[Andrew]

Hi Mike,

You are correct about the float* parameter. It should be const, and the data is not modified by the API. I will see about getting this in a future update. Yes, you are safe to cast.

I can’t reproduce the issue you are seeing regarding RF output on/off. I wrote a short script to attempt to reproduce. Maybe you could try to run this? If all else fails, maybe you could whip up a simple script I could try to run and reproduce? See code below.

This function simply turns on and off the RF output in 1 second intervals. I observed the power going on and off at these intervals.

void testRFOutput()
{
    int handle = -1;
    VsgStatus vsgSts = vsgOpenDevice(&handle);
    if(vsgSts != vsgNoError) {
        printf("Unable to open VSG\n");
        return;
    } 

    vsgSetFrequency(handle, 1.0e9);
    vsgSetLevel(handle, -40.0);

    while(true) {
        vsgSetRFOutputState(handle, vsgTrue);
        vsgOutputCW(handle);
        Sleep(1000);
        vsgSetRFOutputState(handle, vsgFalse);
        Sleep(1000);
    }
}

Look forward to your response.

Regards,
Andrew

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Andrew.

rconaway,

Thanks for calling in, it was nice talking to you on the phone.
Let us know if you have follow up questions. You can email us at support at signalhound dot com.

Regards

rconaway,

It is possible to to record audio in the audio player, but the audio parameters must be entered manually. What do you mean by ‘lock’ to analog audio? If you have a programming background you might be interested in the API which will give you access to sweep measurements and audio. You can find the API in the SDK on our website. Additionally, the BB60C is not capable of performing a sweep and audio demodulation simultaneously.

Let me know if you have follow up questions.
Regards

[Andrew]

Hi Squiggles,

The main reasons we went with the micro-b is size (board space) and it is rated for more mating cycles. Type C wasn’t common when we released our first USB 3.0 product.

Regards

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Andrew.

Testpoint,

We are currently evaluating options to reach ~44GHz for 5G frequencies. We have no definite plans as of yet. Check back maybe later this year.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the feedback and input. The reference offset was moved to the file menu because it is now being used across most measurements in the software, as opposed to just the sweep modes in prior versions of Spike. Rather than have a separate entry for each measurement we put it in a global location. I apologize for the confusion there.

As far as the limitation on disp ref in harmonic measurements, it is an arbitrary limitation that I can remove in the next release. To get around this limitation, you can always simulate what the software is doing with a reference offset. For example, with a 50dBm input and 40dB ref offset (with 40dB atten), you can simply set the input level to (50-40 = +10dBm) and ensure the ref offset is 0. This will ensure the receiver settings are the same as with the ref offset, but then you will have to add 40dB to your measurments…

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for the feature request. I have thought about this feature before, and while I think it would be a good feature to have I’m not sure when we will be able to implement it. I’ll make a note you are looking for it.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Andy,

What behavior are you seeing now? Looking at the code, it looks like it should already be doing that. It looks like it should mark the output sweep with an ADC overload if any of the sweeps that contributed to it had an ADC overload condition.

Look forward to your response,
Andrew

Hi Labbench,

We have an 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04 build for the VSG60A in the SDK now.

Let me know if you run into any issues.

Regards,
Andrew

Dhivagar,

Please see the SA124 product manual (linked below) in section 2.4 for more information about the IF output. This feature allows the SA124 to be used as a downconverter, and in this case, the 6MHz RBW refers to the bandwidth of the IF output. This should not be confused with the 6MHz sweep RBW available through use of a power meter.

https://signalhound.com/sigdownloads/SA124B/SA124B-User-Manual.pdf

Regards,
Andrew

Dhivagar,

Our software does not perform automatic IP2/IP3 measurements. They will need to be performed manually in the standard sweep measurement mode. We specify IP2/IP3 for the SM200 and provide typical values for the BB60C. You measurement may be limited by the performance of our receivers.

Regards,
Andrew

Sarath,

The Spike software does not have LoRa demodulation capabilities. You would need to use either a third party software platform that supports LoRa measurements (I am not aware of one) or use the API to retrieve the I/Q data and perform the measurement yourself. Additionally, the bandwidth of the SA44B is 250kHz, so you would at least have the bandwidth necessary for the 125 and 250kHz waveforms. I am not familiar with the LoRa standard and am not able to tell you if the SA44B is adequate for LoRa demodulation.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew]

Hi Keith,

Using our software there are a couple things you need to know about the signal before you can make a WLAN measurement. You need to know the center frequency, modulation type (A/B/N/AC), and signal level. The suggestion to use sweep mode is to help customers who may not know the center frequency. If you already know the channel, you can select it in the frequency control group in WLAN meas mode. Channel 36 can be found under the 5GHz Ch. drop down menu. Then you need to know the signal level to set the trigger level. You should use the AM vs time (search) plot to set the correct trigger level. This plot runs even if no signal is found and can be used to monitor the AM levels over time. You want to set the trigger level between the noise floor and the signal on level. Too low and you will always trigger on noise, too high and you will always get the trigger not found message. Finally, you need to set the Standard. If you know it, great, otherwise trial and error is an easy option.

I’m going to follow up via email as well. Let me know if you have follow up questions.

Regards,
Andrew

• This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by Andrew.

Hi Labbench,

We are actively working on it! 🙂

I suspect an early January release date. I will put it in the SDK when finished. Check the SDK page periodically.

Thanks!

Dhivagar,

I’m not familiar with GPS, but I believe the sample rate needed is 5MS/s or less, so I believe the VSG60A could generate a GPS signal if you used other software to generate the GPS waveform. We have no plans to create such a software at this time.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Gary,

Thank you for the thoughtful suggestions. I can’t guarantee we will make any changes based on your suggestions, but it sure is fun to read and think about. I think there are a lot of valid ways to approach the problem and I’m sure other companies take a slightly different approach, such as plot an additional point.

Thanks again for taking the time to provide us with feedback and suggestions!

Regards,
Andrew

Hello Dhivagar,

This is not possible. If you wanted both simultaneously, you would need to retrieve the I/Q and convert it to audio manually.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi HalHoffman,

The sa_api and ftd2xx DLLs do not depend on anything in the .Net framework but do depend on the VS2012 redistributables. Have you installed those yet? Have you tried using a tool like dependency walker to determine which libraries you might be missing? I believe you can use it on the sa_api DLL. Also if it is a missing library, simply compiling it with the #pragma comment(lib,””) flag will tell you which DLL is missing when you go to run it.

I am running 1909 and have run 1903 in the past, both OS run the sa_api just fine. Does Spike work on these newer computer? If yes, it is probably because the VS2012 redistributables are shipped in the Spike directory.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Dvanhorn,

I would use the File -> Save/Load user presets to save an entire configuration and send them the file. This generates a single .ini file you can send to anyone using the same model number device.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Mike,

Thank you for your interest.

A USB connection will not be required. Commands and data will be sent over a 10GbE link. We are estimating price to be higher by ~2k USD. We are also planning on offering the same temp range as the current SM200A/B. Obviously this is all subject to change as we continue development.

Regards,
Andrew

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