Connecting a live scan device

Put a live spectrum analyzer trace on the plot — RF Venue, tinySA Ultra, Owon, Wisycom MRK16, Spectera, or any analyzer via the bridge.

With a live scan device connected, the plot draws a continuously updating trace for the zone, and you can save any sweep as a scan file for exclusion-threshold calculations.

Requirements

• SoundBase Desktop — the live scan controls are part of the desktop app.
• SoundBase Pro subscription (a zone with a device already assigned keeps working for its editors).
• Edit permission on the site. Each zone has its own device assignment.

Connect a device

1. In the plot’s control bar, click the gear in the live-scan button group (Open Live Scan Data Settings). The Live Scan Data Settings dialog opens for the current zone: Select the device you’ll use to live scan in this zone.
2. Open the Select a device dropdown. Devices already known to the project are listed with their availability; below them are the options to add a new device — depending on what’s enabled for your account:
   • RF Venue Spectrum Recorder
   • tinySA Ultra (Network) — enter the tinySA’s IP address
   • Owon HSA1016 — IP address and SCPI port
   • Wisycom MRK16 — IP address
   • Spectrum Analyzer Bridge — IP address and port of a bridge serving any other analyzer
   • Sennheiser Spectera base stations discovered on the network, with per-antenna-port selection
3. Fill in the connection details and click Save. The dialog confirms the device’s serial number once it’s talking; Disconnect releases it.

Run and use the live scan

• Live starts and stops sweeping (Start Live Scan / Stop Live Scan). The button runs blue when idle and red while sweeping or when the device is offline; a progress bar under the plot tracks each sweep.
• The save (floppy) button stores the current sweep as a scan file on the site — it then behaves like any imported scan (Choosing which scan files a zone displays).
• Sweep parameters live in the settings dialog: Start / Center / Stop / Span, RBW, Mode, Offset (dBm), and Points per sweep.
• Link parameter settings to frequency plot re-tunes the analyzer to follow whatever range the plot displays — zoom the plot, and the analyzer follows.
• Stream live data to SoundBase Cloud shares the live trace with collaborators viewing the project in the browser.
• The RF Venue Spectrum Recorder additionally offers Show 24h Max and Show 24h Avg history lines on the plot.

Tip

With a live trace running, the Waterfall and RTSA panel views become available — the waterfall is the tool for catching intermittent interference.

If the device won’t connect, see Troubleshooting live scan devices.