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FLEX-6000 Signature Series - SmartSDR for Windows Software User’s Guide

Page 27

audio, each Slice Receiver shares the same base performance as the other Slice Receivers. For the

operator, this means that access to two or more receivers with the same top performance may be

used interchangeably without concern for differing performance characteristics of each receiver

often found in superheterodyne receivers.

9.2.3 Panadapter

The Panadapter uses the data available from the SCU and turns it into a visual representation of the

radio frequency spectrum. The Panadapter display, pictured below, shows the level of signals

present across a specific region of the spectrum just as a spectrum analyzer would. The higher the

white line appears in the display, the stronger the signal is in that part of the band. A scale for the

absolute signal level in dBm (decibels relative to one milliwatt) is provided on the right-hand side of

the display. This allows the operator to quickly identify signals of interest where the operator can

focus his/her efforts.

Each Panadapter is derived from the data from a single SCU so it is possible in multiple-SCU radios to

show two different Panadapters tuned to the same region of the spectrum, each with data from a

different SCU and ultimately a different antenna. The Panadapter shows the current state of the

spectrum and can be adjusted to show various widths of spectrum. A Panadapter can be seen below:

9.2.4 Waterfall

The Waterfall uses the same data from the SCU as the Panadapter and turns it into a time-based

visual representation of the spectrum. In the Waterfall, intensity of signal is represented by a change

in color in a similar way as water density is shown in weather radar. The vertical position in the

Waterfall represents the time that the information on the spectrum was obtained. The Waterfall

owes its name to the way that it continually moves downward like a Waterfall as time passes. The

Waterfall can be useful for understanding how signals are distributed in the spectrum over time,

locating where stations have recently transmitted and even locating “holes” where operation will not

interfere with other stations. A Waterfall can be seen below:

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