Radio, Antenna and Transmission Line Data

OVERVIEW
The Pathloss program uses two methods to organize radio and antenna specifications:

• The data is organized in tabular form (rows and columns). Each row in the table contains the specifications for
one radio or antenna model. These are referred to as lookup tables in the program and are saved in individual
files. The files can be distributed between users.
• The data is contained in individual files. A file is required for each radio or antenna model. A file indexing system
is used to organize and access these files. These files can also be distributed between users. However, they
must first be added to the file index to be used.
The requirement for the second method (individual files) arises to handle more extensive data or data in a graphical
format such as:

• The antenna gain as a function of the horizontal or vertical angle for different polarization combinations.
• The transmit emission or receiver selectivity as a function of frequency.
Antenna data files are required for the following applications and analysis:

• All interference calculations use the horizontal antenna pattern to calculate the antenna discrimination to the
interfering signal. A pattern is used for each polarization combination (HH, VV, VH and HV),
• Dipole antennas are assumed to be mounted in a horizontal plane. Therefore, there will always be some degree
of mis-orientation in the vertical plane. On a high - low path, this can be significant. A vertical plane antenna pat-
tern is required to calculate this orientation loss.
• Base stations in point to mulitpoint design, local and area studies require antenna patterns in both the vertical
and horizontal planes. For multi sectored antennas, an antenna data file is specified for each sector.
• Carrier to interference calculations in an area study require the antenna pattern at the remote terminal or sub-
scriber locations.
Radio data files are required for the following applications and analysis:

• All interference calculation require curves to calculate filter loss as a function of frequency and bandwidth differ-
ences between the interfering transmitter and victim receiver.
• Radio data files are required at base stations for carrier to interference calculations in an area study.
• Adaptive modulation radios require specifications for each modulation state. It is not practical to incorporate this
level of data entry in a lookup table. A radio data file is required for these applications.
• The data requirements for BBER SES performance calculations are also considered to be outside the scope of a
lookup table and a radio data file is required for these applications.
• Automated design optimization uses transmitter power options and the antenna coupling unit specification for
space diversity antenna configurations. A radio data file includes this information and is required to used these
optimizations.
Note that a lookup table includes a field for the data file name. This results in the simplicity of a lookup table with the
complete analytic capability of the data files. If a data file name is included in the lookup table, then that file must be
also included in the file index. Transferring a lookup table which includes data file names will result in errors messag-
es stating that the data file cannot be found. This can be corrected by obtaining the data file and adding it to the file
index. The error can be removed (but not corrected) by erasing the data file name from the lookup table.
Pathloss radio and data file
The equipmnt directory in the Pathloss 5 program directory contains the currently available radio and antenna data
files in the sub directories rsd (radio spec data) and asd (antenna spec data). In order to use these files, they must
first be added to the file index.

ANTENNA DATA FILE INDEX

An antenna data file includes the basic specifications (gain, beam width, diameter) and a set of radiation patterns. A
separate file is used for each antenna model. The antenna data file index provides a method of managing these files
on the users computer. This is accomplished by assigning unique names for each antenna data file. If effect, the an-
tenna file name less the suffix is a key field. In this scheme, the file names are always lower case. This means that
antenna data files with the same name but located in different directories cannot be used. The maximum antenna
file name length not including the suffix is 47 characters.
The antenna data, as provided by the manufacturers, uses the industry standard ASCII format defined by:

National Spectrum Managers Association (NSMA)

Antenna Systems
Standard Format for Digitized Antenna Patterns
Recommendation WG16.99.050

and

TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

Terrestrial Land Mobile Radio
Antenna Systems
Standard Format for Digitized Antenna Patterns
TIA-804-A

The two documents are essentially the same and copies of these are provided in the Pathloss program directory un-
der Equipmnt \ Asd \ nsma wg16_99_050.pdf and tia 804-a.pdf.

In order to use an antenna data file in the Pathloss program, it must first be converted to a binary format and then
entered into the antenna index. The binary conversion is carried out in the ANT_RAD.EXE utility program. Refer to
the documentation for this utility for details. Initially, the antenna index will be empty. The procedure to add antenna
files to the index is given below.

Pathloss 4 used different binary file formats for microwave and VHF-UHF antennas with the suffixes mas and vas,
respectively. Pathloss 5 uses a singe file format for all type of antennas with the suffix asd. There is no need to con-
vert the version 4 files. These can be used as they are, along with the version 5 file format.
Adding antenna files into the antenna index

Click the Create index button to create an index for the antenna data files. Use the directory tree to navigate
to the location of these files. An index can be created by any of the selections in the Create index for group
box:

• Selected file(s) - Multiselect the desired files. You need to click in the File name column to select a file. Click the
Create index button.
• Selected directory - Select the directory and click the Create index button to create an index for all antenna data
files in this selected directory.
• Selected directory + sub directories - Be aware that the equipmnt\asd directory contains 3500+ antenna data
files. Select the topmost directory and click the Create index button. This operation may take several minutes
The index file is automatically saved in equipmnt\pl50_ant.ndx.

Antenna index tool bar

The list of antennas can be filtered by the manufacturer, frequency range and technology. Enter values for any of
these fields in the Filter Index group box on the tool bar and click the Apply button.

Note that the filter settings are saved and when the Antenna index is opened again, the list may be in a filtered state.
If new antennas are added to the index which are not within the filter ranges, then they will be added but not dis-
played. This gives the impression that the import has failed for some reason. Before carrying out an import, clear the
filter settings. Erase the Manufacturer, Frequency Lo and Hi fields and set the Technology to All types. Then click
the Apply button.
In addition to the filter, the antenna list can be searched for a specific manufacturer, code or model. Select the search
criteria in the Find in dropdown list and enter the value. The search is incremental and will change as each character
is entered.

To view the antenna patterns and specifications for a specific antenna, place the cursor on the desired an-
tenna and click the display button.

The antenna index is used to add antenna data into the various data entry forms throughout the
program. The add buttons shown are for a link. The +1 and +2 buttons add the selected antenna
into the site 1 and site 2 respectively. The +12 button adds the antenna into both sites.

ANTENNA DATA LOOKUP TABLES

Antenna lookup tables are provided as an extension to the antenna file
index and for those cases where the manufacturer’s antenna data file is
not available.

There is only one antenna index; however, there can be any number of
antenna lookup tables. The last used lookup table is automatically load-
ed each time the program starts.

Pathloss 4 used separate lookup tables for microwave and VHF-UHF an-
tennas with the file suffixes mat and vat, respectively. Version 5 uses a
single file for all antenna types with the suffix ant. All version 4 antenna
lookup table files can be read.

The antenna lookup table uses the standard grid control data entry form
with the following fields:

manufacturer
model
antenna data file name
technology
gain
3 db beam width
diameter
high frequency
low frequency

Lookup table data can be read from the antenna data file index. Select the Operations - Antenna file index menu
item. Multiselect the required antenna models in the antenna index, and click the Add (+) button.

If an antenna lookup table item contains an antenna data file name and this file is not in the index, then an error mes-
sage results each time that item is used. If the file is not available, erase the antenna data file field.
RADIO DATA FILE INDEX

A radio data file includes the basic specifications and a set of curves which are used in an interference calculation.

A separate file is used for each radio model. The radio data file index provides a method of managing these files on
the users computer. This is accomplished by assigning unique names for each radio data file. If effect, the radio file
name less the suffix is a key field. This means that radio data files with the same name but located in different direc-
tories cannot be used. The maximum radio file name length not including the suffix is 47 characters.

There is no industry standard for radio data files. Pathloss 4 used an ASCII and binary file format for microwave ap-
plications only with the file suffixes raf and mrs. These files can be used directly in version 5 without any changes.
The version 5 radio data files supports adaptive modulation and land mobile in addition to microwave applications.
The files are created (ASCII and binary) in the ANT_RAD.EXE utility program. Refer to the documentation for this
utility for details.

In order to use a radio data file in the Pathloss program, it must first be converted to a binary format and then entered
into the radio index. Initially, the radio index will be empty. The procedure to add radio files to the index is given below.

Radio data files supplied with the program are located in the Pathloss 5 program directory under equipmnt\rsd.
Importing radio data into the Index

Click the Create index button to create an index for the radio data files. Use the directory tree to navigate
to the location of these files. An index can be created by any of the selections in the Create index for group
box:

• Selected file(s) - Multiselect the desired files. You need to click in the File name column to select a file. Click the
Create index button.
• Selected directory - Select the directory and click the Create index button to create an index for all radio data
files in this selected directory.
• Selected directory + sub directories - Select the topmost directory and click the Create index button. This opera-
tion may take several minutes.
The radio index file is automatically saved in equipmnt\pl50_rad.ndx.

Radio index tool bar

The list of radios can be filtered by the manufacturer, frequency range and technology. Enter values for any of these
fields in the Filter Index group box on the tool bar and click the Apply button.

Note that the filter settings are saved and when the radio index is opened again, the list may be in a filtered state. If
new radios are added to the index which are not within the filter ranges, then these will be added but not displayed.
This gives the impression that the import has failed for some reason. Before carrying out an import, clear the filter
settings. Erase the Manufacturer, Frequency Lo and Hi fields and set the Technology to All types. Then click the Ap-
ply button.
In addition to the filter, the radio list can be searched for a specific manufacturer, file name or model. Select the
search criteria in the Find in dropdown list and enter the value. The search is incremental and will change as each
character is entered.

To view the specifications and curves for a specific radio, place the cursor on the desired radio and click
the display button.

The radio index is used to add radio data into the various data entry forms throughout the pro-
gram. The add buttons shown are for a link. The +1 and +2 buttons add the selected radio into
site 1 and site 2, respectively. The +12 button adds the radio into both sites.

If the radio data file is a an adaptive modulation

application then further options will be presented
as shown on the left. The options depend on the
selected method ANSI (American National Stand-
ards Institute) or ETSI (European Telecommuni-
cations Standards Institute)

The display shows the modulation, data rate and

RSEC for each modulation state.

The transmit power options are available for both

ANSI and ETSI methods. Select the power option
from the dropdown list and the options for all mod-
ulation states will be displayed.

In the ETSI method only, the user selects the de-

sired modulation states and specifies the refer-
ence state. This is the modulation state which will
be used in interference calculations. In any of the
automatic design operations which involve optimi-
zation, the reference state will determine the opti-
mization.

If the ANSI method is checked, the Adaptive mod-

ulation states check boxes and the Reference state radio
buttons are inhibited.

Note that the transmit power options, include an ATPC

specification for each modulation level. In the ANSI method
this would only be applicable to the top modulation. In the
ETSI case, the ATPC would be applicable to the top modu-
lation which has been checked.

Note that it is possible to select any combination of modula-

tion states. Depending on the particular radio, a non contin-
uous selection may not be allowed

In microwave and land mobile applications, options are pre-

sented if the radio data file includes transmit power options
or receiver threshold options.
RADIO DATA LOOKUP TABLES
Radio lookup tables are provided as an extension to the radio file index
and for those cases where the radio data file is not available.

There is only one radio index; however, there can be any number of ra-
dio lookup tables. The last used lookup table is automatically loaded
each time the program starts.

All version 4 radio lookup tables (mrd) files can be read.

The radio lookup table uses the standard grid control data entry form
with the following fields:

manufacturer
model
radio data file name
emission designator
technology
TX power (dBm)
RX threshold criteria
RX threshold level (dBm)
maximum receive signal (dBm)
dispersive fade margin (dB)
modulation
capacity
signal standard
high frequency
low frequency

Lookup table data can be read from the radio data file index. Select the Operations - Radio file index menu item.
Multiselect the required radio models in the radio index, and click the Add (+) button.

If an radio lookup table item contains a radio data file name and this file is not in the index, then an error message
results each time that item is used. If the file is not available, erase the radio data file field.

TRANSMISSION LINE LOOKUP TABLE

The transmission line lookup table contains the following data:

• manufacturer - model - technology (elliptical waveguide, foam and air dielectric heliax), rigid wave guide and
generic coaxial cable).
• frequency range.
• table of frequency versus loss in dB /100m.
The values in the loss column are calculated on entry using the design frequency. A blank loss means that the fre-
quency is outside the frequency range. If the frequency in the Loss shown for frequency edit control is changed, the
loss values will be recalculated; however, the design frequency is not changed.

The table can be filtered by frequency or technology. For frequency, check the “Frequency in range” box and click
the Apply button. For technology, select the technology from the drop down list and click the Apply button.

If the model number is known, enter this in the Find in TX line model edit control and the display will scroll to that
model.

The transmission line lookup table is used on for data entry throughout the program. The add
buttons shown are for a radio link. The +1 and +2 buttons add the selected transmission line
into site 1 and site 2, respectively. The +12 button adds the transmission line into both sites.

Adding a new transmission line

Click the Add button to add a new transmission line to the table. This
form is suitable for adding a small number of transmission lines. The
Import feature will add new transmissions from a CSV files.

Enter the manufacturer model and technology in the upper section

and at least two values of frequency and unit loss. The unit loss
must be expressed in dB/100 meters.

The maximum and minimum frequencies are taken as the first and
last entries in the list.

Editing an existing transmission line

Place the cursor on the required entry and click the Edit button. The
procedure is exactly the same as for the Add button described
above.

Import
New transmission line data can be imported into the table from a
comma delimited text file. The required file format is given below:

TXLINES50_INDEX
Generic,9913,5,6,50.0,2.10,100.0,3.28,200.0,5.25,400.0,8.20,700.0,11.81,900.0,13.78
Ajax,AJA5-50,2,4,960.0,3.67,1500.0,4.70,1700.0,5.04,2000.0,5.53

• The first line must be TXLINES50_INDEX. This is used as a file identifier. The following lines contain the data
separated by commas.
• Manufacturer char[48]
• Model char [48]
• Transmission line type 0-Not specified, 1-Heliax air dielectric, 2-Heliax foam dielectric, 3-Elliptical waveguide, 4-
Rigid wave guide, 5-Coaxial cable
• Number of frequency - loss pairs used to define the attenuation versus frequency curve. There must be at lease
2 pairs.
• The (frequency, unit loss,) data follows to complete the entry. Frequency must be in MHz. The unit loss can be in
either db/100m of db/100ft.
If the file is created in Excel, then each line in the resulting CSV file will have the same number of commas as the
maximum line length as shown in the example below:

TXLINES50_INDEX,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Generic,9913,5,6,50,2.1,100,3.28,200,5.25,400,8.2,700,11.81,900,13.78
Ajax,AJA5-50,2,4,960,3.67,1500,4.7,1700,5.04,2000,5.53,,,,

Click the Import (meters) button if the unit loss is in dB/100m or the Import (feet) button if the unit loss is in dB/100ft.
Open the CSV file to import the data. The import procedure checks the existing data for duplicates. An entry is con-
sidered to be a duplicate if the manufacturer and model number are the same. Duplicate entries are not added; and
therefore, this import cannot be used to edit existing data. If the new transmission line data does not appear at the
bottom or the list, then check if the data is filtered using the Frequency in range or Technology field.

The data is automatically saved in equipmnt\pl50_txl.ndx.

RADIO DATA FILES

The Pathloss version 5 program uses a proprietary ASCII radio data file format for conventional microwave, adaptive
modulation and land mobile radio applications. Version 4 radio data file are only applicable to conventional micro-
wave radio. These files can be used in version 5 microwave applications without modification.

The ASCII files can be created programmatically, or individually with a text editor. A stand alone utility program
ANT_RAD is available to create and edit these files. This utility also converts the ASCII files to the binary format re-
quired for the Pathloss program.

File naming convention

The radio data file name without the extension is used as a key field in a lookup table. This implies that the file names
must be unique. The maximum radio file name length is 47 characters. File naming strategy becomes an important
issue in this arrangement. A suggested format is given by the example “ACMELINK-6GHz-16E1-QPSK. This name
consists of a manufacturer - model, frequency band, capacity and modulation.

The radio data file name is also used as an identifier for T to I and IRF curves. For example, an IRF curve could be
identified as follows

IRF_same 24 File_name1, File_name2, File_name3

This means this IRF curve is applicable to an interfering radio with the same file name as the radio being defined. In
addition the curve is applicable to radios with file names File_name1, File_name2 and File_name3. The number 24
is the number of points in the curve.

File Formats
The first line in the file is PL50_ASCII_RADIO_SPEC_01. This is used as the file identifier and the revision number
for the specific file format. Each successive line begins with a descriptive mnemonic followed by a semicolon and
one or more data fields separated by a comma. A single data entry does not have any commas. Comments are de-
noted by a double forward slash //. All text after the // on the same line is ignored. A description of each mnemonic
follows.

MANUFACTURER: radio equipment manufacturer

text - 47 characters - required field

MODEL: radio model

text - 47 characters maximum - required field

RELEASE_DATE: original radio data release date

text 23 characters - optional filed

REVISION_NUM: radio data revision number

text 35 characters - optional field

REVISION_DATE: radio data revision date

text 23 characters - optional filed

RADIO_ID: manufacturers radio identification

text 47 characters - optional field

PL50_RADIO_CODE: the file name of the radio data file less the extension
file name 47 characters - this field is automatically created in the ANT_RAD program

APPLICATION_TYPE: the type of application

integer 1 - microwave 2 - adaptive modulation 3 - land mobile - required field

RADIO_TYPE: radio type description e.g SDH, PDH, Digital Video

text 23 characters - optional field

FREQUENCY_RANGE: low frequency in MHz, high frequency in MHz

real number, real number - required fields

EMISSION_DESIGNATOR: radio equipment emission designator

text 23 characters - optional field - used to determine the bandwidth for default radio data files in interference calcu-
lations using the MDB

TXDATA_RATE_MBS: payload data rate in Mbits/second

real number - required field
RXDATA_RATE_MBS: payload data rate in Mbits/second
real number - required field - on symmetrical links the TX and RX data rates are the same. In the case of base sta-
tions and customer premise equipment in point to mulitpoint links, the outgoing and incoming data rates will usually
be different

RADIO_CAPACITY: number of lines, signal standard e.g. 4, E1

integer, text 15 characters - required field

MODULATION: modulation type e.g. 128TCM

text 15 characters - required field

BANDWIDTH_FCC_MHZ:- Bandwidth used to calculate the FCC spectrum mask in MHz.

real number - optional field

BANDWIDTH_99PC_MHZ: Bandwidth containing 99% of the transmitter power

real number - optional field

BANDWIDTH_CHANNEL_MHZ: the assigned channel bandwidth in MHz

real number - optional field

BANDWIDTH_3DB_TX_MHZ: transmit power bandwidth between the 3 dB points

real number - required field - used to calculate the default transmitter emission masks

BANDWIDTH_3DB_RX_MHZ: receiver selectivity bandwidth between the 3 dB points

real number - required field - used to calculate the default and receiver selectivity masks
transmitter data

A maximum of five transmit power options are available. Each option consists of the name of the power option, the
maximum and minimum values in dBm and the ATPC range for that power option. The options for each field are on
a separate line separated by commas. The sequence must be the same for all fields

TX_POWER_OPTIONS_NAME the name assigned to a transmit power option e.g. Lo pwr or Hi pwr.
text 15 characters

TX_POWER_OPTIONS_DBM: the maximum transmit power value

real numbers - at least one value of transmit power is required unless TX_POWER_RANGE_DBM is used. In adap-
tive modulation applications, the transmit power options are specified for each modulation state and is not required
here.
TX_POWER_OPTIONS_MIN_DBM - the minimum transmit power value
real number - - optional field

ATPC_OPTIONS_DB the ATPC value for the power option

real number - optional field

TX_POWER_RANGE_DBM: adjustable transmit power range - low power, high power in dBm
real numbers - required field unless TX_POWER_OPTIONS_DBM is used - This is not used in adaptive modulation
applications

ATPC_RANGE_DB

ATPC_RANGE_DB: automatic transmit power control range in dB

real number - ATPC is used in interference calculations

ATPC_STEP_SIZE_DB: the step size used to change the transmit power for ATPC operation
real number - optional field

ATPC_TRIGGER_POINT_DBM: the receive level in dBm which triggers ATPC operation

real number - optional field

TX_STABILITY_PERCENT: transmitter frequency stability in percent

real number - optional field

receiver data

Four values for the receiver threshold parameters, maximum receive signal, dispersive fade margin and the signature
parameters can be entered for different values of bit error rate. In microwave applications, the default definition is for
the values at a BER of 10-3, 10-6, the residual BER and the special SES BER used in SDH radio performance cal-
culations.

In the case of adaptive modulation radios, this section is used to define a receive threshold level that will be used
with a T to I or C to I specification to calculate the noise threshold level. In land mobile applications, only the receive
threshold description and level are applicable

RX_THRESHOLD_DESCRIPTION: a description of the receiver threshold e.g. BER 1E-3, 12 dB SINAD...

text 15 characters - recommended field

RX_THRESHOLD_BER: the numerical value of the BER e.g 1.0E-3

real number required for SDH microwave applications
RX_THRESHOLD_DBM: the receiver threshold level in dBm corresponding to the above threshold description
real number - required for microwave and land mobile applications

MAXIMUM_RXSIGNAL: the maximum receive signal level in dBm corresponding to the above threshold description
real number - optional field

DISPERSIVE_FM: dispersive fade margin in dB corresponding to the above threshold description

real number - required field for selective fade calculations using the dispersive fade margin

SIGNATURE_DELAY_NS: signature delay in nanoseconds corresponding to the above threshold description

real number - required field for selective fade calculations using the equipment signature method

SIGNATURE_WIDTH_MHZ: signature width in MHz

real number - required field for selective fade calculations using the equipment signature method

SIGNATURE_MINPHASE_DB: signature null depth in dB in the minimum phase condition

real number - required field for selective fade calculations using the equipment signature method

SIGNATURE_NONMINPHASE_DB: signature null depth in dB in the non minimum phase condition

real number - required field for selective fade calculations using the equipment signature method

The following parameters: noise figure, T to I and C to I are used to calculate the receiver noise floor and threshold
degradation in an interference analysis. Definitions of these parameters are given at the end of this section.

NOISE FIGURE_DB: receiver noise figure in dB

real number - In land mobile applications, the noise floor is calculated from the 3 dB bandwidth and the noise figure.
This value is required in interference calculations.

TtoI_RATIO: threshold to interference ratio. This is equivalent to a C/I for 1 dB degradation at BER 1E-6
real number - used for the default noise floor calculation in a microwave interference analysis.

CtoI_RATIO_BER10-6_3DB: carrier to interference ratio for a 3 dB degradation to the 10-6 BER receiver threshold
real number - used for an alternate default noise floor calculation in a microwave interference analysis.

CtoI_RATIO_BER10-3_3DB: carrier to interference ratio for a 3 dB degradation to the 10-3 BER receiver threshold
real number - used for an alternate default noise floor calculation in a microwave interference analysis.

NOISE_FLOOR_KTBF_DBM the receiver noise floor can be specified directly

real number

SIMULCAST_CAPTURE_RANGE: receiver simulcast capture range in dB

real number - required for simulcast delay calculations - the default value is 15 dB.

parameters required for BBER and ESR in SDH radio systems

BITS_BLOCK: bits per block in an SDH radio

integer - required value for SDH radios

BLOCKS_SEC: blocks per second in an SDH radio

integer - required value for SDH radios

ALPHA_VALUES: parameters describing the number of errors per burst in a an SDH radio
3 integer values separated by commas where
α1 - number of errors per burst for a BER in the range 10-3 to the SES BER - typical values 10 to 30
α2 - number of errors per burst for a BER in the range from the SES BER to the residual BER - typical values are 1
to 10
α3 - number of errors per burst for a BER lower than the residual BER - a typical value is 1

adaptive modulation radios

An adaptive modulation calculation determines the fade probability for each type of modulation. The results are pre-
sented as the fade probabilities for each data throughput. Up to 10 modulation states are available. The data is or-
ganized in 3 sections with the designations: ADAPTMOD 1, 2 and 3. The following data is required for each level

ADMOD_1-10: the following 7 parameters separated by commas

• modulation description - text 47 characters

• RSEC reference spectrum emission class - text 16 characters
• receive threshold in dBm - real number
• Step up
• Step down
• minimum carrier to interference ratio
• data throughput description - text 15 characters
ADMOD_1A to 10A: the following 7 parameters separated by commas

• dispersive fade margin

• signature delay
• signature width
• signature minimum depth
• signature non minimum depth
• maximum receive signal
• XPIF cross polarized improvement factor in cochannel operation
ADMOD_!B to 10B transmit power options - 5 options maximum per each modulation state

• maximum transmit power (dBm)

• minimum transmit power (dBm)
• ATPC dB if this is the top level in ETSI operation
cochannel operation

COCHANNEL_OPERATION: enables or disables cochannel operation

integer 0 - disable cochannel operation, 1 - enable cochannel operation

COCHANNEL XPIF: cochannel improvement factor

real number - applicable only if the radio is equipped with a cochannel improvement device

COCHANNEL XPD_XPI: cross polarized discrimination of the cochannel improvement device

real number - applicable if the cochannel improvement device is a hardware implementation.

selective fading method

SELECTIVE_FADING: sets the selective fading calculation method

integer 0 - use dispersive fade margin, 1 - use equipment signature, 2 do not calculate selective fading

space diversity improvement parameters

SPACE_DIV_OPERATION: sets space diversity operation to either baseband switching or IF combining

integer 0 - baseband switching 1 IF combining

IF_COMB_GAIN: the signal to noise improvement produced by IF combining

real number - required for IF combining - the default value is 2.6 dB

LCOMB_FACTOR: the selective fading improvement produced by IF combining

real number - required for IF combining - the default value is 2.6

minimum frequency separation

T-T_FREQ_SEP_1ANT_CPOL: minimum transmitter to transmitter spacing using 1 antenna same polarization

real number - optional - information only

T-T_FREQ_SEP_1ANT_XPOL: minimum transmitter to transmitter spacing using 1 antenna cross polarized

real number - optional - information only

T-T_FREQ_SEP_2ANT_CPOL: minimum transmitter to transmitter spacing using 2 antenna same polarization

real number - optional - information only

T-T_FREQ_SEP_2ANT_XPOL: minimum transmitter to transmitter spacing using 2 antennas cross polarized

real number - optional - information only:

T-R_FREQ_SEP_1ANT_CPOL: minimum transmitter to receiver spacing using 1 antenna same polarization

real number - optional - information only

T-R_FREQ_SEP_1ANT_XPOL: minimum transmitter to receiver spacing using 1 antenna cross polarized

real number - optional - information only:

T-R_FREQ_SEP_2ANT_CPOL: minimum transmitter to receiver spacing using 2 antennas same polarization

real number - optional - information only:

T-R_FREQ_SEP_2ANT_XPOL - minimum transmitter to receiver spacing using 21 antennas cross polarized

real number - optional - information only:

T-R_FIXED: fixed transmitter to receiver spacing

real number - optional - information only:

antenna coupling unit

This section lists the available radio configurations (e.g. monitored hot stand-by, space diversity..) and the associated
antenna coupling unit losses. Up to six configurations can be specified. Each configuration consists of a description
and losses in dB separated by commas. This information is used as a radio configuration lookup table in the trans-
mission analysis section. For microwave and adaptive modulation applications the loss coding is as follows:

• CRC: Circulator branching loss

• TXS: TX switch loss
• TXF: TX filter loss
• RXH: RX hybrid loss
• RXF: RX filter loss
• DRC: Diversity RX circulator loss
For land mobile applications the loss coding is as follows:

• CRC: Duplexer loss

• TXS: TX combiner loss
• TXF: TX filter loss
• RXH: RX multicoupler loss (use negative values for gain)
• RXF: RX filter loss
ACU_CONFIG_1 - 6: radio configuration and antenna coupling unit losses in dB
configuration text 31 characters - real numbers representing loss values separated by commas

miscellaneous

COMMENT_1 - 6 general comments

text 47 characters - optional

Interference Curves
Interference curves can be specified using a threshold to interference ratio or an interference reduction factor as a
function of the frequency offset. The curves can be single sided (0 <= f <= f_max) or double sided (f_min <= f <=
f_max) where f is the frequency offset and f_min and f_max are the minimum and maximum offsets.

There is no limit to the number of T to I or IFR curves in a file. A radio product line with a range of channel capacities
might have a curve for the same modulation - capacity interferer, and additional curves for each different modulation
- capacity.

Another approach to handling a mix of radio modulation and capacities would be to create a measured transmit spec-
trum and receive selectivity curve. With this arrangement, any combination of radios will be handled. The transmit
spectrum of the interfering radio is applied to the victim receiver selectivity to determine the filter improvement. If a
T to I curve using a unmodulated carrier as the interfering signal is available, then this will be used as the receive
selectivity curve.

Same modulation

For the case of an interfering signal with the same modulation as the receiver the file format starts with a mnemonic
followed a colon and the number of points in the curve on the same line. If this TotI_Same curve is applicable to other
radios, then list these on the same line separated by a comma. The data points follow with the frequency and the
value separated by a comma. Partial examples of a T to I curve and in IRF curve are given below:

TtoI_Same: 45, optional_other_filename1, optional_other_filename2

0.0, 28.0
0.5, 28.0
1.0, 28.0
2.0, 26.0
3.0, 23.0
4.0, 17.9
5.0, -7.1
10.0, -19.5

IRF_Same: 81, optional_other_filename1, optional_other_filename2

0.00, 0.00
1.00, -0.03
2.00, -0.11
3.00, -0.24
4.00, -0.42
5.00, -0.64
6.00, -0.91
7.00, -1.21
8.00, -1.56

Different modulations and bandwidths

For the case of an interfering signal with a different modulation / bandwidth from the receiver, the file format starts
with a mnemonic followed a colon, the number of points in the curve and one or more interfering radio data file names
all separated by commas on the same line. Examples of this line format are:

TtoI_Other: 35, Acme_4E1

IRF_Other: 44, Acme_4E1, Xbrand_4E1

The names Acme_4E1 and Xbrand_4E1 are the interfering radio data file names i.e. the binary file names less ex-
tension of the interfering radio data files.

The data points follow with the frequency and the value separated by a comma as shown in the previous examples.

CW Interfering Signal

A special T to I curve format is used for the case of an unmodulated carrier wave interfering signal. This curve is used
for analog interfering signal. In addition, this curve provides an approximation to the receiver selectivity and is used
for this curve as a default. The format is:

TtoI_CW: 36

Radio Curves
Provision is made for the following radio curves.

Transmitter emission

The absolute values of the power density or the measurement bandwidth are not important as the data will be nor-
malized for a total power of one watt based on a measurement bandwidth of 4 kHz. The file format is the mnemonic
TX_EMISSION followed by a colon and the number of points in the curve

TX_EMISSION: 56

Receiver selectivity

This represents the composite receiver selectivity including RF, IF and baseband filtering. The file format is the mne-
monic RX_SELECTIVITY followed by a colon and the number of points in the curve

RX_SELECTIVITY: 32

Transmit and receive filter characteristics

These curves are for information purposes and are not used in the program. The file format is the mnemonic followed
by a colon and the number of data points in the curve

RX_FILTER: 32

TX_FILTER: 24
Noise floor calculations
The radio noise floor is used to calculate the receiver threshold degradation due to interference or cochannell oper-
ation. This is required for all applications - microwave, adaptive modulation and land mobile. The adaptive modula-
tion; specifications include a minimum carrier to interference value for each modulation level as this specification is
common on WIMAX radios. Suppose the radio is in a certain modulation state meaning that the receive signal is
greater than the receive threshold level for that modulation state. If an interfering signal is added, then the degrada-
tion to that threshold can be calculated if a noise floor level is available. It the receive signal is still greater than this
degraded threshold, then operation will remain in this state; otherwise, the modulation will drop to the next level. If
the noise floor is not available, then the signal to interference ratio is calculated. If this is greater than the minimum
C to I specification, the operation will remain in this state

The following noise floor calculation methods are used in the program

Noise Floor Specified Directy

The noise floor can be specified directly. In the following additional methods, the noise floor is calculated from a car-
rier to interference ratio and a receiver threshold level. In adaptive modulation applications the direct method is pre-
ferred.

Threshold to Interference ratio

A modulated test signal is connected to the receiver and its level is adjusted to produce a BER of 1.0E-6. Denote this
signal level as T dBm. Increase this level by 1 dB. An interfering signal using the same modulation and frequency is
injected into the system and the level is adjusted so that the BER returns to 1.0E-6. Denote this interfering signal
level as I dBm. The T/I ratio is then given by T - I.

The noise floor can be calculated as T - T/I + 5.886 dBm

Carrier to interference ratio for a 3 dB degradation to the 10-6 BER receiver threshold
A modulated test signal is connected to the receiver and its level is adjusted to produce a BER of 1.0E-6. Denote this
signal level as T dBm. Increase this level by 3 dB. An interfering signal using the same modulation and frequency is
injected into the system and the level is adjusted so that the BER returns to 1.0E-6. Denote this interfering signal
level as I dBm. The C/I ratio is then given by T - I.

The noise floor can be calculated as T - C/I dBm

Carrier to interference ratio for a 3 dB degradation to the 10-3 BER receiver threshold
A modulated test signal is connected to the receiver and its level is adjusted to produce a BER of 1.0E-3. Denote this
signal level as T dBm. Increase this level by 3 dB. An interfering signal using the same modulation and frequency is
injected into the system and the level is adjusted so that the BER returns to 1.0E-3. Denote this interfering signal
level as I dBm. The C/I ratio is then given by T - I.

The noise floor can be calculated as T - C/I dBm

Noise Figure
The noise floor can be calculated from the noise figure using the relationship KTBF where:

K is Boltzman’s constant, T is the absolute temperature in degrees Kelvin, B is the 3 dB bandwidth in Hertz and F is
the noise figure expressed as a ratio
Using the ANT_RAD Utility to create Radio Data Files
The ANT_RAD utility is used to cre-
ate and edit radio data files. The
main data entry form uses the same
mnemonics as the ASCII text file de-
scribed above. Lines with multiple
entries have column separators.

The Files-Open menu selection will

open all radio file versions including:

• version 4 ASCII raf files

• version 5 ASCII raf files
• version 4 binary mrs microwave
radio files
• version 5 binary rsd radio files
Separate file save menu items are
provided for ASCII and binary for-
mats. Both of these use the version 5
formats. There is no provision to
save in the version 4 formats.
Radio Curves
Select the Curves menu item to create or edit curves. The first step is to specify the specific type of curve. Click the

new button, select the curve type and click the OK button.

If a TtoI_Other or IRF_Other curve has been specified, then

enter the name of the corresponding radio data file name.
Multiple file names can be entered separated by a comma.

Editing Version 4.0 Interference curves

Version 4.0 used the concept of a traffic code to identify in-
terference curves. This consisted of a concatenation of the
channel capacity and the modulation e.g. 8E1-QPSK. The
TtoI curve of this radio would be coded as TtoI_8E1-QPSK.

When a version 4.0 file is loaded into the ANT_RAD pro-

gram, a traffic code will be generated using the channel ca-
pacity and the modulation specified in the file. This will be
compared to the coding on the TtoI curves. If the TtoI curve
is coded with the same traffic code, the curve will be inter-
preted as a TtoI_Same curve.

If the T to I curve coding does not match the traffic code, the
curve will be interpreted as a TtoI_Other curve.
Consider the example of a version 4 radio with a 8E1 capacity and QPSK modulation. The resulting traffic code is
8E1-QPSK. The data file has the following TtoI curves:

TtoI_8E1-QPSK - interfering radio has the same channel capacity and modulation. This curve will be coded as
TtoI_Same

TtoI_4E1-QPSK - interfering radio has a different channel capacity or modulation. This curve will initially be coded
as TtoI_Other 4E1-QPSK. The user must change the other code designation of 4E1-QPSK to the corresponding ra-
dio code i.e. the name of the binary file less suffix of the 4E1-QPSK radio.

The above step must be carried out for each TtoI_Other or IRF_Other curve. Select the curve in the drop down list
and change the corresponding other codes in the edit control below the drop down list. The names in the drop down
list will not change until the Create - edit radio curve dialog is closed and re-opened

Radio data file locking

The ANT_RAD program can open and edit binary and ASCII files.
Provision has been made to inhibit opening and editing of binary files.
In this case the master data record must be an ASCII file.

Select the Files - Lock binary rsd files menu selection. Click the Lock
binary rsd files box and then click OK. When the binary file is saved,
a “file locked” message will be present on the windows save file dia-
log.
Using the ANT_RAD Utility to create Antenna Data Files

A separate utility program ANT_RAD.exe is used to edit, create and convert antenna data files. The program starts
in the radio data files screen. Select File type - Antenna data files from the menu bar. There are several points to
note in this data entry form:

• The description of the entry is used instead of the mnemonic. For example “Low-band Gain” is used instead of
LWGAIN and “Azimuth Beam width (deg) is used instead of AZWIDT. The mnemonics are used in the ASCII
files.
• The Revision number field (REVNUM) and the Revision date field (REVDAT) refer to revisions to the standard
format. These are not used and serve only as file type identifiers
• The fields associated with antenna discrimination curves are not included in these forms. These are created -
edited under the Curves section
• The Files - Open menu item opens all antenna file formats. These include the ASCII standard and the old ASCII
standard, the version 4.0 binary mas and vas files and the version 5.0 asd files.
• The binary antenna data files do not contain all of the information in the ASCII file. Only the following items are
included in the binary file.
manufacturer, model, description antenna technology, feed horn orientation and the date of the data file
mid band gain, diameter, 3 dB beam widths, electrical downtilt, radome loss, frequency range
the type of antenna pattern (typical or envelope) and all azimuth and elevation pattern data

• Files can be saved in the version 5.0 asd binary format or the ASCII standard format. Only the binary version can
be used with the Pathloss program.
Create - Edit Antenna Pattern Data

Select Curves on the Antenna data files menu bar. The drop down list
contains the names of the antenna patterns using the following nam-
ing convention:

• H/H - Horizontal polarized port response to a horizontally polar-

ized signal
• H/V Horizontal polarized port response to a vertically polarized
signal
• V/V Vertical polarized port response to a vertically polarized sig-
nal
• V/H Vertical polarized port response to a horizontally polarized
signal
The above designations can be used in either the horizontal or vertical
planes

The data is presented in two columns: angle followed by the antenna

response.

In the horizontal plane, the angle starts from -180º (defined as the left
side of the antenna) and increases to 0º on the antenna boresight. The angle then increases to +180º, thereby cov-
ering the full 360º of the antenna pattern.
In the vertical plane, the angle starts at some negative value defined as the antenna response below the antenna
boresight and increases to 0º on the antenna boresight. The angle then increases to some positive value which is
above the antenna boresight. For microwave antennas the range is typically between -5º to +5º which results in a
10º range centered about the main beam. For dipole antennas, the elevation data is presented over -180º to +180º
range.

The antenna response is listed as dB below the main lobe response and must be entered as a negative value.

To create a new curve, click the New button and define the type of curve. The curve data can be imported from a text
file, Click the Import button and load the text file. The procedure uses the standard text import utility defined in the
section on general program operation.

Note that the associated mnemonics are not used to create the antenna pattern curve. These are written to the stand-
ard ASCII file.

File Conversion ASCII ADF to binary ASD

In most cases, antenna manufacturers will supply the data files in the standard ASCII format and the ANT_RAD utility
program will only be used to convert the files to the binary asd format.

In the case of a single file, the procedure is to open the ASCII file (Files - Open) and review the data for completeness.
In particular, ensure that the antenna technology field is set and in the case of microwave antennas the antenna di-
ameter has been entered in either the antenna width or height field.

Two methods are provided to convert multiple files.

Selected files

Select the Convert - Selected files menu item. A file open di-
alog is used to multiselect the required files. When the Open
button is clicked a file save dialog appears for the sole pur-
pose of specifying the directory to save the binary files in. The
default is the same directory as the ASCII files. Do not
change the file name. the binary file names will always be the
same as the ASCII file names with the extension asd

If the antenna technology is not specified, the dialog on the

left will appear prompting for the technology and to use this
technology for all files in the conversion.

Folders - Subfolders
Select the Convert - Folder - Subfolders menu item. Select
the topmost directory containing the ASCII antenna files.
Set the Files of type to either adf files or dat files.

The Antenna technology dialog may appear as described

in the Selected files above