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MLinkPlanner 2.0

Point-to-Point and Point-to-Multipoint Microwave Link Planning Software

User Manual

Diffraction Analysis

Diffraction Analysis allows user to estimate diffraction losses due to obstacles on path profile. Strictly speaking, diffraction losses at link should be avoided, especially in high-frequency ranges where accuracy of path profile is comparable to size of first Fresnel zone. Diffraction losses may be due to inability to meet clearance criteria as per Rec. ITU-R P.530-17, especially in relatively low-frequency ranges (up to 2-4 GHz).

In MLinkPlanner 2.0, you can choose one of following diffraction methods:

  • Rec. ITU-R P.526-15 (Complete Bullington method or Diffraction over multiple cylinders method)

  • Deygout principle method with correction ITU-R-P.526-11

  • Epstein-Peterson method

 

The method for calculating diffraction losses is selected in the Propagation Model menu.

To begin analysis of diffraction loss on a link, select the required link and click on the button in the upper toolbar. Enter the heights of antennas, as well as K-factor for which you want to calculate diffraction loss (after entering, press Enter), after which the result of calculating diffraction loss on path profile and intermediate parameters will appear in the information window in accordance with the selected method. In order to take into account obtained results, click “Apply” button. After this, antenna heights in link parameters will change in accordance with applied values.

 

Diffraction losses are calculated for a single path (by default, for Main-Main path). If you want to estimate diffraction losses for other paths (Main-Diversity or Diversity-Main paths), you’ll need to change the height of corresponding antennas.

 

When you calculate performance characteristics, diffraction losses are calculated automatically for each path based on antenna heights and other parameters. These parameters are saved in project file and can be defined for each path individually.

Parameters of Diffraction Analysis

Parameters of Diffraction Analysis

Value of K exceeded for 99.9% (ke) 

Consider vegetation according to Rec. ITU-R P.833-9

k-factor for Diffraction Analysis

Value of k-factor exceeded for approximately 99.9% of the worst month for the path profile according to Figure 2 in Rec. ITU-R P.530-17

In this case, the forest on the track profile is excluded from the diffraction calculation and the attenuation in the forest is calculated in accordance with Rec. ITU-R P.833-9 "Attenuation of signals by vegetation."

MLinkPlanner 2_17.png

Bullington Diffraction Loss Analysis Rec. ITU-R P.526-15

 

Parameters for the Bullington Method of Rec. ITU-R P.526-15

Bullington Point

Bullington Point location

Luc, dB

Knife-edge loss for the Bullington point, dB

Lb, dB

Bullington diffraction loss for the path, dB

Lbs, dB

Bullington diffraction loss for the smooth path, dB

Lsph, dB

Spherical-earth diffraction loss, dB

L, dB

The diffraction loss for the general path, dB

MLinkPlanner 2_18.png

Analysis of diffraction losses by the method of isolated cylinders according to Rec. ITU-R P.526-15

Displayed items for the method of isolated cylinders according to Rec. ITU-R P.526-15

Ray

Stretched String

Obstructions

Radiuses of the Cylinders

Sub-path Obstructions

60%F1 for Sub-path

Projections of Rays Intersecting above Obstacles

Baselines

60%F1 for Baselines

Minimum Space Between Points for One Obstruction

Obstruction No.

Sub-path Obstruction No.

Correction Factor Cn

Location, km

Clearance, m

V

Radius, km

Loss, dB

Total, dB

Show the ray line between antennas.

Show line Stretched string. This identifies the sample points which would be touched by a string stretched over the profile from the transmitter to receiver.

Show obstruction identifiers. The obstruction identifier numbers are shown in figures on a yellow background.

Show Radius equal to the radius of curvature at the obstacle top.

Show obstruction numbers on the Sub-path. The obstruction numbers on the Sub-path are shown on a blue background.

Show 60 % of the first Fresnel zone.

Show Projections of rays intersecting above obstacles.

Show Baselines.

Show 60% of the first Fresnel zone for baselines.

This parameter can be adjusted within 250 m–10 km for more accurate approximation of obstruction.

Identifier Number of Obstruction

Identifier Number of Obstruction on the Sub-path

Correction factor Cn according to Rec. ITU-R P.526-15

Location of Obstruction, km

Clearance at the Obstruction, m

Single dimensionless parameter according to Rec. ITU-R P.526-15

The radius of the Obstruction, km

Diffraction losses at each obstruction, dB

Total Loss, dB

MLinkPlanner 2_19.png

Deygout Diffraction Loss Analysis Rec. ITU-R P.526-11

 

Displayed items for Deygout principle method with correction Rec. ITU-R-P.526-11

Dp, km

Distance to the main knife-edge obstacle, km

Dt, km

Distance to the knife-edge obstacle from the Tx side, km

Dr, km

Distance to the knife-edge obstacle from the Rx side, km

J(Vp), dB

Loss on the main knife-edge obstacle, dB

J(Vt), dB

Loss on the Tx knife-edge obstacle, dB

J(Vr), dB

Loss on the Rx knife-edge obstacle, dB

Empirical correction, dB

С, dB

Diffraction losses, dB

L, dB

MLinkPlanner 2_20.png

Epstein-Peterson diffraction method

 

Displayed items for the Epstein-Peterson diffraction method

Obstruction №

Identifier Number of Obstruction

Distance, km

Distance to the knife-edge obstacle, km

V

The Diffraction Parameter

Loss, dB

Diffraction losses at each obstruction, dB

L, dB

Diffraction losses, dB

Planning Point-to-Multipoint Networks

When planning a point-to-multipoint network in MLinkPlanner, you can do:

  1. Different coverage study types for PtMP Base Stations

  2. Availability prediction for Base Station - Subscriber Station links

 

To calculate radio coverage, it is sufficient to enter the parameters of the base station(s) and the typical parameters of the subscriber station (CPE) - “subscriber station installation,” which can be located anywhere in the study area. For the point-to-multipoint link availability prediction, it is also necessary to specify the location of each of the subscriber stations, specify to which base station each subscriber station relates, and enter all necessary detailed parameters of base stations and subscriber stations.

Base Stations

PtMP base stations are created based on previously created sites. To get started, open the Point-to-Multipoint item on the main menu.

PtMP Network.png

PtMP Network menu

 

First, it is necessary to include the specification file of the equipment family that is supposed to be involved in the project. 
 

Click on the  “Add a new product family” button in the Point-to-Multipoint menu to include the product family in your project. To download product family files from our website, click on “Download product family files” button, and a link will open in browser. We are continually updating files with equipment parameters, but if such equipment is not on our website, then first create equipment specification file (see Equipment Editor).

Toolbar:

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del sectors.png
del SS.png
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- Create a new PtMP base station


- Sort the base stations in alphabetical order


- Select / Unselect all BS sectors


- Delete all selected sectors; if all sectors of the BS are selected, that BS will also be deleted.

- Delete subscriber stations in all selected sectors


- Summary Report for all active Point-to-Multipoint links in MS Excel. Click the "Summary Report" button and an Excel spreadsheet will open. Only active base stations will be listed in the spreadsheet.

Tx power general limits for the PtMP network

BS Sector

not use

not use general limits for BS sector

limit Tx power to max level, dBm

Maximum Tx power for all BS Sectors in this project, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in this menu and the limit that is set in a particular BS Sector, the most stringent limit is selected in the calculations.

limit EIRP to max level, dBm

Maximum EIRP for all BS Sectors in this project, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in this menu and the limit that is set in a particular BS Sector, the most stringent limit is selected in the calculations.

Subscriber Station

not use

not use general limits for Subscriber Station

limit Tx power to max level, dBm

Maximum Tx power for all Subscriber Stations in this project, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in this menu and the limit that is set in a particular Subscriber Station, the most stringent limit is selected during the calculation.

limit EIRP to max level, dBm

Maximum EIRP for all Subscriber Stations in this project, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in this menu and the limit that is set in a particular Subscriber Station, the most stringent limit is selected during the calculation.

To create a base station, click on the Add button at the top of the Point-to-Multipoint menu, then select site from list that appears. After that, Base Station will appear on map, as well as width of angular sector and its direction. When creating BS, one BS sector is always automatically created. You can add as many sectors for BS as you need by clicking on button.

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PtMP BS Parameters

 

Toolbar:

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site.png
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- Add a new base station with the same parameters.


- Move this BS up.


- Move this BS down.


- Delete the base station.


- Change the site.


- Position the map with the base station at the center of the screen.


- Copy base station parameters to the clipboard


- Paste base station parameters from the clipboard

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Base Station Sector Parameters

 

Toolbar:

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- Add a new sector with the same parameters.


- Move the sector up.


- Move the sector down.


- Delete the sector.


- Select / Unselect all modulations and coding rows.


- Global active sectors parameter change - a feature that allows you to instantly change parameters of any base station in accordance with parameters of current sector.


- Position the map with the base station at the center of the screen.


- Add a new subscriber station for this sector.


- Sort the list of subscriber stations in the sector in alphabetical order.


- Generate the path profiles for all subscriber stations of the sector.

- BS Sector Performance Summary provides a summary of the performance of all the subscriber stations of the selected base station sector including the maximum usable modulation modes of all the PtMP Links that meet the required minimum flat fade margin setting and minimum annual availability setting.


- Display the product specifications for the selected bandwidth in the form of a datasheet, which can be saved in PDF, Word, or Excel formats.


- Copy sector parameters to the clipboard


- Paste sector parameters from the clipboard

In the drop-down lists, select the product family from those previously included in your project, then select the equipment model (product), channel bandwidth, and frequency band. After that, general information about the selected equipment, its image, channel bitrates, and Tx power and Rx parameters for each supported modulation type will appear below.

Frequency, MHz

Azimuth, deg

Feeder loss, dB

Antenna Beam Tilt, deg

Antenna Height, m

Antenna Gain, dBi

Polarization

Antenna Type

Antenna Pattern

Frequency of the BS sector, MHz

Antenna azimuth, degree

Feeder loss, default value is 0 dB

Antenna beam tilt, degree. A negative value is a downward beam tilt, a positive value - upward beam tilt.

Antenna installation height relative to ground level, m. You can also change the antenna height in the profile window

Antenna gain, dBi

Antenna polarization, Vertical/Horizontal. Used for estimating interference zones C / (I + N) only.

Antenna model; information only.

To select antenna pattern, click the button next to the entered antenna model code and load the file in the *.msi or *.nsma format.

Tx Power Limitation

not use

Maximum Tx power limit, dBm

Maximum EIRP limit, dBm

not use Tx power max limit

Maximum Tx power for this BS sector, dBm From the general limit that is set in the PtMP menu and the limit that is set in this BS sector, the most stringent limit is selected during the calculation. 

Maximum EIRP for this BS sector, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in the PtMP menu and the limit that is set in this BS sector, the most stringent limit is selected during the calculation.

Global active sectors parameter change - this is a very convenient feature that allows you to instantly change the parameters of any base station sectors in accordance with the parameters of the current sector.


The procedure for performing group parameter changes on multiple base station sectors:
Mark as active two or more base station sectors whose parameters need to be changed by clicking on the checkbox located to the left of the base station sector name.
Set the required parameter values in the current BS sector.

 

3. Click the button Global active sectors parameter change to display the Global active sectors parameter change pop-up menu. Select the parameters that need to be copied to the previously marked active BS sectors by clicking on the checkboxes in the sector parameter list. Click the OK button and the selected parameters will be copied to all base station sectors marked as active.

MLinkPlanner 2_24.png

Global active base station sectors parameter change

 
Coverage Study

 

The coverage study calculates the estimated coverage of the base stations – i.e., it approximately determines the areas where subscriber stations can be located and gives a rough estimate of achievable link capacity in this location. To ensure correctness when deciding to place a subscriber station in a particular location, and to determine the exact height and type of subscriber station antenna for required link capacity, it is necessary to perform a detailed link availability prediction.


Coverage study is performed under the following conditions:


1.    The parameters entered for each of the base station sectors are used for coverage prediction.
2.    A typical “Subscriber station installation” is used in calculations for predicting coverage in the entire study area. The typical subscriber station parameters are entered into the Coverage Study Details menu.
3.    The calculations do not take into account excess path loss due to clutter loss (buildings and trees).

 

Before starting a coverage area study, you must first specify the parameters of base station sectors that will be involved in the study and set those base station sectors to Active. Refer to Base Stations section for information on setting base station parameters. Please note that coverage study for base station sectors will only be carried out if the checkbox located to the left of base station sector name is active.
 

To configure Coverage Study options, go to Coverage Study Details menu.

Coverage prediction.png

Coverage Study Details for Received Power at subscriber stations study

Coverage study Details

Propagation model

For PtMP Networks: Free Space + Diffraction – 
For Outdoor Wi-Fi networks: ITU-R P.1238-11 + Diffraction

Area Study Type

Received Power at subscriber stations
Strongest (Most likely) Server
C/I+N at subscriber stations

Base Station Parameters

Transmit Power, dBm

Use BS Transmitter Power Data

Study Radius, km

Оne power value for all base stations, dBm

Use the power settings for each of the base stations specified in the BS sector menu.

Maximum study radius from Base Station, km

Subscriber Station Installation

Antenna Height, m

Antenna Gain, dBi

Feeder Loss, dB

Antenna installation height relative to ground level, m.

Antenna gain, dBi

Feeder loss, default value is 0 dB

Additional calculation parameters

Margin, dB

Low Resolution

High Resolution

Prediction confidence margin of the calculation results for area study, dB

Low-resolution calculation (less computation time)

High-resolution calculation (more computation time)

Received Power at Subscriber Stations

Received power map shows those areas where a given signal power level is present at the subscriber station’s receiver (downlink).

Number of Levels

Color

Values, dBm *

Description

The number of signal levels from 1 to 8

The color of the signal level

Received power level, dBm

The text field as an annotation on each signal level; for example, 256-QAM 5/6 400 Mbit/s

* You can automatically fill the fields with subscriber station parameters by going to the panel of the characteristics of the subscriber station and clicking on the Copy selected Rx thresholds to Coverage Study Levels button. This will copy the threshold levels to the Levels field and information about the selected modulation modes to the Description field.

To perform the coverage study, click the           button.

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Received Power at subscriber stations coverage

Best Server

Best server map display is a map showing the base station supplying the strongest received signal at all locations on the base map.

Coverage study.png

Coverage Study Details for Best Server study

17.png

Required Service Threshold, dBm

Apply Automatic Color Assignment

Use Colors from the Table

Fill the Table with Frequencies of BS

Create sites and subscriber stations using a list of subscriber locations from a CSV file

This is the minimum acceptable signal strength
required by the receiver.

The program automatically assigns colors to the base stations in the study and then color fills the map according to these color assignments.

The colors for the base stations will be assigned in accordance with the frequency table.

Fill the table with the frequencies specified in the parameters of the base stations.

MLinkPlanner 2_28.png

Best Server study

 
Automatic link of subscriber stations to BS sectors based on the best server prediction

MLinkPlanner allows you to automatically link subscribers to the BS sector with the best power level. Locations of subscriber stations must first be saved in a CSV file. The file format is the same as for site import (Name;Lat;Long). 


File format:
CPE001;34.239621;118.572350
CPE002;34.238628;118.527546
CPE003;34.206692;118.528404
.............................
CPE9999;34.187524;119.520679

The procedure for automatically linking subscribers to the BS sector with the best power level is as follows:

 

  1. Perform the Best Server prediction;

  2. Load the locations of subscriber stations from the CSV file using the button “Create sites and subscriber stations using a list of subscriber locations from a CSV file”;

  3. MLinkPlanner will create sites for all locations and create subscriber stations with a link to the best sector according to the best server prediction. If there are locations that are not covered, then MLinkPlanner will list them.

  4. The parameters of the created subscriber stations will correspond to the Subscriber Station Installation parameters in the Coverage Stage Details menu. If necessary, these parameters can be changed using the Subscriber Station Global Parameter Change Feature.

C/(I+N) at Subscriber Stations

The carrier-to-interference + noise ratio, C/(I+N) or CIR, is one of the most important quantities used in assessing system performance. The quantity CIR is more completely written as:

MLinkPlanner 2_00058.png

where C is the power of the signal from the strongest server at a location, Ik is the power of each of the other k signals at that location, NR is the receiver noise power, and K is the total number of transmitters which cause interference at this location. Ik is only computed for transmitters that are using a co-channel or adjacent channel. If the closest channel in use by the interference sector is an adjacent channel, then the interference contribution by the sector is reduced in amplitude by the adjacent channel rejection factor. 

 

Channels are defined as adjacent if the difference between the center frequencies of the channels is less than or equal to one bandwidth. 
Channels are defined as co-channels if the difference between the center frequencies of the channels is zero.
The receiver noise power is calculated by multiplying the receiver effective noise bandwidth by the power noise density as represented by the receiver noise figure.


CIR is calculated by first finding the strongest received signal power from any transmitter at each location. It then calculates the sum of the received signal powers from all of the other transmitters which also have relevant signal levels at the location. After the sum of the interference is found, the noise power is calculated and the ratio is found.
 

Note that once the strongest signal has been identified, the directional received antenna at each location is assumed to be pointed toward the transmitter from which the strongest signal is received. The received signal from the other (interference) transmitters is then found using the off-axis gain of the received antenna, assuming an orientation toward the strongest signal transmitter.

SINR.png

Coverage Study Details for C/(I+N) at subscriber stations study

Required Service Threshold, dBm

This is the minimum acceptable signal strength
required by the receiver.

Browse MSI or NSMA

Use Adjacent Channel Interference

Adjacent Channel Rejection, dB

Channel Bandwidth, MHz

Use Receiver Noise Power Level

Receiver Noise Figure, dB

Equivalent Noise Bandwidth, MHz

Choose the antenna pattern file for Subscriber Station Installation in MSI or NSMA format.

If the checkbox is active, the calculation will take into account the contribution of adjacent channels to interference.

Adjacent channel rejection, dB

Channel bandwidth, MHz

If the checkbox is active, the calculation will take into account the power of receiver noise.

Receiver noise figure, dB

Equivalent noise bandwidth, MHz

If the checkboxes "Use adjacent channel interference" and "Use receiver noise power level" are not active, the calculations will take into account only the co-channel interference.

MLinkPlanner 2_30.png

C/(I+N)  study

 
Coverage Prediction for Outdoor Wi-Fi Networks

In MLinkPlanner, it is possible to predict the coverage of a city-wide Wi-Fi network, taking into account the characteristics of the propagation environment along the streets and the parameters of buildings. This feature allows you to design outdoor Wi-Fi networks with public access on a city scale, large-scale corporate outdoor Wi-Fi networks, Smart City networks, and so on.

Сoverage prediction for outdoor Wi-Fi networks.png

Coverage Prediction for Outdoor Wi-Fi Networks

 

The coverage prediction is based on the combined propagation model ITU-R P.1238-11 + Diffraction. The Bullington model is adopted as the diffraction model.

 

This combined propagation model takes into account the following factors:

 

- Outdoor signal attenuation according to the selected outdoor environment

- Indoor signal attenuation according to indoor propagation environment for buildings

- Power loss when the signal penetrates inside buildings

- Diffraction loss on terrain roughness

- Building heights

 

The ITU-R P.1238-11 propagation model is based on the use of different distance power loss coefficients for different propagation environments and signal penetration losses through walls. It is mainly used for planning indoor radiocommunication systems, but the same approach can also be used for a simplified simulation of radio wave propagation along streets. The user can customize the propagation model by selecting different environmental parameters for the street and buildings and taking into account penetration losses by choosing the material of the outer walls.

fig 32.png

ITU-R P.1238-11 + Diffraction model parameters

 

The procedure for estimating coverage for outdoor Wi-Fi is basically the same as for estimating PtMP coverage (see the previous section). Still, it has some differences since the calculation takes into account the parameters of surrounding buildings:

 

  1. Go to the “Coverage Study Details” menu and select the ITU-R P.1238-11 + Diffraction propagation model. For coverage prediction of outdoor Wi-Fi networks, use only this model.

  2. Specify the study type you need (Received Power or Best Server)

  3. Set the base stations parameters (the maximum study radius from the BS here is 1 km, the calculation is performed only with high resolution) and the parameters of the subscriber station installation. You should not specify too large study radius; this will significantly slow down the calculation. Specify the actual radius of 200-400 meters.

  4. Set the required received power levels.

  5. Click on the “Import building polygons from OSM data for active BS” button. Then, in the form that appears, specify the building’s heights and floor heights for those buildings that do not have this information in the OpenStreetMap database.

  6. Specify the propagation environment type for streets (Outdoor RF Zone)

  7. Specify the propagation environment type for buildings (Indoor RF Zone), as well as the building walls material

  8. Click on the “Calculate coverage” button

The user can import and export building polygons in KML format using the tools Export/Import buildings polygons to/from KML file.When exporting building polygons to KML format in MLinkPlanner, the name of each building polygon will contain information about the building height, RF Zone inside the building, and the walls type in the format: Height, m; Indoor RF Zone Index; Exterior Wall Type Index. The user can change these parameters in Google Earth individually for each building, then save and import this file into MLinkPlanner. The user can also change the buildings’ geometry in Google Earth or add new buildings to the plan.

fig 33.png

RF Zone Index

KML file in Google Earth Pro

 
RF Zone Index.png

Exterior Wall Type Index

Wall Type Index.png

Among the sample project files that can be downloaded along with the MLinkPlanner installation file, there is a sample project for an outdoor Wi-Fi network based on Ubiquiti Unifi UWB-XG outdoor access points.

Creating a Coverage Report 

Coverage reports can be saved as an interactive web page, an image file, or a KMZ file.


         Save the coverage as a webpage – This option saves the coverage as a webpage. It will save the index.html file (the page script), the bs.png file (the base station icon), and the folder containing the coverage tile pyramid in the {Z}/{X}/{Y} format to the folder selected by the user. To view the result, the user can open the index.html file in any web browser. This page can also be placed on a web server for viewing in any browser and on any operating system (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux).

 

The webpage allows you to:

-    Choose a base map from four different options
-    Change the map zoom level
-    Display the legend
-    Display the map zoom level, map scale, and current cursor coordinates (in both decimal and DMS formats)

 

To view an interactive webpage, an Internet connection is required.
The folder containing the tile pyramid can be connected to any GIS that supports working with tiles (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS, MapInfo), allowing you to display the result of the coverage prediction as a layer on any GIS.

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Example of the interactive webpage

 

           Save the coverage as an image – This option saves the result of the coverage prediction as an image file in *.png format. Before saving the image, the user can select the area of the saved coverage using a frame that appears on the screen. The frame border and the map itself can both be moved.
When saving an image, the user also selects its resolution. The resolution may correspond to the current size or be two or four times larger. The higher the resolution, the larger the size of the saved file. The maximum size of the bitmap image is approximately 5400x4400 pixels, and the file size in *.png format is about 10 MB. A scale bar appears in the lower-left corner of the saved image.

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Save the coverage as an image

 
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Save the coverage as a GeoTIFF file - This option saves the result of the coverage prediction as a GeoTIFF file in the Web Mercator projection for further work with third-party GIS.

MLinkPlanner 2_00018.png

Save coverage, sites, and links as a KMZ file - This option saves the coverage, sites, and Point-to-Point and Point-to-Multipoint links as a KMZ file, which can be opened in Google Earth

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View KMZ file in Google Earth

 
Two Coverage Calculation Comparison

MLinkPlanner allows you to perform a visual comparison of two coverage prediction results. This enables you to evaluate the effect of changes in various parameters of the base and subscriber stations of the PtMP network on coverage.
 

To add a performed prediction to the comparison, click the Add Coverage to Compare button on the top toolbar. When you go to the Compare coverage menu on the main toolbar, this calculation result will be displayed on the left side of the screen, while the result of the current coverage will be displayed on the right side. For example, you can change the height of the sector or sectors of active BSs and, after performing the coverage prediction, see how these changes are reflected in the result compared to the previous one.
 

You can manage maps in the left and right panels (map shift and zoom) independently of each other. This can be done conveniently with a mouse by dragging and rotating the wheel. By controlling maps in this way, you can compare two coverage calculation results in detail.

MLinkPlanner 2_34.png

Figure 20. Coverage Study Details for Strongest Server

Two coverage calculation comparison

 
PtMP Subscriber Stations (CPE)

For each of the Base Stations, you can set its Subscriber Stations. 


To create a subscriber station, click on the Add subscriber station button in the sector to which it will be linked. Then select a site from the list, and the subscriber station panel will open.

CPE.png

Subscriber station (CPE) parameters

 
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site.png
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- Add a new subscriber station with the same parameters.


- Move the subscriber station up.


- Move the subscriber station down.


- Delete the subscriber station.


- Select / Unselect all modulations and coding rows.


- Change the site.


- Position the map with the subscriber station at the center of the screen.


- Generate the path profile to a base station.


- Link report


- Copy selected Rx thresholds to Coverage Study Levels.


- Display the product specifications for the selected bandwidth in the form of a datasheet, which can be saved in PDF, Word, or Excel formats.

- Global active subscriber station parameters change. You can replace the parameters of subscriber stations in selected sectors based on the parameters of the current subscriber station.

In the drop-down list, select an equipment model (product). The equipment family for the subscriber station is the same as that specified for the BS sector. Below, you will see general information about the selected equipment, including its image, channel bitrates, Tx power, and Rx parameters for each modulation type.

Feeder and Other Losses, dB

Antenna Height, m

Antenna Gain, dBi

Antenna Type

Feeder and connector losses; default value is 0 dB.

Antenna installation height relative to ground level, m. You can also change the antenna height in the profile window.

Antenna gain, dBi

Antenna model; information only.

Tx Power Limitation

not use

Maximum Tx power limit, dBm

Antenna Type

not use Tx power max limit

Maximum Tx power for this Subscriber Station, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in the PtMP menu and the limit that is set in this Subscriber Station, the most stringent limit is selected during the calculation.

Maximum EIRP for this Subscriber Station, dBm 
From the general limit that is set in the PtMP menu and the limit that is set in this Subscriber Station, the most stringent limit is selected during the calculation.

The antenna pattern for a subscriber station is not specified since it is always directed strictly towards the BS sector to which it is linked. The frequency also coincides with the BS sector frequency.

It is also convenient to create subscriber stations using the context menu on the base map. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. In the main menu, select the BS sector to which the new subscriber station will be linked. You can also select the BS sector directly on the map by double-clicking on the degree designation of the desired BS sector.

  2. Right-click on the site for the subscriber station and select Create Subscriber Station Site Name in the context menu.

  3. If you right-click on a subscriber station that has already been created, an additional line will appear in the context menu: Delete all subscriber stations associated with Site Name site. This allows you to delete a subscriber station. Note that only the subscriber station is deleted, not the site connected to it.

Point-to-Multipoint Link Availability Prediction

For each Base Station - Subscriber Station link, an availability prediction can be performed with detailed consideration of all clutters along the path profile. This prediction enables you to choose the parameters of antennas and equipment for each link.

 

To generate a report:

  1. Create a Base and Subscriber Station (CPE) - see the relevant sections.

  2. In the parameters panel of the corresponding subscriber station, use the Generate the path profile button to create a path profile between the base and subscriber stations. All of the possibilities when working with the path profile for PtMP are the same as when working with the profile for point-to-point links.

  3. Use the Link Report button to create a report; in this case, you can select the required report type - Short report or Full report.

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PtMP link full report in PDF

 
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BS Sector Performance Summary

 

The BS Sector Performance Summary provides a summary of the performance of all the subscriber stations of the selected base station sector, including the maximum usable modulation modes of all the PtMP Links that meet the required minimum flat fade margin and minimum annual availability settings.

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Microsoft Excel Summary Report for Point-to-Multipoint links

Click the "Summary Report" button on the PtMP menu and an Excel spreadsheet will open. Only active base stations will be listed in the spreadsheet.

For point-to-multipoint links, the same path profile analysis features are available as for point-to-point path profiles:

  • Antenna minimum height estimation

  • Reflection Analysis

  • Diffraction Analysis

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