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New RF Explorer for Windows 1.12.1604.3 available

Enhancements:

  • Automatic connection of Spectrum Analyzer and Signal Generator device. This is a major improvement to allow transparent operation of connected devices in any configuration. If you are using a RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer and a Signal Generator together for SNA or other purposes, the easiest way to work with them now is as follows:
    • Connect Spectrum Analyzer to USB
    • Connect Signal Generator to USB
    • Start RF Explorer for Windows application.
    • Both devices will be automatically connected to correct ports and enable SNA display automatically.
  • Manual connection of devices is still available as usual, in all cases the application will try to connect the right device to the right port as soon as the connection is made.
  • Aligned waterfall 2D view on main Spectrum Analyzer screen. Now is possible to have a fully aligned frequency view on both displays.
  • Waterfall dedicated tab view is now independently configured from that of Spectrum Analyzer tab view. This is best fit for a convenient 2D waterfall on Spectrum Analyzer and a full featured 3D view on Waterfall view. Configuration settings such as transparency and Realtime/MaxHold settings for waterfall are also independent in both views .

  • Default settings are now Dark Mode and Spectrum Analyzer view configured to include waterfall 2D. This setting can be reconfigured by user anytime. If you do not need or like the Waterfall view, use menu View->Include Waterfall in Main Screen->None.
  • Configuration device icon is now disabled by default, to allow waterfall alignment. You can enable the device icon again using menu Device->Show RF Explorer icon…

Bug fixes

  • Waterfall screen display is now properly updated when “Data Sample” index is manually modified while Hold mode is enabled. Before this fix, waterfall display may not update with correct data when Data Sample was manually modified.
  • Frequency Markers are invalidated in Wifi Mode if they are out of range. Before this change, some markers could read incorrect values while Wifi Analyzer mode was enabled.
  • Frequency Markers no longer get out of screen if too many are enabled. Before this fix, a long list of markers on screen may actually go beyond application markers area.

This free upgrade is available at our download page.

RF Explorer in the flash deals week at SeeedStudio

Celebrating comeback after Chinese New Year , SeeedStudio is offering great deals. This upcoming week from March 15th to 21st, the following models can be ordered with big discounts:

  • RF Explorer 6G Combo
  • RF Explorer 3G Combo
  • RF Explorer Wifi Combo
  • RF Explorer Signal Generator

Please visit SeeedStudio promotion page for ordering details: SeeedStudio link.

RF Explorer support for WiFi Analyzer 5GHz band

We are happy to release RF Explorer firmware v1.12B31 with support for WiFi Analyzer feature in the 6G models: Download link.

Previous versions only supported WiFi channels in the 2.4Ghz range. This is immediately available for RF Explorer 6G, 6G Combo and WiFi Combo.

Covered channels and frequencies are listed below:

Channel number Center frequency (MHz)
36 5180
40 5200
44 5220
48 5240
52 5260
56 5280
60 5300
64 5320
149 5745
153 5765
157 5785
161 5805
165 5825

One problem we faced while developing the WiFi Analyzer for 5GHz is the large number of channels and lack of official standards. Therefore we selected the ones more frequently used so we can fit 13 channels in the LCD screen. A future option will allow to select a different configuration where less frequently used channels can be listed, too.

Known limitation: RF Explorer for Windows latest version available does not correctly interpret these channels, so this new firmware is intended for standalone use only. If you use it together with connected PC, frequency readings and channel numbers won't be correct. This will be resolved in an upcoming RF Explorer for Windows release in April.

Software update available

The new RF Explorer for Windows v1.12.1601.5 is available for download and includes very useful enhancements:

  • Tool Group for markers, easier and more convenient to use than menu. It has never been easier to place the marker you need!
  • Tool Group for visual options such as trace thickness or grid
  • Enhanced 3D Waterfall to support extended data resolution
  • Several bug fixes

This new version is fully tested and recommended for all users. For more details please check RF Explorer for Windows Release Notes

A new firmware version is also available for Signal Generator and Spectrum Analyzer:

  • Spectrum Analyzer firmware v1.12 Beta 26: fixes a problem where amplitude change from RF Explorer for Windows may be ignored sometimes
  • Signal Generator firmware v1.12 Beta 15: adds accurate power levels reading on screen. This is direct read from internal factory calibration tables stored in the device.

User manuals are also updated to cover new functionality available in firmware v1.12:

RFTrack for Android: TV Whitespace RF Explorer analyzer

Our friends at ICTP in Italy are presenting a global effort to record TV White Spaces in a worldwide database. These are RF frequencies formerly allocated by TV broadcast but not actually used. By detecting these whitespaces certain licensed and unlicensed transmissions can benefit from it. This project is using RFTrack Android app and a connected RF Explorer to capture GPS & RF activity, then uploaded to a global repository.

And this is all offered for free. As a community we can benefit from a global database with this information being timely updated. Contributors are appreciated: all you need is a RF Explorer and an Android device, record data from your local city and upload into the database.

The ICTP TVWS global database is available on this link: wireless.ictp.it/tvws/