Berkeley Varitronics Systems BumbleBee-TABLET User manual

Tablet PC Spectrum Analyzer
manual version 1.6
BumbleBee-TABLET

BumbleBee-TABLET Interface Hardware user’s manual
BumbleBee-TABLET/BumbleBee-TABLET Interface Hardware
Unpacking Your BumbleBee-TABLET.................................................................................... 2
About Your BumbleBee-TABLET........................................................................................... 3
Powering Your BumbleBee-TABLET...................................................................................... 3
OpeningYour BumbleBee-TABLET........................................................................................ 3
Optional Direction Finding Antenna Specifications................................................................... 4
BumbleBee-TABLET Accessories Sheet................................................................................. 5
BumbleBee-TABLET Data Sheet.......................................................................................... 5
BumbleBee-TABLET Interface Software user’s manual
1. Establishing connection between BumbleBee Receiver and BumbleBee Tablet Software....... 7
2. Description of Toolbar buttons……………………………………………………................. 8
3. Description of the Tab Options……………………………………………………..........…. 14
3.1 Frequency Control ……………………………………………………........……… 14
3.2 Power Trigger Mode…………………………………………………………........... 15
3.3 Reference Level……………………………………………………………….......... 18
3.4 Resolution Bandwidth……………………………………………………............... 19
3.5 Markers………………………………………………………………………...........20
3.6 Peak Hold……………………………………………………………........………… 22
3.7 Trace Averaging……………………………………………………………….......... 23
3.8 Bin Averaging…………………………………………………………………..........24
3.9 Presets…………………………………………………………………………........ 25
4. Channel Power Measurements………………………………………...........……........ 27
4.1 Using Markers……………………………………………………………….…... 27
4.2 Using the Selection Tool………………………………………………………....27
4.3 Examples of Channel Power Measurement Capabilities……………………….. 30
4.4 Using the Trigger Mode………………………………………………………..... 33
5 Recording and Replaying a Spectrum Log File……………………...........…………………... 32
6 User-defined Presets……………………………………………………...........………………. 33
7 IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE BUMBLEBEE TABLET PC…….…..……………...........…………… 35
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please disable the Wireless LAN Radio and the Bluetooth Transmitter on the Tablet PC to minimize interference with the
BumbleBee Receiver before you establish a connection.
1

2
Unpacking Your BumbleBee-TABLET
BumbleBee-TABLET protective case
& Panasonic Toughbook Tablet
Panasonic Toughbook Tablet & BumbleBee-
TABLET user’s manual and software
Documentation includes software (CD or SD
card), user’s manual and claibration certificate
Unpack and assemble your BumbleBee-TABLET unit as shown. Your BumbleBee-TABLET is a self-contained spectrum analyzer. The user interface
(Panasonic Toughbook Tablet ), antenna and power connections are all accessible, but there is usually no need to open the protective, yellow rubber
casing. The tablet may be disconnected and removed and batteries changed by users but the other components should only be accessed by Berkeley
technicians. Removing such components will void your hardware warranty. Please consult the included Samsung Q1 documentation for complete
operating instructions, troubleshooting and tips of tablet PC. When you open your yellow, hard, protective case you will see the BumbleBee-TABLET
unit with receiver hidden below it, included antenna (frequency depending upon model ordered), spare Ni-MH AA batteries, CF serial communica-
tion card, tablet power/charging adapter and BumbleBee receiver Ni-MH battery charger.
BumbleBee-TABLET available options shown below

BumbleBee-TABLET FRONT VIEW
BumbleBee-TABLET
Receiver USB Cable
SMA Male Antenna Input
Warning: Maximum input 0 dBm NO DC Input
3

2.4 GHz Omni-Directional (7.5” long)
2.4 GHz Direction Finding
Corner Reflector
4.9/5 GHz Direction Finding
Corner Reflector
4
4.9/5 GHz Omni-Directional (5.5” long)
Optional Direction Finding Antenna Specications
Frequency 890-960 MHz
Gain 9 dBi
Polarization Horizontal or Vertical
Horizontal Beam Width 54°
Vertical Beam Width 48°
Front to Back Ratio 14 dB
Impedance 50 Ohm
Max. Input Power 100 Watts
VSWR < 1.5:1 avg.
Elements 5
Weight 1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg)
Length 19.6 in. (0.5 m)
Mounting 2 in. (50.8 mm) diameter
mast max.
Operating Temperature -40° C to to 85° C
(-40° F to 185° F)
Lightning Protection DC Short
Connector N-Female
900 MHz Direction Finding Yagi 900 MHz Omni-Directional (9.5” long)

5
Accessories for your
Ni-MH Fast-Charger
4 AA 6 V
P/N NIMH-001
$ 55.00
2.4 GHz Direction Finding
Antenna with mounting brack-
et, cable & SMA male
9 dBi gain
P/N 2ND
$ 250.00
Rugged Carrying Case
ABS Plastic
P/N P-CASE
$ 100.00
2.4 GHz Omni Antenna
SMA male swivel
P/N S151AM-2450S
$ 25.00
4.9/5 GHz Direction Finding Antenna
with mounting bracket, cable & SMA
male
9 dBi gain
P/N 5NE
$ 250.00
30 dB attenuator pad for use with
directional antennas (between
DF antenna & BumbleBee) SMA
male to female
P/N bbpad30
$ 30.00
Bumble Bee-TABLET
900 MHz Omni Antenna
SMA male swivel
P/N C191AM-925
$ 25.00
4.9/5 GHz Omni Antenna
SMA male swivel
Co-Linear Dipole 5 dBi VSWR 1.8:1
P/N K181AM-5250S
$ 25.00
12VDC to 110VAC car cigarette
lighter power inverter
75 Watts output
P/N BB-12V
$ 35.00
OPTIONAL
OPTIONAL
OPTIONAL
OPTIONAL
STANDARD
STANDARD
STANDARD
STANDARD
STANDARD
OPTIONAL
Data Playback Windows PC
Software
$ 250.00
OPTIONAL
Honeycomb
Interference Mapping Software
Ask for a Quote
OPTIONAL
900 MHz DF Yagi Antenna with
mounting bracket, cable & SMA male
9 dBi gain
P/N 900-Y
$ 125.00
OPTIONAL

OPTIONAL SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR BUMBLEBEE
Import any image file of a floorplan or site
Create a distance projection
Add simple objects to image
Add custom objects to floorplan
Scale and crop image
Save for use in Collector and Analyzer
TM
Save multiple data files while using same projection file
Ability to choose up to 26 802.11b/a/g channels
Adjust duration of scan
Adjust period of scan for each channel
Automatically saves data to file
Take screen snapshots of any site
Saves data for further analysis in HoneyComb™ Analyzer
Shows walk/drive path
Access information on any point at any time
HoneyComb™is Windows XP (Tablet/PC or iPAQ/PC) interference-
mapping software designed for use with the BumbleBee™-TABLET
spectrum analyzer system. It consists of three parts: Projector, Collector,
and Analyzer. Sources of interference can be separated from 802.11
WLAN signals, allowing the user to graph severity of interference,
percentage of channel capacity remaining and other significant
interference related quantities. HoneyComb™ aids in locating
jamming interference, unintentional interference and network
intrusion as well as channel verification. HoneyComb™ will also
map all likely signal sources and strengths for helping to clear
“RF free zones.” Floorplans or site maps can be used as a
reference to collect data leaving the resulting interference
maps to be overlayed onto floorplans for easy identification
of interference prone areas.
Honeycomb Analyzer (PC)
3
2
Use Yellowjacket
802.11b/g PLUS
receiver hardware
for handheld sur-
veys anywhere in the
world.
RF Interference-Mapping Site Surveys
Instant RF Surveys:
Plot Interference Analysis:
Create Survey Maps:
HoneyComb Projector (PC)
Honeycomb Collector (iPAQ)
H NEY
C
M
B
1
Honeycomb™ allows
either BumbleBee-
TABLET users or
BumbleBee handheld
(iPAQ) users to map
interference using BVS
receiver technology.
HONEYCOMB
Imports data from other Honeycomb applications
Detect/Separate interference from Wi-Fi signals
Interference severity and channel
Plot and view interference-related problems
Wi-Fi channel capacity for intrusion detection
Plot and view “RF free zones”
Print and export plots into bmp files
Create a HTML report for any survey area

7
1. Establishing a Connection with the receiver:
Double click the BumbleBee Tablet icon on the desktop to start the software.
Ensure that the USB cable is properly connected to both, the Tablet PC and the BumbleBee Receiver.
Once this is done, click on the toolbar to connect to the BumbleBee Receiver. The connection box
pops up with the USB device listed in the list box.
Fig 1: USB Connection
Select the listing which indicates that the product is a BUMBLEBEE TABLET and click OK.
On clicking OK, the software will establish a connection with the BumbleBee Receiver. Once connection
is successful, the receiver will be set in the default spectrum mode which is centered at 2425 MHz and
spans 50 MHz with a Resolution Bandwidth of 50 KHz and a Receiver reference level of –20 dBm.
.

8
2Description of Tool Bar Buttons:
2.1 Connection:
This button is establishes a connection with the hardware as discussed above.
2.2 Snapshot:
This button takes a snapshot of the application window. The snapshot can be saved either as a jpeg
or a bmp at any location.
2.3 Selection Tool:
This button is used to select an area on the Display to measure spectral power within the selected
area or to zoom into the selected area.
This button is first clicked, then the mouse is dragged while keeping the Left Button down, over the
desired Spectral Region and that area is highlighted. Spectral Power within this selected region is
calculated and displayed as shown:
Fig 2: Spectrum Selection
2.4 Zoom In:
This button zooms into a selected area.
2.5 Zoom Out:
This button zooms out from a previously zoomed in region.

9
2.6 Record/ Log Spectrum:
Once in the Spectrum Mode or the Trigger Spectrum Mode, the Spectrum Data being viewed on
the Screen may be logged by clicking this button. The Logged File is saved with the spl extension.
2.7 Replay the Logged Spectrum for post-processing/analysis:
This button selects BumbleBee Tablet Log Files (with extension spl) and replays them for post-
processing and analysis. Once the playback begins, this button changes in appearance to .Clicking
this changed button freezes the playback and the button becomes in appearance again. Click this
button again to resume normal playback.
2.8 Stop Recording/Playback:
Stop the current recording or playback.
2.9 Fast Forward:
The replay speed is doubled. Click this button again to resume normal playback.
2.10 Rewind:
The play back is reversed at doubled speed. Click this button again to resume normal playback.
NOTE: For detailed explanation on Logging and re-playing a Spectrum Log File, see page29
2.11 Print Preview & Print.
This prints out the current Spectrum Display. The Display can be printed out either in True Color:
A true snapshot of the Display screen is printed as seen on the Display (with the Black Background); or in
Econo Color: A snapshot of the Display is taken and printed against a white background or in Black and
White: A Black and White print out is taken (i.e. Black foreground against a white background). The
options can be changed in the File menu by Clicking on “Print Color Options”. Once clicked, the
following Dialog Box pops up. Then select the option of choice and then click OK and click see a
preview of the screen.
Fig 3: Print Color Selection Options Dialog

10
Fig 4: A Print Preview for a Black and White (Monochrome) print out.
Fig 5: An Econo Color Print Preview Option

11
Fig 6: A true Color Print
2.12 Spectrogram Display:
Fig 7.1: Burst of Microwave Energy from a Fig 7.2: Persistence of a Direct Sequence
Microwave oven. Spread Spectrum Signal; from an 802.11b AP

12
The Spectrogram Display shows the power gradient of the last 100 spectral sweeps. The Power Gradient is
plotted with Past Instances vs. the Current Span. The spectrogram is displayed using the colors given on
the Color Bar. The Colors in the Color Bar represent the power values between the defined Maximum and
Minimum power values. By selecting either or the corresponding values can be
changed by clicking the buttons. Any power value greater than the Maximum Power value set
is represented by WHITE color in the spectrogram while, any power value lesser than the set Minimum
Power value is represented by BLACK. The Spectrogram can also be displayed for Spectrum being
replayed from BumbleBee Tablet Log Files.
2.13 Histogram Display:
This displays the Histogram Display for the current waveform. The Histogram displays the percentage of
time that the power in each frequency bin is above the threshold.
Fig 8: Histogram Display of an RFID waveform.

13
2.14 Interference Analyst:
The Interference Analyst is a collection of waveforms of most commonly used digital modulation and
transmission techniques in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands. The Interference Analyst
provides visual representation and description of waveforms of Direct Sequency Spread Spectrum
(DSSS), Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM), Microwave oven Power Leakage. It also provides visual images of what the Spectrum looks like
when one transmission scheme interferes with another. The Interference Analyst is very useful for users
who do not have a good understanding of the above mentioned digital modulation and transmission
schemes. It can be a handy feature for them to detect and identify the type of device transmitting on a
particular channel.
Fig 9: Interference Analyst Display of a Narrow Band waveform.
2.15 Create a User defined Spectrum Preset by saving a Spectrum Context File.
2.16 Re-Open a saved Spectrum Context File to trigger a User-defined Spectrum Preset.

14
3. Tab Options:
The Tabs on the Left and Right hand edge of the application window form the Control and Data Panel for
the BumbleBee Tablet PC Software. Tapping on a Tab with the Stylus will make it pop out on the screen.
Tapping outside the Tab will cause the popped up Tab to slide back and hide.
3.1 Frequency Control Panel:
Fig 10: Frequency Control Panel
The Frequency Control Panel allows the user to set the Center Frequency and the Span of the Spectrum
Analyzer.
To set the Center Frequency
1. Click the Radio Button for the Center Frequency.
2. Click “Clear” to delete the value shown.
3. Enter the Center Frequency value in the Text Box.
4. Select the units (KHz/MHz).
3. Click “Set”.
To set the Span, repeat the steps 2 through 5 after clicking selecting Span.

15
IMPORTANT NOTE:
1. The Center Frequency has to be within the Frequency Band supported by the BumbleBee Receiver.
2. The Span is divided equally on both the sides of the Center Frequency.
3. The software performs “Span Checking” to make sure that the span does not exceed the bounds of
the Frequency Band supported by the BumbleBee Receiver. For example: For a BumbleBee which
supports the 2400 MHz – 2500 MHz frequency band, if the current center frequency is 2480 MH,.
the maximum span which can be set would be 40 MHz.
The Legend on the bottom of the window is explained as below:
3.2 Trigger Mode:
The Swept Spectrum Mode can be slow in detecting and measuring bursts of signal energy. This is
because when the receiver scans a certain portion of the spectrum, it will miss a burst of signal energy
such as a frequency hop of a Frequency Hopping device on a nearby frequency. In the Swept Spectrum
Mode, the only time the receiver will detect and measure signal energy is when the burst of signal energy
occurs at the frequencies the BumbleBee receiver is currently scanning. This problem can be particularly
compounded if the Sweep Span is large and the resolution bandwidth is small. As a solution to this
problem, the BumbleBee Receiver has a Power Trigger Mode. In this mode, the user can set a power
threshold for the receiver to trigger on, every time the channel power exceeds this threshold. This way, the
receiver captures bursts of signal energy occurring over a 20 MHz channel bandwidth whenever the
Channel Power within this 20 MHz channel exceeds the Power Threshold. In addition to this, the user can
set a delay so that the receiver will measure the channel power only after the amount of specified delay
following a trigger. This setting ensures that the RF energy of the desired portion of the data packet is
measured.

16
Fig 11: Trigger Mode Settings: The Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Waveform above shows the
presence of an 802.11 B Access Point.
To Set the Receiver to Trigger on a Channel Power greater than the Power Threshold:
1. Set the Receiver Reference Level.
2. Set the center frequency of the channel. This can be done either using the Frequency Control panel or
the Preset Panels. IMPORTANT: The Span must be set to 20 MHz.
3. Tap the stylus on the Trigger Tab to pop up the Trigger Panel.
4. Set the Trigger Threshold power to within 20 dB of the current Reference Level1.
5. Click “Set Trigger” to Set the BumbleBee Receiver to Trigger on a Channel Power greater than the
Power Threshold.
6. To change any Spectrum parameter when the unit is in trigger mode, Stop the Trigger, make the
desired setting and then click “Set Trigger” again.
7. A Trigger Delay in Micro Seconds can be entered to set the receiver to measures the spectrum after the
delay following the channel power exceeding the power threshold.

17
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. The Trigger is only applied for a maximum Span of 20 MHz. Set the Center Frequency to a
suitable value and then set the Span to 20 MHz.
2. The Trigger Threshold Power must be within 20 dB of the Reference Level. If the Threshold
value is below 20 dB of the Reference Level, the BumbleBee Receiver will not trigger. To adjust
the threshold level greater than 20 dB below the reference level, lower the reference level and then
adjust the trigger threshold.
3. Stop the Trigger by clicking “Stop Trigger” to exit the Trigger Mode and resume the normal
Spectrum Mode.
IMPORTANT TIPS WHILE USING THE TRIGGER MODE:
The trigger mode will trigger when the power in a 20 MHz channel exceeds the set power threshold.
The presets can be very helpful in conjunction with the trigger mode.
•Select a channel using the Preset tabs.
•Set the Reference Level and the Resolution Bandwidth.
•Set a threshold value to be within AT MOST 20 dB below the reference level.
•Start the trigger. The receiver will now trigger on the preset channel.
•Click “Stop Trigger” to stop the trigger.

18
3.3 Reference Level:
The Dynamic Range of Power measurement of the BumbleBee can be changed by varying the Reference
Level of the Receiver. The Reference Level Settings for the BumbleBee Receiver can be changed from –
20 dBm to –70 dBm in steps of 10 dB. For measuring very strong signals the reference level can be set to
a high value like –20 dBm while low power signals can be measured by setting the reference level to –70
dBm. Hence when the Reference level has been set to –20 dBm, the receiver can measure signals with a
maximum value of –20 dBm. If the reference level is a low value compared to the value of the received
signal, the signals are subjected to clipping as seen in Fig 13.
Fig 12: Reference Level Settings
IMPORTANT NOTE:
When using the Trigger Mode, the Reference Level setting must be at most 20 dB above the set
Power Threshold value otherwise the BumbleBee Receiver will not trigger.

19
3.4 Resolution Bandwidth:
The BumbleBee measures the energy present within the frequency bins. The width of each bin is equal to
the Resolution bandwidth.
Fig 13.1 Burst of Signal Energy as observed using a 100 KHz resolution bandwidth.
Fig 13.2 Burst of Signal Energy as observed using a 500 KHz resolution bandwidth.
The Resolution Bandwidth of the trace shown in Fig 14.2 is 500 KHz. Each point in the spectrum above
represents the total energy present in a frequency bin 500 KHz wide. A lower Resolution Bandwidth is
very useful in accurately capturing and measuring individual frequency components within the spectrum.
However, for a large span, a smaller Resolution Bandwidth would result in a longer sweep time. A higher
Resolution Bandwidth can be used for a large span to reduce the sweep time. A Resolution Bandwidth
greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the signal can be used to measure the Channel Power.