HFTA .PRO and .PRN files in HFTA-X
If you have been using HFTA for years, your work is in two kinds of file: .PRO terrain profiles and .PRN elevation-angle statistics. HFTA-X reads both and writes both, so nothing is lost when you move to the browser, and you can go back to the original HFTA whenever you like.
Bringing your .PRO profiles in
A .PRO file is a terrain profile in one direction: distance and height, point by point, from the foot of the tower outwards. HFTA-X uses them exactly as HFTA does.
- Switch to advanced mode with the button at the top. Basic mode keeps the screen simple and hides the file controls.
- In section 2 · Terrain profiles, choose your
.PROfiles. You can pick several at once, one per azimuth. - Compute as usual. While files are loaded they replace the automatic terrain; the ✕ button next to the selector removes them and goes back to the map.
That is the way to go if you surveyed a profile yourself, or if you want to repeat a study you did years ago with exactly the same terrain.
Taking profiles back to HFTA
- One direction: Download .PRO saves the current profile, one file per azimuth, with 148 points, which is what fits in the HFTA engine.
- The whole circle: 360° .PRO profiles gives a ZIP with one
.PROper azimuth at the step you choose: 360 files at 1°, 36 at 10°.
These are ordinary HFTA files: open them in HFTA on Windows as if you had made them with MicroDEM.
Elevation-angle statistics (.PRN)
The figure of merit weighs your pattern with the angles at which signals actually arrive. HFTA ships those statistics as .PRN files from the ARRL, and HFTA-X reads them in section 4 · Elevation-angle statistics (FOM). If you have your own .PRN, load it there.
HFTA-X can also compute current statistics for your own location and today's solar cycle from a VOACAP run, and download them in the same .PRN format, which the original HFTA also reads.
Other files
- OUT.PRN for MAKEVOA and VOACAP, so you can take your terrain-adjusted antenna into a propagation program.
- Projects (.HFP): the whole project in one file, to keep a copy or move it to another computer.
- Reports: PDF and CSV with the charts and numbers.
Questions
- Can HFTA-X open my old HFTA .PRO files?
- Yes. In advanced mode, section 2 accepts one or several .PRO files, and the calculation uses them instead of the automatic terrain.
- Can I use the profiles HFTA-X builds in the original HFTA?
- Yes. Download them as .PRO, one azimuth at a time or the full circle as a ZIP, and open them in HFTA on Windows.
- Does HFTA-X use the ARRL .PRN statistics?
- Yes. It reads .PRN files for the figure of merit, and it can also compute current statistics for your location and export them as .PRN.
HFTA-X is an independent project. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the ARRL. HFTA (HF Terrain Assessment) is a program by R. Dean Straw, N6BV, published by the ARRL.