Pathloss 5 - Changes in interface from Pathloss 4.0

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The Summary module was the opening screen in Pathloss 4. This screen allowed a limited data entry resulting in a receive signal level calculation. The user would switch between the various design modules, using the module menu selection. If the network module was selected, an existing link would be geographically displayed.

The Pathloss 5 program consists of two separate applications.

PL50

The PL50 display is an enhanced version of the Pathloss 4 network module and supports version 4 gr4 files. As in version 4, the Site List is the data entry point for sites and links using any of the following data entry methods :

  • manual data entry (site names - latitudes - longitudes ...)
  • import existing pl4 or pl5 data files
  • import site text files (csv files)
  • import link text files (csv files)
  • import sites or links from the MDB

Access to the individual link design sections (terrain data, antenna heights, transmission analysis, diffraction loss, reflection and multipath) by clicking on a link is identical in version 4 and 5. The network display is used for the following operations:

  • local studies (the version 4 terminology is area coverage)
  • interference analysis
  • batch operations
  • area studies (version 5 only)
  • automatic point to point to link design (version 5 only)
  • automatic point to multipoint link design (version 5 only)

PL50L

This is a stand alone link design program which is limited to the design of a single point to point link. The intent is to provide direct access to the individual pl4 - pl5 link design files when these files are not part of the network display.

The PL50L application can be invoked from a desktop icon or from the tool bar in the PL50 application. The opening screen is the transmission analysis section (the worksheet in version 4). The summary module is not used in version 5. The relevant data entries are available by clicking on the site name box located on the status bar in any of the design sections.

Note that the link design sections (terrain data, antenna heights, transmission analysis, diffraction loss, reflection and multipath) are identical in the PL50 and PL50L applications. In Version 5 the Worksheet modules are combined as Transmission Analysis. As well, the Reflections and Multipath were combined in Pathloss 5. There is no longer a Summary module in version 5.

Each design section has undergone major enhancements. In particular, the Design link feature in the transmission analysis section, will design a link with a single click.

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