Waterfall View App – Functionality Description

Waterfall View AppFunctionality Description

TECH Note: 9090

8 May 2014Rev: 001

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Waterfall View App – Functionality Description

8 May 2014

Q R C T E C H N O L O G I E S

TECH Note: Doc: 9090


Table of Contents

1.0 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 1

2.0 INSTALLATION .................................................................................................................... 1

3.0 NAVIGATING THE APPS SCREEN .................................................................................... 2

4.0 ACTIVATING AN APP .......................................................................................................... 4

5.0 USING THE WATERFALL VIEW APP ................................................................................. 5

5.1 LINKING TUNERS ......................................................................................................... 7 5.2 HEAT MAP INDEX ........................................................................................................ 9 5.3 TIME INDEX SELECTION ............................................................................................. 10

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1.0 Overview The WBT Waterfall View Application (WFV) extends WBT's capabilities to provide advanced features for visualization and analysis of RF spectrum data. WFV supports viewing and inspection of the spectrum during real-time recording and/or playback of collected data. The Waterfall View continuously displays signal strength of a user-selectable frequency range as an intuitive color scale during preview, recording, and playback. Additional capabilities such as custom coloring of the power scale, narrowing the span of the frequency range to focus on a signal, and pre-configured settings may also be available in the future.

2.0 Installation In order to properly install and utilize, the Waterfall View App requires WBT software version 2.1.0.51, and later.

The WBT API version that is supported by the unit must also be 1.0.0.2, or later. Install the Waterfall View App on the WBT unit following the directions from the delivery package. After the installation process is complete, the App will be loaded into the App screen of the unit.

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3.0 Navigating the Apps Screen From the home screen, click on the Apps icon on the left side, which opens the Apps window, displaying the following screen.

The App Launch Pad, located on the left side of the screen, displays what Apps are activated. The bar at the top displays various information about the App.

The information includes the App title, description, App version, version of the WBT software, and creator of the App. The user can also click Load on Start, which loads the app automatically after turning on the WBT.

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At the bottom of the App screen are two buttons. Activate App loads the app for use into the App Launch Pad. Deactivate App removes the app from the Launch Pad, and requires the user to activate the app again before using it.

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4.0 Activating an App To begin, select the Waterfall View App, at which point it becomes highlighted.

Then, click Activate App to load the program into the App Launch Pad on the left side. This means that the App starts running and is available for use at any time.

Note:

Activated Apps may take a few seconds to load upon the initial startup of the WBT. Please wait for the App icon to appear in the App Launch Pad

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5.0 Using the Waterfall View App When any App is in use, the home screen of the WBT changes to add control features. These are displayed as green arrow buttons, located at the bottom of the screen.

The arrows allow the user to switch between activated Apps. In this particular case, the Waterfall View App is the only one running and can be switched with the home spectrum view. To make the Waterfall View App visible, simply press either of the green buttons to display the scrolling spectrum view.

The WBT is synched with the Waterfall View App to change tuners both in the home screen, and within the App.

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To change viewing tuners in Waterfall View App, click on the desired tuner tab above the center frequency bar.

The WBT has four options for viewing tuners: Tuner A, Tuner B, Tuner A+B, and Tuner AB. Tuner A+B option can be viewed when both Tuners A and Tuner B bandwidth are shown on the screen. Tuner AB occurs when the tuners become linked at the span of 50.0 MHz. Like the regular spectrum view, the Waterfall View App can show both tuners simultaneously.

Changes that are made to the tuners are updated within the App in real time.

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5.1 Linking Tuners

To link the WBT tuners together, navigate to the Span drop down at the top-right corner of the home screen. Click on the bar, at which point the menu drops down.

Note:

Both tuner frequencies have to be in the range that allows the tuners to be linked. See WBT Manual for details.

Note:

Tuners can also be linked through the Sessions menu by setting any of the tuners

to the span of 50.0.

Note:

50 MHz can only be set when the two tuners cover the same spectrum range.

Select the Span 50.0 MHz. A warning message will appear, stating that the tuners are about to become linked.

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To confirm, click Yes to continue.

The tuners are now linked. To separate, either go to the Sessions menu, or select a span other than 50.0 MHz.

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5.2 Heat Map Index

To adjust the colors of the ranges, simply drag the colored area to the desired range. Although the app has a default setting, the index can be changed according to the preference of the user.

There currently is no limit to the range of color assignments within the Waterfall View App, meaning the unit can be set to any number of ranges, depending on the situation. Below are some examples of predefined colors and their assigned power ranges.

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5.3 Time Index Selection

The left side of the screen represents an index in seconds. This can be customized to show a specific segment of time. The time index default maximum value is 60 seconds. The time index ranges in value from 20 seconds to 1000 seconds, meaning the minimum value of time that can be displayed is 20 seconds, with the maximum being 1000 seconds.

To set a different time range, simply move the cursor over to the time index and press to hold down anywhere on the axis for at least 1 second. When the following selection dialog appears, select the desired values and click OK. After the new value is accepted, the App refreshes the screen and starts displaying new data.

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Waterfall View App – Functionality Description