News - Board and System Test

Free Real-Time Digital Modulation Analysis Tools

10 June 2015 - Signal Hound has updated its free Spike Spectrum Analysis software by creating a variety of digital modulation analysis tools for its BB60C and BB60A USB-powered real-time spectrum analyzers. Spike software version 3.0.8 now provides constellation diagrams, symbol tables, error-vector magnitude (EVM) measurements, and bit pattern matching analysis tools for a wide range of modulation types.

Coupled with a Signal Hound BB60C or BB60A spectrum analyzer, the updated Spike software includes real-time tools to analyze digitally modulated signals with bandwidths to 27 MHz and frequencies from 9 kHz to 6 GHz.

Prior to version 3.0.8, Signal Hounds’ Spike software was already capable of signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SINAD), total harmonic distortion (THD), and percentage of modulation measurements. Additionally, Signal Hounds spectrum analyzers and Spike software were even capable of functioning as a measuring receiver with a synchronous lock function that enabled a dynamic range of 125dB at ±¼ dB of accuracy.

The 3.0.8 update unleashes more sophisticated signal analysis of common digital modulations present in cellular telecommunications, Internet-of-things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M), and other radio applications. Along with Spike’s application programming interface (API) and graphical user interface (GUI), there is significant third-party customization potential to best fit the software to a specific application.

“Our goal is to continue to increase the value of our products with the best software tools we can produce,” said Bruce Devine, CEO of Signal Hound. “We will continue to support and enhance our free software to best complement our low-cost high-value measurement instruments. With this mission in mind, we are excited to offer what could easily be over a thousand dollars worth of software value—free of charge—to our diverse and growing Signal Hound spectrum analyzer community.”

Future versions of Spike will include sub-1 GHz wireless standard modulation tools that include ASK, FSK, GFSK, MSK, GMSK, and OOK, as well as higher order modulation analysis tools for QAM64.

www.signalhound.com/

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