You can use the Autoplacement in SignalPro to choose efficient tower locations for covering a given area, evaluate all potential sites much more quickly than with independent area studies, and find an efficient solution without having to build it manually. Site selection can be performed on an area-wide or fixed-subscriber basis (Mobile/Nomadic, Multipoint, or Mesh applications.)
Before you use autoplacement you will first need to:
Set up the project with geodata and propagation model options
Set up the Site template and Mobile/Remote unit to be used.
To setup the autoplacement:
Go to Network Design/Analysis -> Autoplacement for Areas.
Set up propagation rules for selection.
Set up router candidates; choose from pole database, existing Tx group, or candidates file
Go to Databases > Towers/Poles and point to a correctly-formatted CSV Towers/Poles list. (see the appendix for the format)
The ‘Use installed Routers..’ option will take sites you’ve already created and assume they’re already active. It will look for candidate site locations that will add to the coverage area of those existing sites. This is useful for planning expansions or filling gaps in existing networks.
Choose output options and enter a name for the new Tx group. Set router range and signal level target. Run one of the four methods. Method 4 is most appropriate for many applications.
Set up Stop Conditions
Check range and threshold settings
Adjust Tx Separation
Set Coverage Limits
Click Run button
Select ‘Setup Sample Grid for Area’ and input a sample reduction value. Aim for a sample size ~100K, depending on the speed of your computer and size of pole database.
Browse to service area polygon.
Use ‘Test Filter’ button to check the number of filtered study points.
Click ‘Run autoplacement calculation’.