SDS200 waterfall display tweak needed

[gary123]

I am still playing with the water fall option. So far I like how it performs.

One tweak I would like to see in the next update is for the full custom Waterfall search name to be displayed. Right now its aligned with the date and not the left side of the screen. This hides most of the text for the custom name.

BTW for many users this is a great example of using the waterfall to hunt for unknown signals. In this case rail frequencies.

 

[KC1UA]

The clock is IMHO a waste of space. In addition to your idea the clock space could be used for the identification of unknown signals by showing the CTCSS/DCS/NAC/RAN information instead, if it is possible to show that info on the waterfall display at all. When I need to tell time I look at the clock on my wall.

 

[mc48]

The volume and squelch settings should be displayed in that area, the same as when in scan mode.
They should also make these items editable, like in the other modes.

 

[gary123]

The clock is IMHO a waste of space. In addition to your idea the clock space could be used for the identification of unknown signals by showing the CTCSS/DCS/NAC/RAN information instead, if it is possible to show that info on the waterfall display at all. When I need to tell time I look at the clock on my wall.

If you leave the custom waterfall name alone then it will display the SID and other information on that line. Once you change the name it stops displaying the data. The x36 series sacnneds do the same thing in the custom search. Once you change the default name it stops displaying the system information on hits.

I am going to reset custom waterfall back to the default name and verify this. But first I need to find the default name LOL

 

[KC1UA]

In my case I'm not running a custom waterfall, just the standard one. Other than identifying the type of transmission if it's digital there are no displays of any of the identifiers I mentioned above.

 

[KevinC]

Speaking of tweaks, how about support max hold on the virtual display. It was a disappointment that this doesn’t work.

 

[gary123]

Update.

I did some testing. here is what I have found.

The waterfall name does not matter although having it properly positioned would be aesthetically nice. The waterfall will display some limited signal information. To get this information you must have the audio 'unmuted'. If the span is 2.88 or less this is the default setting. If you select 5.76 or greater you must hit the hold button first. In both cases you then need to move the marker over the signal spike to get the system information. The displayed information currently just indicates the mode IE DMR con+, TIII or P25 as (data). Its better than nothing.

Ideally It would be nice if it displayed the SID and site number as well as the mode. In relation to this having to push the hold to enable the 'unmute' is a inconvenience. ideally the bandwidth mode should default to the unmute configuration.

 

[skybug]

Hi Folks, I just happen to be checking my surrounding areas to see what type of other modes may have popped up. I saw something about a waterfall upgrade and had to read it twice. Haven't been on for a bit, couldn't believe my SDS200 can have this new feature. Got the upgrade and was like, this is cool. I see some thoughts about it but I'm guessing, since this is kind of new, that maybe there will be some tweeks coming, hopefully. Two I can think of, unless I missed it, 1) be able to change the color of the waterfall background or lighten or darken it, and only other thing I can think of watching now since installed, with gain set on auto, and my local town transmits, not much of a signal spike out of the noise floor? I would have expected a topped out spike. Even the NWS signal which for my area is strong, but barely see the signal the frequency area. If I put the actual NWS freq in, center and marker it, I can hear the audio clearly, but barely see a signal spike on the display. Other than that, some of the comments about date not needed, but locate volume and squelch to top area and use that area where they were for other info. Pretty cool add-on still !!! I'm enjoying for sure. Thanks

 

[sparklehorse]

<snip> …and only other thing I can think of watching now since installed, with gain set on auto, and my local town transmits, not much of a signal spike out of the noise floor? I would have expected a topped out spike. Even the NWS signal which for my area is strong, but barely see the signal the frequency area. If I put the actual NWS freq in, center and marker it, I can hear the audio clearly, but barely see a signal spike on the display. </snip>

I’m finding the same anemic sensitivity with my SDS100. On Air band I know there’s lots of frequent, strong signals from airborn planes in my area, but the waterfall rarely shows much of a spike anywhere. I’ve parked one of my other radios on our local tower frequency, and on it heard many transmissions which barely registered a spike on the waterfall, if at all. It helps if you’re using a small span, like 2.88 mhz, but not enough to make the waterfall useful to me. I’ve also tried with the gain cranked up, from medium to max, but that didn’t seem to help. I suspect cranking the gain in an RF dense metro area such as mine defeats the purpose as the SDS are notoriously easy to overload. It’s the same scenario with Ham VHF and UHF bands. Lots of transmissions happening in my area, but the waterfall seems to be quite deaf. It’s an eye candy feature, fun to mess with, but so far I don’t see it being a truly useful addition to the radio. Just my 2¢ or maybe a nickel.
.

 

[KC1UA]

After using this feature for a while I do have to agree with the above statements. My Airspy units blow its doors off for weaker signals. I have tried different filter settings and RF gain adjustment to maximum, lower, and auto mode. It pretty much fails with weaker signals. I did not have high expectations anyway. It is still a useful feature but I'll always defer to the Airspy units and the big screen for spectrum monitoring anyway.

I refer to both the 200 and 100 when I make this statement. The tests alongside the Airspy have been done using the same antenna at the same time via a multicoupler in good working order.

It is still a neat optional feature and appropriately priced for what it does. Hopefully some tweaks may improve it as time passes.