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AndrewModeratorHello rmaso,
Someone else might be able to assist you further. I don’t have experience with Labview but I found this response earlier in this thread.
If you have installed the Signal Hound Spike application, look in this folder.
C:\Program Files\Signal Hound\Spike\api\sa_series\labview
This is a Labview example we distribute. Another forum member was able to verify this worked out of the box. If this example works for you, then maybe you can determine what is causing issues with your setup.Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHello Gaetano,
Unfortunately we currently do not provide software for performing this task. This is a feature we have discussed internally for quite some time. It is interesting to us and we may provide this functionality in the future.
For now, we only provide the programming interface to our devices. If you have programming experience, you could interface our device, a GPS, and a mapping service to implement this type of functionality.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorAndrew January 20, 2016 at 12:20 pm in reply to: Spike Channel Power measurement (all for that matter)Hi Jared,
Thanks for the input. I’ll play around with a few ideas. Out of curiosity, are you setting the text and traces to the same color? A temporary solution might be to change one of the colors, as the text is painted over the trace.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi Elieser,
At 16 MHz the SA44B switches over to a more sensitive IF which is why you see the step in the amplitude.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi Peter,
Thanks for the bug reports. We will have these and others resolved for the next release. If your PC is on a network, the Spike software will alert you when a new version is available, expect a new version in the coming weeks.
Thanks again for your feedback. It was a lot of fun watching your review.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi Peter,
At 100kHz and below spans for the scalar network analyzer (SNA) sweeps, the device allows more time for the signal to settle, as many of our users are measuring narrow band devices with higher settling times. Setting the span above 100kHz (e.g. 105kHz), will prevent the devices from going into this narrow band mode. I do not think you will be able to get to a 0.5 second sweep, which is mostly a hardware design limitation in how fast the device can sweep and sync.
As for the delta marker not reporting delta frequency, this is a bug and not intended. We will get this resolved for the next release. Thank you very much for alerting us to this.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorAndrew January 15, 2016 at 1:48 pm in reply to: Signal Hound v2.15 says "Failed to create empty document"Hi Wdoug,
Let me preface, version v2.15 is a older version of the software. It has been replaced with by our latest spectrum analyzer application called “Spike” which can be downloaded here. http://www.signalhound.com/Spike. It only runs on Win 7/8/10. Are you on one of these systems and would be able to try it?
If you need to stay with our older software, this message usually means that the software was unable to download the calibration file from our server. The first time our older units are ran on a particular PC, the software looks for a cal file on our server and pulls it to your PC. Ensure you have a connection to the internet before trying again. Also ensure the device is plugged in and the LED is green before running the software. If it still continues to fail, email us at support at signalhound dot com referencing this conversation and with your serial number.
If your device is older, there is a possibility the file isn’t currently on the server, which will cause the Spike software to stop on this step as well. Contact us as well if this is the issue.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorOf course,
Since you are using the Atom CPUs, it would be good to characterize the behavior on Windows first. Our application uses the API under the hood, so you can get a good idea on how various features work. The API functions similarly on both Windows/Linux, so when I get it recompiled, porting should be easy, if you are able to start development on Windows. Shoot me an email at aj at signalhound dot com and I will email you when I get a new Linux version up. I can’t guarantee any time frame though, maybe in the next couple weeks.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi Labbench1,
I apologize, I did not realize you were working on a Linux OS. Yes, there is an issue on Linux, the library was compiled naively on a Haswell CPU and now requires a Haswell CPU or newer i-series model CPU to run properly. It was compiled with the -march=native flag, which inserted architecture specific instructions.
We haven’t set aside time to recompile it again for Linux. I’ll see if this could be done sooner than later. In the meantime, you mentioned you have a Windows OS you can run it on?
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi Labbench,
Additionally, I do not know what support is like for USB 3.0 on the Atom CPUs and motherboards, so I would not be surprised if you run into issues with this.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi Labbench1,
The current releases should run on Intel Atom right now. I should let you know that we have not tested the BB60C on the Atom architecture. It is unlikely that the available Atoms are able to perform the necessary signal processing needed for the BB60C to operate. I suspect most sweeps will be OK and slow, but it will have issues with modes like zero-span, real-time, or demodulation (audio/digital).
If you are able to try it, we would be interested to hear about your results.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi John,
The BB60A will work with our tracking generators. The BB60A firmware must be updated as you noted. The firmware update is available on the BB60 download page.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModerator- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Andrew.
Hi John,
BB60As retailed for around 2400 USD.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModerator- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Andrew.
Hi John,
The unit in question was manufactured on Jan 20 2014. We manufactured BB60A’s from Feb 2013 to June 2014, at which time, it was replaced with the BB60C design. All BB60As are compatible with our latest software application, no need to use the legacy BB60A version 1.2.3 application. All of our analyzers use our main application called Spike, seen here, http://www.signalhound.com/Spike. We do offer calibration services, (call in for exact price). We also will repair BB60A devices for a flat fee.
Alternatively, BB60Cs are shipped with a two year warranty.
If you have any further questions, you may contact us by phone at 1-800-260-TEST.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModerator- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Andrew.
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for the heads up. I will try to look into this. If you find a simple way to reproduce the issue, or a snippet of code that easily reproduces the crash, this would be very helpful to us. It sounds like you managed to work around your issue though. Let us know if you find out anything further.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi John,
The main reason one might buy a BB60A now is due to price. We do not sell the BB60A anymore and have not since the BB60C was released.
The BB60C hardware design is drastically different than the BB60A, as you noted. The BB60C uses a direct RF path for frequencies below 20MHz. The HDSDR application requires an input I/Q data stream to operate on. We have not developed the direct RF to I/Q code necessary for HDSDR. This only affects 20MHz and below. Our API is available to users and we do provide the code for our device to interface HDSDR, so if you have programming experience, it would be possible to fill in the missing pieces to get the direct RF into HDSDR. This would require C++ and signal processing experience.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHello Eranz,
Unfortunately if the firmware update process fails for any reason, the device becomes unusable. At that point, we will need to receive the unit and re-flash the internal memory. If you are in the US or Canada, you can send the unit to us and we will do this for you, for free. You can set up a repair by calling us at 1-800-260-TEST or emailing me at
aj at signalhound dot com.
If you are outside the US or Canada, you can do this through the distributor, they will send the unit to us.Either way, no charge other than shipping to us.
Failed firmware updates seem to be more common in older devices. If we receive a device and determine the failure is due to other reasons, and not just a failed firmware update, then we would discuss other repair options.
If you have other units which have failed for other reasons, we do offer a flat repair fee. Contact us for the latest information regarding pricing.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi John,
Both the BB60A and BB60C function as a spectrum analyzers down to 9kHz, but software limitations prevent the BB60C from being currently used in HDSDR down to 9kHz. We no longer sell or manufacture the BB60A, but I do know they show up on Ebay occasionally. Specs for the BB60A are at the bottom of this document, https://signalhound.com/sigdownloads/BB60A/BB60A-User-Manual.pdf
The BB60C improved on almost all RF performance metrics compared to the BB60A. Might be worth comparing them to ensure it will fit your task, BB60C specs here
https://signalhound.com/sigdownloads/BB60C/BB60C-User-Manual.pdfRegards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi John,
The BB60A is capable of being tuned down to 9kHz in the HDSDR application. If you have access to one, great. The SA44B is a good choice for low frequency audio decoding as well, and more affordable as well. If your only goal is low frequency audio, you might look into dedicated SDR hardware, but obviously, this is not possible if you still need a spectrum analyzer.
I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have on the SA44B.
Regards,
A.J.
AndrewModeratorHi John,
If you need a lot of configuration in decoding and playing audio, you might try using the HDSDR (software radio) application with our hardware. This is a free software application which is compatible with our analyzers. Check out the capabilities of the software here, http://www.hdsdr.de. We provide the necessary documentation and files for interfacing the software, which is found on our download pages. The SA44B will be capable of tuning and decoding audio across its full operating frequency range, 1Hz to 4.4GHz. The BB60C is limited to a lower frequency of around 20MHz.
If you have any further questions, please let me know.
Regards,
A.J.- AuthorPosts