SDR Analyser Software

[Bodger]

Hi, I'm looking for SDR analyser software for the Mac.
I would like to check the resonance/SWR of my aerials with my SDRP2.
I've found many titles for the PC bur none for OSx.
Many thanks

[vk7jj]

Hi Bodger, I'd like to know that too.

Antenna building and modelling using software and testing them and analysing them has been my main radio passion for years, because I live in the sticks I can hang them from trees, they are made from aluminium welding wire.

I've done a bit with the SDRPlay RSP2 on HF and also multi-coaxial-collinear VHF-UHF verticals using an inexpensive RF noise source and a MiniCircuits bi-directional coupler from eBay

The coupler is a MiniCircuits ZFDC-10-5-S+ which is good for 1MHz to 2GHz and the noise source is one of these

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Noise-Sourc ... Sw4PxaBoVR

I can't find the original article online that started me off but if you search you'll find a variety of articles that deal with sweeping filters, antennas, etc all using the same principle.

There's a post on this forum from someYguy that might get you interested.

viewtopic.php?t=1562

Pros:
Really great for sweeping 10MHz blocks of spectrum using an SDRPlay device
Terrific visualisation of what's happening
Versatile for a range of things, eg sweeping common mode chokes, sweeping antenna tuners to see depth of notch or bandwidth

Cons:
Dynamic range measuring ability is limited by the return loss specs of the coupler, eg.

https://www.minicircuits.com/WebStore/d ... -10-5-S%2B

Absolute values are not easily obtainable because of the lack of ideal "flatness" of a cheap noise source and the coupler.
With the things I do, the relative values are what counts.

Here's a pic of the setup used to evaluate the notch obtainable by using an antenna tuner as a shunt to ground.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=127&p=9283&hilit=an ... uner#p9283

Using an RSP device as test gear has great potential, especially given it's += a dB or two flat range to 2GHZ.

All we need is a nice tracking generator and more dedicated software

Here are a couple of screen shots of one of the 160m loops, SDR-Console software was easiest to adjust for spectrum range and colour.

HFloop1-1-8-small.png (149.43 KiB) Viewed 20089 times

HFloop2-11-19-small.png (162.79 KiB) Viewed 20089 times

Links to originals:

http://www.vk7jj.com/public/HFloop1-1-8.png

http://www.vk7jj.com/public/HFloop2-11-19.png


With the accessibility of SDRPlay hardware and the range of software and it's uses, we can confirm on the bench that the sky is the limit

Cheers,

Phil

[someYguy]

Hi Bodger, I'd like to know that too.
Here are a couple of screen shots of one of the 160m loops, SDR-Console software was easiest to adjust for spectrum range and colour.
Cheers,

Phil

Very nice Phil, and those spectrum plots are so PURTY! . I'm off to take another look at SDR-Console for this.

[vk7jj]

Your article was one of the main things that set my bells ringing!

Thank you for it

Sure be nice to have dedicated software though. I saw it was on the SDR-Console "to do" list a while back but haven't checked for progress.

p.

[Bodger]

Thanks for your replies chaps, most helpful
Really impressed with your results Phil, not only your experiment screen shots but also
your constantly good signal from Taz, I see your WSPR beacon most days on 40 & 30m
(I’m G4VCN by the way).
I’m using the noise generator you mentioned and a cheap RF bridge off eBay, so fare only managed to get CubicSDR to work on my Mac, it shows a dip to indicate aerial resonance of some degree.
Cheers
Andy

[vk7jj]

Hi Andy .. G4VCN

Sorry for the silence, was away, now back. WSPR is fun isn't it, not so much RF noise here in Tas esp. regional areas though having said that we've got HT wires running through and transformer on property, are surrounded by electric fence units being the RF equivalent of farm dog noise, solar inverters, welders, compressors and all the white goods, computers and TVs we pollute absolutely everything with.

Re your bridge and generator seems we are all taking advantage of our RSPs in loving ways

More power to your elbow as they say!

Cheers, Phil.