RF Venue RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User manual

RF EXPLORER®PRO AUDIO EDITION
User Manual
Updated to Firmware Version 3.06

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................3
Description of Main Features.................................................................................................................................................4
Connecting RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition.............................................................................................................................5
Spectrum Analyzer mode - Main Screen................................................................................................................................6
Using menus...........................................................................................................................................................................8
Operational Mode menu........................................................................................................................................................9
Frequency Menu ..................................................................................................................................................................10
Analyzer screen in Advanced Mode.....................................................................................................................................12
Advanced: Understanding RBW...........................................................................................................................................12
Attenuator Menu .................................................................................................................................................................14
Configuration Menu .............................................................................................................................................................16
Preset Menu.........................................................................................................................................................................17
Using RF Explorer Preset Manager ..................................................................................................................................18
HELP button..........................................................................................................................................................................19
RF Explorer internal battery .................................................................................................................................................20
Charging the internal battery...........................................................................................................................................20
Using the Battery dedicated screen.................................................................................................................................21
Charging a fully depleted battery ....................................................................................................................................23
Automatic idle mode with battery charge.......................................................................................................................23
Supplied UHF Antenna.................................................................................................................................................23
Protecting your instrument from damage ...........................................................................................................................25
Connecting RF Explorer to a computer ................................................................................................................................26
FCC and CE regulations.........................................................................................................................................................26
License..................................................................................................................................................................................26

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 3
INTRODU CTION
RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use. There is no need to read large user
manuals to gain advantage of its advanced functionality.
Most of the complexity inherent to full sized Spectrum Analyzers is simplified with automatic functionality resolved by the
firmware. For instance, you do not need to adjust Resolution Bandwidth (RBW) every time you select a different frequency
span. Actually, you do not even need to know what RBW is. You can progress in your RF learning curve and come back to
this manual and online tutorial anytime.
When used to setup, troubleshoot, or commission wireless microphone or in-ear monitor systems, the RF Explorer Pro
Audio Edition can be a powerful tool. Use it to identify interference, check signal levels, position antennas for optimal
performance, and more.
For questions or feedback, please visit rfvenue.com.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 4
DE SCRIPTIO N OF MAI N FE ATU RES
✓Pocket-size and light weight with solid aluminum metal case
✓50 Ohm BNC Input for interfacing with wireless microphone and IEM systems and accessories
✓Peak Max, Max Hold, Normal, Overwrite and Averaging modes
✓High capacity Lithium Ion battery for up to 16 hours of continuous use, rechargeable by USB.
✓Mac OSX Vantage software and Windows software applications available online
✓USB Communication protocol is open for custom solutions and extensions.
✓Free firmware upgrades available

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 5
CONNE CTING THE RF EX PLO RE R PRO AU DIO EDI TIO N
The RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition includes 9 functional buttons on the front side, including contextual HELP and preset
handling with the SET button. The unit also includes one 50 ohm impedance BNC RF input connector.
The unit will automatically start running on USB power when a compatible mini-USB cable is connected.
Important: The internal battery power switch must be in the ON position for the battery to charge when the USB cable is
connected. The internal battery will not charge when the power switch is in the OFF position.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 6
SPECTRU M ANA LYZE R MO D E - MAIN SCRE EN
RF Explorer goes to Spectrum Analyzer mode automatically when powered on.
The X axis represents frequency in MHz and the Y axis displays received power in dBm or dBuV (selectable). In this example
above, the frequency span goes from 2390 MHz to 2450 MHz (that is a 60MHz range), and the visual amplitude goes from -
1 dBm to -110 dBm.
Configuration settings such as amplitude reference and frequency span are preserved between sessions, stored in the unit’s
internal FLASH memory.
The main screen automatically displays a small marker with a triangle shape. This indicates the peak amplitude found in the
current frequency span, noted in the first text line in MHz and the second line in dBm at that particular point.
The main screen has a number of additional indicators:

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 7
The available indicators are:
•USB / battery status: this indicator will display USB
1
when a valid 5V USB connection is available. This will be true
even if the connection is through a wall wart charger, meaning it does not indicate a data connection but rather a
power bus connection. Alternatively, a battery icon with charge level indicator will display when the RF Explorer
unit power switch is set to ON. If both connections are enabled, then USB and Battery will alternate and, in this
case, the battery will be charging.
•Sweeps per second: this is an approximate value of the number of full screen sweeps happening every second. In
the example above, there are 5 sweeps per second or, in equivalent terms, one sweep every 200ms.
•Calculator mode: this indicator may have different values as specified by the Calculator mode in the frequency
menu. Please check the section Frequency Menu in page 10.
•DSP mode: this indicator shows the actual value being used by the Analyzer. The DSP:Auto is the recommended
setting in the Frequency Menu (see page 10) so RF Explorer will select the best possible option as per below:
oFST: Fast mode. This mode will configure the unit for fastest scanning.
oFIR: Filter mode. This is the recommended mode for Pro Audio users, as it will increase accuracy using
filtering.
•Marker: There are different operational modes for the marker, see Configuration Menu in page 16.
The analyzer screen can be turned into advanced mode using the [Return] key:
Note the frequency axis indicators changes at the bottom. More details about this screen mode in section Analyzer screen
page 12.
1
USB refers to Universal Serial Bus, the standard connectivity bus in all modern computers. Our fellow HAM users should
not confuse this with Upper Side Band communication, even though uses the same mnemonic.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 8
USI NG ME NUS
There are several menus in RF Explorer. They are organized on different screens, which you can navigate through using the
[Menu] key. If you click the [Menu] button multiple times, you will toggle through them:
You can also navigate screens using the [Left] and [Right] keys. You can exit from a menu anytime by using the [Return]
key.
The first time you click on [Menu] button in a RF Explorer session, Frequency Menu will open. This may change as we will
see later, so every time you click on [Menu] from Spectrum Analyzer main screen, you re-open the last menu you were
working with. This saves time by not having to navigate through all the menus to go the same place you were before.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 9
OP ERATI O NAL MOD E ME N U
The menu display different functional modes available in your Analyzer.
Use [Up] and [Down] arrow keys to select the desired mode and click on [Enter] to activate it immediately.
•Spectrum Analyzer mode is the default mode, available in all RF Explorer models
•WiFi Analyzer is available in the Pro Audio Edition for analyzing 2.4 GHz spectrum in standard channel format.
•RF Connections displays the installed RF module
•Battery includes details on internal battery charge level, and assist you on charging the unit when connected to
USB. For more details read section Charging the internal battery in page 20.
•About displays information about installed firmware and versioning. Use any key to get out of this screen.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 10
FREQU ENCY MENU
•Center Freq: Center frequency in MHz
•Freq Span: Frequency span (or range) to display on screen in MHz
•Start Freq: Lower frequency range to display on screen in MHz
•Stop Freq: Higher frequency range to display on screen in MHz
•Module: Active selected RF module.
The selected frequency band to display can be specified in two different but complementary ways:
•Center/Span: This is the traditional Spectrum Analyzer format many engineers are used to. Select the Center
frequency at which the band will be displayed, and then a Frequency Span.
•Start/Stop: This alternative mode is very useful to select frequency range between two frequencies of interest,
with no need to manually calculate the Center or the Span.
As you edit Center/Span or Start/Stop, the other values are updated accordingly, so feel free to use the method you prefer.
In general, you will use Center/Span more frequently when you know the frequency you want to look at, and Start/Stop
when you just want to look at a larger span to see what is happening in a specific range.
To navigate through the menu, just use [Up] and [Down] keys to go to the option you want, then click on [Enter] to edit that
option, [Left] or [Right] to go to the digit you want to change, and [Enter] to confirm or [Return] to cancel.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 11
As an example, a center frequency of 430MHz with a 20MHz span:
A click on [Menu] button will open the Frequency Menu:
Selecting a span of 10MHz, the Start/Stop frequency changes accordingly:
A click on [Return] button will close the menu and go back to Spectrum Analyzer main screen.
Note: While RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer screen is enabled, the [Left] and [Right] buttons can be used to increase or
decrease the Start/Stop frequency, moving the visible spectrum to the left or the right 25% on every key press. This is
helpful in order to offset the visual range without need to specify a new numeric range.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 12
A NA LY ZE R SC R E EN I N AD VA NCE D MO D E
Alternatively, there is a simpler way to increase and decrease frequency span while keeping the center frequency. As this is
a common workflow, the RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer screen enables the [Return] key to switch between standard
visualization mode and advanced mode.
In this screen above, the frequency reading at the bottom changed from Start/Center/Stop frequency to Span/Center/RBW.
When this mode is enabled, a key press on [Left] or [Right] button will increase or decrease to double and half frequency
span respectively.
As an example, to increase the span from 10MHz to 20MHz, a single click to the [Left] button is enough, no need to go back
to the Frequency Menu.
AD VANCE D: UND ERSTAND ING RBW
The advanced mode displays the currently selected RBW (Resolution Band Width). This is an important concept for
advanced users.
The RBW references the internal filter used to discriminate the bandwidth of each sweep step. In RF Explorer, each
measurement dot represents a range of frequencies, and there are exactly 112 steps on each sweep. As an example, in a
10MHz span, each of the 112 measurement steps represents 10MHz/112=0.089MHz or, in other words, 89KHz
2
.
The range of frequencies represented on each sweep step is a level of uncertainty; screen resolution is limited to that RBW.
With a resolution of 89KHz on screen (for a 10MHz span), the best accuracy expected is exactly that value. In other words, a
frequency reading of 430.100MHz on screen may mean a range of +-44.5KHz each side, as the filter will not discriminate
further than that for a 10MHz span.
In addition to that, RBW has an important impact on the sensitivity of the Spectrum Analyzer. The wider the filter
bandwidth, the higher the spectral noise and therefore the lower the sensitivity. This is visible by an increasing noise floor
as the RBW is larger, and lower noise floor as the RBW is narrower. Based on this, the narrowest RBW would look like the
better choice for all measurements but as you get a narrower RBW you also decrease the scan speed notably, due to the
slower nature of a narrow filter as well as the need to measure more sweep points to cover the full span.
2
Note the actual value used by the device may differ from the value calculated, due to finite tabulated choices.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 13
Selecting the best combination of RBW, scan speed and sensitivity requires significant experience. In most Spectrum
Analyzers, the operator needs to fully understand and select RBW for each measurement, one of the most challenging
aspects of proper Spectrum Analyzer usage.
Fortunately, this is not the case with RF Explorer: The design of the internal DSP includes sophisticated internal tables and
algorithms to make the best possible choice at all times automatically. No user intervention is required to get the best
compromise between scan speed, noise floor and sensitivity every time.
The internal RBW setting can be checked anytime in advanced screen mode [Return Key in Spectrum Analyzer View].

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 14
ATTENU ATO R MENU
•Calculator: internal DSP calculator mode
•Input: select input stage to enable LNA or Attenuator
•Top dBm: Visual max amplitude on screen.
•Bottom dBm: Visual min amplitude on screen.
•Iterations: Internal DSP calculator iterations.
•Offset dB: external dB attenuation or gain value to compensate for external devices, such as attenuators or
amplifiers.
•Units: dBm or dBuV. Note you may need to navigate all the way to the bottom for the menu to show this last
option on screen.
The selected Top and Bottom dBm are visual limits, not real internal limits.
The internal DSP optionally performs advanced calculations in order to configure the analyzer for the required
measurement:
•Calculator offers multiple modes to display data, to change mode click on [Enter] key:
oMax: Peak values are used from the last sweep Iterations (see menu option at the bottom). This is the
standard mode you will want to use to detect rapidly changing DSS signals or find for worst case channel
occupancy.
oMax Hold: Capture all activity in the band including the Max signal envelope mode with vector graphics
and real-time activity with vertical bars. Use this mode anytime you want to detect activity for a long
period of time. It is a very powerful mode to detect activity in busy bands such as 2.4 GHz. As this is a
cumulative mode, while on Spectrum Analyzer screen you can clear the spectrum anytime with the
RETURN button.
oAverage: Average is calculated over the last sweep Iterations. This is the best possible choice to remove
unwanted noise, particularly useful in constant wave (CW) and channel signals display.
oNormal: No calculation is done, just raw data as a result of the real-time sweep.
oOverwrite: Useful to track unlimited activity in the band. Darker areas will point to high activity signal.
You can clear the spectrum anytime with the RETURN button.
•Iterations: The number of sweep data iterations to perform calculations on. It goes from 1 to 16. As an example, a
value of 5 with Calculator: Average means the DSP will use 5 complete accumulated sweeps to average data.
Note: Selecting a higher or lower Top dBm value is a very frequent workflow, as you typically want to zoom in or out based
on signal power being measured. RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer main screen offers two keyboard shortcuts: [Up] and

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 15
[Down] arrow keys can be used to increase or decrease Top dBm respectively by 5dBm each time. This shortcut, together
with [Left] and [Right] for moving Center Frequency or Span as described before, are very convenient to make configuration
changes in real-time without navigating to the Menu settings.
Included in RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition is a selectable input stage with three possible signal paths:
50 RFΩ
INPUT
Attenuator
30dB
LNA
pre-amplifier
25dB
Tonext
RF stage
•Direct: low loss signal path to standard sensitivity, use for linear measurements up to -25dBm
•Attenuator: 30dB nominal wideband attenuator, use for linear measurement up to 0dBm
•LNA: low noise wideband preamplifier, use for linear measurements up to -40dBm. Note this option requires more
battery power than other modes. When using LNA and an antenna, it is recommended using band pass filters to
limit the wideband noise detected, otherwise degraded signal/noise reception may limit or even cancel the benefit
of the amplifier.
The selection is defined by using the Input option in the Attenuator Menu. High performance RF switches drive the signal
path into the selected option instantly.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 16
CONF IGU RATIO N MENU
•Backlight: Several levels of display backlight. RF Explorer has good visibility indoors and outdoors, including direct
sunlight. The level of backlight should be set for operating conditions, and you may want to limit backlight
brightness to preserve battery capacity.
•Contrast: There are 10 different display contrast levels to choose from.
•USB Bauds: Default is 500Kbps, which is also the recommended setting.
•Draw mode: Vectors is the standard mode, and Fill can be specified if additional contrast is required by filling the
area behind the signal.
•Marker: There are three different modes available for the Marker on the Spectrum Analyzer screen:
oPeak: The marker will automatically detect the peak value on screen.
oManual: The marker can be manually moved anywhere on the screen by using [Left] and [Right] buttons.
When this mode is selected, the standard functions to move Center Frequency or Span are disabled.
oNone: The marker is not displayed.
•DSP: The DSP (Digital Signal Processor) can be configured in different ways in order to select the best possible
choice of noise reduction, image rejection and scan speed.
oFilter: This mode is recommended for all Pro Audio applications such as wireless microphones and IEM
scanning. When Filter mode is enabled, the DSP will scan the spectrum several times in order to reject
unwanted spurs and image frequency out of the screen. As result of that, the scan speed is slower than
compared with Fast mode.
oAuto: When Auto mode is enabled, the internal configuration tables will select the best possible
algorithm. The Spectrum Analyzer screen will display a FIR (Filter) or FST (Fast) mode to indicate the actual
DSP mode being used.
oFast: This mode is recommended for advanced users only. When it is selected on the 15-2700MHz or Plus
module, the DSP will not process spurs and therefore unwanted signals could display on screen.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 17
PRESE T ME NU
The Preset section is a convenient way to store multiple configurations which can be easily recovered.
•Identifier: Numerical index of the preset valid from 1-100 (Plus model) or 1-30 (Combo models)
•Description: Descriptive text up to 12 characters long. An asterisk at the end is automatically added when the
preset has actually some data stored. This field is editable and can be changed.
•Load: Action option to load stored preset values into current configuration, the menu screen is automatically
closed once the preset is loaded
•Save: Action option to save current configuration into the selected preset –this option cannot be undone, care
should be taken to not overwrite another valid preset
•Reset: Action option to remove all values from selected preset and reset to unused state - this option cannot be
undone, care should be taken to not reset a valid preset
•Frequency range: when an active preset with data stored is selected, the last line of the screen shows the
Start/Stop frequency range of the preset, to help on determining the specific preset configuration before engaging
it. This line will be blank when an empty preset is selected.
Easy Preset restore:
This menu has a very convenient shortcut for easy selection and restore of any pre-defined preset:
•Press SET button from any Analyzer mode screen. By pressing SET button, this menu becomes active and the
cursor is preselected in Load action option. Pressing the SET button inside this menu will iterate through all
predefined Presets with valid data one by one. This shortcut is faster than manually changing Identifier numbers
one by one when you are looking to load a preset.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 18
USING RF EX PLORER PR ES ET MANA GER
This is an included convenient tool to easily create and edit Presets from a Windows, Linux or Mac computer. It also
includes the ability to define custom Description text for each preset.
Presets can be uploaded to / downloaded from the RF Explorer device using USB standard connection, and presets
definitions can be imported / exported to share definition among devices easily.
For more details please visit online help: http://www.rf-explorer.com/preset

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 19
HELP BUTTO N
RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition includes HELP button for easy, intuitive context-sensitive help.
The HELP text can be displayed in all functional screens, effectively complementing this User Manual with handy
information, always available with a simple click.
Use the following keys to interact with Help screen:
•Scroll text up and down: The bottom of screen shows “…” when additional text is available for scroll. Use UP and
DOWN arrow key buttons to scroll text one line at a time, or LEFT and RIGHT arrow key buttons to scroll text full
page at a time.
•Help on Help: This special screen offers description of how to interact with Help screen itself. Use HELP button
within a Help screen to activate Help on Help.
•Close help screen: use RETURN or ENTER key, both will close the help screen and return to previous device state.

RF Explorer Pro Audio Edition User Manual page 20
RF EX PLO RER INTERNAL BATTERY
The internal battery is a high capacity 1000 mAh Lithium-ion polymer type. This is the same battery technology used in cell
phones and modern laptops and tablet computers.
The power switch is a true hard switch connecting the battery in ON position, fully isolating the battery in the OFF position.
As the battery is fully disconnected in the OFF position, you can keep your RF Explorer stored for months and the battery
will keep the charge intact, as opposed to cell phones or laptops which typically implement a soft switch which slowly
discharge the battery by drawing a microamperes continuously from it. This doesn't happen in your RF Explorer.
CHARGI NG THE I NTE RN A L BA TT ERY
To charge the internal battery, plug it in to a powered USB port or USB wall-wart charger via the USB mini socket. For the
internal charger to access the battery, you must set the power switch to ON position, otherwise the device will be running
from USB but will not use or charge the internal battery.
RF Explorer may draw up to 500mA according to USB standard, and may take up to 3hs max to charge a fully discharged
battery in normal conditions. We recommend first charging for up to 8hs.
It is ok to keep the battery connected to the USB port, the internal charger will stop and start the charge when needed.
IMPORTANT
Never charge your device unattended or in any place where there is a risk of fire.
Never store RF Explorer in a place where temperature may go beyond 50ºC (122F). A car
can heat up incredibly quickly in the SUN, especially in the summer, and damage or reduce
the lifetime of your battery if stored in such an environment.
If you manipulate RF Explorer to assemble an Expansion Module, always proceed very
carefully with the Lithium Ion battery and make sure it is not punctured, damaged or
inflated in any way. A healthy battery is a flat rectangle with no signs of any deformation. If
you have any doubt, please take a picture of your unit and send it to us for further help.
If your battery doesn't seem to hold a charge or work properly, or if the unit gets hot when
charging, switch the power button OFF immediately and review and/or replace your
battery.
Never use RF Explorer with a damaged battery or with a Lithium Ion battery different than
the one officially supplied by technical service, which includes a protection circuit for safety.
Contact Q[email protected] if you have any question on any matter related with
your battery or if you need a replacement.