Hash Code column was added.■ Signal Strength File Name column was added.■ Signal Strength Hash Code column was added.

Clutter_Types ■ Class Assignment column was added.

Bearers ■ Bearer Type column was added.■ Downlink Number of Channel Elements column was

renamed Number of Channel Elements.

Services ■ Input Load Type column was added.■ Input Load (sessions/hour) column was added.

Subscriber_Equipment_Types ■ HSDPA Active column was added.■ HSDPA Terminal Category column was added.


Worksheet Changes

471


Exported spreadsheets are divided into the following worksheets:■ “Summary worksheet” on page 473■ “MALs worksheet” on page 476■ “Groups worksheet” on page 477■ “Flags worksheet” on page 478■ “Sites worksheet” on page 479■ “Sectors worksheet” on page 481■ “TDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet” on page 485■ “CDMA2000_Sector_Settings worksheet” on page 489■ “WCDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet” on page 493■ “EVDO_Sector_Settings worksheet” on page 498

■ “Carrier_Requirement worksheet” on page 501■ “Carrier_Exceptions worksheet” on page 502■ “HSN_Exceptions worksheet” on page 503■ “Carrier_Assignments worksheet” on page 504■ “Color_Codes worksheet” on page 506■ “Link_Budget worksheet” on page 508■ “Neighbor List Worksheet” on page 509■ “TDMA_Repeaters worksheet” on page 511■ “CDMA_Repeaters worksheet” on page 515■ “Session_Types worksheet” on page 519■ “Services worksheet” on page 521■ “Qualities worksheet” on page 524■ “Bearers worksheet” on page 526■ “Clutter_Types worksheet” on page 529■ “Subscriber_Equipment_Types worksheet” on page 531■ “Subscribers worksheet” on page 534■ “Usages worksheet” on page 536

472


Summary worksheetTable E.4 provides information on the rows in the Summary worksheet. When you define the site and sector coordinate systems and import the worksheet into a Mentum Planet project, coordinate systems are re-projected automatically if required. The acceptable format for the site coordinate system and the sector coordinate system can be found in the mapinfo.prj file located in the <Mentum Planet installation folder>\mapinfo folder. Additional information about projections can be found in Appendix B, “Elements of a Coordinate System” in the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

The only rows that are validated and updated on import are the site coordinate system, the sector coordinate system, the height unit, and the distance unit. If you

are updating the height or distance unit, you must change the height or distance unit on all worksheets. The site coordinate system clause and sector coordinate system clause are ignored when importing data.

A value of “Files not shared” indicates that the Sharing check box on the Advanced Options tab in the Project Settings dialog box is cleared.

Table E.4 Summary worksheet

Row Description Value Location

Date Time Date and time the export was performed

Integer NA

Application Name Name of the application used to preform the export

String (255) NA

Application Version Version of the application used to preform the export

Integer NA

User Name Name of the user who preformed the export

String (255) NA

Project Name Name of the project from which the export was created

String (255) Project Settings(Data)

Project Path Full path name of the folder in which project files are stored

String (255) Project Settings(Folders)

473


Bin Path Full path name of the folder in which bin files are stored


Signal Strength Path

Full path name of the folder in which signal strength files are stored


Antenna Patterns Path

Full path name of the folder in which the antenna pattern files are stored.

String (255) NA

Interference Matrices Path

Full path name of the folder in which the interference matrices files are stored.

String (255) NA

Traffic Maps Path Full path name of the folder in which the traffic map files are stored.

String (255) NA

Attachments Path Full path name of the folder in which the attachment files are stored.

String (255) NA

Elevation Path Full path name of the folder in which the elevation file is stored


Clutter Path Full path name of the folder in which the clutter file is stored


Site Coordinate System

Site coordinate system as extracted from the project at the time of the export

MapBasic coordinate system strings (30)

Project Settings(System)

Site Coordinate System Clause

Site coordinate system as extracted from the project at the time of the export as a MapInfo representation


NA



474


Sector Coordinate System

Sector coordinate system as extracted from the project at the time of the export



Sector Coordinate System Clause

Earth coordinate system as extracted from the project at the time of the export as a MapInfo representation


NA

Height Units Height units as extracted from the project settings at the time of the export



Distance Units Distance units as extracted from the project settings at the time of the export



Transmitted Power Units

Transmitted Power units as extracted from the project settings at the time of the export


Region Code Regional options for the operating system


NA



475


MALs worksheetTable E.5 provides information on the columns in the MALs worksheet.Table E.5 MALs worksheet columns

Column Description Technology Value Location

Name MAL name All String (30) Network Settings(Mobile Allocation Lists)

Carrier ID Carrier All String (30) Network Settings(Mobile Allocation Lists)

476


Groups worksheetTable E.6 provides information on the column in the Groups worksheet. For information on creating groups and assigning sites and sectors, see “Working with flags” on page 96.Table E.6 Groups worksheet columns


Name Group name All String (20) Project Explorer - Sites (Groups)

Type Indicates whether the group is local or shared

All String (6)Local or Shared

Project Explorer - Sites (Groups)

477


Flags worksheetTable E.7 provides information on the columns in the Flags worksheet. For information on creating and assigning flags, see “Working with flags” on page 96.Table E.7 Flags worksheet columns


Name Flag name All String (20) Project Explorer - Sites (Flags)

Condition Name

Flag condition name

All String (20) Project Explorer - Sites (Flags)

Active Indicates whether or not the flag condition is enabled In the Project Explorer

All String (5)TRUE or FALSE

Project Explorer - Sites (Flags)

478


Sites worksheetTable E.8 provides information for each of the columns in the Sites worksheet. For information on configuring sites and sectors, see “Chapter 2: Working with Sites and Sectors” on page 65.Table E.8 Sites worksheet columns


Site ID* Site name All String (30) Site Properties

Site UID Additional site identifier

All String (255) Site Properties

Longitude* Site location longitude

All Float (-180.000000 to 180.000000) degrees

Site Properties

Latitude* Site location latitude

All Float (-90.000000 to 90.000000) degrees

Site Properties

ILA Interconnect Location Area

iDEN String (5) Sector Settings

DLA Dispatch Location Area

iDEN String (5) Sector Settings

RAC Routing Area Code (Packet Switching)

GSM, IS-136 String (5) Sector Settings

LAC Location Area Code

GSM, IS-136, AMPS, NAMPS

String (5) Sector Settings

MSC Mobile Switching Centre

GSM, IS-136, AMPS, NAMPS, iDEN


BSC Base Station Controller

GSM, iDEN String (20) Sector Settings

Site Name Additional site identifier


479


Site Name2 Additional site identifier


Custom: <column_name>

Custom column created in Data Manager Server; see the Data Manager Server Administration Guide

All Int32 (0 to 9 999 999),Double (0.00 to 9 999 999.99),String (256),Boolean (TRUE or FALSE),DateTime (dd/mm/yy)

Tabular Edit

Table E.8 Sites worksheet columns


480


Sectors worksheetTable E.9 provides information for each of the columns in the Sectors worksheet. For information on configuring sites and sectors, see “Chapter 2: Working with Sites and Sectors” on page 65.Table E.9 Sectors worksheet columns


Site ID Site name All String (30) Site Properties

Sector ID Sector name All String (30) Site Properties

Cell ID Cell identification All String (30) Sector Settings

Sector UID Additional sector identifier


PA Power (dBm)

Power amplifier power

All Float (-10 to 130) or n/a for WCDMA and cdma2000

Site Properties

Transmitted Power

EIRP used to generate signal strength grids. For example, it is PA power based for GSM and pilot power based for cdma2000-1xRTT carriers.

All Float Site Properties(EIRP/ERP - Base Station Link Budget)

MNC Mobile Network Code

GSM Integer (0-999) Sector Settings

MCC Mobile Country Code

GSM Integer (0-999) Sector Settings

Longitude* Sector location longitude

All Float Site Properties

Latitude* Sector location latitude

All Float Site Properties

Antenna* Antenna file name All String (60) Site Properties

Electrical Tilt (degrees)

Electrical tilt of the antenna(+ down, - up)

All Integer (-90 to 90) degrees

Site Properties

481


Height Site height above ground

All Float (0.00 to 30000.00)

Site Properties

Use DEM Elevation

Sector height is set to the elevation at the sector location when TRUE


Site Properties

Elevation Site elevationIgnored on import when Use DEM Elevation is TRUE

All Float (-500.00 to 10 000.00) or may be “Auto” if Use DEM Elevation is TRUE and Use Sector DEM Elevation Values check box was not enabled in the Export Wizard

Site Properties

Azimuth (degrees)

Antenna azimuth All Integer (0 to 360) degrees

Site Properties

Tilt (degrees) Antenna mechanical tilt(- down, + up)

All Integer (-90 to 90) degrees

Site Properties

Twist (degrees) Antenna twist All Integer (-90 to 90) degrees

Site Properties

Propagation Model*

Propagation model name


Distance Prediction distance

All Float (0.01 to 999.99)

Site Properties

Distance Inc Distance increment to perform calculations along radials

All Float (0.01 to 999.99)

Site Properties

Table E.9 Sectors worksheet columns (continued)


482


Number Of Radials

Number of radials from a site along which to calculate predictions

All Integer (16 to 10 000)

Site Properties

Prediction Mode

Type of predictions to be generated

All String (8)Modeled or Merged

Site Properties

Interpolation Distance

Distance within which survey and model prediction values are merged

All Integer (0 to 10 000)

Site Properties

Technology Technology type All String (10)GSM, IS-136, AMPS, NAMPS, iDEN, W-CDMA, cdma2000, <user_defined>

Site Properties

Bin File Name Full path name of the active bin file for a sector

All Char (255) NA

Bin Hash Code Calculated hash code for a sector bin file (folder name)

All Char (255) NA

Signal Strength File Name

Full path name of the active signal strength file for a sector

All Char (255) NA

Signal Strength Hash Code

Calculated hash code for a sector signal strength (folder name)

All Char (255) NA

Group: <group_name>

Indicates whether or not the sector is part of the group

All String (5) TRUE or FALSE

Site Properties



483


Flag: <condition_name>

Indicates the flag condition assigned to the sector


Custom: <column_name>

Custom column created in Data Manager Server; see the Data Manager Server Administrator Guide

All Int32 (0 to 9,999,999),Double (0.00 to 9 999 999.99),String (256),Boolean (TRUE or FALSE),DateTime (dd/mm/yy)

Tabular Edit



484


TDMA_Sector_Settings worksheetTable E.10 provides information for each of the columns in the TDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet. For information on configuring TDMA/FDMA sectors, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.Table E.10 TDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet columns


Site ID Site name All String (30) Sector Settings

Sector ID Sector name All String (30) Sector Settings

Timing Advance Limit (km)

Maximum distance from a sector that a mobile user may be served

GSM, IS-136, iDEN

Integer (0 to 280)

Sector Settings(Technology Sector Settings)

HCL Override If true, the HCL settings defined at the sector level will override the HCL settings set globally on the HCL panel for each network technology

GSM String (5)TRUE or FALSE

Sector Settings(Hierarchical Cell Layers)

HCL Priority Priority value used when calculating servers

GSM Integer (1 to 10)


HCL Minimum Signal Level (dBm)

Minimum received signal level to be a best server

GSM Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


HCL Signal Offset (dB)

Offset advantage for when performing HCL server determination

GSM Float (0.00 to 100.00)


HCL Max Range (km)

Maximum range of service when applying HCL server rules

GSM Float (0.00 to 150.00)


Frequency Hopping

Type of hopping to use GSM String (20) No Hopping, Baseband Hopping, Synthesized Hopping

Sector Settings(Frequency Hopping)

485


Packet Enable (Baseband)

Enables packet data services with baseband hopping


Sector Settings(Carrier Settings)

Minimum Packet Timeslots (Baseband)

Minimum number of timeslots set aside for packet services with baseband hopping

GSM Integer (0 to 8) Sector Settings(Carrier Settings)

Maximum Packet Timeslots (Baseband)

Maximum number of timeslots set aside for packet services with baseband hopping


Hopping Sequence Number

Order for which hopping occurs (0 indicates cyclic)

GSM Integer (0 to 63)


Hopping Allowed On Control Channel

Enables or disables control channel (BCCH) hopping



Allocate Traffic to Control Channel First

Enables or disables allocation of traffic onto free timeslots on the control channel transceiver before loading up transceivers carrying only traffic channels


Sector Settings(Traffic)

Traffic Channel MAL Preference

Traffic weighting across more than one hopset

GSM String (20)Large MAL first, Small MAL first, No preference


Offered Traffic (Erlangs)

Amount of carried traffic plus any blocked traffic


Float (0.000 to 1000.000)


Carried Traffic (Erlangs)

Amount of carried traffic


Float (0.000 to 1000.000)


Table E.10 TDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet columns (continued)


486


Hopping Timeslots In Use (%)

Percentage of hopping timeslots in use

GSM Float (0.00 to 100.00) percent


DTX Enabled Enables or disables discontinuous transmission on transceivers



DTX Activity Factor (Transmit)

Proportion of time a DTX-enabled transceiver transmits

GSM Integer (0 to 100) percent


DLPC Enabled Enables or disables downlink power control



DLPC Gain (dB) A reduction in noise at the sector due to DLPC

GSM Float (0.00 to 20.00)


Exception Cost Factor

Cost of allocating a carrier marked as illegal


Float (0.00 to 1000000.00)

Sector Settings(Frequency Planning - Exceptions)

Target Receive Level (dBm)

Level used for Required Mobile Power Analysis layer


Integer (-200 to 0)


Packet Throughput (kbps)

Effective data rate for packet data handled by time slots in the sector

GSM Float (0.0 to 1000.0)

Sector Settings(Packet Data Settings)

Multi-Slot Enables or disables the ability to set the maximum number of time slots



Multi-Slot Maximum Number Of Time Slots

Maximum number of time slots to multiplex

GSM Integer (2 to 8) Sector Settings(Packet Data Settings)



487


Maximum Supported GPRS Coding Scheme

Maximum number of GPRS coding schemes

GSM String (10)None, CS-1 to CS-4


Maximum Supported E-GPRS Coding Scheme

Maximum number of E-GPRS coding schemes

GSM String (10)None, MCS-1 to MCS-9


Digital Control Channel Enabled

Sector support of a digital control channel

IS-136 String (5)TRUE or FALSE


Analog Control Channel Enabled

Sector support of an analog control channel





488


CDMA2000_Sector_Settings worksheetTable E.11 provides information for each of the columns in the CDMA2000_Sector_Settings worksheet. For information on configuring cdma2000 sectors, see “Chapter 16: Configuring and Placing cdma2000 Sites” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.11 CDMA2000_Sector_Settings worksheet columns




Carrier ID Carrier identification cdma2000 String (30) Sector Settings

Channel Name User-defined carrier numbering

cdma2000 String (32) Sector Settings

Fixed Pilot Power (dBm)

Fixed pilot power output

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)

Sector Settings(Powers)

Optimize Pilot Enables or disables automatic optimization of the pilot power using the minimum and maximum values

cdma2000 String (5)TRUE or FALSE


Maximum Pilot Power (dBm)

Maximum pilot power used for optimization

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Minimum Pilot Power (dBm)

Minimum pilot power used for optimization

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Maximum Traffic Channel Power (dB)

Maximum power for a single traffic channel, relative to the pilot channel power

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 10.00)


Minimum Traffic Channel Power (dB)

Minimum power for a single traffic channel, relative to the pilot channel power

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


Relative Paging Power (dB)

Paging power, relative to the pilot channel power

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


489


Relative Sync Power (dB)

Sync channel power, relative to the pilot channel power

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


Total PA Power (dBm)

Power amplifier power cdma2000 Integer (-10 to 130)

Sector Setting (Power)

Pilot Detection Threshold (dB)

Minimum pilot signal to noise ratio for a pilot to become the primary server of the active set

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 0.00)

Sector Settings(Quality)

T Drop (dB) Ec/Io value below which a pilot is removed from the active set

cdma2000 Float (-100.00 to 100.00)


PN Offset PN offset value cdma2000 Integer (-1 to 511) value of -1 indicates no PN offset assignment

Sector Settings(Implementation)

Forward Primary (Per Carrier) Channel Elements

Number of channel elements assigned to the sector for forward primary traffic

cdma2000 Integer (0 to 200)

Sector Settings(Resources)

Reverse Primary (Per Carrier) Channel Elements

Number of channel elements assigned to the sector for reverse primary traffic



Forward Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%)

Percent of channel elements allocated for forward handoff on a per-site basis

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00) percent


Reverse Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%)

Percent of channel elements allocated for reverse handoff on a per-site basis



Maximum Users (Per Sector)

Maximum number of instantaneous subscribers permitted at a sector



Table E.11 CDMA2000_Sector_Settings worksheet columns (continued)


490


Maximum Number Of Walsh Codes

Maximum number of codes allocated to traffic channels



Forward Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements

Number of channel elements pooled for this carrier on the site for forward primary traffic


Sector Settings(Hardware)

Reverse Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements

Number of channel elements pooled for this carrier on the site for reverse primary traffic



Maximum Noise Rise (dB)

Maximum noise rise permitted for a sector

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 20.00)


Maximum Intra-site Servers

Maximum intra-site sectors allowed to be in soft handover

cdma2000 Integer (1 to 7) Sector Settings(Quality)

Average RACH Interference Power (dBm)

Average random access channel interference power

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


Maximum Cell Radius

Maximum cell radius of the sector

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Maximum Speed Maximum vehicular subscriber speed

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 300.00)


Maximum Pooled Forward Throughput (mbps)

Maximum pooled throughput at the forward link (per-site)

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Maximum Packet Throughput (%)

Maximum throughput for packet sessions (per-site)



Maximum Circuit Throughput (%)

Maximum throughput for circuit sessions (per-site)





491


SRCH_WIN_A Size of the search window associated with the set of active and candidate pilots



SRCH_WIN_N Size of the search window associated with the set of neighbor pilots



Reverse Noise Rise (dB)

Noise rise value for the sector on the reverse link

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 20.00)


Forward Total Traffic Power (dBm)

Total traffic power on the forward link for the sector

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)




492


WCDMA_Sector_Settings worksheetTable E.12 provides information for each of the columns in the WCDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet. For information on configuring W-CDMA sectors, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing W-CDMA Sites” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.12 WCDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet columns




Carrier ID Carrier name W-CDMA String (30) Sector Settings


W-CDMA String (32) Sector Settings


Power amplifier power W-CDMA Integer (-10 to 130)

Sector Settings(Power)

Fixed CPICH Power (dBm)

Fixed power of the CPICH server

W-CDMA Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Optimize CPICH Enables or disables the calculation of the optimum CPICH power level

W-CDMA String (5)TRUE or FALSE


Maximum CPICH Power (dBm)

Maximum power of the CPICH server



Minimum CPICH Power (dBm)

Minimum power of the CPICH server



Maximum DPCH Power (dB)

Maximum channel power for a single traffic channel relative to the maximum power of the pilot channel

W-CDMA Float (-200.00 to 10.00)


Minimum DPCH Power (dB)

Minimum channel power for a single traffic channel relative to the maximum power of the pilot channel

W-CDMA Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


493


HSUPA Control Channel Power

Combined power required for the E-AGCH (E-DCH Absolute Grant Channel), E-RGCH (E-DCH Relative Grant Channel), and the E-HICH (E-DCH Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel).



Other Common Channel Powers (dB)

Channel power relative to the current pilot power



Relative SCH/P-CCPCH Powers (dB)

Channel power relative to the current pilot power



CPICH Target Ec/Io (dB)

Target pilot channel Ec/Io



Handover Margin (dB)

Handover margin between serving and neighboring sector

W-CDMA Float (0.00 to 100.00) percent


Scrambling Code Scrambling code assigned to the sector

W-CDMA Integer (0 to 8176) must be a multiple of 16; a value of -1 means no code is assigned

Scrambling Code Planning Tool(Plan)

Downlink Primary (Per Sector) Channel Elements

Number of downlink channel elements per sector

W-CDMA Integer (0 to 200)


Uplink Primary (Per Sector) Channel Elements

Number of uplink channel elements per sector



Table E.12 WCDMA_Sector_Settings worksheet columns (continued)


494


Downlink Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%)

Percentage of channel elements reserved for downlink handoff use only



Uplink Handover Percent Of Total Primary Channel Elements (%)

Percentage of channel elements reserved for uplink handoff use only




Maximum number of users served



Maximum Number Of Traffic Channel Codes

Maximum number of codes available in the spreading factor tree



Downlink Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements

Number of downlink channel elements available for the site



Uplink Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements

Number of uplink channel elements available for the site



Maximum DPCH Noise Rise (dB)

Maximum permitted noise rise




Maximum number of sectors permitted in softer handover



Average P-RACH Interference Power (dBm)

Uplink interference received at sector from non-traffic channels



Maximum Cell Radius

Maximum cell radius for HCL support



Maximum Speed Maximum speed of subscriber to be served



Maximum Pooled Downlink Throughput (mbps)

Maximum throughput allowed on the site





495


Maximum Packet Throughput (%)

Maximum packet throughput allowed for the site



Maximum Circuit Throughput (%)

Maximum circuit throughput allowed for the site



Uplink DPCH Noise Rise (dB)

The rise in the effective noise level due to the presence of the traffic channel power



Total Uplink Noise Rise (dB)

The total uplink noise rise for HSUPA and Rel99 traffic. The minimum total uplink noise rise value is equal to the defined uplink DPCH noise rise. This box is only visible for HSPA and Rel99&HSPA carriers.



DPCH Total Traffic Power (dBm)

The total of the individual traffic powers required by the distributed mobiles with which the site is in communication

W-CDMA Float (-200.00 to 100.00)


HS-DSCH Power (dBm)

The transmit power for the channel

W-CDMA Float (-200.00 to 100.00)


HS-DSCH Activity Factor (%)

The channel activity factor



Activated Technology

The carrier technology W-CDMA String (Rel99, Rel99AndHsdpa, Hsdpa]

Sector Settings(Carriers)

16-QAM Supported

Indicates whether 16-QAM modulation is supported on an HSDPA or Rel 99 & HSDPA carrier

W-CDMA Boolean (TRUE or FALSE)




496


HS-DSCH Codes The number of HS-DSCH codes to use

W-CDMA Integer (0, 5, 10, 15)


Maximum HSDPA Users (per sector)

The maximum number of instantaneous users permitted for a sector



HS-SCCH Target Ec/Nt (dB)

The HS-SCCH Ec/Nt that the system can attain



HS-SCCH Power (dB)

The power of the High Speed Shared Control Channel



HSDPA Scheduler Gain Curve

The name of the curve that defines BTS scheduler gain for a HSDPA carrier

W-CDMA String (255) Sector Settings(Implementation)



497


EVDO_Sector_Settings worksheetTable E.13 provides information for each of the columns in the EVDO_Sector_Settings worksheet. For information on EV-DO sector settings, see “Chapter 16: Configuring and Placing cdma2000 Sites” in the CDMA User Guide.

Table E.13 EVDO_Sector_Settings worksheet columns




Carrier ID Carrier identification cdma2000 String (30) Sector Settings


cdma2000 String (32) Sector Settings


Power amplifier power cdma2000 Integer (-200 to 130)

Sector Settings

Pilot Detection Threshold (dB)

Minimum Ec/Io required for a pilot to be part of the active set

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 0.00)


T Drop (dB) Ec/Io value below which a pilot is removed from the active set

cdma2000 Float (-100.00 to 0.00)


PN Offset PN offset value cdma2000 Integer (-1 to 511) value of -1 indicates no PN offset assignment


Reverse Primary (Per Sector) Channel

Number of channel elements assigned to the sector for reverse primary traffic



Reverse Handover Percent of Total Primary Channel Elements (%)

Percentage of channel elements reserved for reverse handoff use only




Maximum number of users served



498


Reverse Pooled (Per Site) Channel Elements

Number of reverse channel elements available for the site



Maximum Noise Rise (dB)

Maximum noise rise permitted for a sector

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 20.00)



Maximum number of co-site sectors allowed to be in soft handover



Average Reverse ACK Interference (dBm)

Average power of the acknowledgement (ACK) channel interference

cdma2000 Float (-200.00 to 40.00)


Idle Transmission Attenuation (dB)

Reduction in a sector's Total PA Power when an EV-DO carrier is not transmitting data in a traffic timeslot (i.e., when the sector has no served subscribers)

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 99.00)


Maximum Cell Radius

Maximum cell radius of the sector

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Maximum Speed (kmph)

Maximum vehicular subscriber speed

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 300.00)


Maximum Pooled Forward Throughput (mbps)

Maximum pooled throughput at the forward link (per-site)

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 100.00)


SRCH_WIN_A Size of the search window associated with the set of active and candidate pilots



SRCH_WIN_N Size of the search window associated with the set of neighbor pilots



Reverse Noise Rise (dB)

Noise rise value for the sector on the reverse link

cdma2000 Float (0.00 to 20.00)


Table E.13 EVDO_Sector_Settings worksheet columns (continued)


499


Forward Activity Factor (%)

The averageratio of non-idle traffic slots to the total number of traffic slots



Scheduler Gain Curve

The name of the curve that defines BTS scheduler gain

cdma2000 String (60) Sector Settings(Implementation)

Table E.13 EVDO_Sector_Settings worksheet columns (continued)


500


Carrier_Requirement worksheetTable E.14 provides information for each of the columns in the Carrier_Requirement worksheet. For information on configuring carriers, see “Chapter 3: Defining a W-CDMA Network Configuration” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.14 Carrier_Requirement worksheet columns




Carrier Type Name

Name of the carrier type

GSM String (255) Sector Settings(Frequency Planning - Requirements)

Non-Hopping Number of non-hopping transceivers required

GSM Integer (0 to 75) Sector Settings(Frequency Planning - Requirements)

Hopping Number of hopping transceivers required


MAL Length Required length for the MAL used by the carrier type


501


Carrier_Exceptions worksheetTable E.15 provides information for each of the columns in the Carrier_Exceptions worksheet. For information on carrier exceptions, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.Table E.15 Carrier_Exceptions worksheet columns


Site ID Site name All char (30) Site Properties

Sector ID Sector name All char (30) Site Properties

Carrier Number

Carrier identifier GSM, IS-136, AMPS, NAMPS, iDEN

Integer (3) Sector Settings(Frequency Planning - Exceptions)

502


HSN_Exceptions worksheetTable E.16 provides information for each of the columns in the HSN_Exceptions worksheet. For information on HSN exceptions, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.Table E.16 HSN_Exceptions worksheet columns




Illegal HSN Illegal hopping sequence numbers

GSM Integer (0 to 63) Sector Settings(Frequency Planning - HSN Exceptions)

503


Carrier_Assignments worksheetTable E.17 provides information for each of the columns in the Carrier_Assignments worksheet. For information on carrier settings, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.Table E.17 Carrier_Assignments worksheet columns




Carrier Number

Carrier assigned to the transceiver


Integer (60 to 6189)


MAL Mobile allocation list to be used for each synthesized hopping transceiver

GSM String (30) Sector Settings(Carrier Settings)

MAIO Mobile allocation index offset assigned to the transceiver


Carrier Type Name

Carrier type used to restrict the list of carriers


char (255) Sector Settings(Carrier Settings)

Carrier Group Name

Carrier group used to restrict the list of carriers


char (255) Sector Settings(Carrier Settings)

Is Hopping Indicates whether the transceiver is a hopping or non-hopping transceiver



Hopping Sequence Number

Hopping sequence number for the sector’s baseband hopping transceiver group


Packet Enable (Non-Baseband)

Enables or disables packet support



504


Minimum Packet Time Slots (Non-Baseband)

Minimum number of packet time slots


Maximum Packet Time Slots (Non-Baseband)

Maximum number of packet time slots


Is Tx Analog Sector support for analog control channel



Is Plan Active Is the sector part of the active frequency plan in a Mentum Planet project

GSM, IS-136, NAMPS, iDEN

Boolean (TRUE or FALSE)

Project Explorer - RF Tools(Frequency and Color Code Plans)

Plan Name Name of the frequency plan that contains sector frequency planning data


char (255) Project Explorer - RF Tools(Frequency and Color Code Plans)

Table E.17 Carrier_Assignments worksheet columns (continued)


505


Color_Codes worksheetTable E.18 provides information for each of the columns in the Color Codes worksheet. For information on color codes, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.Table E.18 Color_Codes worksheet columns




Carrier ID The carrier number of the transceiver

IS-136 String (30) Network Settings and Sector Settings

BSIC Base Station Identity Code

GSM Integer (2 digits)Valid range for each digit is 1-7. For example, 77 is a valid number but 18 is not.


CC Color Code iDen Integer (0-15) Sector Settings(Technology Sector Settings)

DSAT Digital Supervisory Audio Tone

NAMPS Integer (0-6) Sector Settings(Technology Sector Settings)

DCC Digital Color Code NAMPS Integer (0-3) Sector Settings(Technology Sector Settings)

DVCC Digital Verification Color Code

IS-136 Integer (1-255) Sector Settings(Technology Sector Settings)

SAT Supervisory Audio Tone

IS-136 Integer (Valid values 5970, 6000, or 6030)


506


Is Plan Active Sector part of the active color code plan



Project Explorer - RF Tools(Frequency and Color Code Plans)

Plan Name Name of the color code plan that contains sector frequency planning data


char (255) Project Explorer - RF Tools(Frequency and Color Code Plans)

Table E.18 Color_Codes worksheet columns (continued)


507


Link_Budget worksheetTable E.19 provides information for each of the columns in the Link_Budget worksheet. For information on base station link budgets, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide, and “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing W-CDMA Sites” and “Chapter 16: Configuring and Placing cdma2000 Sites” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.19 Link_Budget worksheet columns




Carrier ID Carrier name All String (30) Sector Settings


W-CDMA and cdma2000


Index Indicates the list order of the losses and gains

All Integer (1, 2, 3, etc.)

Site Properties(EIRP/ERP - Base Station Link Budget)

Direction Link direction All String (8)Downlink or Uplink

Site Properties(EIRP/ERP - Base station Budget)

Type* Indicates whether the power is a loss or a gain

All String (4)Loss or Gain


Name Name for the loss or gain

All String (255) Site Properties(EIRP/ERP - Base station Budget)

Value (dB) Value for the loss or gain

All Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Noise Figure (dB)

Noise figure for the loss or gain (only applies to gains on reverse/uplink)

All Float (0.00 to 99.99)


508


Neighbor List WorksheetTable E.20 provides information for each of the columns in the Neighbor List worksheet. For information on neighbor lists, see “ Chapter 12: Working with Neighbor Lists” on page 355.Table E.20 Neighbor List worksheet columns


Neighbor List ID Name of the neighbor list

W-CDMA, cdma2000, GSM

String (32) Project Explorer - RF Tools(Neighbor Lists)

Serving Site ID Site ID for the serving site


Serving Sector ID Sector ID for the serving sector


Neighbor Site ID Site ID for the neighboring site


Neighbor Sector ID

Sector ID for the neighboring sector


Allowed Indicates whether a neighbor sector is included in the neighbor list or not


Neighbor List Editing

Priority Indicates the handover priority

All Integer Neighbor List Editing

Area (km2) The coverage area common to a sector and its neighbor

All Float (0 to 200) Neighbor List Editing

Traffic (mE) The traffic density between a sector and its neighbor

All Float (0 to 200 000)


Number of Handover

The number of handoffs between a sector and its neighbor

All Integer (0 to 1 000 000)


Percentage of Handover

The percentage of handoffs between a sector and its neighbor

All Float (0.00 to 100.00) percent


509


Is Boundary Neighbor

Identifies neighbors that fall on the boundary between W-CDMA and GSM coverage

GSM and W-CDMA

String (5)TRUE or FALSE


Distance (km) Prediction distance All Float (0.01 to 999.99)


Table E.20 Neighbor List worksheet columns (continued)


510


TDMA_Repeaters worksheetTable E.21 provides information for each of the columns in the TDMA_Repeaters worksheet. For information on repeaters, see “Chapter 6: Adding Repeaters to TDMA/FDMA Sectors” in the TDMA/FDMA User Guide.Table E.21 TDMA_Repeaters worksheet columns


Site ID Site name TDMA String (30) Repeater Settings

Sector ID Sector name TDMA String (30) Repeater Settings

Repeater-site ID

Repeater name TDMA String (30) Repeater Settings

Active Indicates whether or not the repeater is turned on

TDMA String (5)TRUE or FALSE

Repeater Settings

Repeater Connection Type

Indicates the type of equipment from which the donor antenna receives its signal

TDMA String (5)RF or FIBER

Repeater Settings

Loss from Donor (dB)

Masked path loss from Donor

TDMA Float(0.01 to 200.00)

Repeater Settings(Predictions)

Service Antenna

Type of service antenna assigned

TDMA String (60) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Service Longitude

Service antenna location

TDMA Float (-180.000000 to 180.000000) degrees

Repeater Settings

Service Latitude



Repeater Settings

Service Height (m)

Height of the service antenna

TDMA Float (0.00 to 30 000.00) or “Auto” if Override Terrain Height is set to False

Repeater Settings

511


Service Elevation (m)

Elevation of the service antenna

TDMA Float (-500.00 to 10 000.00) or “Auto” if Override Terrain Height is set to False

Repeater Settings

Service Azimuth (degrees)

Azimuth of the assigned antenna

TDMA Integer (0 to 360 degrees)

Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Service Tilt (degrees)

Tilt of the assigned antenna

TDMA Integer (-90 to 90) degrees


Service Twist (degrees)

Twist of the assigned antenna

TDMA Integer (-90 to 90) degrees


Service System Losses

Feeder loss or antenna related system losses

TDMA Float (0.00 and 100.00)


Propagation Model

Propagation model to be used assigned to the repeater

TDMA String (60) Repeater Settings(Predictions)

Distance (km) Prediction distance TDMA Float (0.01 to 999.99) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Number of Radials

Number of radials from a repeater along which to calculate predictions

TDMA Integer (16 to 10 000) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Donor Antenna

Antenna assigned to the donor

TDMA String (60) Repeater Settings(Donor Antenna)

Donor Longitude

Donor antenna location


Repeater Settings

Table E.21 TDMA_Repeaters worksheet columns (continued)


512


Donor Latitude



Repeater Settings

Donor Height (m)

Height of the donor antenna

TDMA Float (0.00 to 30 000.00)

Repeater Settings(Donor Antenna)

Donor Elevation (m)

Elevation of the donor antenna

TDMA Float (-500.00 to 10 000.00) or “Auto”


Donor System Losses

Donor antenna system feeder losses or other antenna system-related losses

TDMA Float (-100.00 to 100.00)


PA Power (dBm)


TDMA Float (-199 to 130) Site Properties

Gain (dB) Gain value derived from the assigned antenna

TDMA Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Loss (dB) Feeder and miscellaneous losses

TDMA Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings(Donor Antenna)

Noise Figure (dB)

Reference measurement between the minimum noise level due to thermal noise and the noise level due to internal and external amplifier noise

TDMA Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings(Equipment)

Forward Max Power Per Channel (dBm)

Maximum power output per channel

TDMA Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings(Equipment)



513


Reverse Eb/No Adjustment (dB)

Eb/No adjustment value for all reverse path connections through the repeater

TDMA Float (-50.00 to 50.00) Repeater Settings(Equipment)

Bin File Name Full path name of the active bin file for a repeater sector

TDMA Char (255) NA

Bin Hash Code

Calculated hash code for a repeater sector bin file (folder name)

TDMA Char (255) NA


Full path name of the active signal strength file for a repeater sector

TDMA Char (255) NA


Calculated hash code for a repeater sector signal strength (folder name)

TDMA Char (255) NA



514


CDMA_Repeaters worksheetTable E.22 provides information for each of the columns in the CDMA_Repeaters worksheet. For information on repeaters, see “Chapter 17: Adding Repeaters to cdma2000 Sectors” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.22 CDMA_Repeaters worksheet columns


Site ID Site name cdma2000 and W-CDMA

String (30) Repeater Settings

Sector ID Sector name cdma2000 and W-CDMA


Carrier ID Carrier All String (30) Network Settings(cdma2000 Carrier)

Repeater-site ID

Repeater name cdma2000 and W-CDMA


Active Indicates whether or not the repeater is turned on

cdma2000 and W-CDMA


Repeater Settings

Repeater Connection Type

Indicates the type of equipment from which the donor antenna receives its signal

cdma2000 String (5)RF or FIBER

Repeater Settings

Loss from Donor (dB)

Masked path loss from Donor

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.01 to 200.00) Repeater Settings(Predictions)

Service Antenna

Type of service antenna assigned

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

String (60) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Service Longitude


cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-180.000000 to 180.000000) degrees

Repeater Settings

Service Latitude


cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-90.000000 to 90.000000) degrees

Repeater Settings

515


Service Height (m)

Height of the service antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.00 to 30 000.00) or “Auto” if Override Terrain Height is set to False

Repeater Settings

Service Elevation (m)

Elevation of the service antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-500.00 to 10 000.00) or “Auto” if Override Terrain Height is set to False

Repeater Settings

Service Azimuth (degrees)

Azimuth of the assigned antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Integer (0 to 360 degrees)


Service Tilt (degrees)

Tilt of the assigned antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Integer (-90 to 90) degrees


Service Twist (degrees)

Twist of the assigned antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Integer (-90 to 90) degrees


Service System Losses

Feeder loss or antenna related system losses

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.00 and 100.00)


Propagation Model

Propagation model to be used assigned to the repeater

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

String (60) Repeater Settings(Predictions)

Distance (km) Prediction distance cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.01 to 999.99) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Number of Radials

Number of radials from a repeater along which to calculate predictions

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Integer (16 to 10,000) Repeater Settings(Service Antenna)

Table E.22 CDMA_Repeaters worksheet columns (continued)


516


Donor Antenna

Antenna assigned to the donor

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

String (60) Repeater Settings(Donor Antenna)

Donor Longitude


cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-180.000000 to 180.000000) degrees

Repeater Settings

Donor Latitude


cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-180.000000 to 180.000000) degrees

Repeater Settings

Donor Height (m)

Height of the donor antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.00 to 30 000.00)


Donor Elevation (m)

Elevation of the donor antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-500.00 to 10 000.00) or “Auto”


Donor System Losses

Donor antenna system feeder losses or other antenna system-related losses

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-100.00 to 100.00)


PA Power (dBm)


cdma2000 Float (-199 to 130) Site Properties

Gain (dB) Gain value derived from the assigned antenna

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings

Loss (dB) Feeder and miscellaneous losses

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-100.00 to 100.00)




517


Noise Figure (dB)

Reference measurement between the minimum noise level due to thermal noise and the noise level due to internal and external amplifier noise

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings(Equipment)

Forward Max Power Per Channel (dBm)

Maximum power output per channel

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (0.00 to 100.00) Repeater Settings(Equipment)

Reverse Eb/No Adjustment (dB)

Eb/No adjustment value for all reverse path connections through the repeater

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Float (-50.00 to 50.00) Repeater Settings(Equipment)

Bin File Name Full path name of the active bin file for a repeater sector

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Char (255) NA

Bin Hash Code

Calculated hash code for a repeater sector bin file (folder name)

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Char (255) NA


Full path name of the active signal strength file for a repeater sector

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Char (255) NA


Calculated hash code for a repeater sector signal strength (folder name)

cdma2000 and W-CDMA

Char (255) NA



518


Session_Types worksheetTable E.23 provides information for each of the columns in the Session_Types worksheet. For information on defining session types, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.23 Session_Types worksheet columns


Name Session Type name W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (30) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Session Types)

Mean Number of Packet Calls (Npc)

Mean number of packet calls in the session type

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 999.99)

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Session Types)

Mean Reading Time (Dpc) (s)

Mean reading time between packet calls

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 999.99)


Mean Number of Packets Within a Packet Call (Nd)

Mean number of packets within a packet call

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 999.99)


Mean Inter-Arrival Time Between Packets (Dd) (ms)

Mean interval time between packets

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 999.99)


Packet Timeout

Packet timeout W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1,000.00)


Packet Size Distribution

Packet size distribution type

W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (7)Pareto or Poisson


519


Packet Size Alpha

Packet distribution size for Pareto distributions

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (1.00 to 99.99)


Minimum Packet Size (bytes)

Minimum packet size

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00)


Maximum Packet Size (bytes)

Maximum packet size

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00) Must be greater than Minimum Packet Size


Mean Packet Size (bytes)

Mean packet size W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000.00) Packet Size Distribution must be Poisson


Table E.23 Session_Types worksheet columns (continued)


520


Services worksheetTable E.24 provides information for each of the columns in the Services worksheet. For information on services, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.24 Services worksheet columns


Name Service name W-CDMA, cdma2000, GSM

String (30) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Services)

Type* Type of service W-CDMA, cdma2000, GSM

String (30) CircuitSwitched or PacketSwitched

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Services)

Uplink Activity Factor (%)

Time that a signal is transmitted on the uplink


Float (0.00 to 100.00)

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager Services)

Downlink Activity Factor (%)

Time that a signal is transmitted on the downlink


Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Uplink Retransmit And Control Overhead (%)

Overhead factor for retransmit and control


Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Downlink Retransmit And Control Overhead (%)

Overhead factor for retransmit and control


Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Priority Service priority number for the subscriber type associated with this service when capacity is limited


Integer (0 to 99) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Services)

521


Cell Edge Coverage Probability (%)

Probability of coverage for a subscriber or bin to be regarded as served



Required Uplink FER (%)

Maximum FER at which this service is able to function


Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Required Downlink FER (%)

Maximum FER at which this service is able to function


Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Number Of Downlink Connections

Number of circuits from one server that are available to the subscriber type associated with this service type



Number Of Erlangs Per Subscriber

Number of erlangs generated by each subscriber type associated with a service


Float (0.000 to 1.000)


Input Load Type

Measurement unit used to define the mean input load for this packet-switched service


String (ErlangsPerSubscriber, KilobitsPerHour, SessionsPerHour)


Input Load (kbit/s)

Mean input load load for a packet-switched service in kilobits per second


Float (0.00 to 999.99)


Input Load (sessions/hour)

Mean input load load for a packet-switched service in sessions per hour


Float (0.00 to 999.99)


Table E.24 Services worksheet columns (continued)


522


Link Asymmetry Factor

Multiplier for the primary direction of traffic flow to define the asymmetry factor


Float (0.00 to 1.00)


Primary Direction

Primary direction of traffic


String (8)Uplink or Downlink


Session Type Type of session used by the service


String (12)E-mail, WAP Browsing, WWW Browsing


Table E.24 Services worksheet columns (continued)


523


Qualities worksheetTable E.25 provides information for each of the columns in the Qualities worksheet. For information on defining quality types, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing W-CDMA Sites” and “Chapter 16: Configuring and Placing cdma2000 Sites” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.25 Qualities worksheet columns


Name Quality name W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (32) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Qualities)

Guaranteed Uplink Data Rate (kbps)

Guaranteed uplink data rate for the quality

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1,000,000.00)

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Qualities)

Maximum Uplink Data Rate (kbps)

Maximum uplink data rate for the quality

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00) Must be greater than the guaranteed uplink data rate


Guaranteed Downlink Data Rate (kbps)

Guaranteed downlink data rate for the quality

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00)


Maximum Downlink Data Rate (kbps)

Maximum downlink data rate for the quality

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00) Must be greater than the guaranteed downlink data rate for the quality


Uplink Transfer Delay (ms)

Uplink transfer delay time for the quality

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00)


524


Downlink Transfer Delay (ms)

Downlink transfer delay time for the quality

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 000 000.00)


Traffic Class Traffic class that applies to the quality and its associated data rates

W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (Conversational, Streaming, Interactive, Background)


Table E.25 Qualities worksheet columns (continued)


525


Bearers worksheetTable E.26 provides information for each of the columns in the Bearers worksheet. For information on defining bearers, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.26 Bearers worksheet columns


Name Bearer name W-CDMA, cdma2000, GSM

String (30) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Bearer Type Bearer technology type


String (30) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Service Data Rate (kbps)

Service data rate for the bearer


Float (0.00 to 1 024.00)

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Channel Data Rate (kbps)

Channel data rate for the bearer

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 1 024.00)


Direction* Direction of the bearer

W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (8)Uplink, Downlink, Reverse, Forward


Technology* Technology used by the bearer


String (8)WCDMA, cdma2000, GSM


S/N To Error Rate Mapping

Name of the curve file containing the Eb/No vs. FER curve that defines the S/N to error rate mapping for this bearer

W-CDMA String (60) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

526


Number Of Channel Elements

Number of channel elements required for the bearer

W-CDMA Integer (0 to 99) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Radio Configuration

Traffic channel transmission configuration that applies to the bearer

cdma2000 String (3) RC1 to RC5


Fundamental Channel Elements

Number of channel elements used by the fundamental channels for the bearer

cdma2000 Integer (0 to 99) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Supplemental Channel Elements

Number of channel elements used by the supplemental channels for the bearer


Number Of Supplemental Channels

Number of supplemental channels used by the bearer


Fundamental Eb/No to FER Mapping

Signal to noise to error rate mapping curve file

cdma2000 String (60) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Supplemental Eb/No to FER Mapping

Signal to noise to error rate mapping curve file for the supplemental channel


Minimum Traffic Channel Power Offset

The minimum power correction value to be applied for the bearer

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 100.00)


Table E.26 Bearers worksheet columns (continued)


527


Maximum Traffic Channel Power Offset

The maximum power correction value to be applied for the bearer

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 100.00)


EV-DO Revision

Version number (0 or A)

cdma2000 String (A or 0) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Data Channel Gain (dB)

The gain applied to the data channel

cdma2000 Integer (0.00 to 125.00)


Pilot Ec/No To PER

Curve relating to the data channel and the pilot channel. Used to determine the Required Pilot Channel Ec/Nt at the base station receiver for each user’s reverse link signal.


Site Channel Elements

Number of channel elements required by the site for the chosen Service Data Rate

cdma2000 Integer (1-99) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Bearers)

Table E.26 Bearers worksheet columns (continued)


528


Clutter_Types worksheetTable E.27 provides information for each of the columns in the Clutter_Types worksheet. For information on defining clutter types, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.27 Clutter_Types worksheet columns


Name Clutter type name W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (30) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Clutter Types)

Downlink Orthogonality (%)

Orthogonality factor for the downlink

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Integer (0 to 100) Percent

Project Explorer - Subscribers(Clutter Types)

Slow Fading Standard Deviation (dB)

Expected standard deviation of slow fading

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Enable Outdoor

Enables or disables outdoor penetration loss

W-CDMA, cdma2000



Outdoor Fast Fading Margin (dB)

Fast fading margin to be applied within the outdoor environment type

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Outdoor Penetration Loss (dB)

Penetration loss for the outdoor environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Enable Vehicular

Enables or disables vehicular penetration loss

W-CDMA, cdma2000



Vehicular Fast Fading Margin (dB)

Fast fading margin to be applied within the vehicular environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Vehicular Penetration Loss (dB)

Penetration loss for the vehicular environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


529


Vehicular Speed

Vehicular speed W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 999.99)


Enable Indoor Enables or disables indoor penetration loss

W-CDMA, cdma2000



Indoor Fast Fading Margin (dB)

Fast fading margin to be applied within the indoor environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Indoor Penetration Loss (dB)

Penetration loss for the indoor environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Enable Deep Indoor

Enables or disables deep indoor penetration loss

W-CDMA, cdma2000



Deep Indoor Fast Fading Margin (dB)

Fast fading margin to be applied within the deep indoor environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Deep Indoor Penetration Loss (dB)

Penetration loss for the deep indoor environment

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 99.99)


Class Assignment(Read-only)

Comma separated list of all clutter category assignments (e.g., Grass-Agriculture)

W-CDMA, cdma2000

String Project Explorer - Subscribers(Clutter Types)

Table E.27 Clutter_Types worksheet columns (continued)


530


Subscriber_Equipment_Types worksheetTable E.28 provides information for each of the columns in the Subscriber_Equipment_Types worksheet. For information on subscriber equipment, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.28 Subscriber_Equipment_Types worksheet columns


Name Name of the subscriber equipment type

W-CDMA, cdma2000

String (32) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Equipment Types)

Technology Band

Technology band name

W-CDMA, cdma2000


Maximum Transmit Power (dBm)

Maximum transmit power at the power amplifier

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 50.00)

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Equipment Types)

Minimum Transmit Power (dBm)

Minimum transmit power at the power amplifier

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (-56.00 to 50.00) must be less than Maximum Transmit Power


Maximum Active Servers

Maximum number of handover servers supported by the equipment type

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Integer (1 to 6) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Equipment Types)

531


Antenna Gain (dB)

Antenna gain for the equipment type

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (-50.00 to 30.00)


Noise Figure (dB)

Noise figure at the receiver

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Float (0.00 to 30.00)


Body Loss Voice (dB)

Loss (for voice traffic) when the mobile is close to a user’ s body

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Integer (0 to 20) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Equipment Types)

Body Loss Data (dB)

Loss (data traffic) when the mobile is close to a user’ s body

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Integer (0 to 20) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manage (Subscriber Equipment Types)

HSDPA Active Indicates whether the technology band supports HSDPA Bearers

W-CDMA, cdma2000


Project Explorer - Subscriber Manage (Subscriber Equipment Types)

Table E.28 Subscriber_Equipment_Types worksheet columns (continued)


532


HSDPA Terminal Category

The terminal category of assigned HSDPA bearers

W-CDMA, cdma2000

Integer (1 to 12) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manage (Subscriber Equipment Types)

Assigned Bearer: <number>

Bearers assigned to this equipment type

W-CDMA, cdma2000


Table E.28 Subscriber_Equipment_Types worksheet columns (continued)


533


Subscribers worksheetTable E.29 provides information for each of the columns in the Subscribers worksheet. For information on subscribers, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.29 Subscribers worksheet columns


Name Name of the subscriber type


String (32) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Types)

User Variance Custom poisson distribution with modified variability


Float (0.00 to 9.00)

Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Types)

Use Priority Override

Enables or disables usage priority override




Priority Override

Service priority number used when capacity is limited


Integer (0 to 999) Project Explorer - Subscriber Manager(Subscriber Types)

Traffic Map Name

Name of the traffic map used with this subscriber



Traffic Map Type

Traffic map units W-CDMA, cdma2000, GSM

String (10)Erlang, Subscriber, Kbps


534


Traffic Map Scaling Ratio

Factor to scale traffic from the traffic map assigned to this subscriber type


Float (0.00 to 99.90)


Equipment Type Name

Name of the subscriber equipment type



Table E.29 Subscribers worksheet columns (continued)


535


Usages worksheetTable E.30 provides information for each of the columns in the Usages worksheet. For information on usages, see “Chapter 4: Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” and “Chapter 15: Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.Table E.30 Usages worksheet columns


Subscriber Type Name

Name of the subscriber type



Short Name Short name for the usage



Indoor Weighting

Weighting for indoor usage as a ratio with other usages


Integer (0 to 10 000)


Deep Indoor Weighting

Weighting for deep indoor usage as a ratio with other usages




Outdoor Weighting

Weighting for outdoor usage as a ratio with other usages




Vehicular Weighting

Weighting for vehicular usage as a ratio with other usages




536


Service Name Service type for the usage



Quality Name Quality type for the usage



Table E.30 Usages worksheet columns (continued)


537


538

Index

Index
AAbsorption Height Limit 457Active
Neighbor lists 380Sector display schemes 105, 109Site table 113

Addingarea grids 427attachments to projects 44flag conditions 98frames 435neighbor lists 380network data 397sectors to a neighbor list 374surveys 177tools to the Tools menu 409traffic maps 323

Additional layers 273Advanced layers 273Advanced properties

CRC-Predict model, setting 457AMT. See Automatic Model Tuner (AMT)Analyses

demographic 404network 269output settings 273viewshed 430

Analysis layersadvanced prediction 273

Analyzingvisibility on a grid 427

Angle From Line tool 92Antenna definition files

creating 124

Antenna patternsaccuracy 119changing 90combining 136creating quasi-omnidirectional 136deleting 90displaying 126editing 128electrical downtilt 122horizontal gain 119modifying display settings 125opening 125overview 118printing 133remote electrical tilt 122remove 135rename 135reverting displays 130saving 132units 126vertical gain 119viewing information on 127

Antennasediting gain values 131editing multiple gain values 132gain 129Normalize 121, 129parent/child dependencies 128refreshing the list of 135view or hide unused 135

Applyingclutter weighting 320

539

IndexMentum Planet User Guide

Area gridsadding 427creating 425deleting 427renaming 427viewing 427

Aspect gridscreating 424

Assigningsurveys to sectors 190

Attachments 44adding 45importing 45opening 45removing 47updating 45

Automatic Model Tuner (AMT)overview 170Smart option 170using 170

Averagingsurvey data 194

BBacking up

projects 49Bin files

size and resolution 274Binding

network data 391rules 396

Boresight gain 129Browsing

scan receiver data 247survey data 183test mobile data 214

CC/I weights 335Cell ID 68Cell_ID column

in network data 391Cellular Geographic Service Area 439Classes

changing the color of 461clutter 158

Classified grids 21contouring 417

Clear distance value 457Cloning sectors 88Closing

projects 48Clutter

including in propagation model 162overview 142weighting in traffic maps 319, 322

Clutter Absorption Loss tuneroverview 167using 167

Clutter classeschanging the color of 461copying properties 461overview 158

Clutter distribution histogram 187Clutter layer

description 23Clutter properties

Absorption Height Limit 457opening or creating CPA file 163overview 158

Clutter weightingmodifying in traffic maps 322overview 310

Collectingsurvey data 176

540


Colorchanging for clutter classes 461creating profiles 57

Color and symbol settingsmodifying for sectors 104

Columnsdisplaying 112

Combiningantenna patterns 136surveys 201traffic maps 327

Comparingneighbor lists 367surveys 201, 203surveys and modeled predictions 204

Conditionsadding 98removing 100renaming 100

Conductivity value 457Configuration files

saving 77Configuring sites 74Contour

formula 439lines 415regions 415tables 446

Contouringhole-island relationship 415with grids 415, 417

Contoursgenerating smooth contours 418

Contours, FCCcreating 441exporting reports 447saving tables 446

Convertingelectrical downtilt patterns 124interference matrices 350traffic maps 324

Copyingclutter class properties 461groups of sites 83neighbor lists 380sectors 88sites 87, 89

Cost 231 Walfisch-Ikegami model 146CRC-Predict Air model 153CRC-Predict model 152

setting Advanced properties 457version 2.0 properties 457version 4.0 properties 455

Creatingantenna definition files 124area grids 425clutter property assignment file 163groups 93interference matrices 334, 340, 344neighbor lists 356new surveys 193print layout 434projects 38quasi-omnidirectional patterns 136sector groups 94survey assignment file 190survey assignment reports 193traffic maps 312workspaces 27, 43

CurvesC/I weights tables 335regression 187

Custom columnsadding and editing 102

Custom Data layerdescription 26

541


Customizingpoint-to-point profiles 300

DData

exporting 385importing 384network 390replacing 385scan receiver 7survey 176test mobile 7

Data Manager 7User Preferences 35

Definingnew propagation models 162propagation model settings 159

Deletingantenna patterns 135area grids 427interference matrices 354neighbor lists 382predictions 286sector groups 95sites 87sites from the Map window 89sites from the Project Explorer 89surveys 180traffic maps 328

DEM Elevationusing 78

Demographic analysisoverview 404performing 406

Demographic Analysis tool 404output data type options 406output format options 406outputs 404

Disablingtools 410

Display Schemesadding 110creating 106

Display templatesfor scan receiver data 256for test mobile data 223

Displayingpredictions 286site labels 78

Draw Angle tool 93

EEditing

antenna patterns 128custom columns 102neighbor lists 369neighbor lists interactively 375point-to-point profiles 297project data 102propagation models 159sector groups 96

Electrical downtilt antenna patterns 122Enabling

tools 410Environment

modeling 162Export Wizard 386Exporting

FCC report 447log messages 47, 390neighbor lists 378project data 384site tables 438survey assignment files 192to Planet 2.8 403

Exporting data 385changes in worksheets 539

542


FFCC Contour Generator

setting advanced options 445using 438

FCC contourscreating a report 441exporting 447filtering override values 444overrides 443saving 446table formats 440

FCC Point Tool 444Features 6Field Measurement Data 7File header

for scan receiver data 239for test mobile data 207

File types.cpa 158, 163, 164, 451.crd 451.csv 451.curve 335, 451.dbp 451.dsc 451.vcp 452.vml 436, 452.wor 435, 452MapInfo files 453model files 451output files 452project files 451

Filesattaching to projects 44Clutter layer 23Custom Data layer 26Height layer 23Polygon layer 24project 26site configuration 68site tables 26workspace 27

Filteringpredictions 286survey data 196, 199

Filterscreating using groups 93

Find Maximum Point tool 91Finding

sectors 84sites 84

Flagsadding conditions to 98creating 98overview 96removing 100renaming 99

FormatsNSMA 133site table 449

Formattingpoint-to-point profiles 297

Framesadding 435borders 435

Free Space model 143Functions

Point-to-Point Visibility 428viewshed 429

543


GGenerating

predictions 277Geodata layers 54

folders 55group by 54

Global edits 100Graphic files, opening 436Graphs

point-to-point 298Grid files, description 19Grid Info tool 413

setting options for 413Grid Manager Info 413Grids

analyzing visibility 427area grids 425classified 21, 417contouring 415creating aspect grids 424creating legends for 436creating slope grids 424creating traffic maps from 314definition 19getting information on 412numeric 20types of 20viewing legends 412

Groupscreating 93overview 96refreshing the groups list 95renaming 95

Groups listrefreshing 95

HHeaders

updating surveys 180

Height layerdescription 23

Helpaccessing 8getting technical support 4

Hidingmetrics display 401

Histogram Interference Matrixviewing 347

Histogramsclutter distribution 187survey 186

Horizontal Beamwidth 70

IIEEE 802.16 model 150Import and Export Tables 467Import Wizard 388Importing

data 384network data 316, 341, 361, 393, 396project data 384scan receiver data 240site data 402surveys 177test mobile data 208

Importing datachanges in worksheets 539replace option 385

Indoor projects 14Information

on analyses 412on antennas 127on grids 412, 413on lines 414on regions 414

Input file requirementsfor scan receiver data 238for test mobile data 206

544


Interference matricesconverting 350creating Local Knowledge type 344creating Modeled type 334creating Network Data type 340deleting 354merging 351overview 6, 330types of 331update 340viewing 346viewing histogram IM 347viewing settings used for 348viewing standard IM 346

Interference Matrix Generator 6ITU 370-Recommendation model 145

LLayer Control 53Layers

Geodata 54Map 50

Layout, printcreating 434

Lee model 149Legends

creating for grids 436creating for thematic maps 437overview 436printing 436viewing 412

Linesgetting information on 414

Local Knowledge interference matrixcreating 344overview 332

Locatingsectors 84sites 84survey data 182

Logexporting messages 47, 390

Longley-Rice model 148

MManaging

tools 409Map layers 50Map view settings

for scan receiver data 248for test mobile data 215

Map windows 50, 54MapInfo files

description 453MapInfo Professional 7Mentum products 1Merged predictions 272Merging

interference matrices 351Metrics

display options 400hiding 401user-defined 394, 398viewing 401

Model filesexporting to Planet 2.8 403

Model tuningguidelines 165overview 164performing 166Smart option 170

Modeled interference matrixcreating 334

545


Modeled predictions 272Modifying

antenna display settings 125clutter relative weightings 322neighbor lists 369point-to-point analysis graphs 300sector color and symbol settings 104survey properties 179traffic maps 324

Movingsites 86

Multiple instances of Planet 49Multi-resolution grids 160, 278Multi-technology neighbor lists 365Multi-threaded predictions 280

NNeighbor lists

active 380adding 380comparing 367copying 380creating

from best server grids 358from interference matrices 359

deleting 382editing 369editing interactively 375exporting 378multi-technology 365overview 356viewing 377

Network analysismulti-resolution 160, 278

Network dataadding 397binding 391importing 361Planet 392using for interference matrices 341using for traffic maps 316

Network Data Display tooloverview 399

Network Data interference matrixcreating 340overview 332

Network Data toolimporting network data 393, 396overview 7, 390

Network performanceviewing 407

Network Statistics Mapping tool 407Non co-located sectors 71Normalizing antennas 121, 129NSMA format 133Number of radials 442Numeric grids 20

converting to vectors 418

OOffset scaling 325Okumura-Hata model 143Online Help 8Opening

clutter property assignment file 163graphic files 436point-to-point profiles 304Project Settings dialog box 41projects 48

Output filesdescription 452

Overridesdefining for FCC Contours 443filtering 444

546


Overviewof scan receiver data 238of test mobile data 206

PParameters

swapping 89Path loss predictions 270Performance data

viewing 407Permittivity value 457Placing sites 74Planet

features 6opening more than one copy of 49

Planet 2.8exporting to 403

Planet General modelautomatically tuning 170overview 144Smart tuning option 170

Point display settingsfor scan receiver data 248for test mobile data 215

Point-to-point analysesmodifying graphs 300results 298

Point-to-Point Profile Tooldisplaying clutter heights 301displaying reflection points 302

Point-to-Point Profile tooloverview 290

Point-to-point profilesprinting 304saving and opening 304

Point-to-Point Visibility function 428Polygon layer

description 24Polyline contours

creating 415

Power 69Predictions

additional layers 273between two points 289comparing to surveys 204generating 277merged & modeled 272multi-threaded 280path loss 270Prediction Manager 286removing 286signal strength 271SPT 272view 288viewing 282

Preferences 32Data Manager 35general 33miscellaneous 37Project Explorer 34Project Wizard 36setting for grids 413

Preferred neighborediting neighbor list 371

Previous placement of sites 86Printing

antenna patterns 133legends 436point-to-point profiles 304test files 63

ProductsMentum 1

Profilesformatting or editing 297point-to-point 290

547


Project Explorerdata window 30default commands 32overview 6, 28showing, hiding, and docking 28User Preferences 34

Project files 26description 451

Project settingsaccessing 41units 62

Project Wizardcreating projects with 38User Preferences 36

Projectsattaching files 44backing up 49closing 48creating with the Project Wizard 38data types 19file structure 41geodata layers 22opening and closing 48overview 18restoring 49saving 49understanding files for 26

Propagation Model Editoraccessing 159

Propagation modelsCost 231 Walfisch-Ikegami 146CRC-Predict 142CRC-Predict 2.0 152CRC-Predict Air 153defining new 162Free Space 143IEEE 802.16 150including clutter 162ITU 370-Recommendation 145Lee model 149Longley-Rice 148Okumura-Hata 143overview 142Planet General 142, 144setting advanced properties for 457summary 142tuning 164, 165types 142Universal model 142, 154WaveSight 156

Propertiesclutter 158grouping sites by 82of sectors 78

QQuasi-omnidirectional antennas 136

RReflection Points

displaying 302Refreshing

groups list 95sites list 89

Region contourscreating 415

Region Info tool 414Regions

getting information on 414

548


Regression curve 187Relationships

displaying for sectors 104Remote Electrical Tilt 122Removing

antenna patterns 135flags or conditions 100

Renamingantenna patterns 135area grids 427conditions 100flags 99groups 95sites 88

Replacingdata 384

Replacing data 385Reports

coverage map 434FCC contour 438, 441, 447overview 433

Restoring projects 49Revert command

Antenna Editor 130Rms Roughness value 457

SSaving

antenna patterns 132binding rules 317, 343, 364, 395, 398FCC contour tables 446point-to-point profiles 304projects 49site configuration files 77surveys 181workspace 27

Scalingby offset 325by percentage 325traffic maps 325

Scan receiver dataallocating to sectors 260browsing 247display templates 256exporting to survey 267file header 239importing 240input file requirements 238map view settings 248overview 238point display settings 248viewing 246, 248

graph format 257information on 245

Sector display schemesactive 105, 109default symbol 111refresh relationships 111

Sector groupscreating 94deleting 95editing 96

Sector ID 68Sector placement tools 91Sector properties

Antenna 70Assigned Repeater(s) 71Azimuth 70Color 71Flags 71Group 71Horizontal Beamwidth 70Power 69Symbol 71Technology 69Tilt 71Twist 71

Sector relationshipsdisplaying 104

549


Sector symbolscustomizing 104

Sector UID 68Sectors

adding display schemes 110adding to neighbor list 374assigning to groups 93Cell ID 68cloning 88copying 88finding 84modifying colors 104non co-located 71overview 66properties 68Sector ID 68Sector UID 68specifying the height of 78Swapping 89viewing predictions 282

Sector-to-sector interference 349Selecting

sites in Map window 85Service area boundary 438Settings

analysis output 273for histogram matrix 348System 62

Signal strengthpredictions 271

Site configuration filesoverview 68saving 77

Site data, importing 402Site Export tool (Planet 2.8 format) 403Site flags

adding conditions to 98creating 98renaming 99

Site ID 66Site information

displaying 86Site labels

displaying 78removing 79

Site Name 66Site Name2 66Site properties

displaying 86editing sector groups 96user-defined data 112

Site tableschanging 113description 26displaying columns 112exporting to Planet 2.8 403exporting to text file 438importing data to 402updating 408

550


Site UID 66Sites

applying default symbols 111configuring 74copying groups of 83copying, pasting, or deleting 87, 89editing 86finding 84grouping by property 82moving 86overview 66performing global edits on 100placing 73, 74refreshing the sites list 89renaming 88select in Map window 85Site ID 66Site Name 66Site Name2 66Site UID 66swapping 89undoing placement of 86

Sites listrefreshing 89

Slope gridcreating 424

Smart automatic model tuning 170Snap tool

when moving sites 87SPT 272Survey assignments

clearing 192creating an assignment file 190creating reports 193exporting 192updating 192viewing 192

Survey datacollecting 176filtering 196filtering by selection 199locating 182organizing 174overview 7

Surveysadding 177assigning to sectors 190averaging 194browsing 183clutter distribution histogram 187combining 201comparing 201, 203comparing to modeled predictions 204creating a new survey 193creating a thematic map of 183deleting 180displaying 182displaying statistics for 185exporting scan receiver data to 267exporting test mobile data to 234histogram 186importing 177locating 182modifying properties of 179overview 174regression curve 187saving 181updating headers 180

Swappingsites 89

Symbol settingsmodifying for sectors 104

Symbolsapplying defaults 111for sectors 104

551


System Settings 62

TTables

C/I weights 335overview 19

Tabular Edit tool 102Technical support 4Test files

printing 63Test mobile data

allocating to sectors 227browsing 214display templates 223exporting to survey 234file header 207importing 208input file requirements 206map view settings 215overview 206point display settings 215viewing 213, 215

graph format 224information on 212

Thematic mapscreating from network data 408creating from survey data 183creating legends for 437

Tool Manager 409Tools

adding to the Tools menu 409Angle From Line 92Demographic Analysis 404Draw Angle 93enabling and disabling 410FCC Point 444Find Maximum Point 91Grid Calculator 412Grid Info 412Grid Info tool 413Grid Query 412Interference Matrix Generator 6, 329Line Info 412, 414Maximum Point 412Neighbor List Generator 355Network Data 7, 390Network Statistics Mapping 407Prediction Manager 286Region Info 412, 414sector placement tools 91Traffic Map Generator 6, 307

552


Tools Manager 409Traffic Map Generator 6, 307Traffic maps

adding 323applying clutter weighting 319clutter weighting overview 310combining 327converting units 324creating from grid file 314creating from switch data 317deleting 328editing clutter relative densities 322importing network data for 316including vectors in clutter 311modifying 324overview 308scaling 325unit conversion factors 309viewing 323

Tree viewProject Explorer 30

Tuning models 166guidelines 165overview 164

Typesof grids 20of propagation models 142

UUndoing

site placement 86Units, changing 62Universal model 154Updating

histogram interference matrices 340

User Preferences 32Data Manager 35general 33miscellaneous 37Project Explorer 34Project Wizard 36

User-defined columnsdisplaying 112

User-defined dataadding 112

User-defined metriccreating 394, 398

Utilitiesiecon.exe 384

VVector files

generating from numeric grid data 418Vectors

including in clutter 311View Export check box 447Viewing

area grids 427interference matrices 346, 347legends 412metrics 401neighbor lists 377network performance data 407predictions 282scan receiver data 248

in a Map window 246in graph format 257

sector-to-sector interference 349standard matrices 346survey assignments 192test mobile data 215

in a Map window 213in graph format 224

traffic maps 323

553


Viewshed analysismulti-point 432single-point 430

Viewshed function 429Visibility

analyzing on a grid 427

WWaveSight model 156Wizards

Export 386Import 388Project 38

WorksheetsChange History 467import/export 467

Workspacesassociating with a project 44creating and using 43overview 27

ZZooming

in on survey data points 182

554

Documents

Planet User Guide