Portsdown Band Viewer - Revision history

G8GKQ: /* Waterfall Capability */

2024-04-23T16:17:43Z

Waterfall Capability

G8GKQ: /* Waterfall Capability */

2024-04-23T16:11:56Z

Waterfall Capability

G8GKQ: /* Web Viewing */

2024-03-05T20:41:04Z

Web Viewing

G8GKQ: /* Starting the Software */

2024-03-04T10:31:02Z

Starting the Software

G8GKQ: /* =Band Switching */

2024-01-27T16:19:38Z

=Band Switching

G8GKQ: /* Portsdown 2020 with Waveshare 3.5 inch Screen and the RTL-SDR */

2024-01-27T16:19:24Z

Portsdown 2020 with Waveshare 3.5 inch Screen and the RTL-SDR

G8GKQ: /* Gain Control and Accuracy of Level Display */

2023-10-26T19:18:50Z

Gain Control and Accuracy of Level Display

G8GKQ: /* Waterfall Capability */

2023-10-26T19:13:39Z

Waterfall Capability

G8GKQ: /* SDRplay RSP Capability - Portsdown 4 Only */

2023-10-20T09:49:28Z

SDRplay RSP Capability - Portsdown 4 Only

G8GKQ: /* SDRplay RSPdx Capability - Portsdown 4 Only */

2023-10-19T19:53:55Z

SDRplay RSPdx Capability - Portsdown 4 Only

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:17, 23 April 2024
Line 108:		Line 108:


−	It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for the ~~Pluto~~ and RTL-SDR when time permits.	+	It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for the Airspy and RTL-SDR when time permits.

	=====Band Switching=====		=====Band Switching=====

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 ====Waterfall Capability====
-The SDRplay and LimeSDR BandViewers includes a waterfall capability.  This is selected from the Mode Menu.  There are 2 waterfall presentation modes:  "Mix" mode where the top quarter of the screen displays a spectrum and the lower three quarters displays a waterfall, and "Waterfall" mode where the waterfall fills the screen.
+The LimeSDR, Pluto and SDRplay BandViewers includes a waterfall capability.  This is selected from the Mode Menu.  There are 2 waterfall presentation modes:  "Mix" mode where the top quarter of the screen displays a spectrum and the lower three quarters displays a waterfall, and "Waterfall" mode where the waterfall fills the screen.
 [[File:Mix Mode.jpg|400px]]

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 The displayed spectrum can be viewed from a browser on the same network as the BandViewer.  Simply type in the Portsdown's IP address and select "Touchscreen" and you should see the spectrum, which is updated once a second.
-For this to work, "Web Control" needs to be enabled in the Portsdown software (Menu 2, System Config, Web Control Enable/Disable).  Note that, unlike the Portsdown and Signal Generator software, web control of the Band Viewer is not possible - it is display only.  Settings need to be adjusted using the touchscreen.  Exceptionally, web control is available on the SDRplay BandViewer - see below.
+For this to work, "Web Control" needs to be enabled in the Portsdown software (Menu 2, System Config, Web Control Enable/Disable).  Note that, unlike the Portsdown and Signal Generator software, web control of the Band Viewer is not possible - it is display only.  Settings need to be adjusted using the touchscreen.  Exceptionally, web control is available on the SDRplay BandViewer - see below.  Web control is now also available for the RTL-SDR BandViewer.
 ===== Resolution =====

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 ===== Starting the Software =====
-BandViewer can be selected from Portsdown Menu 2, BandViewer.  The BandViewer for specific SDRs can also be selected from Menu 2, Test Equipment.  On selection of the generic BandViewer button, the software checks for the presence of the SDRs in the order: Airspy, SDRplay, LimeSDR, Pluto, RTL-SDR.  It uses the first SDR that it finds, or displays an error message if it cannot find an SDR.  If a connected SDRplay is not detected, it may be necessary to specifically select the SDRplay from the Test Equipment menu to load the driver.
+BandViewer can be selected from Portsdown Menu 2, BandViewer.  The BandViewer for specific SDRs can also be selected from Menu 2, Test Equipment.  On selection of the generic BandViewer button, the software checks for the presence of the SDRs in the order: Airspy, SDRplay, LimeSDR, RTL-SDR, Pluto.  It uses the first SDR that it finds, or displays an error message if it cannot find an SDR.  If a connected SDRplay is not detected, it may be necessary to specifically select the SDRplay from the Test Equipment menu to load the driver.
 BandViewer can also be selected from the Terrestrial (not QO-100) Receiver menu.  In this case, the BandViewer is automatically set to the selected receive frequency.

@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for the Pluto and RTL-SDR when time permits.
-=====Band Switching====
+=====Band Switching=====
 When using the Pluto BandViewer, the 4 Portsdown band-switching lines can be controlled by the center frequency set on the BandViewer.  To enable this capability, switch it on in the "system" menu.  The exact frequency to band relationship then needs to be set by manually editing (using a text editor) the file /home/pi/rpidatv/src/plutoview/plutoview_bands.txt

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:19, 27 January 2024
Line 109:		Line 109:

	It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for the Pluto and RTL-SDR when time permits.		It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for the Pluto and RTL-SDR when time permits.
		+
		+	=====Band Switching====
		+
		+	When using the Pluto BandViewer, the 4 Portsdown band-switching lines can be controlled by the center frequency set on the BandViewer. To enable this capability, switch it on in the "system" menu. The exact frequency to band relationship then needs to be set by manually editing (using a text editor) the file /home/pi/rpidatv/src/plutoview/plutoview_bands.txt

	=====Portsdown 2020 with Waveshare 3.5 inch Screen and the RTL-SDR=====		=====Portsdown 2020 with Waveshare 3.5 inch Screen and the RTL-SDR=====

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:18, 26 October 2023
Line 50:		Line 50:

	From the Mode menu, it is possible to reconfigure the display to show only 20dB of range. This is ideal for fine alignment of systems.		From the Mode menu, it is possible to reconfigure the display to show only 20dB of range. This is ideal for fine alignment of systems.
		+
		+	When using the SDRplay and LimeSDRs, the 0 dB line is calibrated to 0 dBFS. This corresponds to the maximum signal stength that a single carrier can be displayed at with no distortion. At lower span widths, this can take the noise level below -80 dB. There is a setting on the Mode Menu (LimeSDR) or Gain Menu (SDRplay) to "Show 20dB lower". This shifts the whole display so that levels down to -100 dB are visible.

	===== Measurements and Recording =====		===== Measurements and Recording =====

@@ Line 91: / Line 91: @@
 ====Waterfall Capability====
-The SDRplay BandViewer includes a waterfall capability.  This is selected from the Mode Menu.  There are 2 waterfall presentation modes:  "Mix" mode where the top quarter of the screen displays a spectrum and the lower three quarters displays a waterfall, and "Waterfall" mode where the waterfall fills the screen.
+The SDRplay and LimeSDR BandViewers includes a waterfall capability.  This is selected from the Mode Menu.  There are 2 waterfall presentation modes:  "Mix" mode where the top quarter of the screen displays a spectrum and the lower three quarters displays a waterfall, and "Waterfall" mode where the waterfall fills the screen.
 [[File:Mix Mode.jpg|400px]]
@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
-It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for other SDRs when time permits.
+It is hoped to add the waterfall capability to the BandViewer for the Pluto and RTL-SDR when time permits.
 =====Portsdown 2020 with Waveshare 3.5 inch Screen and the RTL-SDR=====

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 The SDRplay RSP family are complex SDRs with good performance.  They need special drivers, which sometimes take a while (up to 90 seconds) to be loaded when selected.  They should be connected to one of the (black) USB2 ports on the Raspberry Pi 4.  The (blue) USB3 ports do not always work for the SDRplay.  The BandViewer has been tested with the RSPdx and RSP2pro; other RSP series SDRs should work, but have not been tested.
-There are gain settings for both the IF Gain and the RF Gain.  A good starting point for BandViewer is an RF Gain of 0 dB, and an IF gain of -10 dB.  The gain setting calibration is only valid for the RSPdx.  The AGC facility does work, but is not recommended with BandViewer.  The top of the screen is set to be "digital full scale" (also known as 0 dBFS).  This can sometimes push the noise floor off the bottom of the screen; it can be brought back into into view by selecting "Show 20dB Lower" on the gain menu.
+There are gain settings for both the IF Gain and the RF Gain.  A good starting point for BandViewer is an RF Gain of 0 dB, and an IF gain of -10 dB.  The gain setting calibration is only valid for the RSPdx.  The AGC facility does work, but is not recommended with BandViewer.  The top of the screen is set to be "digital full scale" (also known as 0 dBFS).  This can sometimes push the noise floor off the bottom of the screen; it can be brought back into into view by selecting "Show 20dB Lower" on the gain menu.  Note that the IF Gain and RF gain calibration settings are only valid for the RSPdx.  They do change the gain on other models, but not by the factor indicated on the button.
 On the "Advanced Config" menu (accessed through "Settings", "Waterfall Config", "Advanced Config"), the desired Antenna input for the RSPdx can be selected.  Enter A, B or C; for the Hi-Z input, select C.  The 4.7v Bias T LNA supply on the supported input can also be switched on an off from this menu.  A frequency offset can also be set that changes the frequency calibration on the display.  For a receiver with a low side LO, simply enter the the LO frequency in Hz (such as 9750000000 for a standard QO-100 LNB).  For a receiver with a high side LO, enter the LO frequency as negative (such as -5150000000 for a C-Band LNB); with a high side LO, the spectrum is also reversed so that it looks correct.  In all cases, the frequency entry for the centre frequency needs to at the actual SDR centre frequency (such as 745 MHz for a standard QO-100 LNB).  Any reported marker frequency is likely to be at the SDR frequency, and possibly incorrect for high-side mixing.

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 LimeSDR BandViewer shows a DC noise spike of between 15 and 20 dB amplitude in the centre of the display.  This is hidden if a reasonable gain preamp is used in front of the LimeSDR.
-====SDRplay RSPdx Capability - Portsdown 4 Only====
+====SDRplay RSP Capability - Portsdown 4 Only====
-The SDRplay RSPdx is a complex SDR with good performance.  It needs special drivers, which sometimes take a while (up to 90 seconds) to be loaded when selected.  It should be connected to one of the (black) USB2 ports on the Raspberry Pi 4.  The (blue) USB3 ports do not always work for the SDRplay.
+The SDRplay RSP family are complex SDRs with good performance.  They need special drivers, which sometimes take a while (up to 90 seconds) to be loaded when selected.  They should be connected to one of the (black) USB2 ports on the Raspberry Pi 4.  The (blue) USB3 ports do not always work for the SDRplay.  The BandViewer has been tested with the RSPdx and RSP2pro; other RSP series SDRs should work, but have not been tested.
-There are gain settings for both the IF Gain and the RF Gain.  A good starting point for BandViewer is an RF Gain of 0 dB, and an IF gain of -10 dB.  The AGC facility does work, but is not recommended with BandViewer.  The top of the screen is set to be "digital full scale" (also known as 0 dBFS).  This can sometimes push the noise floor off the bottom of the screen; it can be brought back into into view by selecting "Show 20dB Lower" on the gain menu.
+There are gain settings for both the IF Gain and the RF Gain.  A good starting point for BandViewer is an RF Gain of 0 dB, and an IF gain of -10 dB.  The gain setting calibration is only valid for the RSPdx.  The AGC facility does work, but is not recommended with BandViewer.  The top of the screen is set to be "digital full scale" (also known as 0 dBFS).  This can sometimes push the noise floor off the bottom of the screen; it can be brought back into into view by selecting "Show 20dB Lower" on the gain menu.
-On the "Advanced Config" menu (accessed through "Settings", "Waterfall Config", "Advanced Config"), the desired Antenna input for the RSPdx can be selected.  Enter 0 for input A, 1, for input B and 2 for input C.  The 4.7v Bias T LNA supply on input B can also be switched on an off from this menu.  A frequency offset can also be set that changes the frequency calibration on the display.  For a receiver with a low side LO, simply enter the the LO frequency in Hz (such as 9750000000 for a standard QO-100 LNB).  For a receiver with a high side LO, enter the LO frequency as negative (such as -5150000000 for a C-Band LNB); with a high side LO, the spectrum is also reversed so that it looks correct.  In all cases, the frequency entry for the centre frequency needs to at the actual SDR centre frequency (such as 745 MHz for a standard QO-100 LNB).  Any reported marker frequency is likely to be at the SDR frequency, and possibly incorrect for high-side mixing.
+On the "Advanced Config" menu (accessed through "Settings", "Waterfall Config", "Advanced Config"), the desired Antenna input for the RSPdx can be selected.  Enter A, B or C; for the Hi-Z input, select C.  The 4.7v Bias T LNA supply on the supported input can also be switched on an off from this menu.  A frequency offset can also be set that changes the frequency calibration on the display.  For a receiver with a low side LO, simply enter the the LO frequency in Hz (such as 9750000000 for a standard QO-100 LNB).  For a receiver with a high side LO, enter the LO frequency as negative (such as -5150000000 for a C-Band LNB); with a high side LO, the spectrum is also reversed so that it looks correct.  In all cases, the frequency entry for the centre frequency needs to at the actual SDR centre frequency (such as 745 MHz for a standard QO-100 LNB).  Any reported marker frequency is likely to be at the SDR frequency, and possibly incorrect for high-side mixing.
-'''Although the SDRplay RSPdx BandViewer does work with other SDRs from the SDRplay family (such as the RSP 1a or RSP 2), it has not been tested with them.'''  The gain settings may not be optimum, and the input and LNA switching is unlikely to work.  RSP Clones also work, but have much poorer performance than the genuine article; at least 20 dB less sensitive with lots of additional spurii.
+RSP Clones are reported to work with BandViower, but have much poorer performance than the genuine article; at least 20 dB less sensitive with lots of additional spurii.
 Unlike other versions of BandViewer, the "Set Frequency Presets" menu is accessed from the "System" menu.