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[Pete Erskine]

Check out the other thread (http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,142654.0.html) on the RFExplorer .........

I have used it and while very inexpensive, it is not nearly as useful as either the PSA2702 or R&S.  If that's all you want to spend it can be coaxed into showing useful information and for the small low count RF user probably all you need.

The display is terrible and I don't want to connect to a computer to see good images.

I usually do small shows which start at 20 freqs and top out at over 600 so the power and speed of the R&S is very important.  The PSA2702 will do me fine as a backup system and portable sniffer (since it's so light weight).

[Justice C. Bigler]

Pete, are there useful functions included with the new version of the PSA? Or is it just a dedicated hardware unit to get away from the Palm unit that they were using previously?

Also, have you noticed a useful difference in the higher bands (1.92GHz and 2.4GHz) between the PSA and the R&S?

If we already have a working PSA 2701, is there much of a reason to upgrade to the new unit?

[Pete Erskine]

Pete, are there useful functions included with the new version of the PSA? Or is it just a dedicated hardware unit to get away from the Palm unit that they were using previously?

Also, have you noticed a useful difference in the higher bands (1.92GHz and 2.4GHz) between the PSA and the R&S?

If we already have a working PSA 2701, is there much of a reason to upgrade to the new unit?

I have had no experience with the original TTi PSA units so cannot comment on the operational difference.   It has superior battery life, possibly user replaceable batteries (although it requires a bit of electronics skill and possibly soldering!), a higher definition screen and a much more powerful processor.

The coverage for 1.9 and 2.4 is displayed pretty much the same.  Here is my single access point on each SA.

[Pete Erskine]

If we already have a working PSA 2701, is there much of a reason to upgrade to the new unit?

On the side of the new PSA2702 are 2 USB connectors, one Type-A for USB keys and one Mini-B to connect to your computer.  The USB key is great to download the trace files from the analyzer. 

Traces are saved as CSV files which can be loaded into IAS and shown on the channel graph.  Here are the results from a frequency scan performed last week at Trinity Church at Wall Street and Broadway in NYC.  They have been loaded into IAS software and then assembled and labeled by channels in Photoshop. 

In IAS I labeled the DTV channels in Yellow which set the DTV channels in the TV section for later frequency selection.  Although not DTV I marked 14, 15, 16 as unusable due to the shown traffic.   I had programmed the PSA2702 to do 60 MHz sections of the spectrum starting at channels 14, 24, 34 and 44 which gave better detail than doing the entire ch 14-51 in one sweep.

The scans were performed inside the church and outside.

The third pix is one scan from 14-51 so you can see the lower resolution.  The Yellow DTV stations are what is downloaded from the FCC database - you can see that the reality and the data do not agree.

Last is the chart showing the profiles programmed into the PSA2702 for this scan.

[Mac Kerr]

Here are the results from a frequency scan performed last week at Trinity Church at Wall Street and Broadway in NYC.

I guess Howie got a hold of you.

Mac

[Jason Glass]

On the side of the new PSA2702 are 2 USB connectors, one Type-A for USB keys and one Mini-B to connect to your computer.  The USB key is great to download the trace files from the analyzer. 

Traces are saved as CSV files which can be loaded into IAS and shown on the channel graph.  Here are the results from a frequency scan performed last week at Trinity Church at Wall Street and Broadway in NYC.  They have been loaded into IAS software and then assembled and labeled by channels in Photoshop. 

In IAS I labeled the DTV channels in Yellow which set the DTV channels in the TV section for later frequency selection.  Although not DTV I marked 14, 15, 16 ad unusable due to the shown traffic.   I had programmed the PSA2702 to do 60 MHz sections of the spectrum starting at channels 14, 24, 34 and 44 which gave better detail than doing the entire ch 14-51 in one sweep.

The scans were performed inside the church and outside.

The last pix is one scan from 14-51 so you can see the lower resolution.  The Yellow DTV stations are what is downloaded from the FCC database - you can see that the reality and the data do not agree.

Hi Pete,

Nice catch, on the SA picking up land mobile on 14, 15, 16!

Not to sidetrack the discussion, but have you had a chance to use a Signal Hound yet?  I use them in much the same way that you're using the TTI to export CSV files and import them in IAS and WWB6.  It certainly doesn't have the TTI's convenience for handheld operation without a computer, but the new software update, 2.18B, exports CSV's equivalent to the TTI format.  Here's an article where I cite an example in Atlanta where the reality starkly disagrees with the FCC download; http://soundforums.net/hub/1157-fundamentals-rf-coordination-live-sound-part-1-rf-environment.html.  I'm sure you'll agree that the FCC data rarely matches realtime measurements, and is becoming less reliable every day.

[Pete Erskine]

Not to sidetrack the discussion, but have you had a chance to use a Signal Hound yet? 

No I haven't,  I bought the PSA2702 as a backup to my R&S FSH3.  My experience with is may have relegated the 6X cost R&S to the RF bench.  I am really happy with it's performance.

Here's an article where I cite an example in Atlanta where the reality starkly disagrees with the FCC download; http://soundforums.net/hub/1157-fundamentals-rf-coordination-live-sound-part-1-rf-environment.html.  I'm sure you'll agree that the FCC data rarely matches realtime measurements, and is becoming less reliable every day.

Nice article and right on point, actually.

I only consult the FCC DB if I need a remote pre-event coordination.  It takes almost no time to scan onsite.  That is my main method of coordination.  Also, often inside a venue listed DTV for the weaker stations vanishes and the channel is usable.  It is the method I use in the Manual "RF Coordination For Roadies"

This works OK until every smartphone becomes a white space device in a year or two.  Then we basically are screwed.  For those interested in our RF spectrum fate, look at James Stoffo's webinar on the subject  HERE

In a future version of IAS, users will be able to save scans of venues for everyone to reference.

[bflugan82]

In a future version of IAS, users will be able to save scans of venues for everyone to reference.

Speaking of which, is there a newer version of IAS available to the public than 4.8.8.0?

[Jason Glass]

Speaking of which, is there a newer version of IAS available to the public than 4.8.8.0?

Funny, I just talked with Jason about that the other day.  4.8.8.0 is indeed the latest.  However, he is hard at work on 5.0!  He's sifting through 53,000 lines of code to make it happen.

FYI, he has an installer available that will add a bunch of new equipment models to 4.8.8.

[Bob Charest]

Funny, I just talked with Jason about that the other day.  4.8.8.0 is indeed the latest.  However, he is hard at work on 5.0!  He's sifting through 53,000 lines of code to make it happen.

FYI, he has an installer available that will add a bunch of new equipment models to 4.8.8.

Jason is a great example of an aware software developer, and exemplary customer service. I own two copies of hte IAS and have never regretted buying in - great product & company.

Best regards,
Bob Charest

[ProSoundWeb Community]