New Spectrograph beta uses SDR-14
Jim Sky
I am releasing the beta for the Spectrograph update that includes support
for the SDR14. Now you too can be a WCCRO or UFRO type Spectrograph
server! ...sort of... You may have seen some of the spectra that I have
taken here at BIRO http://radiosky.com/SpecImageIndex080429.html and
http://radiosky.com/SpecImageIndex080428.htm
If you own a SDR-14 from rfspace.com you can stream out spectra of
whatever bandwidth you have the antenna to cover (within the 30 MHz
limitation of the SDR14). The software streams 200 adjacent channels of
data at a rate somewhat faster than 10 spectra / second. Why not use the
SpectraVue software that comes with the SDR-14? The main problem is the
amount of data it produces. By reducing the data to just 200 channels, the
amount of data becomes more manageable and stream-able over a limited
bandwidth. Also SpectraVue is limited to 4 MHz of spectrum (I am not sure
why). For Jupiter and Solar observations we have been using about 10 MHz
of spectrum. SpectraVue is great for many applications but I think you
will find the Radio-Sky Spectrograph software easier to use for HF radio
astronomy.
I am using the same Stand Alone/ Server/ Client model with Spectrograph
1.6.1 that I use with Radio-SkyPipe. You select one of these three modes
to operate in. If in Client Mode, you can view the spectrographs of others
who are serving their spectras. If you are familiar with Radio-SkyPipe you
will recognize the system. You select from a list of available
servers. The UFRO and WCCRO are always in this list (even though as I
write this the UFRO is not running). Additional servers will join the list
as you SDR-14 owners make them available using this same program in Server
mode. You do not have to stream out your data. You can just collect data
for your own use in Stand Alone mode. It is up to you.
Even at this reduced data rate, the Spectrograph can produce tens of
megabytes of data in a SPS file in an hour or two long observation. With
todays huge hard drives you could run it continuously, but probably
won't. There are built in facilities to save JPEG images of the
charts. This uses less space on the hard drive.
There are many parts of the program that I need to document, but if I wait
to do that before releasing it ... well it might be obsolete by then. If
you have a SDR-14 then you can going using the rough instructions
below. If you don't have one then just use this program the way you have
been using earlier versions, however, now you have to specify that you want
to operate in Client Mode.
This is an update to the Spectrograph program. If you do not have the
program already on your computer then install it as per the directions at:
http://jupiter.wcc.hawaii.edu/spectrograph_software.htm
Once the program is installed. Test it and close it. Then get the update
at: http://radiosky.com/spec/SpecUpdate_1_6_1.exe You really should get
into the habit of saving executable programs like this to a directory of
its own in a place you can find it on your hard drive. For example:
C:\TEMP\SPECTROGRAPH . Then run the installation program from there. I get
many emails from people you just elect to Run the executable from their
browser. Windows lumps it into a temporary folder of its own choosing
where the setup files get mixed with the setup files from other downloads.
As a result things go wrong.
Once you have the new program:
1. Set up your Identity settings under Options \ Identity.
2. Set up your Data Directory under Options \ File Saving \ Data Directory.
3. If you do not have an SDR14 you just need to select Mode \
Client ---you are done.
4. You have an SDR-14 so select Mode \ Stand Alone.
5. Select Options \ Radio \ SDR14.
6. Select View \ Show SDR14 Controls.
7. In the SDR14 controls panel set FFT size = 32768 ; FFT Avgs = 1; HF Gain
= 0; Preamp ; Max dB = -30; Min dB = -105.
8. Make sure the SDR14 is connected and powered on.
9. Select a frequency range in the Hi F and Lo F windows.
10. Press Start. You might have to press it twice sometimes. This is a
bug I cannot seem to find.
11. Hide the SDR14 controls if you wish.
12 Experiment with Color Gain and offset. Color gain will probably stay
around 1. Try different color files.
13 Experiment with different setting of the SDR14 control panel; the ones
above are just what seem to work for me.
14. If you decide to stream out your data, change to Server Mode; make sure
you have openings in your fire wall; set the Max number of Clients to use.
Consult the old Spectrograph help files for help. I have not had time to
write new ones.
At least for now, this software is completely free. I am anticipating
incorporating some other radios such as the new Perseus, but people will
have to lend me a radio (or give me one ;-) ) so I can develop the interfaces.
Aloha,
Jim Sky
Jim Sky
http://radiosky.com
Radio-Sky Publishing
PMB 242 P. O. Box 7063
Ocean View, Hawaii 96737
USA
kl7uw
I wonder if this will be usable with the SDR-IQ? It is limited to 190-
KHz bandwidth vs 4-MHz for the SDR-14 but otherwise should be similar.
Ed Cole
KL7UW
On May 21, 12:24 am, Jim Sky <radio...@radiosky.com> wrote:
> Hello folks,
>
> I am releasing the beta for the Spectrograph update that includes support
> for the SDR14. Now you too can be a WCCRO or UFRO type Spectrograph
> server! ...sort of... You may have seen some of the spectra that I have
John Mannone
Very nice! Curious about the time scale. I noticed a 93-second and a 76-second time step in the plots. Why such peculiar gradations? Can you set them to 60 seconds for greater reading ease?
John
-----Original Message-----
>From: Jim Sky <radi...@radiosky.com>
>Sent: May 21, 2008 4:24 AM
>To: radi...@listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov, sara...@googlegroups.com
>Subject: [SARA] New Spectrograph beta uses SDR-14
>
>
>Hello folks,
>
>I am releasing the beta for the Spectrograph update that includes support
>for the SDR14. Now you too can be a WCCRO or UFRO type Spectrograph
>server! ...sort of... You may have seen some of the spectra that I have
>taken here at BIRO http://radiosky.com/SpecImageIndex080429.html and
Jim Sky
The SDR14 just spits back data at us at whatever speed it wants. There is
no precise throttle, at least that I know of.
Jim Sky
At 04:37 AM 5/21/2008, John Mannone wrote:
>Hello Jim,
>
>Very nice! Curious about the time scale. I noticed a 93-second and a
>76-second time step in the plots. Why such peculiar gradations? Can you
>set them to 60 seconds for greater reading ease?
>
>John
>
>-
>-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
Jim Sky
I don't know if it would work with the SDR-IQ but I suspect not. I don't
have an SDR-IQ to try and I did not investigate the software
ramifications. I am not so sure the 190 kHz would be of much spectral
interest for radio astronomy as most natural spectral features are wider
than that. Perhaps the SDR-IQ could be adapted in a swept frequency mode,
depending on how quickly it can change frequencies. This is a possibility
for other radios as well. We used the R8500 this way initially at WCCRO
before we built the dedicated FS200 spectrograph hardware, but it was quite
a bit slower than optimal.
Aloha,
Jim
Jim Sky
Pieter Ibelings
Nice program. I am going to play with it later this week. Is there a reason
why you are only getting 10 spectra per second. In the 2048 mode I get
almost 60 on my pentium 4 3.2 GHz.
Regards,
Pieter
Jim Sky
You could get more spectra /sec but I am looking for a reasonable amount of
data saved and streaming bandwidth. 10 scans/sec seems to capture all of
the discernable features of Jupiter and Solar observations. Solar could
even be slower. Experimenting with a faster rate (smaller FFT size) might
be worthwhile in looking for S-bursts signatures. I would encourage
that. The SDR-14 does not seem to differentiate S bursts like our scanning
spectrographs do. The scanning ones scan from high to low frequencies
which is also the way that the S-bursts drift. As a result the scan can
follow the S-burst for a few pixels (channels) making a distinctive
vertical hash mark on the image. My experiments with the SDR-14 so far do
not show the S-bursts in a truly distinctive way, but maybe the faster rate
would be helpful.
Thanks for a wonderful radio.
Jim S.