RFspace Cloud SDR User manual
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Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 1
RFSPACE
CLOUDSDR
GETTING STARTED GUIDE
Table of Contents
Legal Notices 3
Supplied Accessories 3
Precautions 4
Hardware Specifications 5
Introduction 6
Front Panel 7
Rear Panel 8
Installation 9
CloudSetup Application 10
SDRanywhere 11
Interface Specifications 12
Compliance 13 !
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 2
Legal Notices
This User Guide provides user information and is provided “as is.” RFSPACE and its affiliated
companies, directors, officers, or employees assume no responsibility for any typographical, technical,
content or other inaccuracies in this User Guide. RFSPACE reserves the right to revise this User Guide
or withdraw it at any time without prior notice. The latest version can be found at www.rfspace.com.
Warranty Period!
RFSPACE warrants this hardware product against defects in materials and workmanship under normal
use for a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the date of retail purchase by the original end-user purchaser . If
a hardware defect arises and a valid claim is received within this Warranty Period, at its option and to
the extent permitted by law, RFSPACE will either (1) repair the hardware defect at no charge, using new
or parts equivalent to new in performance and reliability, (2) exchange the product with a product that
is new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability and is at least functionally equivalent to the
original product, or (3) refund the purchase price of the product. When a product or part is exchanged,
any replacement item becomes your property and the replaced item becomes RFSPACE’s property.
When a refund is given, the product for which the refund is provided must be returned to RFSPACE
and becomes RFSPACE’s property.
Supplied Accessories
The CloudSDR ships with a US prong 4.5V or 5.0V power supply and Ethernet cable. The power supply
is 90-264 Volt capable and can be used with a plug adapter for use in other countries. The SpectraVue
and CloudSetup software is available online at http://www.rfspace.com. !
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 3
Precautions
CAUTION! There are no user replaceable parts inside. "
CAUTION! Never put the receiver in any unstable place . This may cause damage to the receiver or
might cause personal injury."
CAUTION! Never exceed 5.5 volts on DC input jack. Internal circuitry will shut down the radio, but
damage might still occur."
CAUTION! Never transmit into the antenna input connector or transmit into antennas in close
proximity to the CloudSDR antennas. This might cause damage to the sensitive front end circuitry.
When using adjacent antennas, make sure an RF limiter or relay is installed on the RF input port.
Damage to input RF circuitry might result in costly repairs."
CAUTION! Never operate the receiver with wet hands. Make sure antenna does not touch high
voltage power lines."
WARNING! Do not store or operate the device at temperatures below 0°C (+32°F) or above +40°C
(+104°F).
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 4
Hardware Specifications
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 5
SPECIFICATIONS
Direct sampling frequency range
0.009 - 56 MHz
Antenna ports
0.009 - 56 MHz, 56 - 1002 MHz
HF, VHF-UHF (Usable to 1600 MHz)
ADC Fs / SNR / SFDR
122.88 MHz / 74 dBFS / 91 dB
I/Q mode output sample rates
0.00375 MHz - 1.2288 MHz
24 bit processing/output IQ pairs
2.048 MHz
24 bit processing, 16 bit output IQ pairs
Spectrum analyzer I/Q modes
2.458 MHz - 12.288 MHz
16 bit / 131072 FFT points
Spectrum analyzer real mode
56 MHz wide / 122.88 MHz sample rate
16 bit / 262144 FFT point
Minimum discernible signal
-137 dBm/Hz / -135 dBm/Hz
in 500 Hz BW PGA on/off at 15 MHz
Clipping point
-15 dBm
at 30 MHz
Cloud mode audio compression
G726,G711, Raw
phase continuous
Cloud mode demodulation
AM,FM,WFM,SSB,CW,SAM,DSB,ASK,OOK,PSK31,RAW
IQ
Cloud mode audio rates
16 kb/s - 64 kb/s
audio is 8 KHz sample rate
Cloud mode RAW IQ
500 samples/sec - 16 ksamples/sec
at 8 bits resolution after AGC
Cloud mode spectrum display
0.001 MHz - 10 MHz wide / 4096 FFT points
with simultaneous demod
TCXO
<2.5ppm over 0-40 oC
Remote server boot time
10 seconds
availability online after power cycle
Power comsumption
4.5 - 5 Volts - 0.8 Amps
Compliance
CE, FCC, IC
Dimensions
4.8 x 4.0 x 1.2 inches
Serial Port
RS-232 levels for external radio control and debug
Warranty
1 year parts and labor. International shipping paid by
customer
Introduction
The CloudSDR radio is a high performance networked software defined radio with 0.009-56 MHz and
56-1002 MHz frequency coverage (usable to 1600 MHz+). The CloudSDR uses a high performance
ADC running at 122.88 MHz with an optimized frontend. The output IQ bandwidth is configurable via
software up to a maximum of 1.288 MHz at 24 bits or 2.048 MHz at 16 bits. All internal processing and
filtering is done using 24bit IQ pairs. PC communications are handled over a 100 base-T port using
TCP control packets. The IQ streams to the PC via UDP packets.
The CloudSDR is compatible with the!SpectraVue, SDR-Radio, SDR#, CuteSDR, gnu GNURADIO and
other software. The SpectraVue software includes demodulation and I/Q capture of spectrum at up to a
2.048 MHz BW. For those interested in writing their own applications, RFSPACE supplies a fully
documented protocol for communicating with the hardware as well as an open source application for
MacOS, Windows and Linux. The CloudSDR just needs the center frequency, attenuator, output sample
rate and mode to begin streaming data. The CloudSDR utilizes straight TCP/IP/UDP and ethernet for all
communications. This offers the highest possible performance due to the highly optimized ethernet
drivers on PC, Mac and Linux systems.
The CloudSDR packets are fully routable. This means that the receiver can be placed at remote
locations. Multiple receivers can also be combined and it’s data transported over a higher data rate
ethernet pipe using simple switches and routers. In this application, each CloudSDR can be set to a
different IP address or port.
The CloudSDR includes a low bandwidth internet mode for remote operation. In this mode, the radio
performs all demodulation and spectral FFTs onboard. The compressed data is then sent to the client
over a TCP link. This allows the placement of the CloudSDR anywhere in the world with an internet
connection. The RemoteSDRclient and Android SDRanywhere applications are used as clients.
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 6
Front Panel"
1. Mode LED indicator. Used to indicate if the receiver is booting or operating in IQ or Cloud mode.
2. Status LED indicator. Used to indicate if the receiver is connected and active.
3. Stereo audio jack. Used to monitor the demodulated audio in Cloud mode or to output IQ
baseband.
4. Clip LED indicator. Blinks red if the ADC full scale level is exceeded. Select the minimum attenuator
required to minimize clipping. Do not exceed max input levels to prevent input circuitry damage."
The clip LED also blips during external or internal triggering or to show a missing 10 MHz external
reference when enabled.
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 7
Rear Panel
5. HF/VHF input SMA connector. This is the RF input connector for 0.009 - 56 MHz.
6. Trigger/1PPS input. This connector is used to trigger IQ captures or tag the IQ stream (TBD). Max
level is 3.3V LVTTL/LVCMOS.
7. VHF/UHF input SMA connector. This is the high frequency RF input connector for 56 - 1002+ MHz.
8. Bidirectional RS-232 3.5mm control jack. This port is used for debug and external radio control.
Connection diagram shows wiring used to connect to PC. Switch pins 2/3 to connect to a radio or
use a null modem adapter.
9. 100 Base-T Ethernet connection. Connects to PC or router for IQ mode. Connects to WAN or router
for Cloud mode.
10. Reference input connector. This input is used to frequency lock the CloudSDR to 10 MHz. +1V max.
11. Power input. 4.5V - 5.0V input. Do not exceed 5.5 Volts or radio will power off.
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 8
Installation
The CloudSDR ships configured for IQ streaming mode and with DHCP turned on. This mode is the
most common mode of operation. In this mode, the radio streams the raw IQ stream to the PC where
software like SpectraVue processes the data.
Connect the CloudSDR Ethernet port to the router and connect the power cable to the CloudSDR. The
radio will obtain an IP address from the DHCP server. Open SpectraVue and select the CloudSDR Set-
up. The Find button will search for the CloudSDRs present in the network. Select the CloudSDR you
wish to operate and click OK. Exit the setup menu and start SpectraVue by pressing Start or F12.
If you need to configure the CloudSDR with a manual IP address or you wish to connect the CloudSDR
directly to a PC, follow the instructions for the CloudSetup application on the next page.!
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CloudSDR Setup in SpectraVue software.!
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 9
CloudSetup Application
The CloudSetup application is used to configure the CloudSDR mode of operation, network parame-
ters and input/output connectors. The I/Q mode is used to communicate with software like SpectraVue.
The Cloud mode, enables the internal low bandwidth server mode so that the CloudSDR can be ac-
cessed over the internet using software like RemoteSdrClient or SDRanywhere.
This application is also used for firmware upgrades and to enable and disable the 10 MHz reference
and control port. There is a full software manual for it in the CloudSDR section of the RFSPACE web-
page.
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CloudSetup software.!
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 10
SDRanywhere Android App
The SDRanywhere application is an Android app that allows remote operation of an RFSPACE
CloudSDR radio from anywhere in the world. The SDRanywhere application receives the demodulated
audio and waterfall information from a remote radio.
To download. Browse to http://www.sdranywhere.com and install the .APK file from your Android
device.
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 11
CloudSDR Interface Specs
Document.
CuteSDR"
RFSPACE supplies a simple, open-source application for the CloudSDR radio. This application is written
using the QT framework and will compile for MacOS, Windows and Linux operating systems. This
software is supplied with a free license to be used by RFSPACE customers wishing to create their own
applications. "
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information at : http://sourceforge.net/projects/cutesdr/ "
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RemoteSDRclient "
RFSPACE supplies a simple, open-source application for the CloudSDR radio operating in the low
bandwidth Cloud mode. This application is written using the QT framework and will compile for
MacOS, Windows and Linux operating systems. This software is supplied with a free license to be used
by RFSPACE customers wishing to create their own applications. "
"
information at : http://sourceforge.net/projects/remotesdrclient/files/"
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 12
Compliance
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device as
applicable, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference
to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. The user must use
the accessories and cables supplied by the manufacturer to get optimum performance from the
product.
FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE
Dec 2020 RFSPACE, Inc. CloudSDR User’s Guide 13
Table of contents
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