Planet EV 3.1 Training Manual

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Planet EV Training Manual

December 10, 2003 Cover Page

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Metapath Software International (US), Inc. A Marconi Company

Notice

This document contains confidential and proprietary information of Metapath Software International (US), Inc., a Marconi company (“MSI” or “Marconi”) 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 Marconi. 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 Marconi does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, quality, validity, completeness or suitability for any purpose the information contained in this document. Marconi may update, improve, and enhance this document and the products to which it relates at any time without prior notice to the user. MARCONI 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

Marconi, Metapath, Ceer, Planet NOVA, Ceos, Planet, and deciBel Planner are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Marconi group of wireless telecommunication companies which include MSI, Metapath Software International Limited, and Northwood Technologies, Inc. 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.

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Introduction 102 Workflow for generating an interference matrix 104 Creating a merged interference matrix 105 Creating a Modeled interference matrix based on a traffic map 105 Creating a Network Data interference matrix 108 Creating a Local Knowledge interference matrix 110 Merging the interference matrices by priority 112 Merging network data matrices by weighted sum 115 LESSON 8

Generating Neighbor Lists

Introduction 118 Workflow for generating neighbor lists 118 Generate a best server neighbor list 119 Generating a neighbor list based on an interference matrix 120

Setting handover priorities 123

Comparing two neighbor lists 124

Displaying a neighbor list in a Map window 124 LESSON 9

Working with Spatial Data

Introduction 128 Workflow for working with spatial data 128

Using the Grid Calculator 128

Performing calculations on grids 129

Creating grid queries 130

Determining the number of users located in a sector coverage area 133 LESSON 10

Building a Project Area

Introduction 138 Workflow for building a project area 138

Trimming grids 139

Splicing grids 140

Merging grids 140

Reclassifying grids 141

Converting a numeric grid to a classified grid 142

Resizing grids 144

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LESSON 11 Working with Layout Windows

Introduction 148 Workflow for working with layout windows 148

Creating a legend for the map 148

Creating a legend for cartographic symbols 151

Opening a graphics file 152

Creating a layout 153

Manipulating frames in the layout window 154

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Welcome

Welcome to the Planet EV training course! This chapter presents an overview of the course

schedule and format, and describes how to use this training manual and other user documentation.

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Over the next few days, you will learn about the many features of Planet EV. Your instructor will guide you through an RF engineering workflow so that you can practice using Planet EV to perform network planning activities.

Course schedule

During this course, you will learn about and practice the procedures that you need in order to use Planet EV effectively in your daily work. In order to meet the needs of each class, the schedule and the time spent on each topic may vary between courses. You will have a break every couple of hours and a one-hour lunch break around noon each day.

Course format

The instructor will facilitate the following types of activities:

■ Lecture

■ to describe technical information ■ to explain concepts

■ to introduce activities

■ Guided practice

■ to demonstrate the use of Planet EV features and functionality ■ to provide suggestions for using Planet EV effectively

■ Hands-on practice

■ to give you the opportunity to perform procedures at your own

pace

Using this training manual

This manual contains commonly used procedures as well as background information that explains when and why you would perform each

procedure. Each lesson in this training manual contains the following types of information:

■ Learning objectives—what you will be able to do after completing

the lesson

■ Process flow—a high-level view of the steps required to complete a

task

■ Background information—what you need to know about a Planet EV

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■ Procedure introductions—the what, when, and why for each

procedure

■ Step-by-step procedures—how to perform a task and to obtain the

expected results

Planet EV data set

A data set has been installed on the computer that you will use during this course. Details about the data set appear in the relevant sections of the training manual.

Using the Planet EV documentation

Before using the Planet EV documentation available from the Help menu, you should be familiar with the Windows environment. It is assumed that you know how to access ToolTips and shortcut menus; move and copy objects; resize dialog boxes; expand and collapse folder trees; and that you are familiar with the basic functions of MapInfo Professional_{. MapInfo} Professional functions are not documented in the User Guides. For

information about MapInfo Professional, see the MapInfo online Help and User Guide.

All Planet EV 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 F1. The following sections describe the structure of the online Help.

Online Help

From the Help menu, you can access online Help for Wireless Network Planning software and for MapInfo Professional. This section describes the structure of the Wireless Network Planning 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 documentation library in PDF format

■ basic exercises to familiarize you with the software, to be used in

conjunction with the data set available from the Wireless Network Planning software download area

■ User Guides

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

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When 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.

Printing

You 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 online Help window. Click Print in the Help

Topics window.

■ If you want a high quality print of a complete User Guide, use

Acrobat Reader to print the supplied print-ready PDF file contained in the documentation library. Open the PDF file and choose

File ➤ Print. Library Search

You can perform a full-text search on all PDF files contained in the Documentation Library if you are using the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader supplied with the software or if you have a version of Acrobat Reader that supports full-text searches. The first time you perform a search, you must choose which index to use.

Tutorials

Tutorials are designed to enable you to quickly explore product

functionality and to familiarize you with the software interface. They come with a data set that enables you to work through each lesson. Tutorials are not available with all products.

“How To” Help

“How To” Help provides detailed procedures for performing all required product functions. The organization of this section reflects a typical network planning workflow.

The procedures in this section are also available in the User Guides.

“What’s This?” Help

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

You can perform a search on all online Help files by clicking the Search tab in the Help Topics window. Clicking List Topics displays all help topics that contain the search string that you entered. 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 Technical Notes, Release Notes, Glossary, or newsletters.

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User Guides

All User Guides for the Wireless Network Planning software are easily accessible as part of the online Help.

Planet EV Documentation Library

Planet EV comes with an extensive library of User Guides and Technical Notes in PDF format. Depending on which modules you have installed, the Planet EV Library may contain additional documents. The following table provides details about the documentation supplied with Planet EV and Planet EV modules.

Planet EV

Planet EV 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.

Data Manager User Guide Learn how to configure and use the Data Manager.

The Data Manager enables users to work with centralized Planet EV data stored in an Oracle or Microsoft SQL database.

Installation Guide Install Wireless Network Planning software.

CRC-Predict Technical Note

Understand the CRC-Predict propagation model.

Planet General Model Technical Note

Understand the Planet General model and learn more about the parameters of the model.

Glossary Search for commonly used technical terms.

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

MapInfo Professional User Guide

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

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Notational conventions

This section describes the textual conventions and icons used throughout the training manual.

Textual conventions

Special text formats are used to highlight different types of information. The following table lists and describes the special text conventions used in this training manual.

Icons

Throughout this training manual, icons are used to identify text that requires special attention.

GSM User Guide Plan and analyze GSM networks. This guide is only available if you have installed the GSM module.

cdma2000 User Guide Plan and analyze cdma2000 networks. This guide is only available if you have installed the cdma2000 module.

Fixed Wireless User Guide Plan and analyze Fixed Wireless networks. This guide is only available if you have installed the Fixed Wireless module.

bold text Bold text is used in procedure steps to identify a user interface element such as a dialog box, a menu item, or a button.

For example:

In the Select Interpolation Method dialog box, choose the Inverse Distance Weighting option, and click Next.

italic text Italic text is used in procedures to identify text that a user must type.

For example:

In the File Name box, type Elevation.grd.

➤ _{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 first click File, and then click Open.

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 task.

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Getting technical support

You can get technical support by email, fax, phone, or through the Wireless Network Planning web pages at http://www.marconi.com/html/products/ wnpproductsupport.htm. Email is the best way of getting technical support. Marconi UK

(UK and all other locations, other than those listed below) Email: [email protected]

Hot-line: +44 (0)207 898 8811 Fax: +44 (0)207 898 8810 Marconi North America

Email: [email protected] Hot-line: +1-877-777-7441

Fax: +1-972-669-6388 Marconi Latin America

Email: [email protected] Hot-line: +55 11 5185 7409 Fax: +55 11 5185 7447 Marconi France Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Hot-line: +33 (0)1 55 38 80 50 Fax: +33 (0)1 55 38 80 51 Marconi Hong Kong

Email: [email protected] Hot-line: +852 2919 8436 Fax: +852 2845 1997 Marconi China Email: [email protected] Hot-line: +86 21 5396 5516 ext. 11 Fax: +86 21 5396 5658

This icon identifies a cautionary statement, which contains information required to avoid potential loss of data, of time, or of 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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Analyst will provide you with information on participating in an online technical support session.

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 TAC Analyst will respond the next working day by telephone or email, depending upon the nature of the request.

Course evaluation

At Marconi Wireless, we are continuously striving to better meet our customers’ needs. Your questions, comments, and suggestions are an important part of this process. Please take a few minutes at the end of the training course to fill out the Training Evaluation form that you will find on the last page of this manual.

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Introduction to

Planet EV

In this Introduction, you are provided with information on ■ the elements of the Planet EV

user interface

■ the basic Planet EV terminology ■ how Planet EV uses predictions to generate a network analysis ■ the Planet EV files and folders

required for a project

This chapter provides an overview of the Planet EV software.

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As you work through the exercises in this training manual, you will use a variety of commands and of tools. This section briefly describes the Planet EV user interface.

Project Explorer

The Project Explorer provides a way to view and modify your project data. You can open up to three data windows at a time and perform operations on selected data items.

Each Project data window displays a tree view of the selected data category. You will learn more about the Project Explorer later in this course.

Menus

A menu is displayed just below the Planet EV title bar on the user interface. The menu options provide access to commands for files, tools, map objects, queries, tables, windows, and help. As you work through the exercises in this course, you will learn how to use the menus.

You can also right-click on items in the Project Explorer tree view, Map windows, and toolbars to access special menus.

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Planet EV basic terminology

The following terms are commonly used throughout this course:

■ Site—location and logical container for multiple sectors ■ Sector—equipment on a site that serves a coverage area ■ Grid—type of file that contains raster data

■ Predictions—collective term for path loss and signal strength ■ Digital Elevation Model (DEM)—elevation data (heights) ■ Clutter—information about the environment such as land use ■ Analysis layers—prediction files generated by the network analysis ■ Survey data—drive test data including carrier wave and scanner data ■ Table—flat file used to store data records such as site and sector

information

You will learn more about the different file types as you proceed through the exercises in this course.

Planet EV predictions and network analysis

Planet EV generates path loss and signal strength predictions, collectively known as predictions. Planet EV uses these predictions to generate a two types of analysis layers: coverage and interference.

Path loss and signal strength

The term path loss refers to the reduction in signal strength as an

electromagnetic wave travels through the environment from the transmitter to the receiver. The path loss depends on the physical properties of the environment through which the electromagnetic wave travels.

Planet EV calculates path loss as follows:

Predicted Path Loss = Free-space Loss + all losses due to terrain and clutter

The predicted path loss is used to calculate the predicted signal strength at the location of the receiver:

Predicted Signal Strength = Transmitted Signal Strength - Predicted Path Loss

After calculating the prediction values, Planet EV generates the network analysis layers.

Coverage layer

A coverage layer can depict the strength of a radio signal, the level of service provided, or the quality of service provided. A coverage layer can also indicate the total number of potential servers at a location.

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An interference layer shows the interference on the best server or any other serving sector within a spread spectrum network. An interference layer displays information based on the type of network. For a cdma2000 network, for example, interference layers display Ec/Io values. For a GSM network, interference layers display C/I values.

Grid and vector files

You will use two types of files as you work through the lessons in this course: grid and vector files.

Grids, also known as raster files, store data for maps and images. The data is organized by rows and columns. Grids use pixels—a cell matrix—to represent geographic data. Every pixel represents a data value. Examples of grids include maps that contain demographic information, elevation, clutter, and signal strength.

Grid files can be classified or numeric. A classified grid contains categories of information: in a clutter grid, each cell contains information about the type of land use. A numeric grid, such as an elevation grid, contains numeric values stored within each pixel.

Vector files use points, lines, and polygons to represent geographic data. Vector objects are defined by a set of points in the form of x, y-coordinates. For example, a line is defined by two sets of points, and a rectangle by four sets of points. Each feature in a vector file can have multiple attributes assigned to it—the attributes are stored in a table that is linked to the map. Examples of vector files include site files, survey data files, census

boundary files, and road files.

Files and folder structure

Before you begin using Planet EV, create a folder in which you will store all of the files for a single project. When you create and save a project, Planet EV automatically adds the following items to your project folder:

■ Antennas folder—contains antenna pattern files, including

default.dpa and Omni.dpa

■ BestServ folder—stores prediction files after you generate them ■ Config folder—contains saved site configuration files (.dsc files) ■ InterferenceMatrix folder—stores interference matrix files after you

generate them

■ Model folder—contains all the propagation model files and their

clutter property associated (.cpa) files

■ NeighborList folder—stores files generated using the Neighbor List

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■ Network_Data folder—stores information about switch statistics

data

■ Settings folder—stores information created by the Traffic Map

Generator

■ project files (.dpl, .dbp) ■ workspace files (.wor)

Planet EV looks for certain project files when you reopen a project that you previously saved and closed. When you create a project,

■ the Project Wizard stores all of the files that it creates in the folder

you specify as the project folder. You will learn more about the Project Wizard in Lesson 1.

■ if you rename, delete, or move any of the files created by the Project

Wizard or any other files needed by the project, you cannot open the project

■ if you move or rename the site file, you must change the file path

name in the Project Settings dialog box before you can open the project

■ if you move or delete the .TAB file associated with the DEM or the

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Workflow

Establishing a Planet

EV General Project

Workflow

Consistently following a project workflow will help you streamline the work you have to do when you perform a network analysis using Planet EV. Should a problem occur in your analysis,

following an established project workflow can also help you to identify in which phase of the process a problem may have occurred.

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To perform a network analysis for a general project, you must

Step 1 Prepare and organize your data on a PC

■ organize your file structure within Windows Explorer

■ keep your data and output folders separate from your program files

Step 2 Setup the Data Manager

■ coordinate the setup with your IT department ■ create and assign usernames and passwords

Step 3 Create projects and workspaces

■ create the type of project, which includes a DEM file, a clutter file, and a site table, appropriate for your needs

■ create a workspace appropriate for your project

Step 4 Build the project area

■ Trim, merge, stamp, resize, reproject, and/or reclassify your grids to suit your needs

Step 5 Prepare the data prior to analysis

■ create a site table if required

■ import the antenna files that you need ■ save and load color profiles

Step 6 Prepare your sites

■ place and configure the sites

■ global or locally edit, move, or delete your sites if necessary

Step 7 Work with survey data

■ Add and import surveys ■ Assign surveys to sectors ■ average and filter survey data

Step 8 Tune the model or the model of the environment (CRC-Predict or

Planet General model)

■ create a Clutter Property Assignment file

■ assign Average Obstacle Height values to each clutter class We recommend that you follow the workflow outlined below or adapt it to match your special needs.

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Step 9 Generate analysis layers

■ choose the layers that you want to generate ■ view the layers

Step 10 Visualize grid data and work with spatial data

■ create a 3D view, cross sections, viewsheds, grid calculations, and/ or grid queries

Step 11 Prepare a layout for presentation

■ create legends and other graphic items to add to a layout ■ print and save the layout

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Lesson

1.

Creating a Project

In this lesson, you will

■ use the Project Wizard to create a project

■ define system settings

■ save, open, and close project files

■ work with map layers

This lesson provides background information and instructions for setting up a General project using the Project Wizard.

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Introduction

In order to use Planet EV to analyze your network, you must first set up a project.

A project stores information about

■ heights or digital elevation model (DEM), clutter and site table files ■ display properties, such as color profiles, for the analysis layers that

you will generate

■ system settings, such as power units, height, and distance

■ project type, such as General, cdma2000, GSM, and Fixed Wireless

The type of project that you create depends on the characteristics of your network. In this lesson, you will create a General project. You can use a General project to perform a basic network analysis that includes signal strength predictions for best and second best serving sectors, index classes, and total number of served sectors. You can use a General project when you need to compare the overlap of service contours and protected

frequency reuse boundaries. If you have a cdma or a GSM network, Planet

EV also enables you to perform complex interference analyses.

The project type that you choose determines the Planet EV dialog boxes and prediction options that are available.

You cannot change the project type after you have created a project—you have to create a new project and specify the project type. Planet EV can display only one project at a time.

When you create a project, Planet EV creates folders for signal strength files, antenna pattern files, binary files, link budget files, and model files within the project folder. As you develop a project, Planet EV places files in the appropriate folders. Each project also stores file paths that point to the locations of the project data files. If you move or delete these files, you might not be able to open a project.

Within a project, clutter and DEM files must be in the same projection. Planet EV generates files such as path loss and signal strength at the same

If you rename, move, or delete files that are part of your project, such as the DEM and elevation files, you must change the file paths in the Project Settings dialog box to reflect these changes so that you can still open the project.

If multiple users require access to the same files (such as DEM, clutter, road, and census data files), you can store these files in the Data Manager. This allows multiple users to access the files without having to redesignate the file paths. For more information about the Data Manager, see the Planet EV user documentation.

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resolution and in the same projection as the DEM file. For more

information about how to reproject a grid see Lesson 10, Building a Project

Area, on page 144.

In this lesson, you will use the Project Wizard to create a project. The Project Wizard creates a default workspace, which saves information about the files that are open and how they are displayed in Map windows on your desktop. You can also set up a project without using the Project Wizard. Once you have defined a project and generated analysis layers, you can create new projects by saving the existing project with a new name. In this way, you can make changes to the new project while retaining the original data. You can create one project for one network, or you can create multiple projects for one network in order to see the effects of changing the network configuration. For example, you could create a project that includes only sites for a network that covers a particular geographic area. Then you could create a second project that uses the same DEM, clutter files, and sector settings but that covers a network that is geographically adjacent to the first one.

Workflow for creating a project

Step 1 Create a project.

Step 2 Define system settings.

Step 3 Customize your view of the map layers.

Step 4 Save the project.

To set up a Planet EV project, you will typically complete the following tasks.

For more information on creating a project by using the Project Wizard or by doing it manually, refer to the Planet EV User Guide, accessible from the Help menu of Planet EV 3.1.

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Creating a General project

This exercise shows you how to begin working with Planet EV. Throughout this course, you will work with a General project as you plan a wireless network and generate network analyses.

Planet EV provides a Project Wizard that simplifies the process of creating a project. You can use the Project Wizard to create a project for any of the Planet EV modules. The Project Wizard guides you through the steps required to create a project, as shown in the following diagram.

The Project Wizard prompts you for a project type, a project folder, a DEM file, a clutter file, and a site table. If you choose not to use a clutter file, you can still create a network analysis, but you cannot tune the prediction model.

Once you have completed all the steps required to create a project, the Project Explorer opens. The Project Explorer consists of a docking dialog

Choose project type

Choose project folder

Choose DEM

Have clutter file? _{Choose clutter file}

Have site table? Type the

Select coordinate

Choose site table

Finish site table name

system for site table

Yes No

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box and up to three project data windows, and provides you with an easy way to manipulate the data associated with a project.

You will use the Project Explorer throughout this course to configure sites, to generate predictions, and to view grid files in Map windows.

In this exercise, you will use the Project Wizard to create and to set up a new General project, to change system settings, and to save the project. When you save a project, the Project Explorer and Map windows will open automatically.

The data set for this training course is located in the

Planet EV Training\General folder on your C drive. This data set is based on actual network data obtained for the New York area.

To create a project using the Project Wizard 1 Do one of the following:

■ If the Project Wizard is not open, choose File ➤ New Project Using Wizard.

■ If the Project Wizard is open, continue with step 2 below. 2 In the Project Wizard dialog box, click Next.

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3 From the Project Type list, choose General if it is not already displayed.

4 Click Next.

5 Click Browse.

The Select Project Directory dialog box opens.

6 Choose the Planet EV Training\General folder, and click OK.

7 Click Next.

8 Click Browse, choose the Planet EV Training\MappingData\Heights folder, then choose the Height_Resolution30_NY.grd file, and click

Select.

This height file contains the terrain height information for the project area.

9 Click Next.

10 When prompted for clutter data, choose the Yes option. You have a clutter file.

11 Click Next.

12 Click Browse, choose the Planet EV Training\MappingData\Clutter folder, then choose the Clutter_Resolution30_NY.grc file, and click

Select.

This clutter file contains land use and land classification information for the project area.

13 Click Next.

14 Choose the Yes, I Have a Site Table option if it is not already chosen, and click Next.

15 Click Browse, choose the Planet EV Training\General\Sites folder, then choose the NY_TrainingSites.tab file,and click Select.

16 Click Next.

This site file has the same projection as the DEM and the clutter files. Using the same projection for all of your project files prevents problems that could occur later when you generate predictions, perform model tuning, or display data.

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17 Click Finish.

The Project Settings dialog box opens and displays the file and the path names that you chose using the Project Wizard.

The Project Settings dialog box contains the following tabs:

■ Files tab—shows the paths and the file names of the required and

optional files used for your predictions

■ Colors tab—shows the color profiles for the analysis layers

■ System Settings tab—shows the global settings for your project. This

tab lets you define the advanced and override options and the system units for signal strength, power, height, and distance.

■ Network Analysis Files tab—lists the analyses that are generated

with a project. The analysis list remains empty until you perform a network analysis for the newly created project.

■ Advanced Options tab—provides access to advanced options for

analysis layers, colors, contours, and system settings

To define system settings for the project

1 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the System Settings tab.

2 In the Override Options section, enable the Disable Integrity Check

on Elevation and Clutter Files check box.

Enabling the Disable Integrity Check on Elevation and Clutter Files option reduces processing time.

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3 In the System Units section, do all of the following:

■ from the Signal Strength/Received Power list, choose dBm ■ from the Transmitted Power list, choose, EIRP (dBm) ■ from the Height list, choose m

■ from the Distance list, choose km To save the project

1 In the Project Settings dialog box, click OK.

2 In the Save Project As dialog box, change the file name to

General.dPB if it is not already displayed.

3 Click Save.

The Project Explorer opens and displays the project data. The site, the clutter, and the height files open in a Map window.

To close the project

1 Choose File ➤ Close Project.

2 In the Planet EV dialog box, click Yes.

The Project Explorer and the project and its associated files close.

To open a project

1 Choose File ➤ Open Project.

2 In the Open Planet EV Project dialog box, choose General.dBP, and click Open.

The Project Explorer, the project, and the Map window open. You can now continue with the next exercise.

To arrange the map layers

1 Do one of the following:

■ If only one data window is open, in the Project Explorer, click the Add a Data Window button.

■ If two data windows are open, continue with step 2.

2 In the Project Explorer, from the Category list, choose Windows if it is not already chosen.

A project can only be closed by using the above procedure. Closing a Map window closes neither the project nor its associated files.

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3 In the Windows data window, expand Map Windows, right-click

NY_Training_Sites,...,, and choose Layer Control.

The Layer Control dialog box opens.

4 Clear the Visible check box for NY_Training_Sites.

5 Click OK.

The site file is no longer displayed in the Map window.

6 In the Windows data window, expand NY_Training_Sites,...,, right-click NY_Training_Sites, and choose Visible.

The site file is now displayed in the Map window.

To edit and to view the site labels

Planet EV can automatically label the sites for you.

1 In the Windows data window, right-click NY_Training_Sites,...,, and choose Layer Control.

2 In the Layer Control dialog box, enable the Visible check box for NY_Training_Sites.

3 From the Layer list, choose NY_Training_Sites, and click Label. The NY_Training_Sites Label Options dialog box opens.

4 In the Visibility section, choose the On option.

Enables you to make the file visible in the Map window

Enables you to select objects for further processing Enables you to assign labels to sites automatically Enables you to make changes to the file

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The Visibility is turned off if the zoom is outside the visibility range specified.

5 In the Styles section, click Aa. The Text Style dialog box opens.

6 In the Effects section, enable the Bold check box, and click OK.

7 In the NY_Training_Sites Label Options dialog box, click OK.

8 In the Layer Control dialog box, click OK.

The sites are automatically labeled using the names contained in the Site_Id column of the site table.

To open and to close a table

1 Choose File ➤ Open Table.

The Open dialog box opens.

2 Choose the Planet EV Training\MappingData\Vectors folder, then choose the Primary_Road_Merged.tab file, and click Open.

You can now see the roads displayed in the Map window on top of the other layers.

3 In the Windows data window, expand NY_Training_Sites,...,. A new reference named Primary_Road_Merged is displayed in the Project Explorer tree view.

4 Right-click Primary_Road_Merged, and choose Close.

On the Main toolbar, you can click the Zoom-in button to get a better view of the site symbols.

From the Project Explorer, you can remove, close, or delete files.

Remove: removes a file from a Map window but does not close it. Choosing Remove does not remove the file from any other Map window in which it is also displayed.

Close: closes a file. When you close a file that is displayed in more than one Map window, it will also close it in every other Map window in which it is displayed.

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Summary

In this lesson, you have learned to

■ use the Project Wizard to create a new Planet EV General project ■ change system settings

■ open and close projects

■ use the Project Explorer Windows feature to change the layers

displayed in the Map windows

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Lesson

2.

Configuring and

Placing Sites

In this lesson, you will ■ create a site configuration ■ define site and sector properties ■ place sites

■ add an antenna pattern to the antenna library

■ define sector groups and flags for use in analyzing network performance during the phased deployment of a wireless network

■ recognize the capabilities and limitations of performing a global edit

■ use a global edit to change the height of a group of sectors

This lesson provides background information and instructions for site configuration and placement. This lesson also explains how to work with antenna files and how to perform global editing.

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Introduction

In Lesson 1 you created a Planet EV General project. In this lesson, you will place sites.

In Planet EV,

■ a site is a geographical location that has one or more sectors ■ a sector is equipment on a site that serves a defined coverage area.

The equipment can consist of one or more antennas.

The settings for a site and its sector(s) are contained in a site configuration file (.dsc). When you place a site, you can configure the new site using a new configuration file, or you can load an existing site configuration file and apply the existing configuration to the new site, as shown in the flowchart below.

The following site and sector properties that influence path loss calculations are stored in the .dsc file:

■ site properties such as number of radials, the propagation distance,

the height of the sector(s) used at the site, and the site elevation

■ the propagation model type

■ sector properties, including the number of sectors for the site, the

power, the antenna type, the azimuth, the antenna tilt, and the antenna twist

■ information such as the site name and the index identifiers, the

number of sectors for a site, and the symbol for each sector

After you have defined your site and sector property settings, you can place sites.

When you place more than one site with the same site and sector

properties, you can save time by using a single site configuration. You can save a site configuration file for a particular antenna type or for a configuration that is specific to a particular stage in the network design process.

Configure Site New Config Existing Config Place Site Project Folder Save Configuration Load Configuration

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Workflow for configuring and placing sites

Step 1 Create a site configuration.

Step 2 Choose site properties.

Step 3 Choose sector properties.

Step 4 Save the site configuration.

Step 5 Choose a propagation model.

Step 6 Place sites.

Step 7 Add an antenna pattern.

Step 8 Edit, move, and delete sites.

Step 9 Create a sector group.

Step 10 Create flags and conditions.

Step 11 Perform global edits.

To configure and to place sites, you will typically complete the following tasks.

For more information on configuring and placing sites, refer to the Planet EV User Guide, accessible from the Help menu of Planet EV 3.1.

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Creating a site configuration

When you create a site configuration, Planet EV saves a .dsc file in the General folder within your project folder. The .dsc file acts as a template that you can use to configure and to place new sites.

After you have defined your site and sector property settings, you can place sites on the map. The site table stores all your site and sector information. You can edit site properties using the global edit feature (you will learn about global editing later in this lesson).

If you are using a DEM, the DEM and the site file must be in the same projection.

When you edit the configuration of a site using the Site Properties dialog box, the information in the site table is updated accordingly.

In this exercise, you will create a site configuration. As part of the configuration process, you will

■ add sectors to the site ■ define sector properties ■ choose an antenna ■ define power settings

■ set the azimuth for each sector

■ change the colors for the sector symbols

■ set up a user defined column to display a cell ID ■ save the site configuration

To create a site configuration

1 In the Project Explorer, in the second data window, from the

Category list, choose Sites if it is not already chosen. 2 In the Sites data window, right-click Sites, and choose New.

The Site Configuration dialog box opens.

You can create as many site configuration files as you require for a project. You must, however, use different site configurations files for different project types. For example, a site configuration file used for a General project cannot be used for a GSM project.

You can also modify any of the values in a configuration and continue to place new sites using the new values. After modifying a previously saved configuration file, however, the values will revert to the previous settings when you close the Site Properties dialog box. If you want to use the new settings again later, save the changed configuration with a new file name.

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3 In the Site Configuration dialog box, choose the

Create a New Configuration option, and click Continue.

The Site Properties dialog box opens.

To index a sector

■ In the Site Properties dialog box, in the Start Index From box, type 1.

Each site that you add is indexed with a number that is 1 greater than the previously added site.

To choose an antenna pattern

1 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Sectors tab.

2 In the Antenna row, click default.dpa, and then click the ellipsis (...). The Select Antenna Pattern dialog box opens.

3 In the Select Antenna Pattern dialog box, from the Antenna list, choose TGA-1448.dpa, and click OK.

To calculate link budget values

1 In the Link Budget row, click Disabled, the click the down arrow, and choose Enabled from the list.

2 In the Power EIRP row, click the cell, and then click the ellipsis (...). The Link Budget Calculator dialog box opens.

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3 In the System Gains section, from the Power list, choose Amplifier Output Power if it is not already chosen.

4 For Amplifier Output Power, double-click the Value box, and type10.

5 From the Units list, choose Watts if it is not already chosen.

6 In the System Losses section, click Add.

7 In the Add Loss dialog box, in the Enter Description box, type

Cable, and click OK.

8 Double-click the Value box for Cable, and type 2.5.

9 Click Calculate (located at the bottom of the dialog box).

Calculated power values are displayed in the Amplifier Output Power and Radiated Output Power sections.

10 Click Update & Exit.

The power value is updated using calculated values from the Link Budget calculator. You defined the units for the Power field in the Project Settings dialog box when you created the project.

To set the azimuth

1 In the Azimuth row, click the cell, and type 180.

An antenna with an azimuth value of 0 degrees points due north, one with 90 degrees points east, one with 180 degrees points south, and one with 270 degrees points west. The azimuth increases in a clockwise direction.

2 Double-click the Color/Symbol cell. The Symbol Style dialog box opens.

3 In the Symbol Style dialog box, click the down arrow for the Color box, and choose a blue swatch from the color palette.

4 Click OK.

To set the properties for sector 2

1 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Add Sector.

A new column is displayed. All of the values are by default the same as those in the first column, except for the azimuth setting.

2 In the Azimuth row, click the cell, and type 270.

3 Double-click the Color/Symbol box for column 2. The Symbol Style dialog box opens.

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4 In the Symbol Style dialog box, click the down arrow for the Color box, and choose a red swatch from the color palette.

5 Click OK.

To save the site configuration

1 In the Site Properties dialog box, choose

File➤Save Configuration As.

The Save Configuration As dialog box opens.

2 In the Save Configuration As dialog box, in the File Name box, type

Specific_2_sector.

3 Click Save.

Now that you have saved the new site configuration, you can use it to configure and place other sites.

To place a site

1 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Site tab.

2 In the Location section, enable the Manual Entry check box if it is not already enabled.

Once you enable the Manual Entry check box, you can enter the x- and y-coordinates for the new site.

3 In the Location section, from the Units list, choose Degrees if it is not already chosen.

4 Double-click the X/Long box, and type -74.5.

5 Double-click the Y/Lat box, and type 41.5.

6 Click Place Site.

The new site, Site_1, is displayed in the Map window.

To save the site file

You will now save the site table file that has been updated with information about the site you placed.

1 From the Planet EV menu, choose File ➤ Save Table.

The Save Table dialog box opens.

2 In the Save Table dialog box, from the Save Tables list, choose NY_Training_Sites if it is not already chosen.

3 Click Save.

4 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Close.

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To assign a propagation model to a site

You can assign the same propagation model to all of your sites using the Global Edit feature.

1 In the Sites data window, right-click Sites, and choose Global Edit. The Global Edit dialog box opens.

2 In the Global Edit dialog box, choose the Site Table option if it is not already chosen.

3 From the Selection list, choose NY_Training_Sites if it is not already chosen.

4 From the Group list, choose All if it is not already chosen.

5 In the Data Field column, enable the check box for

Propagation Model.

6 Click the cell next to Propagation Model, click the down arrow, and choose predict.dpm if it is not already chosen.

7 Click Apply.

8 In the Confirm dialog box, click Yes.

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Using antenna patterns

Antenna pattern file formats vary depending on the manufacturer.

Planet EV supports many formats; however, you have to ensure that your antenna patterns are valid and correctly formatted.

Planet EV creates a folder called Antennas in your main project folder when you create a project. Some antenna patterns are placed automatically in this folder, including default.dpa and Omni.dpa.

In this exercise you will work with antenna patterns.

If you want to add an antenna pattern to your project, you can

■ choose it from your own antenna library and copy and paste it into

your project Antennas folder

■ use the Antenna Editor to edit an existing antenna pattern, to rename

it, and to save it to the Antennas folder

■ use the Select Antenna Pattern dialog box to combine antenna

patterns to create a quasi-omnidirectional cell

After you add an antenna pattern file to your project Antenna folder, that pattern becomes available for use in site configuration.

To view an antenna pattern

1 In the Project Explorer, from the Category list, choose Project Data.

2 In the Project Data data window, expand Antennas.

3 Scroll to the bottom of the data window.

4 Right-click TGA-1472, and choose Edit.

The Antenna Editor dialog box opens and displays the horizontal and vertical antenna patterns.

5 In the Antenna Editor dialog box, choose File ➤ Exit. To delete an antenna pattern

Deleting an antenna pattern removes the file from a project’s Antennas folder. You can always add the pattern back into the project folder later.

1 In the Project Data data window, right-click TGA-1472, and choose

Delete.

The antenna pattern is removed from the Antenna Patterns list and from the project Antennas folder.

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To add an antenna pattern

1 In the Project Data data window, right-click Antennas, and choose

Add.

2 In the Open dialog box, choose the

Planet EV Training\General\Antennas folder, then choose the Marconi_PCS090_12.dpa file, and click Open.

The antenna pattern file name is displayed in the Project Data data window.

To combine antenna patterns in a quasi-omnidirectional pattern

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click NJ1 and choose Edit.

3 Click the Antenna field for Sector 1, and then click the Browse (...) button at the right of the field.

The Select Antenna Pattern dialog box opens.

4 Choose the Combined (Quasi-omni cell) option.

5 In the Combined Antenna Pattern section, choose

MarconiPCS090_12.dpa from the Name list. 6 For MarconiPCS090_12.dpa, do the following:

■ Click in the Azimuth field and type 90.

■ Click in the Tilt (-Down, + Up) field and type 2.

■ Enable the Specify EIRP/IRP Per Antenna check box, click in the EIRP field and type 53.

7 Click Add.

8 From the Name list, choose ASPP2936.dpa.

9 For ASPP2936.dpa, do the following:

■ Click in the Azimuth field and type 180.

■ Click in the Tilt (-Down, + Up) field and type 1.

■ Enable the Specify EIRP/IRP Per Antenna check box, click in the EIRP field and type 51 if it is not already displayed.

10 Click Combine.

When the antenna patterns are combined, the Information box updates to display the Boresight Gain, the Front-to-Back, H Beamwidth, and D Beamwidth values of the new antenna pattern. The horizontal and vertical antenna patterns are also displayed on the right of the dialog box.

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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 file in the Antennas folder of the project, with the naming convention of Combined_NJ1_1.dpa.

Editing, moving, and deleting sites

For each site, you can edit the properties of each sector, add or delete sectors, or load a more suitable site configuration.

There are three ways that you can change the configuration of sites:

■ by using the Edit Site button on the Site toolbar for a single site ■ by using the Project Explorer for a single site

■ by using the Global Edit function for all sites or a group of sites

In this exercise, you will edit, move, and delete sites.

To edit a site

1 In the Project Explorer, from the Category list, choose Sites.

2 In the Sites data window, expand Sites.

3 Scroll to the bottom of the data window.

4 Right-click Site_1, and choose Edit. The Site Properties dialog box opens.

6 Click the Azimuth box for the sector 1 column, type 90, and click

Apply.

To move a site to a location with known coordinates

1 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Site tab.

2 In the Location section, double-click the X/Long box, type -74.4, and click Apply.

The symbol for the Site_1 site moves to the updated location.

To move a site to a location with unspecified coordinates using the Site toolbar 1 On the Main toolbar, click the Zoom-in button.

2 Click the Map window near site Site_1.

A smaller area of the Map layer is now visible, and the symbols on the Map layer are larger.

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3 From the Planet EV menu, choose View ➤ Toolbars.

4 In the Toolbar Options dialog box, enable the Show check box next to the Site toolbar if it is not already enabled, and click OK.

5 On the Site toolbar, click the Edit Site button.

6 Press the S key to activate the Snap function.

7 Click site Site_1 in the Map window.

8 On the Site toolbar, click the Place Site button.

9 Click the Map window slightly to the northeast of site Site_1.

The x- and y-coordinates in the Location section of the Site Properties dialog box are updated to show the coordinates where you clicked.

10 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Apply.

In the Map window, site Site_1 moves to the new location.

To delete a site using the Project Explorer

1 In the Sites data window, right-click Site_1, and choose Delete.

Creating a sector group

You can create a sector group in order to classify sectors that share a common property, such as service status or deployment phase. Once you have created sector groups, you can then create project filters. These filters facilitate

■ planning for a phased network deployment

■ visualizing the impact a series of sectors would have on a network if

they were out of service for maintenance purposes In this exercise, you will create and label a sector group.

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To create a sector group

You will create the sector group using the original site file.

1 In the Project Explorer, from the Category list, choose Sites if it is not already displayed.

2 In the Sites data window, right-click Groups, and choose New.

3 In the Add New Group dialog box, in the Enter Group Name box, type Training, and click OK.

The file name can contain alphanumeric symbols only. A space and other symbols are not permitted.

5 In the Sites data window, expand Groups, and then expand Sites.

6 Click Model_Tuning_21, press and hold the SHIFT key, and then click

Model_Tuning_4.

You have now selected Model_Tuning_21, Model_Tuning_22, Model_Tuning_34, and Model_Tuning_4.

7 Drag the sites to Training.

The selected sites are displayed in the Project Explorer as part of the Training group that you just created.

To display the sectors belonging to a group

1 Right-click in the Map window and choose View Entire Layer. The map window will refocus.

2 In the Sites data window, right-click Training, and choose View. The sites that belong to the Training group are displayed in the Map window.

3 In the second Project Explorer data window, from the Category list, choose Windows.

4 In the Windows data window, expand Map Windows,...,.

5 In the Windows data window, expand TrainingMap,..., right-click

TrainingMap, and choose Remove.

6 Right-click NY_Training_Sites, and choose Visible.

All of the sites in the site file are displayed in the Map window.

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Working with flags

Flags are used to identify characteristics (conditions) of selected sites and sectors. You can filter sectors and sector groups based on the flag settings, which can be useful for network planning tasks such as visualizing the stages of network deployment.

Once you have defined a flag and specified conditions for it, you can set the flag to a selected condition for each sector.

In this exercise, you will create a flag called Status and another called Phases. For the Status flag, you will define two conditions: Approved and Installed. For the Phases flag, you will also define two conditions: Phase 1 and Phase 2. After you have set the flags for the selected sectors to a particular condition, you will identify the sites in Phase 1 that are installed or approved by simply selecting the appropriate flags and conditions and displaying the results.

To create a flag

1 In the Sites data window, right-click Flags, and choose New. The Add New Flag dialog box opens.

2 In the Enter Flag Name box, type Status, and click OK.

To add conditions

1 Expand Flags, right-click Status, and choose New Condition. The Add New Condition dialog box opens.

2 In the Enter Condition Name box, type Installed.

3 Click OK.

4 Repeat steps 1 to 3 again, but in the Enter New Condition Name box, type Approved.

To create a second flag

1 In the Sites data window, right-click Flags, and choose New. The Add New Flag dialog box opens.

2 In the Flag Name box, type Phases, and click OK.

3 Right-click Phases, and choose New Condition.

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The Add New Condition dialog box opens.

4 In the Enter Condition Name dialog box, type Phase1.

5 Click OK.

6 In the Sites data window, right-click Phases, and choose New

Condition.

7 In the Enter Condition Name box, type Phase2.

8 Click OK.

You have now created two flags, each with two conditions.

To define the condition of a flag for a group of sectors

Once you have defined a flag and specified the conditions for it, you can set the flag to a specific condition for each sector using the Sites data window in the Project Explorer.

1 In the Sites data window, expand Sites so that you can see all of the sites listed.

2 Expand NJ1.

3 Right-click sector 1, and choose Set Flags. The Flags dialog box opens.

4 In the Status row, click the Condition box.

5 Click the click the down arrow, and choose Approved from the list.

6 In the Phases row, click the Condition box.

7 Click the click the down arrow, and choose Phase2 from the list.

8 Click OK.

9 Repeat steps 3 through 8 for sector 2, but assign the flag conditions

Installed and Phase1. To display flag-specific information

You can quickly locate sectors identified with specific flags and conditions. If you want to view the sites approved but not yet installed for Phase 2, you can filter on the flag sets.

1 In the Sites data window, expand Flags if it is not already expanded.

2 Expand both Status and Phases.

Flag Condition 1 Condition 2

Status Installed Approved Phases Phase1 Phase2

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3 Enable the check boxes for Approved and for Phase2.

4 Right-click Flags, and choose View.

The site and sector that is approved for Phase 2 is displayed in the Map window.

5 In the Windows data window, expand Map Windows, and then expand

FlagsMap,....

6 Right-click FlagsMap, and choose Close.

7 Expand NY_Training_Sites, right-click NY_Training_Sites, and choose Visible.

All of the sites in the site file are displayed in the Map window.

Global editing of site tables

You can change site and sector properties for all sites in your project or for a particular group of sites using the Global editing function. Performing a global edit saves you time and ensures that a setting is changed for all sectors of interest.

In this exercise, you will use the Global Edit feature to change the sector height for all sectors within the Training group.

To perform a global edit

1 In the Sites data window, expand Groups if it is not already expanded.

2 Right-click Training, and choose Global Edit.

3 In the Global Edit dialog box, choose the Site Table option if it is not already chosen.

4 From the Selection list, choose NY_Training_Sites if it is not already chosen.

5 From the Group list, choose Training if it is not already chosen. The global edits that you are about to perform will apply only to the Training group.

6 In the Data Field column, enable the check box for

Transmitter Height.

7 Click the box in the Value column, and type 37.

8 In the Data Field column, enable the check box for Antenna Pattern.

9 Click the down arrow in the Value cell, and choose db844h90-xy.dpa.

The value -999 in a data field means that the actual number is taken from the DEM.

Planet EV 3.1 Training Manual

Planet EV Training Manual

Contents

Welcome

Course schedule

Course format

Using this training manual

Planet EV data set

Using the Planet EV documentation

Getting technical support

Introduction to

Planet EV

Planet EV basic terminology

Planet EV predictions and network analysis

Grid and vector files

Files and folder structure

Establishing a Planet

EV General Project

Workflow

Lesson

1.

Creating a Project

Introduction

Workflow for creating a project

Creating a General project

Summary

Lesson

2.

Configuring and

Placing Sites

Introduction

Workflow for configuring and placing sites

Creating a site configuration

Using antenna patterns

Editing, moving, and deleting sites

Creating a sector group

Working with flags

Global editing of site tables