FIELD NAME

DESCRIPTION

NOTES

TASK_DESC

Description of the study

This is the description used to select the study manually for plotting at a later time;

The description for each study must be unique.  If any duplicate descriptions are found in the input file, a warning is generated.

FAC_DESC

Description of the facility

(Optional) Description for the base station used for the study.

FAC_LAT

Base station latitude, in decimal degrees

Values between -90 and +90 (negative values for South latitude)

FAC_LON

Base station longitude, in decimal degrees

Values between -180 and + 180 (negative values for West longitude)

FAC_DATUM

Base station datum

NAD 27

NAD 83 (default if blank)

WGS 84 (with TAP6.1.2506  or later and a Maintenance Subscription date of November 28, 2012, or later)

FAC_ELV

Base station site elevation

If blank, the program will attempt to interpolate the elevation from available topo data files.  If the elevation cannot be found a warning is generated.

FAC_ELV_UN

Base station elevation units

m - meters

ft - feet

TX_FREQ_MHZ

Base station transmitter frequency in MHz

TX_ERP

Base station Effective Radiated Power

 The ERP value must be consistent with the units specified in  .  For example, a value that is zero or less is allowed for dB units, but not for mW, W, or kW.

TX_ERP_UN

Base station ERP units

mW - milliWatts

W - Watts

kW - kiloWatts

dBm - dB relative to a milliWatt

dBW - dB relative to a Watt

dBk - dB relative to a kiloWatt

TX_ANT_HGT

Base station transmitter antenna height

Center of radiation of the antenna

TX_ANT_HGT_UN

Base station transmitter antenna height units

m - meters

ft - feet

TX_ANT_HGT_REF

Base station height reference

AGL - above ground level

MSL - above mean sea level

TX_ANT_FILE

Antenna Library file name if a directional antenna pattern is to be used

Files are in the ANTENNAS folder.  Names begin with “AMS”; do not include the path or the .DBF file extent for the name, such as

AMSDEC01

TX_ANT_ID

Antenna Library record ID if a directional antenna pattern is to be used

Obtained from the TAP Antenna Editor;

Note that the gain information is not used, since the program uses the Effective Radiated Power for the major lobe gain (see TX_ERP above).  Only the pattern shape information is used.

TX_ANT_ORIENT

Base station transmitter orientation, in degrees, relative to the antenna orientation in the antenna library.

Only used if TX_ANT_FILE and TX_ANT_ID are specified.

TX_ANT_ETILT

Electrical beam tilt in degrees.  Negative values are used for downtilt, positive values for tilt above the horizontal.

Only used if TX_ANT_FILE and TX_ANT_ID are specified.

TX_ANT_MTILT

Mechanical beam tilt in degrees.  Negative values are used for downtilt, positive values for tilt above the horizontal.

Only used if TX_ANT_FILE and TX_ANT_ID are specified.

TX_ANT_MTILT_AZ

Azimuth direction (degrees True) of the mechanical tilt of the antenna.

Only used if TX_ANT_FILE , TX_ANT_ID and TX_ANT_MTILT are specified.

TX_ANT_INVERT

Enter a value of 1 if the antenna is mounted inverted from the elevation pattern in the antenna library.

Only used if TX_ANT_FILE and TX_ANT_ID are specified.

COV_TYPE

Type of coverage to be computed:

TILE

RADIAL

CONTOUR

TIL

RAD

CTR

N_LAT

Northern latitude boundary of tile area to be computed

The N_LAT, S_LAT, W_LON, and E_LON parameters only apply if the COV_TYPE is ‘TIL’; 

If these values are supplied, the study is treated like the “Advanced Tile Study” in the Area Coverage Setup function.

If any of these values is left blank, the study is treated as a “Basic Tile Study” (See DIS_FROM_TX below.)

S_LAT

Southern latitude boundary of tile area to be computed

(See N_LAT above)

W_LON

Western longitude boundary of tile area to be computed

(See N_LAT above)

E_LON

Eastern longitude boundary of tile area to be computed

(See N_LAT above)

TILE_STEP

Distance between tile rows and columns.

Only applies if the COV_TYPE is ‘TIL’; this defines the spacing between locations where field strength is computed.  Do not confuse this value with ELV_STEP below.

TILE_STEP_UN

Units for distance between tile rows and columns.

Only applies if the COV_TYPE is ‘TIL’; this defines the spacing between locations where field strength is computed.  Do not confuse this value with ELV_STEP_UN below.

RADIAL_STEP

Distance between computed points along each radial.

Only applies if the COV_TYPE is ‘RAD’ or ‘CTR’; this defines the spacing between locations where field strength is computed.  Do not confuse this value with ELV_STEP below.

RADIAL_STEP_UN

Units for distance between points along each radial.

Only applies if the COV_TYPE is ‘RAD’ or ‘CTR’; this defines the spacing between locations where field strength is computed.  Do not confuse this value with ELV_STEP below.

DIS_FROM_TX

Distance for field strength calculations out from transmitter site

For Radial and Contour studies (COV_TYPE = ‘RAD’ or ‘CTR’) this represents the distance along radials for computing the field strength at points on the radials.

For Tile studies (COV_TYPE = ‘) this values is used if the N_LAT , etc., values above are missing.  If those boundary values are present for a Tile study, this DIS_FROM_TX value is ignored.

DIS_FROM_TX_UN

Units for distance from transmitter site DIS_FROM_TX

NUM_RADIALS

Number of evenly spaced radials for Radial or Contour studies.

Only applies to Radial and Contour studies (COV_TYPE = ‘RAD’ or ‘CTR’). 

PERCENT_CONTOUR

Percent value used for contour value along radials.

Only applies to Contour studies (COV_TYPE = ‘CTR’). 

For Broadcast, SMR, or Carey contours, this value defines the curves to be used.  For these propagation models, the only acceptable values are 10, 50, or 90.

For contours based on other propagation models, this value is used for the TAP interpolation process.

RX_FLD

Required field value in dBu.

This field is only required for Contour studies (COV_TYPE = ‘CTR’). 

USE_DATA_30SA

Use SoftWright 30-Second DTA files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

USE_DATA_30SG

Use SoftWright 30-Second World DTA files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

USE_DATA_03S

Use SoftWright 3-Second DTA files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

USE_DATA_30M

Use SoftWright 30-Meter DTA files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

USE_DATA_DTED

Use US DMA DTED Data files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

USE_DATA_NED

Use USGS NED Data files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

USE_DATA_SRTM

Use USGS SRTM Data files for this study?

The default is for all data types to be included.  You only need to use this field if you do not want to use this data type.  You can remove this data type from the study by entering a zero (“0”) in this field.

ELV_STEP

Distance between elevation points for computing field strength.

ELV_STEP_UN

Units for elevation step.

PROP_MODEL

Two-letter abbreviation for the propagation model to be used for the study.

BC (Broadcast Part 73)

BU (Bullington)

CA (Carey - Interpolated)

EG (Egli)

HD (Hata/Davidson)

LR (Longley-Rice)

OK (Okumura)

RO (Rounded Obstacle)

SH (Shadow)

SM (Specialized Mobile Radio)

BU_LOSS_MODE

Calculation mode for Bullington model:

"MIN DISTANCE"

"INFLECTION"

"OBSTACLE PEAKS"

"FIGURE 12"

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘BU’

BU_MIN_DIST

Distance used to separate peaks of elevation along a path.  When points are separated by less than the minimum distance only the maximum elevation peak is used.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘BU’ and BU_LOSS_MODE is ‘MIN DISTANCE’

BU_MIN_DIST_UN

Units for BU_MIN_DIST value.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘BU’ and BU_LOSS_MODE is ‘MIN DISTANCE’

BU_MIN_PEAK

Elevation value used to separate peaks of elevation along a path.  When elevation values are separated by less than the minimum peak value they are treated as a single peak.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘BU’ and BU_LOSS_MODE is ‘OBSTACLE PEAKS’

BU_MIN_PEAK_UN

Units for BU_MIN_PEAK value.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘BU’ and BU_LOSS_MODE is ‘OBSTACLE PEAKS’

CA_VGAIN_MODE

Mode for computing Carey model power in the vertical plane, either the Major Lobe power or the Horizontal plane power

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘CA’

MAJ

HOR

HD_AREA

Area type used for Hata/Davidson calculation

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘HD’

URBAN-LARGE

URBAN-MEDIUM

SUBURBAN

QUASI-OPEN

OPEN

LR_POLARIZATION

 Longley-Rice polarization value.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

H

V (default if value is blank)

LR_SUR_REFRACTIVITY

 Longley-Rice surface refractivity value (Ns).

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If the effective earth curvature value K_CURVE (below) is supplied, this value is ignored.

LR_SEA_REFRACTIVITY

 Longley-Rice sea level refractivity value (No)

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If the effective earth curvature value K_CURVE (below) is supplied, this value is ignored.

LR_REL_PERMITTIVITY

Soil relative permittivity

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If this field is blank, the default value of 15 (‘Average Ground’) is used

LR_CONDUCTIVITY

Soil conductivity

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If this field is blank, the default value of 0.005 (‘Average Ground’) is used

LR_CLIMATE

Climate code (1-7)

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

1 (Equatorial)

2 (Continental Subtropical)

3 (Maritime Subtropical)

4 (Desert)

5 (Continental Temperate)

6 (Maritime Temperate - Land)

7 (Maritime Temperate - Sea)

If this field is blank, the default value of 5 (‘Continental Temperate’) is used

LR_MDVAR

Longley-Rice Mode of Variability

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If this field is blank, the default value of 11 (‘Individual, no Location Variability’) is used

LR_VARLOC

Longley-Rice Location Variability (0.1 to 99.9)

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

LR_VARTIM

Longley-Rice Time Variability (0.1 to 99.9)

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If the LR_MDVAR value is 11, this corresponds to LR ‘Reliability’

LR_VARSIT

Longley-Rice Situation Variability (0.1 to 99.9)

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘LR’

If the LR_MDVAR value is 11, this corresponds to LR ‘Confidence’

OK_AREA

Area type used for Okumura  calculation

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

URBAN-LARGE

URBAN-MEDIUM

SUBURBAN

QUASI-OPEN

OPEN

OK_STREET_ORIENT

Okumura  Street Orientation Correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

ACROSS PATH

ALONG PATH

OK_Slope

Use Average Slope Correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

AVG PATH SLOPE

OK_LandSea

Used Mixed Land-Sea path correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

MIXED LAND-SEA

OK_ROLLING_HILLS

Use Rolling Hills Correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

ROLLING HILLS

OK_HILL_DIST

Distance from mobile location for computing rolling hills roughness

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’ and OK_ROLLING_HILLS is ‘ROLLING HILLS’

OK_HILL_DIST_UN

Units for OK_HILL_DIST

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

OK_HILL_LOC

Use Hill Location Correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

LOCATION

OK_RIDGES

Use Isolated Ridges Correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

ISOLATED RIDGES

OK_PERCENT_LOCS

Use Percent Location Correction

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’

NO CORRECTION

% OF LOCATIONS

OK_PERCENT

Percentage of locations (0.1 to 99.9)

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’ and OK_PERCENT_LOCS is ‘% OF LOCATIONS’

OK_LANDSEA_ELV

Elevation value to be used to define ‘sea level’ for computing percentage of land and sea ranges along a path.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’ and OK_LandSea is ‘MIXED LAND-SEA’

OK_LANDSEA_ELV_UN

Units for OK_LANDSEA_ELV

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘OK’ OK’ and OK_LandSea is ‘MIXED LAND-SEA’

RO_OBS_RES

Rounded Obstacle model elevation value used to separate peaks of elevation along a path.  When elevation values are separated by less than the minimum peak value they are treated as a single peak.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘RO’

RO_OBS_RES_UN

Units for RO_OBS_RES value.

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘RO’

RO_LOSS_MODE

Loss mode for Rounded Obstacle model

Only applies if PROP_MODEL is ‘RO’

Diffraction

Scatter

Minimum

Maximum

Figure 9.9

RX_DESC

Description of mobile configuration

(optional)

RX_HGT

Height of mobile antenna (center of radiation).

RX_HGTUN

Units for RX_HGT

m - meters

ft - feet

RX_HGTMODE

Reference for RX_HGT

For ground-to-air studies, the aircraft flight level can be entered as MSL;  for typical land mobile area coverage, the mobile antenna height is specified as AGL

AGL - above ground level

MSL - above mean sea level

K_CURVE

Effective earth curvature.

If this field is missing, the default value of 4/3 earth (1.333) is used

LUC_LOSS

Loss template for Land Use data

Specify the complete path and file name of the template used to assign dB loss values for a particular frequency and land use type. During the validation process, if no records are found in the template for the specified frequency, a warning is generated.

If this field is blank, Land Use data is not included in the study.

ELV_INTERP

Elevation interpolation method

If this field is missing, the default FCC method is used.

FCC – FCC 4-point

WGT – Weighted 12-point

MAX – Max of 4 points

CLS – Closest point

OBS_FILE

Name of Surface Feature file.

Specify the complete path and file name of the Surface Feature file.  Only one file can be specified.

TILE_PLOT

For Tile studies, determine if the ShapeFile to be written will contain filled rectangles centered on each computed tile location (a Polygon ShapeFile) or point symbols for each location (a Point ShapeFile).

If this field is missing, the default FILL value will be used.

FILL – filled rectangle

SYM – point symbols