Pathloss 5.0 : Antenna data file index

Antenna data file index

The antenna data file index is used throughout the program to specify antennas and contains a list of all available antenna data files. The data files are created using the stand alone ant_rad utility. Refer to the documentation for this utility for details on file creation. These files can be in any location on your computer. Initially the index will be empty and as part of the initial setup the user will select the antenna files for the index.

An antenna data file name less the suffix is used as a unique identifier or key field to determine the location of the actual data file. Therefore all antenna data files must have a unique file name. The maximum file name length not including the suffix is 48 characters. Antenna files with the same name but located in different directories cannot be used.

The tool bar section of the Antenna index display includes several features to locate an antenna. The index can be searched for a specific manufacturer, code or model. The list of antennas displayed can be filtered by the manufacturer, frequency range and technology. Enter - select the required values and click the Apply button

To view the antenna patterns and specifications for a specific antenna, place the cursor on the desired antenna 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 radio link. The +1 and +2 buttons add the selected antenna into the site 1 and site 2 respectively and the +12 button adds the antenna into both sites.

Importing antenna data into the index

This step is carried on as part of the initial program setup. Click the import button to create an index from antenna data files. Use the directory tree to navigate to the location of the antenna data files. An index can be created by any of the following methods:

• Selected file(s) - select this option in the "Create index for" group. Multiselect the desired files. You need to click in the Code column to select a file. Click the Create index button.
• Selected directory - select this option in the "Create index for" group to create an index for all antenna data files in the selected directory. Select the directory and click the Create index button.
• Selected directory and all sub directories - Be aware that the equipmnt\asd directory contains 3500+ antenna data files. Select this option in the "Create index for" group, 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