Atoll 2.8.2 : Placing a New Station Using a Station Template (GSM GPRS Project)

Placing a New Station Using a Station Template

In Atoll, a station is defined as a site with one or more transmitters sharing the same properties. With Atoll, you can create a network by placing stations based on station templates. This allows you to build your network quickly with consistent parameters, instead of building the network by first creating the site, then the transmitters, and finally by adding subcells and TRXs.

To place a new station using a station template:

1. In the Radio toolbar, select a template from the list.
2. Click the New Transmitter or Station button () in the Radio toolbar.
3. In the map window, move the pointer over the map to where you would like to place the new station. The exact coordinates of the pointer’s current location are visible in the Status bar.
4. Click to place the station.

Tips: • To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click the New Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale". • If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.

You can also place a series of stations using a Atoll template. You do this by defining an area on the map where you want to place the stations. Atoll calculates the placement of each station according to the defined hexagonal subcell radius in the station template. For information on defining the subcell radius, see "Creating or Modifying a Station Template".

To place a series of stations within a defined area:

1. In the Radio toolbar, select a template from the list.

2. Click the Hexagonal Design button (), to the left of the template list. A hexagonal design is a group of stations created from the same station template.

Note: If the Hexagonal Design button is not available (), the hexagonal subcell radius for this template is not defined. For information on defining the cell radius, see "Creating or Modifying a Station Template".

3. Draw a zone delimiting the area where you want to place the series of stations:

a. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone.

b. Click once on the map to define each point where the border of the zone changes direction.

c. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone.

Atoll fills the delimited zone with new stations and their hexagonal shapes. Station objects such as sites and transmitters are also created and placed into their respective folders.

You can work with the sites and transmitters in these stations as you work with any station object, adding, for example, another antenna to a transmitter.

Placing a Station on an Existing Site

When you place a new station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template", the site is created at the same time as the station. However, you can also place a new station on an existing site.

To place a station on an existing site:

1. On the Data tab, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder.

2. In the Radio toolbar, select a template from the list.

3. Click the New Station button () in the Radio toolbar.

4. Move the pointer to the site on the map. When the frame appears around the site, indicating it is selected, click to place the station.