Q: How do I set the levels for plotting different field strength values in TAP?

A: You must first set up and execute the Area Coverage study (as described in the TAP Tutorial). For example, suppose you set up the following study:

When you click the Start button, the study will be executed and a progress bar will be displayed.

When the study is completed you will be prompted to confirm the boundary and coverages you want to plot. Click the "Field Levels" button to display the form used to set the level information.

The Levels form will be displayed. By default, the form is configured to plot a single level, determined by the mobile facility specified in the Area Coverage setup, in this case the "SAMPLE Handheld minimal body/building losses" with a required field strength of about 8dBu. (Note that these values are for this illustration only. You should determine the field levels appropriate to your system requirements.)

To plot more than a single level, you must first clear the "Plot a single level" box:

You can double-click on the dBu column to use the lookup function to the Mobile Facility data base to add another level to plot:

The Mobile Lookup form will be displayed:

When you close the Mobile Facility lookup, the values for the selected mobile facility record will be inserted into the levels. To change the color for the new level, double click on the black square to the left of the line:

You will be prompted for a color and fill type (such as a crosshatch) and the new color will be shown:

You can also manually enter a signal level to plot. Type in a description and signal level, and double-click the box to set the color:

You can plot the locations and include the fill pattern by clearing the "Points Only" check box.

If the Points Only box is checked, the locations will be plotted with colored points (ignoring the fill pattern). This type of plot is faster than the filled type.

Click the "Continue" button on the Levels form, then click the "Plot" button on the Map Plot Setup form to draw the map.

You can add a legend of the levels to the map with the Legends button on the toolbar:

Select "Field Strength Levels" as the Legend Type and click Continue:

Set the label properties for the legend. You can set the color of the legend by double-clicking the Color box. The Auto size box is typically checked. You will be prompted to draw a box with the mouse, and the text will be sized to fit that box.

Click the Continue button and you will be prompted to draw the box where you want the legend, then the legend will be drawn:

Copyright 1999 by SoftWright LLC