Spike Software: An Overview of Core Functions for RF Spectrum Analysis

Spike Software: An Overview of Core Functions for RF Spectrum Analysis

As SignalHound’s flagship spectrum analysis software, Spike is designed to unlock the full potential of SignalHound RF test equipment, offering a comprehensive set of tools for real-time spectrum monitoring, signal analysis, and troubleshooting. Fully compatible with both Windows and Linux systems (including mainstream distributions like Ubuntu and RHEL), Spike combines intuitive operation with powerful performance, making it an ideal choice for engineers, researchers, and technicians in fields such as wireless communications, EMC testing, and IoT development. Below is a detailed overview of its core basic functions.

1. Real-Time Spectrum Scanning & Visualization

Real-time spectrum scanning is the foundational function of Spike, enabling users to capture and display RF signals with high speed and precision. The software supports a wide frequency range (up to 43.5GHz when paired with SignalHound’s SM435 millimeter-wave analyzer) and offers flexible resolution bandwidth (RBW) settings, allowing users to adapt to different signal scenarios—from narrowband low-power signals to wideband modulated signals.

Key visualization features include:

• Spectrum Waterfall Display: Presents signal changes over time in a color-coded waterfall plot, making it easy to identify transient signals, intermittent interference, and frequency-hopping signals that are difficult to detect with traditional spectrum analyzers.

• Real-Time Persistence Mode: Retains historical signal traces with adjustable persistence time, helping users visualize signal density and capture short-duration pulses or sporadic interference.

• Multiple Trace Modes: Supports Max Hold, Min Hold, Average, and Clear/Write modes, allowing users to compare signal variations, average out noise, or capture peak signal levels as needed.

2. Digital Demodulation Analysis

Spike integrates a full suite of digital demodulation tools, enabling users to decode and analyze popular wireless communication signals directly within the software. This function is particularly valuable for verifying signal quality, diagnosing modulation errors, and troubleshooting communication link issues.

Supported modulation formats include common standards such as:

• 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (WLAN) signals

• Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals

• FSK, ASK, PSK, QAM (various orders)

• Zigbee (802.15.4) signals

Demodulation results include key metrics such as Error Vector Magnitude (EVM), symbol rate, carrier frequency offset, and bit error rate (BER), providing quantitative insights into signal integrity.

3. EMC Pre-Compliance Testing

For users engaged in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing, Spike offers built-in EMC pre-compliance tools that help streamline the testing process and identify potential compliance issues early in the product development cycle. The software supports standard EMC test procedures and can generate test reports that align with industry standards (e.g., CISPR 22, CISPR 24).

Core EMC pre-compliance features include:

• Quasi-peak and average detection modes, which are required for EMC emissions testing.

• Limit line editing and overlay, allowing users to compare measured signal levels against regulatory limits in real time.

• Automatic test report generation, which summarizes test results, including frequency, amplitude, and pass/fail status, reducing manual documentation work.

4. Interference Search & Localization

Identifying and locating RF interference is a common challenge in wireless system deployment and maintenance, and Spike provides specialized tools to simplify this process. The software’s interference search function can automatically detect abnormal signals, mark their frequency and amplitude, and help users track down the source of interference efficiently.

Notable features include:

• Interference Alert: Users can set threshold levels; the software will trigger an alert when signals exceed the threshold, ensuring no critical interference is missed.

• Spectrogram Analysis: Combines time, frequency, and amplitude information to visualize interference patterns, making it easier to distinguish between intentional signals and interference.

• Compatibility with SignalHound’s portable analyzers (e.g., BB60 series), enabling field-based interference localization with USB-powered convenience.

5. Key Signal Parameter Measurement

Spike offers a range of built-in measurement tools to quantify critical signal parameters, eliminating the need for manual calculations and ensuring measurement accuracy. These tools cover both basic and advanced parameters, catering to different testing requirements.

Common measurement parameters include:

• Peak power, average power, and occupied bandwidth (OBW).

• Phase noise, which is crucial for evaluating oscillator and transmitter performance.

• Harmonic and spurious emissions, helping users assess signal purity.

• Channel power and adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR), key metrics for wireless communication systems.

6. User-Friendly Operation & Customization

Despite its powerful functions, Spike maintains an intuitive user interface that is easy for both beginners and experienced users to master. The software supports customizable workspaces, allowing users to arrange panels (e.g., spectrum display, demodulation results, measurement data) according to their workflow. Additionally, users can save test configurations (e.g., frequency range, RBW, measurement settings) as presets, enabling quick recall for repeated tests.

For Linux users, Spike retains the same user interface and function set as the Windows version, ensuring a consistent operation experience across platforms. The software also supports GPU acceleration via OpenGL, enhancing the smoothness of real-time visualization even when processing large amounts of data.

Conclusion

Spike software stands out for its combination of real-time performance, comprehensive analysis tools, and cross-platform compatibility. Whether for laboratory testing, field troubleshooting, EMC pre-compliance, or wireless protocol analysis, Spike provides a one-stop solution that empowers users to efficiently complete RF spectrum analysis tasks. Paired with SignalHound’s cost-effective and high-performance hardware, it becomes a powerful tool for unlocking insights into the RF environment.