X-Git-Url: https://git.gag.com/?p=debian%2Fsplat;a=blobdiff_plain;f=docs%2Fenglish%2Ftext%2Fsplat.txt;fp=docs%2Fenglish%2Ftext%2Fsplat.txt;h=6635368c6a7cbf451c7b5e0b300a7ce4d86d0e11;hp=43f3653247122586d0bc6576f00053d9a00ebf09;hb=18b0073296be2b71aa95c3c2441f717279d09eab;hpb=dcc481697c227c3b265d1e68a8a82910c818332c diff --git a/docs/english/text/splat.txt b/docs/english/text/splat.txt index 43f3653..6635368 100644 --- a/docs/english/text/splat.txt +++ b/docs/english/text/splat.txt @@ -1,262 +1,195 @@ -SPLAT!(1) KD2BD Software SPLAT!(1) +SPLAT!(1) KD2BD Software SPLAT!(1) NAME - splat - An RF Signal Propagation, Loss, And Terrain analy- - sis tool + splat An RF Signal Propagation, Loss, And Terrain analysis tool SYNOPSIS - splat [-t transmitter_site.qth] [-r receiver_site.qth] - [-c rx antenna height for LOS coverage analysis - (feet/meters) (float)] [-L rx antenna height for Longley- - Rice coverage analysis (feet/meters) (float)] [-p ter- - rain_profile.ext] [-e elevation_profile.ext] [-h - height_profile.ext] [-H normalized_height_profile.ext] [-l - Longley-Rice_profile.ext] [-o topographic_map_file- - name.ppm] [-b cartographic_boundary_filename.dat] [-s - site/city_database.dat] [-d sdf_directory_path] [-m earth - radius multiplier (float)] [-f frequency (MHz) for Fresnel - zone calculations (float)] [-R maximum coverage radius - (miles/kilometers) (float)] [-dB maximum attenuation con- - tour to display on path loss maps (80-230 dB)] [-fz Fres- - nel zone clearance percentage (default = 60)] [-plo - path_loss_output_file.txt] [-pli path_loss_input_file.txt] - [-udt user_defined_terrain_file.dat] [-n] [-N] [-nf] - [-ngs] [-geo] [-kml] [-metric] + splat [-t transmitter_site.qth] [-r receiver_site.qth] [-c rx antenna + height for LOS coverage analysis (feet/meters) (float)] [-L rx antenna + height for Longley-Rice coverage analysis (feet/meters) (float)] [-p + terrain_profile.ext] [-e elevation_profile.ext] [-h height_profile.ext] + [-H normalized_height_profile.ext] [-l Longley-Rice_profile.ext] [-o + topographic_map_filename.ppm] [-b cartographic_boundary_filename.dat] + [-s site/city_database.dat] [-d sdf_directory_path] [-m earth radius + multiplier (float)] [-f frequency (MHz) for Fresnel zone calculations + (float)] [-R maximum coverage radius (miles/kilometers) (float)] [-dB + threshold beyond which contours will not be displayed] [-gc ground + clutter height (feet/meters) (float)] [-fz Fresnel zone clearance per- + centage (default = 60)] [-ano alphanumeric output file name] [-ani + alphanumeric input file name] [-udt user_defined_terrain_file.dat] [-n] + [-N] [-nf] [-dbm] [-ngs] [-geo] [-kml] [-gpsav] [-metric] DESCRIPTION - SPLAT! is a powerful terrestrial RF propagation and ter- - rain analysis tool for the spectrum between 20 MHz and 20 - GHz. SPLAT! is free software, and is designed for opera- - tion on Unix and Linux-based workstations. Redistribution - and/or modification is permitted under the terms of the - GNU General Public License, Version 2, as published by the - Free Software Foundation. Adoption of SPLAT! source code - in proprietary or closed-source applications is a viola- - tion of this license and is strictly forbidden. - - SPLAT! is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, - but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied war- - ranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PUR- - POSE. See the GNU General Public License for more - details. + SPLAT! is a powerful terrestrial RF propagation and terrain analysis + tool for the spectrum between 20 MHz and 20 GHz. SPLAT! is free soft- + ware, and is designed for operation on Unix and Linux-based worksta- + tions. Redistribution and/or modification is permitted under the terms + of the GNU General Public License, Version 2, as published by the Free + Software Foundation. Adoption of SPLAT! source code in proprietary or + closed-source applications is a violation of this license and is + strictly forbidden. + + SPLAT! is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT + ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or + FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License + for more details. INTRODUCTION - Applications of SPLAT! include the visualization, design, - and link budget analysis of wireless Wide Area Networks - (WANs), commercial and amateur radio communication systems - above 20 MHz, microwave links, frequency coordination and - interference studies, and the prediction of analog and - digital terrestrial radio and television contour regions. - - SPLAT! provides RF site engineering data such as great - circle distances and bearings between sites, antenna ele- - vation angles (uptilt), depression angles (downtilt), - antenna height above mean sea level, antenna height above - average terrain, bearings, distances, and elevations to - known obstructions, Longley-Rice path attenuation, and - received signal strength. In addition, the minimum - antenna height requirements needed to clear terrain, the - first Fresnel zone, and any user-definable percentage of - the first Fresnel zone are also provided. - - SPLAT! produces reports, graphs, and high resolution topo- - graphic maps that depict line-of-sight paths, and regional - path loss and signal strength contours through which - expected coverage areas of transmitters and repeater sys- - tems can be obtained. When performing line-of-sight and - Longley-Rice analyses in situations where multiple trans- - mitter or repeater sites are employed, SPLAT! determines - individual and mutual areas of coverage within the network - specified. - - Simply typing splat on the command line will return a sum- - mary of SPLAT!'s command line options: - - - --==[ SPLAT! v1.2.1 Available Options... - ]==-- - - -t txsite(s).qth (max of 4 with -c, max of 30 with - -L) - -r rxsite.qth - -c plot coverage of TX(s) with an RX antenna at X - feet/meters AGL - -L plot path loss map of TX based on an RX at X - feet/meters AGL - -s filename(s) of city/site file(s) to import (5 max) - -b filename(s) of cartographic boundary file(s) to - import (5 max) - -p filename of terrain profile graph to plot - -e filename of terrain elevation graph to plot - -h filename of terrain height graph to plot - -H filename of normalized terrain height graph to - plot - -l filename of Longley-Rice graph to plot - -o filename of topographic map to generate (.ppm) - -u filename of user-defined terrain file to import - -d sdf file directory path (overrides path in - ~/.splat_path file) - -m earth radius multiplier - -n do not plot LOS paths in .ppm maps - -N do not produce unnecessary site or obstruction - reports - -f frequency for Fresnel zone calculation (MHz) - -R modify default range for -c or -L (miles/kilome- - ters) - -db maximum loss contour to display on path loss maps - (80-230 dB) - -nf do not plot Fresnel zones in height plots - -fz Fresnel zone clearance percentage (default = 60) - -ngs display greyscale topography as white in .ppm - files - -erp override ERP in .lrp file (Watts) - -pli filename of path-loss input file - -plo filename of path-loss output file - -udt filename of user defined terrain input file - -kml generate Google Earth (.kml) compatible output - -geo generate an Xastir .geo georeference file (with - .ppm output) -metric employ metric rather than imperial - units for all user I/O - + Applications of SPLAT! include the visualization, design, and link bud- + get analysis of wireless Wide Area Networks (WANs), commercial and ama- + teur radio communication systems above 20 MHz, microwave links, fre- + quency coordination and interference studies, and the prediction of + analog and digital terrestrial radio and television contour regions. + + SPLAT! provides RF site engineering data such as great circle distances + and bearings between sites, antenna elevation angles (uptilt), depres- + sion angles (downtilt), antenna height above mean sea level, antenna + height above average terrain, bearings, distances, and elevations to + known obstructions, Longley-Rice path attenuation, and received signal + strength. In addition, the minimum antenna height requirements needed + to clear terrain, the first Fresnel zone, and any user-definable per- + centage of the first Fresnel zone are also provided. + + SPLAT! produces reports, graphs, and high resolution topographic maps + that depict line-of-sight paths, and regional path loss and signal + strength contours through which expected coverage areas of transmitters + and repeater systems can be obtained. When performing line-of-sight + and Longley-Rice analyses in situations where multiple transmitter or + repeater sites are employed, SPLAT! determines individual and mutual + areas of coverage within the network specified. INPUT FILES - SPLAT! is a command-line driven application and reads - input data through a number of data files. Some files are - mandatory for successful execution of the program, while - others are optional. Mandatory files include 3-arc second - topography models in the form of SPLAT Data Files (SDF - files), site location files (QTH files), and Longley-Rice - model parameter files (LRP files). Optional files include - city location files, cartographic boundary files, user- - defined terrain files, path-loss input files, antenna - radiation pattern files, and color definition files. + SPLAT! is a command-line driven application and reads input data + through a number of data files. Some files are mandatory for success- + ful execution of the program, while others are optional. Mandatory + files include digital elevation topography models in the form of SPLAT + Data Files (SDF files), site location files (QTH files), and Longley- + Rice model parameter files (LRP files). Optional files include city + location files, cartographic boundary files, user-defined terrain + files, path loss input files, antenna radiation pattern files, and + color definition files. SPLAT DATA FILES - SPLAT! imports topographic data in the form of SPLAT Data - Files (SDFs). These files may be generated from a number - of information sources. In the United States, SPLAT Data - Files can be generated through U.S. Geological Survey - Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) using the usgs2sdf utility - included with SPLAT!. USGS Digital Elevation Models com- - patible with this utility may be downloaded from: + SPLAT! imports topographic data in the form of SPLAT Data Files (SDFs). + These files may be generated from a number of information sources. In + the United States, SPLAT Data Files can be generated through U.S. Geo- + logical Survey Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) using the postdownload + and usgs2sdf utilities included with SPLAT!. USGS Digital Elevation + Models compatible with these utilities may be downloaded from: http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/DEM/250/. - Significantly better resolution and accuracy can be - obtained through the use of SRTM-3 Version 2 digital ele- - vation models. These models are the product of the STS-99 - Space Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, and are available - for most populated regions of the Earth. SPLAT Data Files - may be generated from SRTM data using the included - srtm2sdf utility. SRTM-3 Version 2 data may be obtained - through anonymous FTP from: - ftp://e0srp01u.ecs.nasa.gov:21/srtm/version2/ - - The strm2sdf utility may also be used to convert 3-arc - second SRTM data in Band Interleaved by Line (.BIL) format - for use with SPLAT!. This data is available via the web - at: http://seamless.usgs.gov/website/seamless/ - - Band Interleaved by Line data must be downloaded in a very - specific manner to be compatible with srtm2sdf and SPLAT!. - Please consult srtm2sdf's documentation for instructions - on downloading .BIL topographic data through the USGS's - Seamless Web Site. - - Despite the higher accuracy that SRTM data has to offer, - some voids in the data sets exist. When voids are - detected, the srtm2sdf utility replaces them with corre- - sponding data found in existing SDF files (that were pre- - sumably created from earlier USGS data through the - usgs2sdf utility). If USGS-derived SDF data is not avail- - able, voids are handled through adjacent pixel averaging, - or direct replacement. - - SPLAT Data Files contain integer value topographic eleva- - tions (in meters) referenced to mean sea level for - 1-degree by 1-degree regions of the earth with a resolu- - tion of 3-arc seconds. SDF files can be read in either - standard format (.sdf) as generated by the usgs2sdf and - srtm2sdf utilities, or in bzip2 compressed format - (.sdf.bz2). Since uncompressed files can be read slightly - faster than files that have been compressed, SPLAT! - searches for needed SDF data in uncompressed format first. - If uncompressed data cannot be located, SPLAT! then - searches for data in bzip2 compressed format. If no com- - pressed SDF files can be found for the region requested, - SPLAT! assumes the region is over water, and will assign - an elevation of sea-level to these areas. - - This feature of SPLAT! makes it possible to perform path - analysis not only over land, but also between coastal - areas not represented by Digital Elevation Model data. - However, this behavior of SPLAT! underscores the impor- - tance of having all the SDF files required for the region - being analyzed if meaningful results are to be expected. + Significantly better resolution and accuracy can be obtained through + the use of SRTM Version 2 digital elevation models, especially when + supplemented by USGS-derived SDF data. These one-degree by one-degree + models are the product of the Space Shuttle STS-99 Radar Topography + Mission, and are available for most populated regions of the Earth. + SPLAT Data Files may be generated from 3 arc-second SRTM-3 data using + the included srtm2sdf utility. SRTM-3 Version 2 data may be obtained + through anonymous FTP from: ftp://e0srp01u.ecs.nasa.gov:21/srtm/ver- + sion2/SRTM3/ + + Note that SRTM filenames refer to the latitude and longitude of the + southwest corner of the topographic dataset contained within the file. + Therefore, the region of interest must lie north and east of the lati- + tude and longitude provided in the SRTM filename. + + The srtm2sdf utility may also be used to convert 3-arc second SRTM data + in Band Interleaved by Line (.BIL) format for use with SPLAT!. This + data is available via the web at: http://seamless.usgs.gov/web- + site/seamless/ + + Band Interleaved by Line data must be downloaded in a very specific + manner to be compatible with srtm2sdf and SPLAT!. Please consult + srtm2sdf's documentation for instructions on downloading .BIL topo- + graphic data through the USGS's Seamless Web Site. + + Even greater resolution and accuracy can be obtained by using 1 arc- + second SRTM-1 Version 2 topography data. This data is available for + the United States and its territories and possessions, and may be down- + loaded from: ftp://e0srp01u.ecs.nasa.gov:21/srtm/version2/SRTM1/ + + High resolution SDF files for use with SPLAT! HD may be generated from + data in this format using the srtm2sdf-hd utility. + + Despite the higher accuracy that SRTM data has to offer, some voids in + the data sets exist. When voids are detected, the srtm2sdf and + srtm2sdf-hd utilities replace them with corresponding data found in + usgs2sdf generated SDF files. If USGS-derived SDF data is not avail- + able, voids are handled through adjacent pixel averaging, or direct + replacement. + + SPLAT Data Files contain integer value topographic elevations in meters + referenced to mean sea level for 1-degree by 1-degree regions of the + Earth. SDF files can be read by SPLAT! in either standard format + (.sdf) as generated directly by the usgs2sdf, srtm2sdf, and srtm2sdf-hd + utilities, or in bzip2 compressed format (.sdf.bz2). Since uncom- + pressed files can be read slightly faster than files that have been + compressed, SPLAT! searches for needed SDF data in uncompressed format + first. If uncompressed data cannot be located, SPLAT! then searches + for data in bzip2 compressed format. If no compressed SDF files can be + found for the region requested, SPLAT! assumes the region is over + water, and will assign an elevation of sea-level to these areas. + + This feature of SPLAT! makes it possible to perform path analysis not + only over land, but also between coastal areas not represented by Digi- + tal Elevation Model data. However, this behavior of SPLAT! under- + scores the importance of having all the SDF files required for the + region being analyzed if meaningful results are to be expected. SITE LOCATION (QTH) FILES - SPLAT! imports site location information of transmitter - and receiver sites analyzed by the program from ASCII - files having a .qth extension. QTH files contain the - site's name, the site's latitude (positive if North of the - equator, negative if South), the site's longitude (in - degrees West, 0 to 360 degrees, or degrees East 0 to -360 - degrees), and the site's antenna height above ground level - (AGL), each separated by a single line-feed character. - The antenna height is assumed to be specified in feet - unless followed by the letter m or the word meters in - either upper or lower case. Latitude and longitude infor- - mation may be expressed in either decimal format (74.6864) - or degree, minute, second (DMS) format (74 41 11.0). - - For example, a site location file describing television - station WNJT-DT, Trenton, NJ (wnjt-dt.qth) might read as - follows: + SPLAT! imports site location information of transmitter and receiver + sites analyzed by the program from ASCII files having a .qth extension. + QTH files contain the site's name, the site's latitude (positive if + North of the equator, negative if South), the site's longitude (in + degrees West, 0 to 360 degrees, or degrees East 0 to -360 degrees), and + the site's antenna height above ground level (AGL), each separated by a + single line-feed character. The antenna height is assumed to be speci- + fied in feet unless followed by the letter m or the word meters in + either upper or lower case. Latitude and longitude information may be + expressed in either decimal format (74.6864) or degree, minute, second + (DMS) format (74 41 11.0). + + For example, a site location file describing television station WNJT- + DT, Trenton, NJ (wnjt-dt.qth) might read as follows: WNJT-DT 40.2828 74.6864 990.00 - Each transmitter and receiver site analyzed by SPLAT! must - be represented by its own site location (QTH) file. + Each transmitter and receiver site analyzed by SPLAT! must be repre- + sented by its own site location (QTH) file. LONGLEY-RICE PARAMETER (LRP) FILES - Longley-Rice parameter data files are required for SPLAT! - to determine RF path loss in either point-to-point or area - prediction mode. Longley-Rice model parameter data is - read from files having the same base name as the transmit- - ter site QTH file, but with a format (wnjt-dt.lrp): - - 15.000 ; Earth Dielectric Constant (Relative per- - mittivity) + Longley-Rice parameter data files are required for SPLAT! to determine + RF path loss, field strength, or received signal power level in either + point-to-point or area prediction mode. Longley-Rice model parameter + data is read from files having the same base name as the transmitter + site QTH file, but with a .lrp extension. SPLAT! LRP files share the + following format (wnjt-dt.lrp): + + 15.000 ; Earth Dielectric Constant (Relative permittivity) 0.005 ; Earth Conductivity (Siemens per meter) 301.000 ; Atmospheric Bending Constant (N-units) 647.000 ; Frequency in MHz (20 MHz to 20 GHz) - 5 ; Radio Climate (5 = Continental Temper- - ate) - 0 ; Polarization (0 = Horizontal, 1 = Verti- - cal) - 0.50 ; Fraction of situations (50% of loca- - tions) + 5 ; Radio Climate (5 = Continental Temperate) + 0 ; Polarization (0 = Horizontal, 1 = Vertical) + 0.50 ; Fraction of situations (50% of locations) 0.90 ; Fraction of time (90% of the time) 46000.0 ; ERP in Watts (optional) - If an LRP file corresponding to the tx_site QTH file can- - not be found, SPLAT! scans the current working directory - for the file "splat.lrp". If this file cannot be found, - then default parameters will be assigned by SPLAT! and a - corresponding "splat.lrp" file containing these default - parameters will be written to the current working direc- - tory. The generated "splat.lrp" file can then be edited - by the user as needed. + If an LRP file corresponding to the tx_site QTH file cannot be found, + SPLAT! scans the current working directory for the file "splat.lrp". + If this file cannot be found, then default parameters will be assigned + by SPLAT! and a corresponding "splat.lrp" file containing these default + parameters will be written to the current working directory. The gen- + erated "splat.lrp" file can then be edited by the user as needed. - Typical Earth dielectric constants and conductivity values - are as follows: - - Dielectric Constant Conductiv- - ity + Typical Earth dielectric constants and conductivity values are as fol- + lows: + Dielectric Constant Conductivity Salt water : 80 5.000 Good ground : 25 0.020 Fresh water : 80 0.010 @@ -274,53 +207,48 @@ LONGLEY-RICE PARAMETER (LRP) FILES 3: Maritime Subtropical (West coast of Africa) 4: Desert (Sahara) 5: Continental Temperate - 6: Maritime Temperate, over land (UK and west - coasts of US & EU) + 6: Maritime Temperate, over land (UK and west coasts of US & + EU) 7: Maritime Temperate, over sea - The Continental Temperate climate is common to large land - masses in the temperate zone, such as the United States. - For paths shorter than 100 km, there is little difference - between Continental and Maritime Temperate climates. - - The seventh and eighth parameters in the .lrp file corre- - spond to the statistical analysis provided by the Longley- - Rice model. In this example, SPLAT! will return the maxi- - mum path loss occurring 50% of the time (fraction of time) - in 90% of situations (fraction of situations). This is - often denoted as F(50,90) in Longley-Rice studies. In the - United States, an F(50,90) criteria is typically used for - digital television (8-level VSB modulation), while - F(50,50) is used for analog (VSB-AM+NTSC) broadcasts. - - For further information on these parameters, see: - http://flattop.its.bldrdoc.gov/itm.html and - http://www.softwright.com/faq/engineering/prop_long- - ley_rice.html - - The final parameter in the .lrp file corresponds to the - transmitter's effective radiated power, and is optional. - If it is included in the levels and field strength level - contours when performing Longley-Rice studies. If the - parameter is omitted, path loss is computed instead. The - ERP provided in the .lrp file can be overridden by using - SPLAT!'s -erp command-line switch. If the .lrp file con- - tains an ERP parameter and the generation of path-loss - rather than signal strength contours is desired, the ERP - can be assigned to zero using the -erp switch without hav- - ing to edit the .lrp file to accomplish the same result. + The Continental Temperate climate is common to large land masses in the + temperate zone, such as the United States. For paths shorter than 100 + km, there is little difference between Continental and Maritime Temper- + ate climates. + + The seventh and eighth parameters in the .lrp file correspond to the + statistical analysis provided by the Longley-Rice model. In this exam- + ple, SPLAT! will return the maximum path loss occurring 50% of the time + (fraction of time) in 90% of situations (fraction of situations). This + is often denoted as F(50,90) in Longley-Rice studies. In the United + States, an F(50,90) criteria is typically used for digital television + (8-level VSB modulation), while F(50,50) is used for analog (VSB- + AM+NTSC) broadcasts. + + For further information on these parameters, see: http://flat- + top.its.bldrdoc.gov/itm.html and http://www.softwright.com/faq/engi- + neering/prop_longley_rice.html + + The final parameter in the .lrp file corresponds to the transmitter's + effective radiated power, and is optional. If it is included in the + .lrp file, then SPLAT! will compute received signal strength levels and + field strength level contours when performing Longley-Rice studies. If + the parameter is omitted, path loss is computed instead. The ERP pro- + vided in the .lrp file can be overridden by using SPLAT!'s -erp com- + mand-line switch. If the .lrp file contains an ERP parameter and the + generation of path loss rather than field strength contours is desired, + the ERP can be assigned to zero using the -erp switch without having to + edit the .lrp file to accomplish the same result. CITY LOCATION FILES - The names and locations of cities, tower sites, or other - points of interest may be imported and plotted on topo- - graphic maps generated by SPLAT!. SPLAT! imports the - names of cities and locations from ASCII files containing - the location of interest's name, latitude, and longitude. - Each field is separated by a comma. Each record is sepa- - rated by a single line feed character. As was the case - with the .qth files, latitude and longitude information - may be entered in either decimal or degree, minute, second - (DMS) format. + The names and locations of cities, tower sites, or other points of + interest may be imported and plotted on topographic maps generated by + SPLAT!. SPLAT! imports the names of cities and locations from ASCII + files containing the location of interest's name, latitude, and longi- + tude. Each field is separated by a comma. Each record is separated by + a single line feed character. As was the case with the .qth files, + latitude and longitude information may be entered in either decimal or + degree, minute, second (DMS) format. For example (cities.dat): @@ -332,384 +260,379 @@ CITY LOCATION FILES Totowa, 40.906160, 74.223310 Trenton, 40.219922, 74.754665 - A total of five separate city data files may be imported - at a time, and there is no limit to the size of these - files. SPLAT! reads city data on a "first come/first - served" basis, and plots only those locations whose anno- - tations do not conflict with annotations of locations read - earlier in the current city data file, or in previous - files. This behavior minimizes clutter in SPLAT! gener- - ated topographic maps, but also mandates that important - locations be placed toward the beginning of the first city - data file, and locations less important be positioned fur- - ther down the list or in subsequent data files. - - City data files may be generated manually using any text - editor, imported from other sources, or derived from data - available from the U.S. Census Bureau using the cityde- - coder utility included with SPLAT!. Such data is avail- - able free of charge via the Internet at: http://www.cen- - sus.gov/geo/www/cob/bdy_files.html, and must be in ASCII + A total of five separate city data files may be imported at a time, and + there is no limit to the size of these files. SPLAT! reads city data + on a "first come/first served" basis, and plots only those locations + whose annotations do not conflict with annotations of locations read + earlier in the current city data file, or in previous files. This + behavior minimizes clutter in SPLAT! generated topographic maps, but + also mandates that important locations be placed toward the beginning + of the first city data file, and locations less important be positioned + further down the list or in subsequent data files. + + City data files may be generated manually using any text editor, + imported from other sources, or derived from data available from the + U.S. Census Bureau using the citydecoder utility included with SPLAT!. + Such data is available free of charge via the Internet at: + http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/bdy_files.html, and must be in ASCII format. CARTOGRAPHIC BOUNDARY DATA FILES - Cartographic boundary data may also be imported to plot - the boundaries of cities, counties, or states on topo- - graphic maps generated by SPLAT!. Such data must be of - the form of ARC/INFO Ungenerate (ASCII Format) Metadata - Cartographic Boundary Files, and are available from the - U.S. Census Bureau via the Internet at: http://www.cen- - sus.gov/geo/www/cob/co2000.html#ascii and http://www.cen- - sus.gov/geo/www/cob/pl2000.html#ascii. A total of five - separate cartographic boundary files may be imported at a - time. It is not necessary to import state boundaries if - county boundaries have already been imported. + Cartographic boundary data may also be imported to plot the boundaries + of cities, counties, or states on topographic maps generated by SPLAT!. + Such data must be of the form of ARC/INFO Ungenerate (ASCII Format) + Metadata Cartographic Boundary Files, and are available from the U.S. + Census Bureau via the Internet at: http://www.cen- + sus.gov/geo/www/cob/co2000.html#ascii and http://www.cen- + sus.gov/geo/www/cob/pl2000.html#ascii. A total of five separate carto- + graphic boundary files may be imported at a time. It is not necessary + to import state boundaries if county boundaries have already been + imported. PROGRAM OPERATION - SPLAT! is invoked via the command-line using a series of - switches and arguments. Since SPLAT! is a CPU and memory - intensive application, this type of interface minimizes - overhead and lends itself well to scripted (batch) opera- - tions. SPLAT!'s CPU and memory scheduling priority may be - modified through the use of the Unix nice command. - - The number and type of switches passed to SPLAT! determine - its mode of operation and method of output data genera- - tion. Nearly all of SPLAT!'s switches may be cascaded in - any order on the command line when invoking the program. - - SPLAT! operates in two distinct modes: point-to-point - mode, and area prediction mode. Either a line-of-sight - (LOS) or Longley-Rice Irregular Terrain (ITM) propagation - model may be invoked by the user. True Earth, four-thirds - Earth, or any other user-defined Earth radius may be spec- - ified when performing line-of-sight analysis. + SPLAT! is invoked via the command-line using a series of switches and + arguments. Since SPLAT! is a CPU and memory intensive application, + this type of interface minimizes overhead and lends itself well to + scripted (batch) operations. SPLAT!'s CPU and memory scheduling prior- + ity may be modified through the use of the Unix nice command. + + The number and type of switches passed to SPLAT! determine its mode of + operation and method of output data generation. Nearly all of SPLAT!'s + switches may be cascaded in any order on the command line when invoking + the program. + + Simply typing splat on the command line will return a summary of + SPLAT!'s command line options: + + --==[ SPLAT! v1.3.0 Available Options... ]==-- + + -t txsite(s).qth (max of 4 with -c, max of 30 with -L) + -r rxsite.qth + -c plot coverage of TX(s) with an RX antenna at X feet/meters AGL + -L plot path loss map of TX based on an RX at X feet/meters AGL + -s filename(s) of city/site file(s) to import (5 max) + -b filename(s) of cartographic boundary file(s) to import (5 max) + -p filename of terrain profile graph to plot + -e filename of terrain elevation graph to plot + -h filename of terrain height graph to plot + -H filename of normalized terrain height graph to plot + -l filename of path loss graph to plot + -o filename of topographic map to generate (.ppm) + -u filename of user-defined terrain file to import + -d sdf file directory path (overrides path in ~/.splat_path file) + -m earth radius multiplier + -n do not plot LOS paths in .ppm maps + -N do not produce unnecessary site or obstruction reports + -f frequency for Fresnel zone calculation (MHz) + -R modify default range for -c or -L (miles/kilometers) + -db threshold beyond which contours will not be displayed + -nf do not plot Fresnel zones in height plots + -fz Fresnel zone clearance percentage (default = 60) + -gc ground clutter height (feet/meters) + -ngs display greyscale topography as white in .ppm files + -erp override ERP in .lrp file (Watts) + -ano name of alphanumeric output file + -ani name of alphanumeric input file + -udt filename of user defined terrain input file + -kml generate Google Earth (.kml) compatible output + -geo generate an Xastir .geo georeference file (with .ppm output) + -dbm plot signal power level contours rather than field strength + -gpsav preserve gnuplot temporary working files after SPLAT! execution + -metric employ metric rather than imperial units for all user I/O + + The command-line options for splat and splat-hd are identical. + + SPLAT! operates in two distinct modes: point-to-point mode, and area + prediction mode. Either a line-of-sight (LOS) or Longley-Rice Irregu- + lar Terrain (ITM) propagation model may be invoked by the user. True + Earth, four-thirds Earth, or any other user-defined Earth radius may be + specified when performing line-of-sight analysis. POINT-TO-POINT ANALYSIS - SPLAT! may be used to perform line-of-sight terrain analy- - sis between two specified site locations. For example: + SPLAT! may be used to perform line-of-sight terrain analysis between + two specified site locations. For example: splat -t tx_site.qth -r rx_site.qth - invokes a line-of-sight terrain analysis between the - transmitter specified in tx_site.qth and receiver speci- - fied in rx_site.qth using a True Earth radius model, and - writes a SPLAT! Path Analysis Report to the current work- - ing directory. The report contains details of the trans- - mitter and receiver sites, and identifies the location of - any obstructions detected along the line-of-sight path. - If an obstruction can be cleared by raising the receive - antenna to a greater altitude, SPLAT! will indicate the - minimum antenna height required for a line-of-sight path - to exist between the transmitter and receiver locations - specified. Note that imperial units (miles, feet) are - specified unless the -metric switch is added to SPLAT!'s - command line options: + invokes a line-of-sight terrain analysis between the transmitter speci- + fied in tx_site.qth and receiver specified in rx_site.qth using a True + Earth radius model, and writes a SPLAT! Path Analysis Report to the + current working directory. The report contains details of the trans- + mitter and receiver sites, and identifies the location of any obstruc- + tions detected along the line-of-sight path. If an obstruction can be + cleared by raising the receive antenna to a greater altitude, SPLAT! + will indicate the minimum antenna height required for a line-of-sight + path to exist between the transmitter and receiver locations specified. + Note that imperial units (miles, feet) are specified unless the -metric + switch is added to SPLAT!'s command line options: splat -t tx_site.qth -r rx_site.qth -metric - If the antenna must be raised a significant amount, this - determination may take a few moments. Note that the - results provided are the minimum necessary for a line-of- - sight path to exist, and in the case of this simple exam- - ple, do not take Fresnel zone clearance requirements into + If the antenna must be raised a significant amount, this determination + may take a few moments. Note that the results provided are the minimum + necessary for a line-of-sight path to exist, and in the case of this + simple example, do not take Fresnel zone clearance requirements into consideration. - qth extensions are assumed by SPLAT! for QTH files, and - are optional when specifying -t and -r arguments on the - command-line. SPLAT! automatically reads all SPLAT Data - Files necessary to conduct the terrain analysis between - the sites specified. SPLAT! searches for the required - SDF files in the current working directory first. If the - needed files are not found, SPLAT! then searches in the - path specified by the -d command-line switch: + qth extensions are assumed by SPLAT! for QTH files, and are optional + when specifying -t and -r arguments on the command-line. SPLAT! auto- + matically reads all SPLAT Data Files necessary to conduct the terrain + analysis between the sites specified. SPLAT! searches for the + required SDF files in the current working directory first. If the + needed files are not found, SPLAT! then searches in the path specified + by the -d command-line switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -d /cdrom/sdf/ - An external directory path may be specified by placing a - ".splat_path" file under the user's home directory. This - file must contain the full directory path of last resort - to all the SDF files. The path in the $HOME/.splat_path - file must be of the form of a single line of ASCII text: + An external directory path may be specified by placing a ".splat_path" + file under the user's home directory. This file must contain the full + directory path of last resort to all the SDF files. The path in the + $HOME/.splat_path file must be of the form of a single line of ASCII + text: /opt/splat/sdf/ and can be generated using any text editor. - A graph of the terrain profile between the receiver and - transmitter locations as a function of distance from the - receiver can be generated by adding the -p switch: + A graph of the terrain profile between the receiver and transmitter + locations as a function of distance from the receiver can be generated + by adding the -p switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -p terrain_profile.png - SPLAT! invokes gnuplot when generating graphs. The file- - name extension specified to SPLAT! determines the format - of the graph produced. .png will produce a 640x480 color - PNG graphic file, while .ps or .postscript will produce - postscript output. Output in formats such as GIF, Adobe - Illustrator, AutoCAD dxf, LaTeX, and many others are - available. Please consult gnuplot, and gnuplot's documen- - tation for details on all the supported output formats. + SPLAT! invokes gnuplot when generating graphs. The filename extension + specified to SPLAT! determines the format of the graph produced. .png + will produce a 640x480 color PNG graphic file, while .ps or .postscript + will produce postscript output. Output in formats such as GIF, Adobe + Illustrator, AutoCAD dxf, LaTeX, and many others are available. Please + consult gnuplot, and gnuplot's documentation for details on all the + supported output formats. - A graph of elevations subtended by the terrain between the - receiver and transmitter as a function of distance from - the receiver can be generated by using the -e switch: + A graph of elevations subtended by the terrain between the receiver and + transmitter as a function of distance from the receiver can be gener- + ated by using the -e switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -e elevation_profile.png - The graph produced using this switch illustrates the ele- - vation and depression angles resulting from the terrain - between the receiver's location and the transmitter site - from the perspective of the receiver's location. A second - trace is plotted between the left side of the graph - (receiver's location) and the location of the transmitting - antenna on the right. This trace illustrates the eleva- - tion angle required for a line-of-sight path to exist - between the receiver and transmitter locations. If the - trace intersects the elevation profile at any point on the - graph, then this is an indication that a line-of-sight - path does not exist under the conditions given, and the - obstructions can be clearly identified on the graph at the - point(s) of intersection. - - A graph illustrating terrain height referenced to a line- - of-sight path between the transmitter and receiver may be - generated using the -h switch: + The graph produced using this switch illustrates the elevation and + depression angles resulting from the terrain between the receiver's + location and the transmitter site from the perspective of the + receiver's location. A second trace is plotted between the left side + of the graph (receiver's location) and the location of the transmitting + antenna on the right. This trace illustrates the elevation angle + required for a line-of-sight path to exist between the receiver and + transmitter locations. If the trace intersects the elevation profile + at any point on the graph, then this is an indication that a line-of- + sight path does not exist under the conditions given, and the obstruc- + tions can be clearly identified on the graph at the point(s) of inter- + section. + + A graph illustrating terrain height referenced to a line-of-sight path + between the transmitter and receiver may be generated using the -h + switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -h height_profile.png - A terrain height plot normalized to the transmitter and - receiver antenna heights can be obtained using the -H - switch: + A terrain height plot normalized to the transmitter and receiver + antenna heights can be obtained using the -H switch: - splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -H normalized_height_pro- - file.png + splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -H normalized_height_profile.png - A contour of the Earth's curvature is also plotted in this - mode. + A contour of the Earth's curvature is also plotted in this mode. - The first Fresnel Zone, and 60% of the first Fresnel Zone - can be added to height profile graphs by adding the -f - switch, and specifying a frequency (in MHz) at which the - Fresnel Zone should be modeled: + The first Fresnel Zone, and 60% of the first Fresnel Zone can be added + to height profile graphs by adding the -f switch, and specifying a fre- + quency (in MHz) at which the Fresnel Zone should be modeled: - splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -f 439.250 -H normal- - ized_height_profile.png + splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -f 439.250 -H normalized_height_profile.png - Fresnel Zone clearances other 60% can be specified using - the -fz switch as follows: + Fresnel Zone clearances other 60% can be specified using the -fz switch + as follows: - splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -f 439.250 -fz 75 -H - height_profile2.png + splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -f 439.250 -fz 75 -H height_profile2.png - A graph showing Longley-Rice path loss may be plotted - using the -l switch: + A graph showing Longley-Rice path loss may be plotted using the -l + switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -l path_loss_profile.png - As before, adding the -metric switch forces the graphs to - be plotted using metric units of measure. - - When performing a point-to-point analysis, a SPLAT! Path - Analysis Report is generated in the form of a text file - with a .txt filename extension. The report contains bear- - ings and distances between the transmitter and receiver, - as well as the free-space and Longley-Rice path loss for - the path being analyzed. The mode of propagation for the - path is given as Line-of-Sight, Single Horizon, Double - Horizon, Diffraction Dominant, or Troposcatter Dominant. - - Distances and locations to known obstructions along the - path between transmitter and receiver are also provided. - If the transmitter's effective radiated power is specified - in the transmitter's corresponding .lrp file, then pre- - dicted signal strength and antenna voltage at the receiv- - ing location is also provided in the Path Analysis Report. - - To determine the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio at remote - location where random Johnson (thermal) noise is the pri- - mary limiting factor in reception: + As before, adding the -metric switch forces the graphs to be plotted + using metric units of measure. The -gpsav switch instructs SPLAT! to + preserve (rather than delete) the gnuplot working files generated dur- + ing SPLAT! execution, allowing the user to edit these files and re-run + gnuplot if desired. + + When performing a point-to-point analysis, a SPLAT! Path Analysis + Report is generated in the form of a text file with a .txt filename + extension. The report contains bearings and distances between the + transmitter and receiver, as well as the free-space and Longley-Rice + path loss for the path being analyzed. The mode of propagation for the + path is given as Line-of-Sight, Single Horizon, Double Horizon, + Diffraction Dominant, or Troposcatter Dominant. + + Distances and locations to known obstructions along the path between + transmitter and receiver are also provided. If the transmitter's + effective radiated power is specified in the transmitter's correspond- + ing .lrp file, then predicted signal strength and antenna voltage at + the receiving location is also provided in the Path Analysis Report. + + To determine the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio at remote location where + random Johnson (thermal) noise is the primary limiting factor in recep- + tion: SNR=T-NJ-L+G-NF - where T is the ERP of the transmitter in dBW in the direc- - tion of the receiver, NJ is Johnson Noise in dBW (-136 dBW - for a 6 MHz television channel), L is the path loss pro- - vided by SPLAT! in dB (as a positive number), G is the - receive antenna gain in dB over isotropic, and NF is the - receiver noise figure in dB. + where T is the ERP of the transmitter in dBW in the direction of the + receiver, NJ is Johnson Noise in dBW (-136 dBW for a 6 MHz television + channel), L is the path loss provided by SPLAT! in dB (as a positive + number), G is the receive antenna gain in dB over isotropic, and NF is + the receiver noise figure in dB. T may be computed as follows: T=TI+GT - where TI is actual amount of RF power delivered to the - transmitting antenna in dBW, GT is the transmitting - antenna gain (over isotropic) in the direction of the - receiver (or the horizon if the receiver is over the hori- - zon). + where TI is actual amount of RF power delivered to the transmitting + antenna in dBW, GT is the transmitting antenna gain (over isotropic) in + the direction of the receiver (or the horizon if the receiver is over + the horizon). - To compute how much more signal is available over the min- - imum to necessary to achieve a specific signal-to-noise - ratio: + To compute how much more signal is available over the minimum to neces- + sary to achieve a specific signal-to-noise ratio: Signal_Margin=SNR-S - where S is the minimum required SNR ratio (15.5 dB for - ATSC (8-level VSB) DTV, 42 dB for analog NTSC television). + where S is the minimum required SNR ratio (15.5 dB for ATSC (8-level + VSB) DTV, 42 dB for analog NTSC television). - A topographic map may be generated by SPLAT! to visualize - the path between the transmitter and receiver sites from - yet another perspective. Topographic maps generated by - SPLAT! display elevations using a logarithmic grayscale, - with higher elevations represented through brighter shades - of gray. The dynamic range of the image is scaled between - the highest and lowest elevations present in the map. The - only exception to this is sea-level, which is represented - using the color blue. + A topographic map may be generated by SPLAT! to visualize the path + between the transmitter and receiver sites from yet another perspec- + tive. Topographic maps generated by SPLAT! display elevations using a + logarithmic grayscale, with higher elevations represented through + brighter shades of gray. The dynamic range of the image is scaled + between the highest and lowest elevations present in the map. The only + exception to this is sea-level, which is represented using the color + blue. Topographic output is invoked using the -o switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -o topo_map.ppm - The .ppm extension on the output filename is assumed by - SPLAT!, and is optional. + The .ppm extension on the output filename is assumed by SPLAT!, and is + optional. - In this example, topo_map.ppm will illustrate the loca- - tions of the transmitter and receiver sites specified. In - addition, the great circle path between the two sites will - be drawn over locations for which an unobstructed path - exists to the transmitter at a receiving antenna height - equal to that of the receiver site (specified in - rx_site.qth). + In this example, topo_map.ppm will illustrate the locations of the + transmitter and receiver sites specified. In addition, the great cir- + cle path between the two sites will be drawn over locations for which + an unobstructed path exists to the transmitter at a receiving antenna + height equal to that of the receiver site (specified in rx_site.qth). - It may desirable to populate the topographic map with - names and locations of cities, tower sites, or other - important locations. A city file may be passed to SPLAT! - using the -s switch: + It may desirable to populate the topographic map with names and loca- + tions of cities, tower sites, or other important locations. A city + file may be passed to SPLAT! using the -s switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -s cities.dat -o topo_map - Up to five separate city files may be passed to SPLAT! at - a time following the -s switch. + Up to five separate city files may be passed to SPLAT! at a time fol- + lowing the -s switch. - County and state boundaries may be added to the map by - specifying up to five U.S. Census Bureau cartographic - boundary files using the -b switch: + County and state boundaries may be added to the map by specifying up to + five U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files using the -b + switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -b co34_d00.dat -o topo_map - In situations where multiple transmitter sites are in use, - as many as four site locations may be passed to SPLAT! at - a time for analysis: - - splat -t tx_site1 tx_site2 tx_site3 tx_site4 -r rx_site -p - profile.png - - In this example, four separate terrain profiles and - obstruction reports will be generated by SPLAT!. A single - topographic map can be specified using the -o switch, and - line-of-sight paths between each transmitter and the - receiver site indicated will be produced on the map, each - in its own color. The path between the first transmitter - specified to the receiver will be in green, the path - between the second transmitter and the receiver will be in - cyan, the path between the third transmitter and the - receiver will be in violet, and the path between the - fourth transmitter and the receiver will be in sienna. - - SPLAT! generated topographic maps are 24-bit TrueColor - Portable PixMap (PPM) images. They may be viewed, edited, - or converted to other graphic formats by popular image - viewing applications such as xv, The GIMP, ImageMagick, - and XPaint. PNG format is highly recommended for lossless - compressed storage of SPLAT! generated topographic output - files. ImageMagick's command-line utility easily converts - SPLAT!'s PPM files to PNG format: + In situations where multiple transmitter sites are in use, as many as + four site locations may be passed to SPLAT! at a time for analysis: + + splat -t tx_site1 tx_site2 tx_site3 tx_site4 -r rx_site -p profile.png + + In this example, four separate terrain profiles and obstruction reports + will be generated by SPLAT!. A single topographic map can be specified + using the -o switch, and line-of-sight paths between each transmitter + and the receiver site indicated will be produced on the map, each in + its own color. The path between the first transmitter specified to the + receiver will be in green, the path between the second transmitter and + the receiver will be in cyan, the path between the third transmitter + and the receiver will be in violet, and the path between the fourth + transmitter and the receiver will be in sienna. + + SPLAT! generated topographic maps are 24-bit TrueColor Portable PixMap + (PPM) images. They may be viewed, edited, or converted to other + graphic formats by popular image viewing applications such as xv, The + GIMP, ImageMagick, and XPaint. PNG format is highly recommended for + lossless compressed storage of SPLAT! generated topographic output + files. ImageMagick's command-line utility easily converts SPLAT!'s PPM + files to PNG format: convert splat_map.ppm splat_map.png - Another excellent PPM to PNG command-line utility is - available at: - http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/book/sources.html. As a - last resort, PPM files may be compressed using the bzip2 - utility, and read directly by The GIMP in this format. + Another excellent PPM to PNG command-line utility is available at: + http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/book/sources.html. As a last resort, PPM + files may be compressed using the bzip2 utility, and read directly by + The GIMP in this format. - The -ngs option assigns all terrain to the color white, - and can be used when it is desirable to generate a map - that is devoid of terrain: + The -ngs option assigns all terrain to the color white, and can be used + when it is desirable to generate a map that is devoid of terrain: - splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -b co34_d00.dat -ngs -o - white_map + splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -b co34_d00.dat -ngs -o white_map - The resulting .ppm image file can be converted to .png - format with a transparent background using ImageMagick's - convert utility: + The resulting .ppm image file can be converted to .png format with a + transparent background using ImageMagick's convert utility: - convert -transparent "#FFFFFF" white_map.ppm transpar- - ent_map.png + convert -transparent "#FFFFFF" white_map.ppm transparent_map.png REGIONAL COVERAGE ANALYSIS - SPLAT! can analyze a transmitter or repeater site, or net- - work of sites, and predict the regional coverage for each - site specified. In this mode, SPLAT! can generate a topo- - graphic map displaying the geometric line-of-sight cover- - age area of the sites based on the location of each site - and the height of receive antenna wishing to communicate - with the site in question. A regional analysis may be - performed by SPLAT! using the -c switch as follows: - - splat -t tx_site -c 30.0 -s cities.dat -b co34_d00.dat -o - tx_coverage - - In this example, SPLAT! generates a topographic map called - tx_coverage.ppm that illustrates the predicted line-of- - sight regional coverage of tx_site to receiving locations - having antennas 30.0 feet above ground level (AGL). If - the -metric switch is used, the argument following the -c - switch is interpreted as being in meters rather than in - feet. The contents of cities.dat are plotted on the map, - as are the cartographic boundaries contained in the file - co34_d00.dat. - - When plotting line-of-sight paths and areas of regional - coverage, SPLAT! by default does not account for the - effects of atmospheric bending. However, this behavior - may be modified by using the Earth radius multiplier (-m) - switch: - - splat -t wnjt-dt -c 30.0 -m 1.333 -s cities.dat -b coun- - ties.dat -o map.ppm + SPLAT! can analyze a transmitter or repeater site, or network of sites, + and predict the regional coverage for each site specified. In this + mode, SPLAT! can generate a topographic map displaying the geometric + line-of-sight coverage area of the sites based on the location of each + site and the height of receive antenna wishing to communicate with the + site in question. A regional analysis may be performed by SPLAT! using + the -c switch as follows: + + splat -t tx_site -c 30.0 -s cities.dat -b co34_d00.dat -o tx_coverage + + In this example, SPLAT! generates a topographic map called tx_cover- + age.ppm that illustrates the predicted line-of-sight regional coverage + of tx_site to receiving locations having antennas 30.0 feet above + ground level (AGL). If the -metric switch is used, the argument fol- + lowing the -c switch is interpreted as being in meters rather than in + feet. The contents of cities.dat are plotted on the map, as are the + cartographic boundaries contained in the file co34_d00.dat. + + When plotting line-of-sight paths and areas of regional coverage, + SPLAT! by default does not account for the effects of atmospheric bend- + ing. However, this behavior may be modified by using the Earth radius + multiplier (-m) switch: + + splat -t wnjt-dt -c 30.0 -m 1.333 -s cities.dat -b counties.dat -o + map.ppm - An earth radius multiplier of 1.333 instructs SPLAT! to - use the "four-thirds earth" model for line-of-sight propa- - gation analysis. Any appropriate earth radius multiplier - may be selected by the user. + An earth radius multiplier of 1.333 instructs SPLAT! to use the "four- + thirds earth" model for line-of-sight propagation analysis. Any appro- + priate earth radius multiplier may be selected by the user. - When performing a regional analysis, SPLAT! generates a - site report for each station analyzed. SPLAT! site - reports contain details of the site's geographic location, - its height above mean sea level, the antenna's height - above mean sea level, the antenna's height above average - terrain, and the height of the average terrain calculated - toward the bearings of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and - 315 degrees azimuth. + When performing a regional analysis, SPLAT! generates a site report for + each station analyzed. SPLAT! site reports contain details of the + site's geographic location, its height above mean sea level, the + antenna's height above mean sea level, the antenna's height above aver- + age terrain, and the height of the average terrain calculated toward + the bearings of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 degrees azimuth. DETERMINING MULTIPLE REGIONS OF LOS COVERAGE - SPLAT! can also display line-of-sight coverage areas for - as many as four separate transmitter sites on a common - topographic map. For example: + SPLAT! can also display line-of-sight coverage areas for as many as + four separate transmitter sites on a common topographic map. For exam- + ple: - splat -t site1 site2 site3 site4 -c 10.0 -metric -o net- - work.ppm + splat -t site1 site2 site3 site4 -c 10.0 -metric -o network.ppm - plots the regional line-of-sight coverage of site1, site2, - site3, and site4 based on a receive antenna located 10.0 - meters above ground level. A topographic map is then - written to the file network.ppm. The line-of-sight cover- - age area of the transmitters are plotted as follows in the - colors indicated (along with their corresponding RGB val- - ues in decimal): + plots the regional line-of-sight coverage of site1, site2, site3, and + site4 based on a receive antenna located 10.0 meters above ground + level. A topographic map is then written to the file network.ppm. The + line-of-sight coverage area of the transmitters are plotted as follows + in the colors indicated (along with their corresponding RGB values in + decimal): site1: Green (0,255,0) site2: Cyan (0,255,255) @@ -730,87 +653,73 @@ DETERMINING MULTIPLE REGIONS OF LOS COVERAGE site1 + site2 + site3 + site4: Gold2 (238,201,0) - If separate .qth files are generated, each representing a - common site location but a different antenna height, a - single topographic map illustrating the regional coverage - from as many as four separate locations on a single tower - may be generated by SPLAT!. - -LONGLEY-RICE PATH LOSS ANALYSIS - If the -c switch is replaced by a -L switch, a Longley- - Rice path loss map for a transmitter site may be gener- - ated: - - splat -t wnjt -L 30.0 -s cities.dat -b co34_d00.dat -o - path_loss_map - - In this mode, SPLAT! generates a multi-color map illus- - trating expected signal levels in areas surrounding the - transmitter site. A legend at the bottom of the map cor- - relates each color with a specific path loss range in - decibels or signal strength in decibels over one microvolt - per meter (dBuV/m). - - The Longley-Rice analysis range may be modified to a user- - specific value using the -R switch. The argument must be - given in miles (or kilometers if the -metric switch is - used). If a range wider than the generated topographic - map is specified, SPLAT! will perform Longley-Rice path - loss calculations between all four corners of the area - prediction map. - - The -db switch allows a constraint to be placed on the - maximum path loss region plotted on the map. A maximum - path loss between 80 and 230 dB may be specified using - this switch. For example, if a path loss beyond -140 dB - is irrelevant to the survey being conducted, SPLAT!'s path - loss plot can be constrained to the region bounded by the - 140 dB attenuation contour as follows: - - splat -t wnjt-dt -L 30.0 -s cities.dat -b co34_d00.dat -db - 140 -o plot.ppm - - -SIGNAL CONTOUR COLOR DEFINITION PARAMETERS - The colors used to illustrate signal strength and path - loss contours in SPLAT! generated coverage maps may be - tailored by the user by creating or modifying SPLAT!'s - color definition files. SPLAT! color definition files - have the same base name as the transmitter's .qth file, - but carry .lcf and .scf extensions. - - When a regional Longley-Rice analysis is performed and the - transmitter's ERP is not specified or is zero, a .lcf path - loss color definition file corresponding to the transmit- - ter site (.qth) is read by SPLAT! from the current working - directory. If a .lcf file corresponding to the transmit- - ter site is not found, then a default file suitable for - manual editing by the user is automatically generated by - SPLAT!. If the transmitter's ERP is specified, then a - signal strength map is generated and a signal strength - color definition file (.scf) is read, or generated if one - is not available in the current working directory. - - A path-loss color definition file possesses the following - structure (wnjt-dt.lcf): - - ; SPLAT! Auto-generated Path-Loss Color Definition - ("wnjt-dt.lcf") File + If separate .qth files are generated, each representing a common site + location but a different antenna height, a single topographic map + illustrating the regional coverage from as many as four separate loca- + tions on a single tower may be generated by SPLAT!. + +PATH LOSS ANALYSIS + If the -c switch is replaced by a -L switch, a Longley-Rice path loss + map for a transmitter site may be generated: + + splat -t wnjt -L 30.0 -s cities.dat -b co34_d00.dat -o path_loss_map + + In this mode, SPLAT! generates a multi-color map illustrating expected + signal levels in areas surrounding the transmitter site. A legend at + the bottom of the map correlates each color with a specific path loss + range in decibels. + + The -db switch allows a threshold to be set beyond which contours will + not be plotted on the map. For example, if a path loss beyond -140 dB + is irrelevant to the survey being conducted, SPLAT!'s path loss plot + can be constrained to the region bounded by the 140 dB attenuation con- + tour as follows: + + splat -t wnjt-dt -L 30.0 -s cities.dat -b co34_d00.dat -db 140 -o + plot.ppm + + The path loss contour threshold may be expressed as either a positive + or negative quantity. + + The path loss analysis range may be modified to a user-specific dis- + tance using the -R switch. The argument must be given in miles (or + kilometers if the -metric switch is used). If a range wider than the + generated topographic map is specified, SPLAT! will perform Longley- + Rice path loss calculations between all four corners of the area pre- + diction map. + + The colors used to illustrate contour regions in SPLAT! generated cov- + erage maps may be tailored by the user by creating or modifying + SPLAT!'s color definition files. SPLAT! color definition files have + the same base name as the transmitter's .qth file, but carry .lcf, + .scf, and .dcf extensions. If the necessary file does not exist in the + current working when SPLAT! is run, a file containing default color + definition parameters that is suitable for manual editing by the user + is written into the current directory. + + When a regional Longley-Rice analysis is performed and the transmit- + ter's ERP is not specified or is zero, a .lcf path loss color defini- + tion file corresponding to the transmitter site (.qth) is read by + SPLAT! from the current working directory. If a .lcf file correspond- + ing to the transmitter site is not found, then a default file suitable + for manual editing by the user is automatically generated by SPLAT!. + + A path loss color definition file possesses the following structure + (wnjt-dt.lcf): + + ; SPLAT! Auto-generated Path-Loss Color Definition ("wnjt-dt.lcf") + File ; - ; Format for the parameters held in this file is as fol- - lows: + ; Format for the parameters held in this file is as follows: ; ; dB: red, green, blue ; ; ...where "dB" is the path loss (in dB) and - ; "red", "green", and "blue" are the corresponding RGB - color - ; definitions ranging from 0 to 255 for the region speci- - fied. + ; "red", "green", and "blue" are the corresponding RGB color + ; definitions ranging from 0 to 255 for the region specified. ; ; The following parameters may be edited and/or expanded - ; for future runs of SPLAT! A total of 32 contour - regions + ; for future runs of SPLAT! A total of 32 contour regions ; may be defined in this file. ; ; @@ -831,37 +740,42 @@ SIGNAL CONTOUR COLOR DEFINITION PARAMETERS 220: 255, 0, 255 230: 255, 194, 204 + If the path loss is less than 80 dB, the color Red (RGB = 255, 0, 0) is + assigned to the region. If the path loss is greater than or equal to + 80 dB, but less than 90 db, then Dark Orange (255, 128, 0) is assigned + to the region. Orange (255, 165, 0) is assigned to regions having a + path loss greater than or equal to 90 dB, but less than 100 dB, and so + on. Greyscale terrain is displayed beyond the 230 dB path loss con- + tour. + +FIELD STRENGTH ANALYSIS + If the transmitter's effective radiated power (ERP) is specified in the + transmitter's .lrp file, or expressed on the command-line using the + -erp switch, field strength contours referenced to decibels over one + microvolt per meter (dBuV/m) rather than path loss are produced: + + splat -t wnjt-dt -L 30.0 -erp 46000 -db 30 -o plot.ppm - If the path loss is less than 80 dB, the color Red (RGB = - 255, 0, 0) is assigned to the region. If the path-loss is - greater than or equal to 80 dB, but less than 90 db, then - Dark Orange (255, 128, 0) is assigned to the region. - Orange (255, 165, 0) is assigned to regions having a path - loss greater than or equal to 90 dB, but less than 100 dB, - and so on. Greyscale terrain is displayed beyond the 230 - dB path loss contour. + The -db switch can be used in this mode as before to limit the extent + to which field strength contours are plotted. When plotting field + strength contours, however, the argument given is interpreted as being + expressed in dBuV/m. - SPLAT! signal strength color definition files share a very - similar structure (wnjt-dt.scf): + SPLAT! field strength color definition files share a very similar + structure to .lcf files used for plotting path loss: - ; SPLAT! Auto-generated Signal Color Definition ("wnjt- - dt.scf") File + ; SPLAT! Auto-generated Signal Color Definition ("wnjt-dt.scf") File ; - ; Format for the parameters held in this file is as fol- - lows: + ; Format for the parameters held in this file is as follows: ; ; dBuV/m: red, green, blue ; - ; ...where "dBuV/m" is the signal strength (in dBuV/m) - and - ; "red", "green", and "blue" are the corresponding RGB - color - ; definitions ranging from 0 to 255 for the region speci- - fied. + ; ...where "dBuV/m" is the signal strength (in dBuV/m) and + ; "red", "green", and "blue" are the corresponding RGB color + ; definitions ranging from 0 to 255 for the region specified. ; ; The following parameters may be edited and/or expanded - ; for future runs of SPLAT! A total of 32 contour - regions + ; for future runs of SPLAT! A total of 32 contour regions ; may be defined in this file. ; ; @@ -879,17 +793,18 @@ SIGNAL CONTOUR COLOR DEFINITION PARAMETERS 18: 142, 63, 255 8: 140, 0, 128 + If the signal strength is greater than or equal to 128 dB over 1 micro- + volt per meter (dBuV/m), the color Red (255, 0, 0) is displayed for the + region. If the signal strength is greater than or equal to 118 dBuV/m, + but less than 128 dBuV/m, then the color Orange (255, 165, 0) is dis- + played, and so on. Greyscale terrain is displayed for regions with + signal strengths less than 8 dBuV/m. + + Signal strength contours for some common VHF and UHF broadcasting ser- + vices in the United States are as follows: + - If the signal strength is greater than or equal to 128 db - over 1 microvolt per meter (dBuV/m), the color Red (255, - 0, 0) is displayed for the region. If the signal strength - is greater than or equal to 118 dbuV/m, but less than 128 - dbuV/m, then the color Orange (255, 165, 0) is displayed, - and so on. Greyscale terrain is displayed for regions - with signal strengths less than 8 dBuV/m. - Signal strength contours for some common VHF and UHF - broadcasting services in the United States are as follows: Analog Television Broadcasting ------------------------------ @@ -929,21 +844,71 @@ SIGNAL CONTOUR COLOR DEFINITION PARAMETERS Digital Service Contour: 65 dBuV/m +RECEIVED POWER LEVEL ANALYSIS + If the transmitter's effective radiated power (ERP) is specified in the + transmitter's .lrp file, or expressed on the command-line using the + -erp switch, and the -dbm switch is invoked, received power level con- + tours referenced to decibels over one milliwatt (dBm) are produced: + + splat -t wnjt-dt -L 30.0 -erp 46000 -dbm -db -100 -o plot.ppm + + The -db switch can be used to limit the extent to which received power + level contours are plotted. When plotting power level contours, the + argument given is interpreted as being expressed in dBm. + + SPLAT! received power level color definition files share a very similar + structure to the color definition files described earlier, except that + the power levels in dBm may be either positive or negative, and are + limited to a range between +40 dBm and -200 dBm: + + ; SPLAT! Auto-generated DBM Signal Level Color Definition ("wnjt- + dt.dcf") File + ; + ; Format for the parameters held in this file is as follows: + ; + ; dBm: red, green, blue + ; + ; ...where "dBm" is the received signal power level between +40 dBm + ; and -200 dBm, and "red", "green", and "blue" are the corresponding + ; RGB color definitions ranging from 0 to 255 for the region speci- + fied. + ; + ; The following parameters may be edited and/or expanded + ; for future runs of SPLAT! A total of 32 contour regions + ; may be defined in this file. + ; + ; + +0: 255, 0, 0 + -10: 255, 128, 0 + -20: 255, 165, 0 + -30: 255, 206, 0 + -40: 255, 255, 0 + -50: 184, 255, 0 + -60: 0, 255, 0 + -70: 0, 208, 0 + -80: 0, 196, 196 + -90: 0, 148, 255 + -100: 80, 80, 255 + -110: 0, 38, 255 + -120: 142, 63, 255 + -130: 196, 54, 255 + -140: 255, 0, 255 + -150: 255, 194, 204 + ANTENNA RADIATION PATTERN PARAMETERS - Normalized field voltage patterns for a transmitting - antenna's horizontal and vertical planes are imported - automatically into SPLAT! when a Longley-Rice coverage - analysis is performed. Antenna pattern data is read from - a pair of files having the same base name as the transmit- - ter and LRP files, but with .az and .el extensions for - azimuth and elevation pattern files, respectively. Speci- - fications regarding pattern rotation (if any) and mechani- - cal beam tilt and tilt direction (if any) are also con- - tained within SPLAT! antenna pattern files. - - For example, the first few lines of a SPLAT! azimuth pat- - tern file might appear as follows (kvea.az): + Normalized field voltage patterns for a transmitting antenna's horizon- + tal and vertical planes are imported automatically into SPLAT! when a + path loss, field strength, or received power level coverage analysis is + performed. Antenna pattern data is read from a pair of files having + the same base name as the transmitter and LRP files, but with .az and + .el extensions for azimuth and elevation pattern files, respectively. + Specifications regarding pattern rotation (if any) and mechanical beam + tilt and tilt direction (if any) are also contained within SPLAT! + antenna pattern files. + + For example, the first few lines of a SPLAT! azimuth pattern file might + appear as follows (kvea.az): 183.0 0 0.8950590 @@ -956,33 +921,29 @@ ANTENNA RADIATION PATTERN PARAMETERS 7 0.9047923 8 0.9060051 - The first line of the .az file specifies the amount of - azimuthal pattern rotation (measured clockwise in degrees - from True North) to be applied by SPLAT! to the data con- - tained in the .az file. This is followed by azimuth head- - ings (0 to 360 degrees) and their associated normalized - field patterns (0.000 to 1.000) separated by whitespace. - - The structure of SPLAT! elevation pattern files is - slightly different. The first line of the .el file speci- - fies the amount of mechanical beam tilt applied to the - antenna. Note that a downward tilt (below the horizon) is - expressed as a positive angle, while an upward tilt (above - the horizon) is expressed as a negative angle. This data - is followed by the azimuthal direction of the tilt, sepa- - rated by whitespace. - - The remainder of the file consists of elevation angles and - their corresponding normalized voltage radiation pattern - (0.000 to 1.000) values separated by whitespace. Eleva- - tion angles must be specified over a -10.0 to +90.0 degree - range. As was the convention with mechanical beamtilt, - negative elevation angles are used to represent elevations - above the horizon, while positive angles represents eleva- - tions below the horizon. - - For example, the first few lines a SPLAT! elevation pat- - tern file might appear as follows (kvea.el): + The first line of the .az file specifies the amount of azimuthal pat- + tern rotation (measured clockwise in degrees from True North) to be + applied by SPLAT! to the data contained in the .az file. This is fol- + lowed by azimuth headings (0 to 360 degrees) and their associated nor- + malized field patterns (0.000 to 1.000) separated by whitespace. + + The structure of SPLAT! elevation pattern files is slightly different. + The first line of the .el file specifies the amount of mechanical beam + tilt applied to the antenna. Note that a downward tilt (below the + horizon) is expressed as a positive angle, while an upward tilt (above + the horizon) is expressed as a negative angle. This data is followed + by the azimuthal direction of the tilt, separated by whitespace. + + The remainder of the file consists of elevation angles and their corre- + sponding normalized voltage radiation pattern (0.000 to 1.000) values + separated by whitespace. Elevation angles must be specified over a + -10.0 to +90.0 degree range. As was the convention with mechanical + beamtilt, negative elevation angles are used to represent elevations + above the horizon, while positive angles represents elevations below + the horizon. + + For example, the first few lines a SPLAT! elevation pattern file might + appear as follows (kvea.el): 1.1 130.0 -10.0 0.172 @@ -995,147 +956,164 @@ ANTENNA RADIATION PATTERN PARAMETERS -6.5 0.109 -6.0 0.185 - In this example, the antenna is mechanically tilted down- - ward 1.1 degrees towards an azimuth of 130.0 degrees. - - For best results, the resolution of azimuth pattern data - should be specified to the nearest degree azimuth, and - elevation pattern data resolution should be specified to - the nearest 0.01 degrees. If the pattern data specified - does not reach this level of resolution, SPLAT! will - interpolate the values provided to determine the data at - the required resolution, although this may result in a - loss in accuracy. - - -IMPORTING AND EXPORTING REGIONAL PATH LOSS CONTOUR DATA - Performing a Longley-Rice coverage analysis can be a very - time consuming process, especially if the analysis is - repeated repeatedly to discover what effects changes to - the antenna radiation patterns make to the predicted cov- - erage area. - - This process can be expedited by exporting the Longley- - Rice regional path loss contour data to an output file, - modifying the path loss data externally to incorporate - antenna pattern effects, and then importing the modified - path loss data back into SPLAT! to rapidly produce a - revised path loss map. - - For example, a path loss output file can be generated by - SPLAT! for a receive site 30 feet above ground level over - a 50 mile radius surrounding a transmitter site to a maxi- - mum path loss of 140 dB using the following syntax: - - splat -t kvea -L 30.0 -R 50.0 -db 140 -plo pathloss.dat - - SPLAT! path loss output files often exceed 100 megabytes - in size. They contain information relating to the bound- - aries of region they describe followed by latitudes - (degrees North), longitudes (degrees West), azimuths, ele- - vations (to the first obstruction), and path loss figures - (dB) for a series of specific points that comprise the - region surrounding the transmitter site. The first few - lines of a SPLAT! path loss output file take on the fol- - lowing appearance (pathloss.dat): + In this example, the antenna is mechanically tilted downward 1.1 + degrees towards an azimuth of 130.0 degrees. + + For best results, the resolution of azimuth pattern data should be + specified to the nearest degree azimuth, and elevation pattern data + resolution should be specified to the nearest 0.01 degrees. If the + pattern data specified does not reach this level of resolution, SPLAT! + will interpolate the values provided to determine the data at the + required resolution, although this may result in a loss in accuracy. + +EXPORTING AND IMPORTING REGIONAL CONTOUR DATA + Performing a regional coverage analysis based on a Longley-Rice path + analysis can be a very time consuming process, especially if the analy- + sis is performed repeatedly to discover what effects changes to a + transmitter's antenna radiation pattern make to the predicted coverage + area. + + This process can be expedited by exporting the contour data produced by + SPLAT! to an alphanumeric output (.ano) file. The data contained in + this file can then be modified to incorporate antenna pattern effects, + and imported back into SPLAT! to quickly produce a revised contour map. + Depending on the way in which SPLAT! is invoked, alphanumeric output + files can describe regional path loss, signal strength, or received + signal power levels. + + For example, an alphanumeric output file containing path loss informa- + tion can be generated by SPLAT! for a receive site 30 feet above ground + level over a 50 mile radius surrounding a transmitter site to a maximum + path loss of 140 dB (assuming ERP is not specified in the transmitter's + .lrp file) using the following syntax: + + splat -t kvea -L 30.0 -R 50.0 -db 140 -ano pathloss.dat + + If ERP is specified in the .lrp file or on the command line through the + -erp switch, the alphanumeric output file will instead contain pre- + dicted field values in dBuV/m. If the -dBm command line switch is + used, then the alphanumeric output file will contain receive signal + power levels in dBm. + + SPLAT! alphanumeric output files can exceed many hundreds of megabytes + in size. They contain information relating to the boundaries of the + region they describe followed by latitudes (degrees North), longitudes + (degrees West), azimuths (referenced to True North), elevations (to the + first obstruction), followed by either path loss (in dB), received + field strength (in dBuV/m), or received signal power level (in dBm) + without regard to the transmitting antenna's radiation pattern. + + The first few lines of a SPLAT! alphanumeric output file could take on + the following appearance (pathloss.dat): 119, 117 ; max_west, min_west - 35, 33 ; max_north, min_north - 34.2265434, 118.0631104, 48.171, -37.461, 67.70 - 34.2270355, 118.0624390, 48.262, -26.212, 73.72 - 34.2280197, 118.0611038, 48.269, -14.951, 79.74 - 34.2285156, 118.0604401, 48.207, -11.351, 81.68 - 34.2290077, 118.0597687, 48.240, -10.518, 83.26 - 34.2294998, 118.0591049, 48.225, 23.201, 84.60 - 34.2304878, 118.0577698, 48.213, 15.769, 137.84 - 34.2309799, 118.0570984, 48.234, 15.965, 151.54 - 34.2314720, 118.0564346, 48.224, 16.520, 149.45 - 34.2319679, 118.0557632, 48.223, 15.588, 151.61 - 34.2329521, 118.0544281, 48.230, 13.889, 135.45 - 34.2334442, 118.0537643, 48.223, 11.693, 137.37 - 34.2339401, 118.0530930, 48.222, 14.050, 126.32 - 34.2344322, 118.0524292, 48.216, 16.274, 156.28 - 34.2354164, 118.0510941, 48.222, 15.058, 152.65 - 34.2359123, 118.0504227, 48.221, 16.215, 158.57 - 34.2364044, 118.0497589, 48.216, 15.024, 157.30 - 34.2368965, 118.0490875, 48.225, 17.184, 156.36 - - It is not uncommon for SPLAT! path loss files to contain - as many as 3 million or more lines of data. Comments can - be placed in the file if they are proceeded by a semicolon - character. The vim text editor has proven capable of - editing files of this size. - - Note as was the case in the antenna pattern files, nega- - tive elevation angles refer to upward tilt (above the - horizon), while positive angles refer to downward tilt - (below the horizon). These angles refer to the elevation - to the receiving antenna at the height above ground level - specified using the -L switch if the path between trans- - mitter and receiver is unobstructed. If the path between - the transmitter and receiver is obstructed, then the ele- - vation angle to the first obstruction is returned by - SPLAT!. This is because the Longley-Rice model considers - the energy reaching a distant point over an obstructed - path as a derivative of the energy scattered from the top - of the first obstruction, only. Since energy cannot reach - the obstructed location directly, the actual elevation - angle to that point is irrelevant. - - When modifying SPLAT! path loss files to reflect antenna - pattern data, only the last column (path loss) should be - amended to reflect the antenna's normalized gain at the - azimuth and elevation angles specified in the file. (At - this time, programs and scripts capable of performing this - operation are left as an exercise for the user.) - - Modified path loss maps can be imported back into SPLAT! - for generating revised coverage maps: - - splat -t kvea -pli pathloss.dat -s city.dat -b county.dat - -o map.ppm - - SPLAT! path loss files can also be used for conducting - coverage or interference studies outside of SPLAT!. + 35, 34 ; max_north, min_north + 34.2265424, 118.0631096, 48.199, -32.747, 67.70 + 34.2270358, 118.0624421, 48.199, -19.161, 73.72 + 34.2275292, 118.0617747, 48.199, -13.714, 77.24 + 34.2280226, 118.0611072, 48.199, -10.508, 79.74 + 34.2290094, 118.0597723, 48.199, -11.806, 83.26 * + 34.2295028, 118.0591048, 48.199, -11.806, 135.47 * + 34.2299962, 118.0584373, 48.199, -15.358, 137.06 * + 34.2304896, 118.0577698, 48.199, -15.358, 149.87 * + 34.2314763, 118.0564348, 48.199, -15.358, 154.16 * + 34.2319697, 118.0557673, 48.199, -11.806, 153.42 * + 34.2324631, 118.0550997, 48.199, -11.806, 137.63 * + 34.2329564, 118.0544322, 48.199, -11.806, 139.23 * + 34.2339432, 118.0530971, 48.199, -11.806, 139.75 * + 34.2344365, 118.0524295, 48.199, -11.806, 151.01 * + 34.2349299, 118.0517620, 48.199, -11.806, 147.71 * + 34.2354232, 118.0510944, 48.199, -15.358, 159.49 * + 34.2364099, 118.0497592, 48.199, -15.358, 151.67 * + + Comments can be placed in the file if they are proceeded by a semicolon + character. The vim text editor has proven capable of editing files of + this size. + + Note as was the case in the antenna pattern files, negative elevation + angles refer to upward tilt (above the horizon), while positive angles + refer to downward tilt (below the horizon). These angles refer to the + elevation to the receiving antenna at the height above ground level + specified using the -L switch if the path between transmitter and + receiver is unobstructed. If the path between the transmitter and + receiver is obstructed, an asterisk (*) is placed on the end of the + line, and the elevation angle returned by SPLAT! refers the elevation + angle to the first obstruction rather than the geographic location + specified on the line. This is done in response to the fact that the + Longley-Rice model considers the energy reaching a distant point over + an obstructed path to be the result of the energy scattered over the + top of the first obstruction along the path. Since energy cannot reach + the obstructed location directly, the actual elevation angle to the + destination over such a path becomes irrelevant. + + When modifying SPLAT! path loss files to reflect antenna pattern data, + only the last numeric column should be amended to reflect the antenna's + normalized gain at the azimuth and elevation angles specified in the + file. Programs and scripts capable of performing this task are left as + an exercise for the user. + + Modified alphanumeric output files can be imported back into SPLAT! + for generating revised coverage maps provided that the ERP and -dBm + options are used as they were when the alphanumeric output file was + originally generated: + + splat -t kvea -ani pathloss.dat -s city.dat -b county.dat -o map.ppm + + Note that alphanumeric output files generated by splat cannot be used + with splat-hd, or vice-versa due to the resolution incompatibility + between the two versions of the program. Also, each of the three types + of alphanumeric output files are incompatible with one another, so a + file containing path loss data cannot be imported into SPLAT! to pro- + duce signal strength or received power level contours, etc. USER-DEFINED TERRAIN INPUT FILES - A user-defined terrain file is a user-generated text file - containing latitudes, longitudes, and heights above ground - level of specific terrain features believed to be of - importance to the SPLAT! analysis being conducted, but - noticeably absent from the SDF files being used. A user- - defined terrain file is imported into a SPLAT! analysis - using the -udt switch: + A user-defined terrain file is a user-generated text file containing + latitudes, longitudes, and heights above ground level of specific ter- + rain features believed to be of importance to the SPLAT! analysis being + conducted, but noticeably absent from the SDF files being used. A + user-defined terrain file is imported into a SPLAT! analysis using the + -udt switch: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -udt udt_file.txt -o map.ppm - A user-defined terrain file has the following appearance - and structure: + A user-defined terrain file has the following appearance and structure: 40.32180556, 74.1325, 100.0 meters 40.321805, 74.1315, 300.0 40.3218055, 74.1305, 100.0 meters - Terrain height is interpreted as being described in feet - above ground level unless followed by the word meters, and - is added on top of the terrain specified in the SDF data - for the locations specified. Be aware that each user- - defined terrain feature specified will be interpreted as - being 3-arc seconds in both latitude and longitude. Fea- - tures described in the user-defined terrain file that - overlap previously defined features in the file are - ignored by SPLAT!. + Terrain height is interpreted as being described in feet above ground + level unless followed by the word meters, and is added on top of the + terrain specified in the SDF data for the locations specified. Be + aware that each user-defined terrain feature specified will be inter- + preted as being 3-arc seconds in both latitude and longitude in splat + and 1 arc-second in latitude and longitude in splat-hd. Features + described in the user-defined terrain file that overlap previously + defined features in the file are ignored by SPLAT! to avoid ambiguity. + +GROUND CLUTTER + The height of ground clutter can be specified using the -gc switch: + + splat -t wnjt-dt -r kd2bd -gc 30.0 -H wnjt-dt_path.png + + The -gc switch as the effect of raising the overall terrain by the + specified amount in feet (or meters if the -metric switch is invoked), + except over areas at sea-level and at the transmitting and receiving + antenna locations. Note that the addition of ground clutter does not + necessarily modify the Longley-Rice path loss results unless the addi- + tional clutter height results in a switch in the propagation mode from + a less obstructed path to a more obstructed path (from Line Of Sight to + Single Horizon Diffraction Dominant, for example). It does, however, + affect Fresnel zone clearances and line of sight determinations. SIMPLE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP GENERATION - In certain situations it may be desirable to generate a - topographic map of a region without plotting coverage - areas, line-of-sight paths, or generating obstruction - reports. There are several ways of doing this. If one - wishes to generate a topographic map illustrating the - location of a transmitter and receiver site along with a - brief text report describing the locations and distances - between the sites, the -n switch should be invoked as fol- - lows: + In certain situations it may be desirable to generate a topographic map + of a region without plotting coverage areas, line-of-sight paths, or + generating obstruction reports. There are several ways of doing this. + If one wishes to generate a topographic map illustrating the location + of a transmitter and receiver site along with a brief text report + describing the locations and distances between the sites, the -n switch + should be invoked as follows: splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -n -o topo_map.ppm @@ -1143,135 +1121,97 @@ SIMPLE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP GENERATION splat -t tx_site -r rx_site -N -o topo_map.ppm - If a topographic map centered about a single site out to a - minimum specified radius is desired instead, a command - similar to the following can be used: + If a topographic map centered about a single site out to a minimum + specified radius is desired instead, a command similar to the following + can be used: - splat -t tx_site -R 50.0 -s NJ_Cities -b NJ_Counties -o - topo_map.ppm + splat -t tx_site -R 50.0 -s NJ_Cities -b NJ_Counties -o topo_map.ppm - where -R specifies the minimum radius of the map in miles - (or kilometers if the -metric switch is used). Note that - the tx_site name and location are not displayed in this - example. If display of this information is desired, sim- - ply create a SPLAT! city file (-s option) and append it to - the list of command-line options illustrated above. + where -R specifies the minimum radius of the map in miles (or kilome- + ters if the -metric switch is used). Note that the tx_site name and + location are not displayed in this example. If display of this infor- + mation is desired, simply create a SPLAT! city file (-s option) and + append it to the list of command-line options illustrated above. - If the -o switch and output filename are omitted in these - operations, topographic output is written to a file named - tx_site.ppm in the current working directory by default. + If the -o switch and output filename are omitted in these operations, + topographic output is written to a file named tx_site.ppm in the cur- + rent working directory by default. GEOREFERENCE FILE GENERATION - Topographic, coverage (-c), and path loss contour (-L) - maps generated by SPLAT! may be imported into Xastir (X - Amateur Station Tracking and Information Reporting) soft- - ware by generating a georeference file using SPLAT!'s -geo - switch: + Topographic, coverage (-c), and path loss contour (-L) maps generated + by SPLAT! may be imported into Xastir (X Amateur Station Tracking and + Information Reporting) software by generating a georeference file using + SPLAT!'s -geo switch: - splat -t kd2bd -R 50.0 -s NJ_Cities -b NJ_Counties -geo -o - map.ppm + splat -t kd2bd -R 50.0 -s NJ_Cities -b NJ_Counties -geo -o map.ppm - The georeference file generated will have the same base - name as the -o file specified, but have a .geo extension, - and permit proper interpretation and display of SPLAT!'s - .ppm graphics in Xastir software. + The georeference file generated will have the same base name as the -o + file specified, but have a .geo extension, and permit proper interpre- + tation and display of SPLAT!'s .ppm graphics in Xastir software. GOOGLE MAP KML FILE GENERATION - Keyhole Markup Language files compatible with Google Earth - may be generated by SPLAT! when performing point-to-point - or regional coverage analyses by invoking the -kml switch: + Keyhole Markup Language files compatible with Google Earth may be gen- + erated by SPLAT! when performing point-to-point or regional coverage + analyses by invoking the -kml switch: splat -t wnjt-dt -r kd2bd -kml - The KML file generated will have the same filename struc- - ture as a Path Analysis Report for the transmitter and - receiver site names given, except it will carry a .kml - extension. - - Once loaded into Google Earth (File --> Open), the KML - file will annotate the map display with the names of the - transmitter and receiver site locations. The viewpoint of - the image will be from the position of the transmitter - site looking towards the location of the receiver. The - point-to-point path between the sites will be displayed as - a white line while the RF line-of-sight path will be dis- - played in green. Google Earth's navigation tools allow - the user to "fly" around the path, identify landmarks, - roads, and other featured content. - - When performing regional coverage analysis, the .kml file - generated by SPLAT! will permit path loss or signal - strength contours to be layered on top of Google Earth's - display in a semi-transparent manner. The generated .kml - file will have the same basename as that of the .ppm file - normally generated. + The KML file generated will have the same filename structure as a Path + Analysis Report for the transmitter and receiver site names given, + except it will carry a .kml extension. + + Once loaded into Google Earth (File --> Open), the KML file will anno- + tate the map display with the names of the transmitter and receiver + site locations. The viewpoint of the image will be from the position + of the transmitter site looking towards the location of the receiver. + The point-to-point path between the sites will be displayed as a white + line while the RF line-of-sight path will be displayed in green. + Google Earth's navigation tools allow the user to "fly" around the + path, identify landmarks, roads, and other featured content. + + When performing regional coverage analysis, the .kml file generated by + SPLAT! will permit path loss or signal strength contours to be layered + on top of Google Earth's display in a semi-transparent manner. The + generated .kml file will have the same basename as that of the .ppm + file normally generated. DETERMINATION OF ANTENNA HEIGHT ABOVE AVERAGE TERRAIN - SPLAT! determines antenna height above average terrain - (HAAT) according to the procedure defined by Federal Com- - munications Commission Part 73.313(d). According to this - definition, terrain elevations along eight radials between - 2 and 10 miles (3 and 16 kilometers) from the site being - analyzed are sampled and averaged for each 45 degrees of - azimuth starting with True North. If one or more radials - lie entirely over water or over land outside the United - States (areas for which no USGS topography data is avail- - able), then those radials are omitted from the calculation - of average terrain. - - Note that SRTM elevation data, unlike older 3-arc second - USGS data, extends beyond the borders of the United - States. Therefore, HAAT results may not be in full com- - pliance with FCC Part 73.313(d) in areas along the borders - of the United States if the SDF files used by SPLAT! are - SRTM-derived. - - When performing point-to-point terrain analysis, SPLAT! - determines the antenna height above average terrain only - if enough topographic data has already been loaded by the - program to perform the point-to-point analysis. In most - cases, this will be true, unless the site in question does - not lie within 10 miles of the boundary of the topography + SPLAT! determines antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) according + to the procedure defined by Federal Communications Commission Part + 73.313(d). According to this definition, terrain elevations along + eight radials between 2 and 10 miles (3 and 16 kilometers) from the + site being analyzed are sampled and averaged for each 45 degrees of + azimuth starting with True North. If one or more radials lie entirely + over water or over land outside the United States (areas for which no + USGS topography data is available), then those radials are omitted from + the calculation of average terrain. + + Note that SRTM-3 elevation data, unlike older USGS data, extends beyond + the borders of the United States. Therefore, HAAT results may not be + in full compliance with FCC Part 73.313(d) in areas along the borders + of the United States if the SDF files used by SPLAT! are SRTM-derived. + + When performing point-to-point terrain analysis, SPLAT! determines the + antenna height above average terrain only if enough topographic data + has already been loaded by the program to perform the point-to-point + analysis. In most cases, this will be true, unless the site in ques- + tion does not lie within 10 miles of the boundary of the topography data in memory. - When performing area prediction analysis, enough topogra- - phy data is normally loaded by SPLAT! to perform average - terrain calculations. Under such conditions, SPLAT! will - provide the antenna height above average terrain as well - as the average terrain above mean sea level for azimuths - of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 degrees, and - include such information in the generated site report. If - one or more of the eight radials surveyed fall over water, - or over regions for which no SDF data is available, SPLAT! - reports No Terrain for the radial paths affected. - -RESTRICTING THE MAXIMUM SIZE OF AN ANALYSIS REGION - SPLAT! reads SDF files as needed into a series of memory - "pages" within the structure of the program. Each "page" - holds one SDF file representing a one degree by one degree - region of terrain. A #define MAXPAGES statement in the - first several lines of splat.cpp sets the maximum number - of "pages" available for holding topography data. It also - sets the maximum size of the topographic maps generated by - SPLAT!. MAXPAGES is set to 9 by default. If SPLAT! pro- - duces a segmentation fault on start-up with this default, - it is an indication that not enough RAM and/or virtual - memory (swap space) is available to run SPLAT! with the - number of MAXPAGES specified. In situations where avail- - able memory is low, MAXPAGES may be reduced to 4 with the - understanding that this will greatly limit the maximum - region SPLAT! will be able to analyze. If 118 megabytes - or more of total memory (swap space plus RAM) is avail- - able, then MAXPAGES may be increased to 16. This will - permit operation over a 4-degree by 4-degree region, which - is sufficient for single antenna heights in excess of - 10,000 feet above mean sea level, or point-to-point dis- - tances of over 1000 miles. + When performing area prediction analysis, enough topography data is + normally loaded by SPLAT! to perform average terrain calculations. + Under such conditions, SPLAT! will provide the antenna height above + average terrain as well as the average terrain above mean sea level for + azimuths of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 degrees, and include + such information in the generated site report. If one or more of the + eight radials surveyed fall over water, or over regions for which no + SDF data is available, SPLAT! reports No Terrain for the radial paths + affected. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - The latest news and information regarding SPLAT! software - is available through the official SPLAT! software web page - located at: http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/splat.html. + The latest news and information regarding SPLAT! software is available + through the official SPLAT! software web page located at: + http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/splat.html. AUTHORS John A. Magliacane, KD2BD @@ -1280,10 +1220,10 @@ AUTHORS Doug McDonald Original Longley-Rice Model integration - Ron Bentley + Ron Bentley Fresnel Zone plotting and clearance determination -KD2BD Software 16 September 2007 SPLAT!(1) +KD2BD Software 15 November 2008 SPLAT!(1)