Return-Path: Received: from rly-me10.mx.aol.com (rly-me10.mail.aol.com [172.20.83.44]) by air-me08.mail.aol.com (v123.3) with ESMTP id MAILINME081-9de49b028db1d7; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:33:14 -0500 Received: from post.thorcom.com (post.thorcom.com [193.82.116.20]) by rly-me10.mx.aol.com (v123.3) with ESMTP id MAILRELAYINME102-9de49b028db1d7; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:32:47 -0500 Received: from majordom by post.thorcom.com with local (Exim 4.14) id 1LfJIV-00005S-TO for rs_out_1@blacksheep.org; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:31:59 +0000 Received: from [193.82.116.32] (helo=relay1.thorcom.net) by post.thorcom.com with esmtp (Exim 4.14) id 1LfJIV-00005J-DU for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:31:59 +0000 Received: from mail-fx0-f174.google.com ([209.85.220.174]) by relay1.thorcom.net with esmtp (Exim 4.63) (envelope-from ) id 1LfJIU-0000vL-EG for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:31:59 +0000 Received: by fxm22 with SMTP id 22so93213fxm.4 for ; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:31:52 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=googlemail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; bh=3I9rCV9TVmskEJETc/KBvjU0JXzTfagI8FbiY2BMH/M=; b=caxGaehk3/4vnfnDoGdzRJdK4Asjw0k3PRQfPPtHisZ+7l+48p0KAGabRQysTu9fmr 5ZPFX6dBZcKTdXKfRjLn91DVqvADj6u4vAHYS2w2wq2lGLxceO9mhTCoWewy+b2BCTF6 lgFvDAb6KhS2PRsIVtzR2A7iMl+BOW2bXySDU= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=googlemail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=FLNzxzVgpyMQclftb/thpvdVUTT0A7LKSlUXOjL50TCUV5cIUWvK0qiiBVA9S7yMi7 VrOplqdCaSZvVuzr5R+j5HZ7L4AoDYEe/NYBU+OzIskrNVoJDhNvFi72gd/zelI3a4Jg uu6o9TomNWne9sjJnxgtQo5GqhEFB2g7FLb5c= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.223.107.19 with SMTP id z19mr1281542fao.27.1236281511926; Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:31:51 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: References: <000a01c99a91$a54a1180$1402a8c0@e7010> <7.0.1.0.1.20090305091934.0181aca8@magma.ca> Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 19:31:51 +0000 Message-ID: From: Andy Talbot To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org X-Karma: unknown: DomainKey-Status: good (testing) X-Spam-Score: 0.0 (/) X-Spam-Report: autolearn=disabled,none Subject: Re: LF: Deep copy... Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.63 (2004-01-11) on post.thorcom.com X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=no version=2.63 X-SA-Exim-Scanned: Yes Sender: owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org X-Listname: rsgb_lf_group X-SA-Exim-Rcpt-To: rs_out_1@blacksheep.org X-SA-Exim-Scanned: No; SAEximRunCond expanded to false X-AOL-IP: 193.82.116.20 X-AOL-SCOLL-AUTHENTICATION: mail_rly_antispam_dkim-d278.1 ; domain : googlemail.com DKIM : pass X-Mailer: Unknown (No Version) It all depends on your resolution bandwith which you don't specify. Pnoise =3D kTB With my SDR-IQ set to 190kHz span and 131072 point FFT, resolution bandwidth =3D 1.5Hz and Rx set to +10dB gain to get the best noise figure: -145dBm with a 50R load. With the Antenna connected this rises to -115dBm (measured at 1920 UTC) with no obvious lines or peaks contributing. If you normalise to the standard 2.5kHz noise measurement bandwidth, that equates to -112 (50R) and -82dBm.(antenna) respectively Thermal noise at reference temperature of 290K is -174dBm/Hz, so for 2.5kHz that gives -140dBm suggesting the noise figure of the SDR-IQ could be 140 - 112 =3D 28dB. It probably isn't this low as we're in the quantisation noise with no input signal, but a NF of 15 - 20dB would probably be a rough guesstimate. Andy G4JNT www.g4jnt.com 2009/3/5 dave.riley3 : > Thanks to ALL who responded with quick and cogent findings... > > It has seemed for a time that with the receiver AGC and NBs OFF that I > generally can see a deeper signal, depending on conditions... > > The final audio filter assures that the program does not have to deal with > noise outside of the passband of interest... > > TNX > > > Here is today's gnawing question...=A0 What is the expected ambient noise=20= say > @ 600M one should expect?? > Rural, City, Country, remote battery operated, etc. combinations... > Especially well away from AC neutral wires... > > Today I ran the input to the SDR-IQ=A0into a 50 ohm load and set a long > integrate ( 64+ ) =A0and saw approx -134 dbm of baseband noise with NO > signals... > > I then connected to the outside antenna with no external pre-amp or any no= n > linear device and saw -117 dbm of noise across 10 khz. with a few weak and > floating predictable BB noises.. > > At night it is sure to be up to near -100 dbm depending on conditions and > noises present... > > What do YOU get for a noise difference between a terminated antenna input > and your regular receive antenna?? > > I'm about to place several e-probes about this place in order to mix and > match phase and amplitudes in order to see what net gain can be made to th= e > SNR with the hope that the most offending noises will not be in the path o= f > a desired signal... > > TNX and ain't this fun??? > > Dave @ WD2XSH/17 > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Bill de Carle > To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org > Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 9:58 AM > Subject: Re: LF: Deep copy... > At 09:25 PM 3/4/2009, you wrote: > > I seem to get best results while trying to pull signals out of the noise > when the AGC of the receiver is OFF as well as the Noise Blanker and Noise > reduction features being OFF... > > Do you concur?? > > Also setting a good audio filter to the passband of interest seems to bypa= ss > some heavy static hits as well... > > I've noticed that when doing HF frequency measurement tests (working to th= e > nearest milliHertz) - turning off the AGC under high static conditions see= ms > to improve the accuracy of the measurement, at least with the software I > use.=A0 One plausible explanation is that AGC action necessarily introduce= s > amplitude modulation (on all signals in the passband).=A0 When I process t= he > AGC'd signal with what amounts to a very narrow DSP filter the added > amplitude modulation shows up as apparent sidebands close-in on the signal > I'm trying to measure.=A0 If the power in those sidebands is comparable to > that of the signal whose frequency I'm looking for, the FFT algorithm (whi= ch > assumes the real signal has the largest amplitude) gets confused and comes > up with an estimated frequency somewhere between the correct value and tha= t > of a nearby sideband.=A0 The effect is small however because the AGC pumpi= ng > action doesn't occur very fast so the added sidebands are seen to be only > some milliHertz away from the signal.=A0 The sidebands occur on both sides= of > the "real" signal, so one might expect them to cancel out but in practice > they don't because the amount of error depends on where the "real" signal > falls with respect to the fixed frequency bins of the FFT.=A0 It should be > possible to model the AGC action of a particular receiver and compensate f= or > it in the software.=A0 No doubt the phenomenon becomes less significant wi= th > smaller FFT's or shorter integration times.=A0 Changing the AGC setting > between SLOW-FAST-OFF might help under some conditions.=A0 With QRSS-60 > signaling rates it can take a long time to find out which setting is > optimum, especially when band conditions are changing or the QSB period is > close to a bit time, hi! > > VE2IQ >