CRFS, a manufacturer of RF Spectrum analyzers and receivers has introduced an RFeye Site, a spectrum monitoring, and geolocation software toolset. The software package already has a vast array of advanced functionalities but there was one feature it didn’t have that customers were requesting, that is the ability to instantly hand-off a task to another receiver/Node.
There is an existing feature in RFeye Site called the Triggered Task, which allows an event, such as a spectrum mask break, to trigger another task within RFeye Site. This could be to trigger a Geolocation task (AOA, TDOA, or POA), or an IQ recording. This feature is frequently used to locate an emitter or to capture signals of interest. Previously, only the Node that triggered the task could be assigned the task, and once an I/Q recording task was triggered, the Node would be unable to perform anything else until the recording was completed. This meant that potentially other signals may have be missed.
In the recently released RFeye Site version 1.48, CRFS has introduced a new feature, the Receiver Hand-off. This is an extension to the Triggered Task that allows the user to configure which Node or Nodes supply the source of the Trigger Event, and which Node or Nodes it hands off to run the Triggered Task.
This is a massive capability enhancement and could be used in the following ways:
One-to-one
A Trigger Event on a specific Node sets-off a new task on another Node. For example, Node 1 may be running a wideband sweep, and if a mask is broken, it can then cue Node 2 (the Hand-off Receiver) to tune to the specific frequency of the mask break and start an IQ recording centered on that frequency, while Node 1 continues its wideband scan uninterrupted.
One-to-many
A Trigger Event on a specific Node sets-off a task on the second group of Nodes. Let’s say there is a Node in a restricted zone, and it senses a signal above the noise floor. It then triggers I/Q recording on a group of Nodes that surround the restricted zone to gather more spectral information.
Many-to-one
A Trigger Event on any Node in a group sets-off a new group task on multiple other Nodes. For instance, we might have a group of Nodes along a border area. If any one of them creates a Trigger Event e.g. a mask break, it could instruct one or maybe all of the Nodes in that group to perform a narrowband sweep or I/Q recording on the mask-break channel.
Distributed Nodes
The Trigger Event Node doesn’t have to be co-located with the Hand-off Receiver Node. You could have a central monitoring Node, which may be mounted on a high mast or aerostat, that acts as an early warning sensor. This could trigger Nodes mounted on mobile assets such as vehicles, ships, or even aircraft to tune to a completely different frequency and scan.
Click here to learn more about RFeye Site.
