Document #: 08-SP13.0.26-1R0.1
© 2026, EDX Wireless, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction

The EDX Customer Knowledge Base contains several articles explaining attenuation files and the importance of reviewing and adjusting them to accurately represent the region you plan to serve with your project. When you don't have or are unsure of attenuation factors such as building heights and other obstructions, or you simply want to try something different, EDX offers files containing sample Clutter (Land Use) attenuation data for typical urban, urban/suburban, and rural regions to serve as a starting point as you begin planning your network. These sample files provide useful approximations for your project to help predict building heights for a region you plan to serve. After loading SignalPro on your system, locate these files in the C://EDX\SignalPro\Data\Cirrus Attenuation files 2021 directory.

Description and Disclaimer

The sample clutter attenuation files depict an approximately 2°×2° region encompassing the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), MN, metro area and the rural area north of there. EDX Wireless intends these files strictly as examples and has no expectation that they provide an exact representation of any region other than MSP, as detailed below:

Urban

Urban regions use data taken from the MSP downtown area.

Urb/Sub

Urb/Sub regions use data taken from the MSP downtown (urban) area and surrounding suburbs.

Rural

Rural regions use data taken from an area bordering but outside of the MSP metro area.

How Region-specific Clutter Estimates Differ From the GCATTN_CIRRUS_091316 File

The Region-specific Clutter Estimates provide more specific use cases than the generally applicable GCATTN_CIRRUS_091316 files. Using Region-specific Clutter Estimates can provide results more representative of your particular project.

That being said, the Region-specific Clutter Estimates include numerous analyst-estimated classes not based on actual measurements. Some of these classes include:

• Airport-bldgs

• Unclassified

• Vacant

• Vineyard

Conclusion

Regardless of the sample data applied to your project, height values represent only a small part of the important contents of the attenuation file. Even more relevant are the attenuation values themselves. The attenuation values that these files provide represent only a starting point and must be tuned to each specific situation. Field measurements and model validation, where possible, still represent the best practice for wireless network design.