[hpsdr] PowerSDR vs. cuSDR bandscope width
John Marvin
jm-hpsdr at themarvins.org
Thu Nov 22 11:13:25 PST 2012
I'm trying to understand why and how the bandscope width (I'm not
talking about the full spectrum bandscope on cuSDR) on cuSDR is twice as
wide and the bandscope width on PowerSDR at the same sampling rate (192
Khz). PowerSDR provides a bandscope width that is roughly 1/2 the
sampling rate. This is what I have come to expect based on the fact
that using a 192 Khz sampling rate the highest frequency that can be
passed would be 96 Khz. But then I noticed that cuSDR provides a
roughly 192 Khz bandscope when using a 192 Khz sampling rate. At first I
thought that was impossible, but after playing with it for a while I
came to the conclusion that it was working properly.
So I'm trying to understand how that is possible. Is it because
PowerSDR has its heritage with I/Q sampling done in the analog domain
with analog "real" aliasing filters so that for 192 Khz sampling the
data contains frequencies from 0-96 Khz, whereas cuSDR is depending on
the I/Q filtering being done in the digital domain with complex output
and therefore the I/Q data can contain frequencies from -96 Khz to 96
Khz? Or is it that the FPGA is not filtering at ~96 Khz but at ~192 Khz
instead, so that the data contains aliased frequencies but somehow the
aliases can be determined via the separate I and Q streams? I have
severe doubts about the latter since I've always understood that once
aliased always aliased. Is there some other explanation?
How difficult would it be to "upgrade" PowerSDR to double the bandscope
width?
Thanks,
John
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