Agilent E3238 Signal Development System Product Overview International Edition Deploy Quicker, Produce Faster • Increase the probability of intercept for off-the-air RF signals • Quickly categorize and select target signals using visual, audible, and analytic tools • Improve mission productivity by automating common processing tasks and mission setups • Complete solutions to support tactical operations including demodulation and decoding of device-specific signals • Increase interoperability and re-use through integration with legacy systems and open programming capability • Scalable performance from simple survey solutions to completely integrated intercept and collection solutions • Rapidly deployable solution based upon industry-standard off-the-shelf components
• Increase the probability of intercept for off-the-air RF signals
• Quickly categorize and select target signals using visual,audible, and analytic tools
• Improve mission productivity by automating commonprocessing tasks and mission setups
• Complete solutions to support tactical operationsincluding demodulation and decoding of device-specific signals
• Increase interoperability and re-use through integrationwith legacy systems and open programming capability
• Scalable performance from simple survey solutions tocompletely integrated intercept and collection solutions
• Rapidly deployable solution based upon industry-standardoff-the-shelf components
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Collection
Once the types of signals of interest areknown, a system can be put in place tocollect them, usually by recording themfor later analysis. To increase missionefficiency, the system must be able todifferentiate between modulation types,and collect signals of the target typesonly. Even then, the task of sortingthrough the recorded signals can betime consuming. Analysts may need todetermine how to demodulate thesignals, or linguists may need to listento each signal to determine if it isimportant. The goal is to rapidly identifythe specific devices and users so thatno critical signal will be missed.
Operator Tools forInvestigating the RF Spectrum
The tools you require depend on theamount of knowledge you have about thetarget. The E3238 supports missions fromthe simple, such as cataloging the signalenvironment, to the complex such asinterception and collection of informationfrom specific devices and users.
Survey
Initially, the operator must survey RFspectrum for signal energy. Since thenumber and variety of signals is solarge, and the spectrum so vast,efficiency is critical. The hardware mustbe able to search for new signals asthey appear, and the operator must havethe tools to quickly determine the kindsof signals that are present.
Device-specific applications
Once specific devices have beenidentified, and critical identifyinginformation such as pager capcodes,phone numbers, and communicationfrequencies and times have beenextracted, then device-specificdemodulators and decoders can be putin place to capture signals of interest asthey occur. For data transmissions, themessage content can be put in asearchable database, real-time searchescan be performed and reportsgenerated. For voice transmissions,operators can listen to thecommunications as they occur tosupport tactical operations.
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Wideband search increasesprobability of intercept
Narrowband collection
E3238 systems can be configured withhundreds of narrowband channels, eachwith independently programmable centerfrequencies and bandwidths. Severalsignal processing algorithms can runsimultaneously, targeting multiple signaltypes. Information extracted from signalsgoes into a searchable Signal Databasewhere it is logged and user-definedalarms can be generated, allowingalarming on specific message content.
Mission-specific hardwareconfigurations
The E3238 hardware can be configured totarget specific frequency ranges andmissions, then reconfigured as needschange. HF, VHF/UHF, and Microwave(µWave) systems are possible - only thetuners and ADCs need to be changed totarget a different frequency range. Therest of the system stays the same.Systems can be easily upgraded as newhardware becomes available, savinghardware and training expense. Agilentcan support new technologies faster,since the entire system does not need tobe redesigned.
The basic search system controls the systemtuner, analog to digital convertor (ADC) and G4based DSP hardware to provide industry leadingperformance and high probability of intercept ofunknown/unwanted emitters.
The E3238 uses a wide-band stepped FFTtechnique to achieve exceptionally fastsweep rates while maintaining highresolution and wide dynamic range.Unlike swept analyzers, the E3238concatenates several FFTs so you canzoom in closer and still resolve spectraldetail. Up to six Motorola G4 processorscompute FFTs, allowing 10 GHz/secsweep rates. Broad expanses of spectrumare covered quickly, and frequencies ofinterest are revisited often to interceptshort signals. The E3238 hardware hasthe dynamic range to dig signals out ofnoise, the frequency resolution to isolatesmall signal hiding next to large ones, andfast sweep rates to capture signals justfractions of a second long.
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Process Flow Diagram
The blue blocks show the elements in the processing stream whereuser programming is available:
Option ASD adds eight different shared library entry points to make it possibleto dynamically link new functions and capabilities into the E3238. The optionadds parameter extraction and pre- and post-filters to the energy detectionstage. These blocks create new calculated parameters for inclusion in the newenergy database, or to create user defined alarm tasks. In addition ASDenables customization of the graphical interface to create mission specificviews into the system and the ability to write drivers and external links to otherprocessing systems.
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The purpose of the E3238 SignalsDevelopment System is to detect,identify and collect signals of interest(SOI) in the RF spectrum.
The system is connected to an antennaor other energy source for signalacquisition. The energy presented atthe input to the system is the widebandRF spectrum.
The search hardware acquires the signaland converts it into spectrum data.
The spectrum data is processed in two ways:
1. As wideband data in theWIDEBAND Search mode of operation
2. It is broken out into narrowbanddata for the NARROWBANDcollection and signal processing
The Narrowband Signal Processingchain is generally used to do one ofthree things to the energy detected atthe end of the processing chain.
• Identify (type of signal)
* Locate (direction finding)
• Collect (record and demodulate)
As an example, consider the need tosearch, detect and collect a specific FSKsignal from the RF Spectrum, and thendetermine signal location.
Wideband Search:Energy Detection to Alarm Tasking
This section performs wide-bandprocessing of all the signals in the RFenvironment and filters out all but themost likely signals of interest. The RFenergy that makes it through thisfiltering process is entered into theNew-Energy Database along with theircontinuously-updated statistics. If theenergy in the database matches thecriteria for the target RF energy, anEnergy Alarm is triggered which willcause an Alarm Task to execute. Thereare many different types of Alarm Tasksthat can be executed as result of anEnergy Alarm. One of the most powerfulAlarm Tasks is to execute furtherNarrowband Processing to extractsignal content.
Narrowband Collection and Signal Processing:Extracting Signal Content
The next section of processing operateson narrow-band time domain data thatis extracted from the wideband datastream via the Digital Down ConvertorChannelizer hardware.
As an example, assume that an energyalarm from the wideband searchdetected energy of interest that lookslike an FSK signal in the wideband datastream. The parameters about thisenergy like frequency and bandwidth ispassed to the narrowband collectionand processing chain (see page 4,Processing Flow diagram, PATH 1).
Processing Flow Overview
The narrowband data is furtherprocessed into signal specificinformation and entered into the SignalDatabase. At this point we know wehave a potential FSK Signal Of Interest,but we don't yet have actualdemodulated information content fromthe signal.
A Signal Alarm is established that testsfor a specific FSK signal to appear at acertain time of day at a given frequencyassignment. When that signal isdetected, another narrowbandprocessing task is executed (ProcessingFlow diagram, PATH 2) to record thesignal to disk and also to apply furthernarrowband demodulation processing toextract the actual information contentfrom the signal.
Integrating with Legacy Datastreams
Since the E3238 is defined with socketprotocols, connection and integrationwith legacy sub-systems make theE3238 the ideal operator control centerfor signal identification and collectionmissions. Consider the FSK detected inthe example. With a connectionbetween the E3238 and a legacyDirection Finding system, data from theE3238 is used to "tip off" the DirectionFinding system as to the presence ofenergy, and then receive back the line ofbearing and other geolocationparameters for entry into the signaldatabase. Now we have a completesolution to identify, locate, and collectthe specific FSK signals coming from aspecific line of bearing or location
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Designed to speed Intercept and Collection tasks and increase probability of intercept (POI):
1 Cockpit control of all systems assets from antennas to digital receiversvia the system icon bar
2 A variety of signal visualization tools speed analysis.
3 Operators eyes never leave the signal of interest while they interact directlywith trace data to control assets like drop receivers, Modulation Recognition, andDirection Finding systems
4 Automated alarms, thresholding and alerts automate the task of keeping trackof incoming signals
5 Signals Database automatically logs all signals of interest for historical use
6 Quickly identify unknown emitters with the Modulation Recognition option
7 Integration with legacy systems completes the solution, shown here with Direction Finding results
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Versatile tools for the survey task
Everything within the E3238 userinterface is designed to increase anoperator’s efficiency during a mission.The key to efficiently surveying andcollecting signals is to provide theoperator with an integrated suite oftools for controlling the system.
Optimized graphical user interface
The E3238’s easy-to-use graphical userinterface is designed to speed signaldetection in dense signal environments.Simple toolbars are used to configurethe system hardware, setup and controlthe search and collection subsystem,and finally to present various userdisplays and visualization tools.
High-speed visual displays
Display types with very high updaterates show how signals change overtime. Multiple displays can revealabroad and close-up view of signalssimultaneously. Whether the signals arestationary or moving, burst orcontinuous, low-level or high-power, theE3238’s spectrum and spectrogramdisplays have the speed and resolutionneeded to resolve fine details.
Audible tools to classify signals
The E3238 can easily hand-off signals totraditional single channel hand-offreceivers, or transfer them to the new35688E-AU1 software-based AM/FMhandoff receiver. Voice signals can belistened to directly. Many digital signalshave distinctive sounds that reveal thesignal type to an experienced operator.Manual or automatic modes let theoperator assign monitoring andcollection assets to signals of interest.Software drivers are provided for hand-off receivers from companies such asSignia, Cubic Communications, ICOM,and others.
Automated modulation recognition
The 35688E-EMR and MR1 options addmodulation recognition capabilities tothe E3238. Twenty-five modulation typescan be recognized. An operator simplyuses the marker to hand off the markercenter frequency and bandwidth to themodulation recognition engine. A timewaveform is captured and analyzed, andthe modulation type is displayed inmarker display area.
Capturing direction information
Signal parameters can also be passed toa direction finding sub-system. Thereturned geolocation information likeazimuth and elevation is integrated inthe marker display and saved in theSignal Database.
Tying it all together with markers
Markers and the mouse work togetherto increase efficiency. Direction finding,handoff receivers, and modulationrecognition can all be linked to markers.A click of the mouse steps the markerfrom peak to peak, automaticallypassing center frequency andbandwidth to the DF subsystem,modulation recognition algorithm, orhandoff receiver. The operator can listen to the signal while the DF andmodulation type information update inthe marker display area.
Record a signal for later analysis
During a mission, signals can berecorded for later analysis. The ADCzooms its center frequency andbandwidth to slice the signal of interestout of the spectrum. Its time data isrecorded and sent to the host computerwhere analysts can evaluate it later.
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Automatic new-energy detection
Automatic signal classification starts withisolating potential signal energy from noiseenergy. To determine when new energyappears in the spectrum, an energythreshold is established. The E3238offers three standard energy thresholds.
The first threshold that operators canselect is the level threshold. The levelthreshold is most effective when thenoise floor is flat and reasonably
constant. It can be visually adjusted to aposition as close to the noise floor as thetask demands.
The next threshold that operators maychoose is the noise-riding auto threshold.The auto threshold is best for HFmissions, or anytime the noise floor iscontoured or changing. This noise-ridingthreshold automatically shapes itself tothe noise floor and is recalculated foreach new sweep. The auto thresholddramatically increases POI in HF search.
The third and last standard threshold iscalled the environment threshold whichcan reveal changes to the signalenvironment from one time period toanother. The environment thresholdmemorizes the environment on commandand then subtracts it from the spectrumdisplay. The operator only has to monitorsignals not previously present. Theenvironment threshold can be saved andused at a later time to see if new signalsare present.
Automatic documentation
The energy history display shows a summary ofinformation in the energy history database forall signals that exceed the threshold. Clickingon a line of the Energy History Log opens thedialog box (bottom right), which shows alldatabase information for the energy at thatfrequency. The handoff log saves all informationabout the use of handoff receivers, and thealarm log records any alarm that has triggered.In this display, alarms have triggered to task thedirection finding system, and to call theUHF/VHF voice activity detection algorithm (seepage 17 for more information).
Automate survey missions toincrease productivity
Automation is the key to increasingsignal detection intercept andcollection productivity. The E3238automatically detects and logs new-energy events into a energy historydatabase. Tools to filter energy into andout of the database are key to reducingoperator workload and increasingProbability of Intercept.
Custom environment thresholds can alsobe built with a text editor or aspreadsheet program.
Automated new-energy history database
When any energy exceeds the thresholdit is automatically characterized and itsparameters are entered in a new-energyhistory database. The database recordsfrequency, bandwidth, amplitude andduration of all energy above thethreshold. It also calculates theminimum, maximum, and average valuesof the amplitude, bandwidth andduration of each signal, the percentoccupancy, and the date and time of thefirst and last intercept.
The new energy database is critical indocumenting the survey of a signalenvironment, but plays an even morecritical role for collection, whereparameters are used to create alarms.
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Level Threshold
This threshold works well when the noise flooris flat and unchanging, as it often is inVHF/UHF and µWave Spectrum.
Auto-threshold
Auto-threshold shapes itself to the noise floor.This is especially important in HF, where thenoise floor is not flat, and changes with thetime of day and year. Since the auto-threshold isautomatically recalculated with each newsweep, it can adapt to changes, whichsignificantly increase the probability ofintercepting HF signals.
Environmental threshold
This threshold takes a snapshot of thespectrum and creates a threshold that matchesthe spectral shape at that time. It can be usedat a later time to see if new signals are present.In this case there are three new signals thatwere not present when the original thresholdwas created, and two signals are not presentnow. Notice that only the new signals appear inthe spectrogram display.
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Energy alarms trigger collection
Automated alarms are the foundation ofthe E3238’s signal detection andcollection capabilities.
The energy history database is used fordocumenting the parameters of signalsthat exceed the threshold and fortesting against Energy Alarm criteria.
Collection Using Alarming andNarrowband Processing
After surveying the RF spectrum fornew energy that matches targetcriteria, the next step is to determinewhich of the signals are “Signals ofInterest.” Additional processing isapplied to the the narrower bandwidthdata streams starting with alarmdetermination and subsequentnarrowband signal processing.
Alarm CriteriaEnergy Parameters Min
Amplitude Max
Duration Average
Current
Number of intercepts
Number of detections
Occupancy %
Intercept time First
Last
Number of sweeps since first intercept
Alarm TasksHandoff
Visual
Audible
Frequency snapshot
Time snapshot
Add to frequency list
Remove from frequency list
All information in the new-energy database canbe used as an alarm criteria. The table showsthe information in the database. The right sideof the table shows the kinds of alarm tasks thatcan be initiated when the alarm criteria is met.
Any combination of the energyparameters in the energy historydatabase can be used as alarm criteria.Without writing any software, anoperator can create an alarm that is alogical expression of the Alarm Criteriaparameters in the database. If thelogical expression is true, operator-selected alarm tasks are automaticallyexecuted. The task or tasks to beexecuted are chosen by the operatorwhen the energy alarm is created.
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Energy alarm creation
Energy alarms are created using the dialog boxshown above. For all energy that exceeds thethreshold, the E3238 compares the informationin the energy history database to the conditionsspecified in the alarm. In this case the alarm islooking for energy between 8AM and 9AM with greater than 0.3 seconds duration, a bandwidthof 5-10 kHz, and a center frequency between
152 and 153 MHz. It further qualifies that theremust be at least three intercepts of the signaland have an occupancy >30% before it shouldtrigger an alarm.
If any entry in the energy database meets thiscriteria, the center frequency and bandwidth arepassed to a handoff receiver and a record iscreated in the alarm log.
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Scalable Signal Processing
The E3238 DSP hardware scales either byadding plug-in modules onto the E9821A signalprocessor mainboard, or adding additionalcomplete E9821A modules to the system. Theconfiguration above shows Signal Processor 1performing search and 32 channels of collectionusing a combination of G4 DSP plug in modulesand 32 Channel DDC modules. The optionalSignal Processor 2 shows a second E9821Aconfigured for an additional 64 channels ofcollection and/or device-specific signaldemodulation and decoding. Additional E9821ASignal Processor boards are easily added ifmore channels or different types of signalprocessing are required.
Narrowband processing capabilities
Energy alarms are a critical tool in thesurvey application, automating handoffreceivers, recording time and spectralsnapshots, and creating criticalfrequency lists. But the real power ofthe E3238 is revealed when an energyalarm task hands off signals fornarrowband processing in the E3238’sE9821A signal processor modules.
The E9821A signal processor’s 32-channel digital downconvertors(DDCs) select narrowband channels out
of the wideband data and pass theirtime data to G4 processors for furthercomputations. E9821A’s can beconfigured with hundreds ofnarrowband channels, and multipleE9821A’s can be used to scale to evenhigher channel counts.
Hundreds of narrowband channels canbe processed simultaneously, andnumerous algorithms can be run on thenarrowband channels. The algorithmscan be selected depending on theenergy alarm criteria, and be initiated asalarm tasks.
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Voice Activity Alarm Collection Task
In this example, an alarm task has called theVHF/UHF voice activity detection algorithm,35688E-VA2, that executes in the G4processors. If a signal appears to be humanvoice, then the signal is logged. The dialog boxshows that 30 DDC channels have beendedicated to the voice detection algorithm, andseven of them are currently active, designatedby the colored buttons. Channels 2, 3, 4, and 6are testing for voice, and channels 1 and 9 havedetected voice and are currently recording it.Channel 11 has detected voice, but the signalhas currently gone away, and no recording istaking place. The spectrum of channel 1 isbeing displayed. Handoff receivers can be linkedto the buttons so that pressing a button handsthat channel to a handoff receiver so that it canbe listened to in real-time.
Alarm Tasked Collection
Collection - recording signalinformation
One simple example of narrowbandprocessing is narrowband recording. Inthis process, narrowband time data issent to the host and recorded to disk.The Digital Down Convertor (DDC) canbe passed the center frequency andbandwidth by the energy alarm, and therecorded narrowband time data can beanalyzed at a later time.
Another more typical example ofnarrowband processing is FM detectionand recording. In this process the G4processors run an algorithm todetermine if the signal has FMmodulation, and only records thosesignals present with that modulationtype. This type of automated processingdramatically reduces the number ofsignals to be recorded, and simplifiespost analysis.
Getting at the message content
In some cases you may want to digeven further into the signal,demodulating and decoding it, thenalarming on specific message content.This is possible in the E3238 by usingsignal alarms.
The alarm criteria for a signal alarm isinformation extracted from the messageby a device-specific demodulation anddecoding algorithm. Such information issaved in a dedicated Signal Database. Ifthe signal information includesidentifying information, such astelephone numbers, pager capcodes, orcommunication callsigns, these can beused as signal alarm criteria to identifycommunications from specificindividuals. By intercepting thecommunications of specific individualsthe E3238 can be used for both strategicinformation gathering and real-timetactical missions.
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To use the FM Recognizer software, anoperator creates an energy alarm thatidentifies energy with the bandwidth ofthe signals intercepted. The alarm taskchosen for this alarm is FM Recognizer.
When energy of the correct bandwidthis detected, the center frequency ispassed to an available DDC channel. Itselects that channel from the widebanddata, and passes it to the the G4processors which test to see if it is anFM signal. If it is, the signal is recordedto the system disk.
CTCSS Signal Recognizer
Some FM radios transmit a lowfrequency tone, commonly referred to as
FM Signal Recognizer
The 35688E-FMR software for the E3238detects VHF/UHF frequency modulatedsignals and records the undemodulatednarrowband time data to the E3238system disk. It can record voice or datasignals. There is a full solution foridentifying and capturing voice signals,the 35688E-VA2 software. (Seeinformation on page 17)
Collection Applications
The E3238 has several software optionsthat recognize and record specific kindsof signals for later analysis.
a CTCSS tone, along with the message.The receiving radio can then squelchany signals that do not have the correctlow frequency tone, dramaticallyreducing the number of signals received,providing a more private communicationlink. Since there are several different lowfrequency tones, several different semi-private links are available.
The 35688E-PLR CTCSS SignalRecognizer software is very similar tothe FMR software, except it onlyrecords FM signals that have the targetlow frequency tone. If the CTCSS toneof the target user is known, recordingsignals with that tone allows the E3238to intercept and record only thosecritical communications.
The Alarm Setup dialog box above shows a logicalexpression of new-energy parameters. Thecheckboxes in the Tasks section, indicate whichalarm tasks are called, in this case the FM AlarmTask and the CTCSS Alarm Task. The dialog boxes tothe left show the parameters of the alarm tasks. The "Signal Processing" dialog above left providesoperators a real-time view into various narrowbandprocesses and determine proper assignment ofsystem resources.
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Narrowband Recorder
The 35688E-NBR is a general-purposerecorder that is called as an alarm task.Unlike 35688E-FMR and PLR, NBR doesnot perform any tests on the signal. Itsimply records the time data from theDDC’s output to the system disk. Thecenter frequency and bandwidth of therecording can be passed from theenergy alarm, a signal alarm, or beselected by the operator.
Snapshot Radio
The E9051A-430 Snapshot Radiosoftware is is a completely separatesoftware tool that can be used to playback files saved by the E3238 system.
Linguists using PCs on a system LANcan independently demodulate andlisten to voice channel files saved fromE3238 missions.
Snapshot Radio works in a highlyintegrated way with 35688E-FMR, PLR,and the Voice Activity Detection System.
Snapshot Radio provides AM, FM,upper-sideband, and lower-sidebanddemodulation, gain, squelch and otheraudio processing controls. Using arrowkeys to toggle through saved filesmakes it quick and easy to manage.
Various recording parameters can be set by theoperator, or be passed by the energy alarm. Therecording can be set to automatically stop when thesignal has gone away for the specified dwell time.
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captures the callsigns of the radiosestablishing a link. The softwareincludes extensive displays that allowoperators to visualize the patterns ofcommunication, including the time ofday, frequencies used, the “to” and“from” callsigns, interconnection ofcallsigns, and other information such asLQA or AMD.
All ALE information is included in theSignal Database, so it is easy to createalarms when specific callsigns orcombinations of callsigns occur.Callsign information can be linked withdirection information from a directionfinding subsystem to create alarms fortactical systems.
Automatic link establishment
The 35688E-ALE software is targeted ata specific device: HF military radios thatuse automatic link establishmentprotocols, MIL-STD-188-141. Itintercepts the link negotiations, and
Device-Specific Applications
E3238 software applications targetspecific communication devices. Theseapplications also include tools specificto that type of communication. Theymay include special displays andautomated report generation. Actualmessage information is stored in theSignal Database where it can be usedas alarm criteria.
Pager intercept system
Pagers are a communication device thatallows text communication at a very lowcost. The 35688E-PG1 software targetsPOCSAG and FLEX format pagersspecifically, intercepting thecommunications and decoding the textmessages they contain. All text anddevice information, such as the uniquepager capcode, is stored in the SignalDatabase. Alarms can be defined thattrigger with specific capcodes, telephonenumbers, or even words or phrases inthe text message. Device-specificdisplays support automated reportgeneration of messages based on thealarm criteria, and a real-time displaysupports tactical missions, with alarmingand a simple interface that enables quickrealtime access to messages.
The Callogram shows patterns of communication.It displays frequency across the x-axis and timeacross the y-axis. ALE links between callsigns areshown as dots, and a cursor can display thecallsign or callsigns of a specific link. The dotsare color coded with additional link information.
The pager Signal Database can be displayed. Itincludes all information from intercepted signals,including the text and capcode of the specific pager.
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VHF/UHF voice activity detection
For customers who need to specificallyintercept and collect push-to-talkvoice communications in the VHF/UHFspectrum, the 35688E-VA2 VoiceDetection software decreases the timerequired to locate specific messages ofinterest.
How voice activity detection works
An energy alarm uses the energybandwidth to pass potential voicesignals to the VA2 software running inthe G4 processors. They perform FMdemodulation, then test the resultanttime data to see if it has thecharacteristics of spoken voice. If so,
the undemodulated time data isrecorded to the system disk wherelinguists can listen to it using theE9051A-430 Snapshot Radio software.Since Snapshot Radio is a separateapplication, several linguists cansimultaneously use its file managementcapabilities to efficiently sort throughhundreds of signals as they occur.
The VHF/UHF voice activity detectionsoftware identifies CTCSS lowfrequency tones, if present, andincludes their frequencies in the SignalDatabase. They can then be used asalarm criteria, allowing operators tofocus their attention oncommunications with specific tones.
This display shows the Signal Database, whichincludes entries for all recorded voice signals.The files can be automatically named, using anaming convention that includes critical signalinformation, such as time of day, centerfrequency, and bandwidth. To help the operatormonitor activity, the spectrum display shows avertical marker at all frequencies where voicesignals have been intercepted and recorded.
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Custom alarm functions
Option ASD empowers users to addtheir own tasks to the E3238 alarmfunction task list. The E3238 willautomatically execute the user-definedtasks when new energy meets the alarmcriteria. Signals can be passed to alegacy system.
Tuning the user interface
Option ASD user programming featurescan be utilized to modify the E3238’sgraphical user interface to more closelymatch operational needs. Increaseoperator efficiency and productivitywith custom pull-down menus anddisplay panes.
Control special receivers
The E3238 is supplied with drivers for anumber of standard handoff receivers.Option ASD enables the creation andinclusion of new handoff receivers intothe system. The new receivers must useeither VXI, LAN, or RS-232C for theircommand interface. User-written driversprovide full mouse-driven drag-and-dropassignment and manual tuning control ofthe receivers. Complete compatibility withautomatic signal assignment from thealarms feature is maintained as well asthe handoff receiver log.
Custom energy classification functions
Using ASD, operators can create energyhistory database entries computed fromparameters already in the database.This provides enhanced automaticenergy classification.
Database filtering functions
Option ASD enables user defined pre-and post-filtering of wideband data. Pre-and post-filtering are two ways toautomatically limit the size of the energyhistory database, speeding energydetection. A custom pre-filter preventssignals from being included in thedatabase. For example, it is possible tocompare the signal’s frequency spectrumshape to user-defined upper and lowerlimit lines to determine if the modulationtype has the same shape as the targetsignal. Post-filtering allows signals to beautomatically removed from thedatabase. For example, false hitsgenerated by transient events can beautomatically removed.
35688E User Programming Option ASD
Option ASD makes it possible for usersand other system integrators todynamically link new functions andcapabilities into the E3238.
Creating shape filters from real signals
The E3238 can use operator-defined spectralshapes as a wideband test for modulation typesthat have distinctive spectral shapes. 35688E-ASM software automates the processby using real-world signals as templates tocreate the filters. Here a live two-tone FSKsignal is being used to create upper and lowerlimit lines that can be used to find thismodulation type in wideband data and triggeran energy alarm.
The ASM software actually generates the Ccode to implement the filter. An operator cancompile the software to create a reusable filterfor detecting the target modulation type.
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Other Options for the E3238
Automated filter generation
Option 35688E-ASM Feature Studio is aprogram with a graphical user interfacethat automatically generates C code tocreate limit lines. ASM works in concertwith Option ASD to create complex-shaped upper and lower limits tocompare to the detected signal’sspectrum. Option ASM "learns" its shapefrom a real signal, then the limit lines canbe modified by dragging with the mouse.If the signal is between the limit lines, it isincluded in the database. This is mostoften used as a first pass to excludesignals of the wrong modulation type.
EMC multi-channel search
The 35688E-EMC Multiple Channeloption allows an ASD programmer tocompare the power spectrums of signalsfrom up to four antennas to determinewhich antenna a specific emitter isnearer. Up to four tuner/ADCcombinations are supported by ASD. Atypical application for ASD is searchingfor a hidden emitter and determiningwhether it is inside or outside a building.
New signal threats…developed quickly
New signal types and new threats areconstantly emerging. New programs mayneed to be created that execute on theE3238's G4 processors. Agilent cancreate the software for you, or in specialcases train you to create them yourselfusing open programming tools providedby Agilent. Contact your Agilent FieldEngineer for more information.
35688E-0RU Software Update Service – (12-24 Month Contracts)
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