Dielectric’s new Excel software-based planning tools put the power to explore and design configurations into the hands of LPTV stations and consultants
RAYMOND, Maine, October 16, 2019 — Continuing to empower customers with advanced, software-based antenna designs, Dielectric has released free Excel-based planning tools—known as Proposal Generators—that give broadcasters and their RF consultants the ability to generate their own technical proposals. The initial rollout willfocus on Powerlite™ low-power antenna systems.
Customers can download the Proposal Generator for their particular antenna model from the Dielectric website, and save days to weeks compared to traditional technical proposal generation. Users can have a detailed antenna technical proposal ready within minutes after filling in the required data fields. This time savings is especially beneficial for LPTV stations readying for the October LPTV Reimbursement deadline and proposal filing thereafter.
Many of the fields offer pulldown menus with selectable values. Once the form has been completed, broadcasters can print it out, and/or export it in .EL, .HD, or .ESP file formats. These file formats are commonly used for propagation studies by RF consultants, as well as FCC filings. When ready, customers can transmit their completed technical proposals to Dielectric for pricing.
“This is a very comprehensive toolset that stands apart from competing solutions,” said Jim Chadwick, Applications Engineer for Dielectric. “It encompasses the entire gamut of key criteria, including technical specifications, features, and options. Our customers can clearly see how their design choices impact the antenna performance, removing along-standing bottleneck in the antenna selection process. The technical proposals can rapidly be turned into quotes by Dielectric, allowing customers to see the cost impact of the design choices.”
The software removes the “back and forth” process of review iterations with Dielectric engineers to perfect the design by allowing customers to directly enter values for the following types of required information:
Customers can download the Proposal Generator for their particular antenna model from the Dielectric website, and save days to weeks compared to traditional technical proposal generation. Users can have a detailed antenna technical proposal ready within minutes after filling in the required data fields. This time savings is especially beneficial for LPTV stations readying for the October LPTV Reimbursement deadline and proposal filing thereafter.
Many of the fields offer pulldown menus with selectable values. Once the form has been completed, broadcasters can print it out, and/or export it in .EL, .HD, or .ESP file formats. These file formats are commonly used for propagation studies by RF consultants, as well as FCC filings. When ready, customers can transmit their completed technical proposals to Dielectric for pricing.
“This is a very comprehensive toolset that stands apart from competing solutions,” said Jim Chadwick, Applications Engineer for Dielectric. “It encompasses the entire gamut of key criteria, including technical specifications, features, and options. Our customers can clearly see how their design choices impact the antenna performance, removing along-standing bottleneck in the antenna selection process. The technical proposals can rapidly be turned into quotes by Dielectric, allowing customers to see the cost impact of the design choices.”
The software removes the “back and forth” process of review iterations with Dielectric engineers to perfect the design by allowing customers to directly enter values for the following types of required information:
- Station call letters, location, channel and frequency
- Antenna model, azimuth and elevation patterns with polarization selection
- Entries to evaluate wind loading and other mechanical specifications
- Inputs to automatically calculate antenna gain and transmission line losses for required transmitter output power and effective radiated power