The generic process of planning a transport network includes one or more basic steps towards establishing a Nominal Network Plan.

A Nominal Network Plan establishes sites location, configuration and antennas height, and the configuration of equipments involved in the network, considering its quality and availability , total and individual, and the limitations due to interference between the members of the network itself or interference caused by others..

All the parameters Xirio sets by default are sufficient to reach this stage of planning.

The basic steps for a Nominal Network Plan are:

NEEDS ANALYSIS - CONFIGURATION

The planner must be clear, in a preliminary stage to the planning process, what sites are needed to be communicated, how information is needed to carry, and with what quality and availability level.

In addition, further information should be collected such as:

•Basic Cartography to work with: If the transport network goes through rural areas we will use a DMT with 25 to 100 meters resolution, while if the network goes through urban areas, we should use a DBM with higher resolution.

•Calculation Method to use. Both in the Link and in the Transport Network studies, is the one contained in ITU-R Rec. 530.

•Technical specifications of equipment and antennas.

•List of known sites, those who already have infrastructure, or those who may shelter it.

CHOICE OF LOCATIONS - VISIBILITY

The first thing to do is to determine which are the sites that will be used for our transport network, verifying that there is visibility between ends of each digital hop, with clear trajectory. This verification can be done concurrently with all network digital hops, by using the Calculation of the intervisibility matrix in the Transport Network study, or individually, hop to hop, by calculating the Link without clicking the Calculate digital hop report option or by using the utility orographic profile calculation.

PARAMETERIZATION OF STATIONS

In this phase are characterized general parameters of the installation to be done at each end of each hop, that is: height, orientation and antenna size, need of space or frequency diversity and its characterization, frequency band, etc.

It is important to note that, in Xirio, there is no concept of "Radio Station". By contrast, there is the concept of location as the infraestructure geographic location, and the concept of transmitter, as an element related to an antenna, capable of emitting electromagnetic waves.

Obviously, in the same location there can be multiple transmitters/receivers, but each end of a hop shall be set independently, although it coincides in location with others.

NETWORK PLANNING

If our work is limited to connecting two sites between which there is visibility, our work can be concluded with the accomplishment of the previous tasks. However, if our purpose of transportation involves several hops, our work is not finished until we verify that the frequencies assigned to each hop and in each direction, do not cause interference between members of the network itself or to others.

In the Transport Network study, when performing the Transport Network calculation, if you want to calculate interference you should enable the option "Consider interference in calculations".

This calculation provides, on one hand, possible incompatibilities between hops, due to interferences, which are summarized in the Summary report, and on the other hand, a detailed Interference report for each link under study. This last report, for each path, direct and reverse, lists all interfering power levels present at each end of the hops, at each end, interferent and interfered.