Duopoly Studies
DUOPOLY
The Duopoly overlay option will allow you to place pertinent signal contours on a map. You can specify AM, FM, or TV. To use this function you must acquire the duopoly add-on module and the special V-Soft duopoly databases for AM, FM, and TV. This data is available from V-Soft. Call (319) 266-8402 to order.
The following instructions will help you do a Duopoly study.
1.) Choose a fixed map scale. We recommend 1:2,000,000 so that all possible stations can be considered. Select "Map" for your study type and make a map. You should not select the "Duopoly" overlay at this time.
2.) Once your map is made, you can then begin your Duopoly analysis. To begin, click "Duop" from the main screen. Then, from the Duopoly Screen" select the AM,FM,TV contour signal strengths that you will use. For FCC duopoly studies select the .5 mV/m for AM and the 3.16 mV/m for FM. Since the FCC requires that duopoly studies consider only licensed facilities you should not select "APs, CPs, and Aux" because this will include non-relevant stations.
3.) Now you are ready to choose your reference stations. These are the stations the group owner currently owns and the station(s) the owner wishes to add to the market. To make this selection first click "List". This will create a list of all the stations that need to be considered. Once the list is on your screen you may choose the reference stations.
4.) While holding the "Ctrl" key click the mouse over the stations you wish to include as references. This will allow multiple selections. Then click "Ref." and the screen will show only those stations that you have selected.
5.) Now click "Calc." and the computer will calculate and display a list of all those stations which have a signal contour that crosses any one of the stations you have chosen as reference stations.
6.) Once you have the final list you will see a total count of the number of stations on the screen. The stations you selected as reference stations will always be first and will have the "> " before each listing. If for some reason you may want to drop one of these stations, use your mouse to highlight a station then click the "Drop" button.
7.) When you are ready to make a map out your calculated duopoly list, click "PLOT" and the computer will plot the duopoly stations over your map. The "print" button on the Duopoly screen will print out the list of calculated duopoly stations. Clicking the "Print" button on the main screen will print out the map. The map will show the reference stations in a green color with dashed lines. All AM station contours will appear red, while FM contours appear white and TV contours appear yellow.
8.) The "R" button shows up only after you have calculated a duopoly study. Clicking this button will toggle the screen from the selected reference stations to the full list of available stations.
9.) The "One" button allows you to plot any station in the list which is highlighted. The "All" button will plot all available stations (as filtered by your contour selections) over a map.
10.) The "Separation" slider increases the distance of acceptance for included stations. For example, a setting of "five" will include all stations that touch a reference station's signal contour even though there is up to five kilometers of clear space before the contours touch. This control can be used in rugged terrain since the program only looks at the straight-line azimuths between stations to decide if they should be included. In some cases in rugged terrain two station contours may not touch each other on the straight-line azimuth between the stations but may in fact touch as azimuths slightly off a straight-line. Increasing the separation acceptance value will help to include such stations in the mix.
11.) "Undo" will undo the last addition you made to the map.
12.) "Base" will remove all contours from a map and return it to its "base map" state.
13.) When "Calculate Population" is turned on the program will calculate then population of any single signal contour added using the "One" button. This function required the optional population database, available from V-Soft Communications.
14.) "Dash" will cause all contour lines placed on the map to be dashed. You can turn it on and then add a contour and then turn it off. This way only the single contour you put on the map will be dashed.
15.) "Call letter Only" will place only the call letter of a station at its given transmitter reference point. This can be used when the much of the contour is off the map or because of the stations location mapping of the call letters is enough to tell the FCC its has been counted. Users will often add only the call letters for obvious stations in order to keep the map a little bit cleaner.
16.) The "Load" button will load the last Duopoly list. This list is saved each time a station is dropped from the list.
17.) The other buttons on the Duopoly page, including "View" are quite self-explanatory.