Signal Hound BB60A User manual

SIGNAL HOUND
BB60C / BB60A
UserManual

S I G N A L H O U N D
BB60C / BB60A User Manual
Version 2
2014, Signal Hound
35707 NE 86th Ave
La Center, WA
Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

Table of Contents
1OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................5
WHAT’S NEW ................................................................................................................................................................ 51.1
2PREPARATION ........................................................................................................................................................5
INITIAL INSPECTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 52.1
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION................................................................................................................................................. 62.2
Software Requirements ....................................................................................................................................... 62.2.1
DRIVER INSTALLATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 62.3
CONNECTING YOUR SIGNAL HOUND................................................................................................................................... 72.4
RUNNING THE SOFTWARE FOR THE FIRST TIME..................................................................................................................... 72.5
THE BB60 FRONT AND REAR PANELS ................................................................................................................................. 72.6
3GETTING STARTED..................................................................................................................................................9
THE GRATICULE.............................................................................................................................................................. 93.1
THE CONTROL PANELS..................................................................................................................................................... 93.2
Measurements................................................................................................................................................... 103.2.1
Trace Controls............................................................................................................................................................... 103.2.1.1
Marker Controls ............................................................................................................................................................ 103.2.1.2
Offsets........................................................................................................................................................................... 113.2.1.3
Channel Power.............................................................................................................................................................. 113.2.1.4
Occupied Bandwidth..................................................................................................................................................... 113.2.1.5
Sweep Settings .................................................................................................................................................. 113.2.2
Frequency Controls ....................................................................................................................................................... 113.2.2.1
Amplitude Controls ....................................................................................................................................................... 123.2.2.2
Bandwidth Controls ...................................................................................................................................................... 123.2.2.3
Acquisition Controls ...................................................................................................................................................... 133.2.2.4
Demod Settings ................................................................................................................................................. 133.2.3
Capture Settings............................................................................................................................................................ 133.2.3.1
Trigger Settings ............................................................................................................................................................. 143.2.3.2
SWEEP TOOLBAR .......................................................................................................................................................... 143.3
ZERO-SPAN TOOLBAR.................................................................................................................................................... 15
3.4
THE MENU.................................................................................................................................................................. 153.5
File Menu........................................................................................................................................................... 153.5.1
Edit Menu .......................................................................................................................................................... 163.5.2
Presets ............................................................................................................................................................... 163.5.3
Settings.............................................................................................................................................................. 163.5.4
Spectrum Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 163.5.5
Trace.................................................................................................................................................................. 173.5.6
Utilities .............................................................................................................................................................. 173.5.7
Help ................................................................................................................................................................... 173.5.8
PREFERENCES............................................................................................................................................................... 173.6
THE STATUS BAR .......................................................................................................................................................... 183.7
ANNUNCIATOR LIST....................................................................................................................................................... 18
3.8
PLAYBACK TOOLBAR...................................................................................................................................................... 183.9
4MODES OF OPERATION ........................................................................................................................................20
SWEPT ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................................................... 204.1
REAL-TIME SPECTRUM ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................... 214.2
ZERO-SPAN ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................................................... 214.3

5TAKING MEASUREMENTS.....................................................................................................................................23
MEASURING FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE ........................................................................................................................ 235.1
Using Markers ................................................................................................................................................... 235.1.1
Using the Delta Marker ..................................................................................................................................... 235.1.2
Measuring Low Level Signals............................................................................................................................. 235.1.3
SAVING SESSIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... 235.2
CAPTURING SIGNALS OF INTEREST.................................................................................................................................... 245.3
MEASURING CHANNEL POWER........................................................................................................................................ 255.4
TIPS FOR BETTER MEASUREMENTS................................................................................................................................... 265.5
6ADDITIONAL FEATURES ........................................................................................................................................29
PRINTING .................................................................................................................................................................... 29
6.1
SAVING IMAGES ........................................................................................................................................................... 306.2
IMPORTING PATH LOSS AND LIMIT LINE TABLES.................................................................................................................. 306.3
AUDIO PLAYER ............................................................................................................................................................. 326.4
7DISPLAY MODES ...................................................................................................................................................33
SPECTROGRAM............................................................................................................................................................. 337.1
PERSISTENCE................................................................................................................................................................ 337.2
8UNDERSTANDING THE BB60A HARDWARE...........................................................................................................35
FRONT END ARCHITECTURE ............................................................................................................................................ 368.1
SPURIOUS SIGNALS ....................................................................................................................................................... 368.2
RESIDUAL SIGNALS........................................................................................................................................................ 37
8.3
AMPLITUDE ACCURACY .................................................................................................................................................. 378.4
Scalloping Loss................................................................................................................................................... 378.4.1
DYNAMIC RANGE.......................................................................................................................................................... 388.5
9UNDERSTANDING THE BB60C HARDWARE ...........................................................................................................35
FRONT END ARCHITECTURE ............................................................................................................................................ 359.1
DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 359.2
10 TROUBLESHOOTING .............................................................................................................................................39
UNABLE TO FIND OR OPEN THE DEVICE.......................................................................................................................... 3910.1
The Device Light is Green and Still Won’t Connect......................................................................................... 3910.1.1
A Power Cycle Does Not Fix the Problem ....................................................................................................... 3910.1.2
THE SIGNAL HOUND IS NOT SWEEPING PROPERLY ........................................................................................................... 3910.2
THE DEVICE IS NOT VALID ........................................................................................................................................... 3910.3
11 CALIBRATION AND ADJUSTMENT.........................................................................................................................40
12 BB60A SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................................44
FREQUENCY.............................................................................................................................................................. 4412.1
SWEEP RATE............................................................................................................................................................. 4412.2
AMPLITUDE (RBW ≤100KHZ,IF AUTO-CAL ON)............................................................................................................. 4412.3
SPECTRAL PURITY ...................................................................................................................................................... 4512.4
TIMING.................................................................................................................................................................... 4512.5
ENVIRONMENTAL ...................................................................................................................................................... 4512.6
13 BB60C SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................................41
TYPICAL BB60C INTERMODULATION PERFORMANCE........................................................................................................ 4313.1
14 WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER..............................................................................................................................46
WARRANTY .............................................................................................................................................................. 4614.1

WARRANTY SERVICE .................................................................................................................................................. 46
14.2
LIMITATION OF WARRANTY ......................................................................................................................................... 4614.3
EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES ................................................................................................................................................. 4614.4
CERTIFICATION.......................................................................................................................................................... 4614.5
CREDIT NOTICE ......................................................................................................................................................... 4714.6
15 APPENDIX.............................................................................................................................................................48
TYPICAL PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BB60A ................................................................................................ 4815.1
TYPICAL PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BB60C ................................................................................................ 4815.2
Typical Amplitude Accuracy ........................................................................................................................... 4815.2.1
Typical Displayed Average Noise Level........................................................................................................... 4915.2.2
Typical Performance over Temperature ......................................................................................................... 4915.2.3
Spurious Mixer Responses* .......................................................................................................................................... 4915.2.3.1
Phase Noise .................................................................................................................................................................. 5015.2.3.2
Displayed Average Noise Level Change over Temperature .......................................................................................... 5015.2.3.3
Residual Signals over Temperature .............................................................................................................................. 5015.2.3.4

O V E R V I E W
5
1Overview
This document outlines the operation and functionality of the BB60C and BB60A Signal Hound
spectrum analyzers. This document will guide you through the setup and operation of the software. You
can use this document to learn what types of measurements the BB60 is capable of, how to perform
these measurements with the software, and configure the software.
What’s New1.1
Version 2.0.0 - With the release of the BB60C, we have fully updated our Signal Hound BB60 software
and API. Both the API and software interface will now work with both the BB60A and BB60C.
2Preparation
The BB60 is a real-time high speed spectrum analyzer communicating with your PC over a USB 3.0
Super Speed link. It has 20 MHz of real-time bandwidth, tunes from 9 kHz to 6 GHz, collects 80 million
samples per second, and streams data to your computer at 140 MB/sec. By adding a high speed hard
drive to your PC or laptop (250 MB/s sustained write speed), the BB60A doubles as an RF recorder,
streaming all 80 million samples per second to disk.
Initial Inspection2.1
Check your package for shipping damage before opening. Your box should contain a USB 3.0 Y-
cable, a CD-ROM, and a Signal Hound BB60.

P R E P A R A T I O N
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Software Installation2.2
Run the setup.exe file from the included CD, and follow on-screen instructions. You must have
administrator privileges to install the software. You may be asked to install the Windows Runtime
Frameworks, as this must be installed for the software to run. During installation, the BB60 device
drivers will also be installed.
It is recommended to install the application folder in the default location.
Software Requirements2.2.1
Supported Operating Systems
Windows 7 (64-bit)
Windows 8 (64-bit)
Minimum System Requirements
Processor –Intel Desktop quad-core i-Series processors***
8 GB RAM –1 GB for the BB60 software
Native USB 3.0 support
Recommended System Requirements
Windows 7 64-bit
Processor –Intel Desktop quad-core i5 / i7 processors
8 GB RAM - 1 GB for the BB60 software
Native USB 3.0 support
OpenGL 3.0 capable graphics processor**
(** Certain display features are accelerated with this functionality, but it is not required.)
(*** Our software is highly optimized for Intel CPUs. We recommend them exclusively.)
Driver Installation2.3
The drivers shipped for the BB60 are for 32 and 64-bit operating systems and are placed in the
application folder during installation. The \drivers\x86\folder is for 32-bit drivers and the
\drivers\x64\ folder for the 64-bit drivers. The drivers should install automatically during setup. If for
some reason the drivers did not install correctly, you can manually install them in two ways by following
the instructions below.
To manually install the drivers, navigate to the application folder(where you installed the BB60 software)
and find the Drivers64bit.exe file. (If you are on a 32-bit system, find the Drivers32bit.exe file) Right
click it and Run as administrator. The console text will tell you if the installation was successful.

P R E P A R A T I O N
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If manually running the driver installers did not work, make sure the driver files are located in their
respective folders and follow the instructions below.
You may manually install the drivers through the Windows device manager. On Windows 7 systems
with the device plugged in, click the Start Menu and Device and Printers. Find the FX3 unknown
USB 3.0 device and right click the icon and select Properties. From there select the Hardware tab and
then Properties. Select the Change Settings button. Hit the Update Drivers button and then Browse
My Computer for drivers. From there navigate to the BB60 application folder and select the folder
name drivers/x64. Hit OK and wait for the drivers to install.
If for some reason the drivers still did not install properly, contact Signal Hound.
Connecting Your Signal Hound2.4
With the software and BB60 drivers installed, you are ready to connect your device. Plug in both the
male USB 3.0 and male USB 2.0 connections into your PCs respective USB ports, and plug the USB 3.0
Micro-B male connection into the BB60 device. Your PC may take a few seconds recognizing the device
and installing any last drivers. Wait for this process to complete before launching the BB60 software.
Running the Software for the First Time
2.5
Once the software and drivers are installed you can launch the software. You can do this through the
desktop shortcut created or the BBApp.exe found in the application folder. If the device is connected a
progress bar will indicate the device preparing. If no device is connected or found, the software will
notify you. At this point, connect the device and use the File->Connect Device menu option to open
the device.
The BB60 Front and Rear Panels2.6
The front panel includes a 50Ω SMA RF Input. Do
not exceed +20 dBm or damage may occur. A
READY/BUSY LED flashes orange each time a
command from the computer is processed.
The rear panel has three connectors:
1) 10 MHz Reference input / output. Use a
clean 10 MHz reference sine wave or square wave
with >0 dBm level. A +13 dBm sine wave input or
3.3V CMOS clock input is recommended.
2) A USB 3.0 Micro-B female connector. Use
the Y-cable provided to connect the device to your

P R E P A R A T I O N
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PC.
3) A multi-purpose BNC connector, primarily for trigger input.
Both BNC connectors are also capable of outputting logic high and low using the API.

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
9
3Getting Started
Learn about the basic functions and features of your Signal Hound Spectrum Analyzer.
Launching the BB60 software brings up the Graphical User Interface (GUI). This section describes
the GUI in detail and how you can use the GUI to control the BB60.
Below is an image of the software on startup. You are launched directly into full span. To learn
more about the operation of the BB60 and the shape of the noise floor, see the section
Understanding the BB60 Hardware, particularly the sub-section Dynamic Range.
Figure 1 : The BB60 Graphical User Interface
The Graticule3.1
The graticule is a grid of squares used as a reference when displaying sweeps and when making
measurements. The BB60 always displays a 10x10 grid for the graticule. Inside and around the
graticule is text which can help you make sense of the graticule and the sweeps displaying within.
The Control Panels3.2
The control panels are a collection of interface elements for configuring the device and configuring the
measurement utilities of the software. On first start up, a control panel will appear on both sides of the
graticule. Each control panel can be moved to accommodate a user’s preference. The panels may be
stacked vertically, dropped on top of each other (tabbed), or placed side by side. You can accomplish this
by dragging the panels via the control panel’s title bar.

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Each control panel contains multiple subsets of related controls. Each subset will be described in more
depth below. Each subset can be collapsed or expanded.
Measurements3.2.1
The Measurements control panel allows the user to configure the spectrum related measurements. This
control panel is visible while the software is in standard swept analysis and real-time operating modes.
Trace Controls3.2.1.1
The software offers six configurable traces. All six traces can be customized and controlled through the
control panel. When the software first launches only trace one is visible with a type of Clear & Write.
Trace –Select a trace. The trace controls will populate with the new selected trace. All
future actions will affect this trace.
Type –The type control determines the behavior of the trace over a series of acquisitions.
oOff –Hides the current trace
oClear & Write –Continuously displays successive sweeps updating the trace fully
for each sweep.
oMax Hold –For each sweep collected only the maximum trace points are retained
and displayed.
oMin Hold –For each sweep collected only the minimum trace points are retained
and displayed.
oAverage –Averages successive sweeps.
Color –Change the color of the selected trace. The trace colors selected are saved when
the software is closed and restored the next time the software is launched.
Update –If update is not checked, the selected trace remains visible but no longer updates
itself for each device sweep.
Clear –Reset the contents of the selected trace.
Export –Save the contents of the selected trace to a CSV file. A file name must be chosen
before the file is saved. The CSV file stores (Frequency, Min Amplitude, Max Amplitude)
triplets. Frequency is in MHz, Min/Max are in dBm/mV depending on whether
logarithmic or linear units are selected.
Marker Controls3.2.1.2
The software allows for six configurable markers. All six markers are configurable through the control
panel.
Marker –Select a marker. All marker actions taken will affect the current selected marker.
Place On –Select which trace the selected marker will be placed on. If the trace selected
here is not active when a marker is placed, the next active trace will be used.
Update –When Update is ON, the markers amplitude updates each sweep. When OFF,
the markers amplitude does not update unless moved.
Active –Active determines whether the selected marker is visible. This is the main control
for disabling a marker.

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
11
Peak Search –This will place the selected marker on the highest amplitude signal on the
trace specified by Place On. If the selected trace is Off then the first enabled trace is used.
Delta –places a reference marker where the marker currently resides. Once placed you can
make measurements relative to the position of the reference point.
To Center Freq –changes the center frequency to the frequency location of the selected
marker.
To Ref Level –changes the reference level to the amplitude of the active marker.
Peak Left –If the selected marker is active, move the marker to the next peak on the left.
Peak Right –If the selected marker is active, move the marker to the next peak on the
right.
For peak left/right, peaks are defined by a group of frequency bins 1 standard deviation
above the mean.
Offsets3.2.1.3
Ref Offset –Adjust the displayed amplitude to compensate for an attenuator, probe, or
preamplifier.
Channel Power3.2.1.4
Width –Specify the width in Hz of the channels to measure.
Spacing –Specify the center-to-center spacing for each channel.
Enabled –When enabled, channel power and adjacent channel power measurements will
become active on the screen.
The adjacent and main channels are only displayed when the width and spacing specifies a
channel within the current span. See Taking Measurements: Measuring Channel Power for more
information.
Occupied Bandwidth3.2.1.5
Enabled –When enabled, occupied bandwidth measurements will become active on the
screen.
% Power –Percent power allows the percentage of the integrated power of the occupied
bandwidth measurement to be adjusted.
Sweep Settings3.2.2
The Sweep Settings control panel controls the sweep acquisition parameters for the device in standard
swept-analysis and real-time modes.
Frequency Controls3.2.2.1
Span –controls the frequency difference between the start and stop frequencies centered
on the center frequency. A reduced span will be chosen if the new span causes the start or

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
12
stop frequencies to fall outside the range of operation. Using the arrows, you can change
the span using a 1/2/5/10 sequence.
Center –allows you to change the center frequency of the sweep. If a change in center
frequency causes the start or stop frequencies to fall outside the range of operation, the span
will be reduced. Using the arrows, you can change the center frequency by step amount.
Start/Stop –allows you to change the start and stop frequency of the device. Frequencies
chosen outside the range of operation (9 kHz –6.4 GHz) are clamped.
Step –allows you to change the step size of the up and down arrows on center frequency.
Full Span –This will change the start, stop, center, and span frequencies to select the
largest span possible.
Zero Span –Enter Zero-Span mode, using the current center frequency as the starting
center frequency for zero-span captures.
Amplitude Controls3.2.2.2
Ref Level –Changing the reference level sets the power level of the top graticule line. The
units you select here will change which units are displayed throughout the entire system.
When automatic gain and attenuation are set(default), you can expect to make
measurements up to the reference level. Using the arrows you can change the reference
level by the dB/div amount.
dB/div –sets the scale for the y-axis. It may be set to any positive value. The chosen value
represents the vertical height of one square on the graticule.
oIn linear mode, the dB/div control is not used, and the height of one square on the
graticule is 1/10th of the reference level.
Atten –sets the internal electronic attenuator. By default the attenuation is set to
automatic. It is recommended to set the attenuation to automatic so that the device can
best optimize for dynamic range and compression when making measurements.
Gain –Gain is used to control the input RF level. With this control you can have the gain
determined automatically or choose 4 levels of gain. Higher gains increase RF levels. When
gain is set to automatic, a best gain is chosen based on reference level. Manual gain settings
may cause the signal to clip well below the reference level, and should be used by
experienced BB60 users only.
Bandwidth Controls3.2.2.3
Native RBW –When Native RBW is enabled, the device uses the Nutall window function.
When disable, a custom flat-top window function is used. The custom flat-top window
allows all possible RBW values to be set, while Native RBWs only allow a certain subset of
RBWs. The flat-top window will increase absolute amplitude accuracy.
RBW –This controls the resolution bandwidth (RBW). For each span a range of RBWs
may be used. The RBW controls the FFT size and signal processing, similar to selecting the
IF bandpass filters on an analog spectrum analyzer. The selectable bandwidths displayed
change whether you want native or non-native bandwidths.
oNative resolution bandwidths are available from below 1 Hz to 10.1 MHz, in
powers of two. Use the arrow buttons to move through the selectable RBWs.

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
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oNon-Native resolution bandwidths are available from 10 Hz to 10 MHz, in a 1-3-10
sequence. (e.g. 1 kHz, 3 kHz, 10 kHz, 30 kHz, 100 kHz, … ) when using the arrow
keys.
oIn Real-Time mode, only native bandwidth values are allowed ranging from 2.4
kHz to 631 kHz in powers of two.
VBW –This controls the Video Bandwidth (VBW). After the signal has been passed
through the RBW filter, it is converted to an amplitude. This amplitude is then filtered by
the Video Bandwidth filter.
oAll RBW choices are available as Video Bandwidths, with the constraint that VBW
must be less than or equal to RBW.
oIn Real-Time mode VBW is not selectable.
Auto RBW –Having auto selected will choose reasonable and fast RBWs relative to your
span. If you will be changing your span drastically, it is good to have this selected along
with Auto VBW.
Auto VBW –Having auto VBW selected will force VBW to match RBW at all times. This
is for convenience and performance reasons.
Acquisition Controls3.2.2.4
Video Units –In the system, unprocessed amplitude data may be represented as voltage,
linear power, or logarithmic power. Select linear power for RMS power measurements.
Logarithmic power is closest to a traditional spectrum analyzer in log scale.
Video Detector Settings - As the video data is being processed, the minimum, maximum,
and average amplitudes are being stored. You have a choice of which is to be displayed.
Sweep Time –In Zero-Span mode, sweep time represents the total amount of time
displayed in the graticule, rounded to the nearest sample. In sweep mode, Sweep Time is
used to modify how long the BB60 dwells on each patch of spectrum. The actual sweep
time may be significantly different from the time requested, depending on RBW, VBW, and
span settings, as well as hardware limitations.
Self-Cal –The BB60 device is temperature sensitive. The software updates these
temperature calibrations when it sees a 2°C change in temperature. To manually recalibrate
the device for temperature changes at any time, use this control.
Demod Settings3.2.3
The Demod Settings control panels allows configuration of zero-span captures.
Capture Settings3.2.3.1
Input Power –Expected input power of the signal. Input power controls the reference
level and the gain and attenuation. It is suggested to keep gain and attenuation set to Auto
so the software can best choose them based on Input Power.
Center –Specifies the tuned center frequency of the capture, or in another way, the 0Hz
frequency of the IQ data capture.
Gain –Controls the internal device amplification. It is recommended to keep this value set
to Auto.

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
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Atten –Controls the internal device attenuation. It is recommended to keep this value set
to Auto.
Decimation –Controls the overall decimation of the IQ data capture. For example, a
decimation of 2 results in an IQ sample rate of 20MS/s. A decimation of 64 results in an
IQ sample rate of 625 kS/s.
IF BW –(Intermediate Frqeuency Bandwidth) Controls the bandwidth of the passband
filter applied to the IQ data stream. The bandwidth cannot exceed the nyquist frequency of
the IQ data stream, and can be set down to 100kHz.
Auto IFBW –When set to Auto, the IF Bandwidth passes the entire bandwidhth of the
IQ data capture.
Swp Time –(Sweep Time) Controls the length of the zero-span data capture. The length is
relative to the sample rate selected by decimation. Sweep times are clamped when the
resulting capture contains less than 20 samples, and and at the upper end, when the
resulting capture contains more than 32768 samples.
Trigger Settings3.2.3.2
Trigger Type –Select a trigger type for the data capture. When a trigger type is selected,
the captures are synchronized by the presence of a trigger.
Trigger Edge –Select whether to trigger on a rising or falling edge. Applies to both
external and video triggers.
Video Trigger –Select the amplitude for the video trigger to trigger on. This value is
ignored if video triggering is not selected.
AM/FM Modulation Analysis3.2.3.3
Enabled –Enables the modulation analysis display.
Low Pass –Set the audio filter bandwidth.
See Taking Measurements:Modulation Analysis for more information.
Sweep Toolbar
3.3
The sweep toolbar is visible when the device is operating in the normal sweep mode and real-time mode.
The toolbar is located above the graticule and contains controls for displaying and controlling traces.
Spectrogram –Enables the display of two and three dimensional spectrogram displays.
See Display Modes: Spectrogram.
Persistence –Enables the persistence display. See Display Modes: Persistence.
Persistence Clear –Clear the contents of the persistence display.
Single –Request the software perform one more sweep from the BB60 before becoming
pausing.
Continuous –Request the software to continuously retrieve sweeps from the BB60.
Preset –Restores the software and hardware to its initial power-on state by performing a
device master reset.

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Zero-Span Toolbar3.4
The zero-span toolbar is visible when the device is operatoring in zero-span mode. The toolbar is located
below the file menu and contains controls for maniputing the displays and controlling acquisitions.
Demod Selection –The drop-down combo box allows you to select which type of
demodulation to perform and display. You may perform amplitude, frequency, or phase
demodulation on the IQ captures. The top zero-span plot will display the modulation and
allow the placement of markers and delta markers on the demodulated signal.
Marker Off –Disables an active marker on the waveform.
Marker Delta –Toggles the delta marker on the waveform.
Single –Request the software to perform a capture and pause the display. The software
will continue to to update until the capture is triggered.
Auto –Request the software continuously update with the specified trigger.
Preset –Perform a hardware and software reset.
The Menu3.5
File Menu3.5.1
Print –Print the current graticule view. The resulting print will not include the control
panel or the menu/toolbars.
Save as .bmp –Save the current graticule view as a bitmap image.
Print Preview –Shows you what will be printed using the print menu option.
Export→Trace CSV –Saves the current visible trace as a CSV file.
Import Path Loss Import Path Loss Table –This menu option allows you to
introduce path loss corrections for the incoming traces. See Additional Features:
Importing Path Loss and Limit Line Tables for more information.
Import Path Loss Clear Path Loss Table –Remove any active
Import Limit Lines Import Limit Line Table –Import a set of limit lines which
then the incoming trace is tested against. Limit lines are two lines across the span which
defines an acceptable amplitude region for a trace. You can specify a maximum limit or a
maximum and minimum set. See Additional Features: Importing Path Loss and Limit
Line Tables for more information.
Import Limit Lines Clear Limit Line Table –Remove the active limit line traces.
Connect Device –If no device is connected, this option will attempt to connect to the
first BB60 device found.
Disconnect Device –This option disconnects the currently connected BB60 device. This
option combined with “Connect Device” is useful for cycling a devices power or swapping
devices without closing the Signal Hound software.
Exit –Disconnect the device and close the software.

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Edit Menu3.5.2
Title –Enable or disable a custom title. The title appears above the graticule and is
included in the screen captures via printing as well as session recordings.
Clear Title –Remove the current title.
Colors –Load various default graticule and trace color schemes.
Title –Enable or disable a custom title. The title appears above the graticule and is
included in screen captures via printing as well as session recordings.
Preferences –Opens a configuration dialog allowing the further configuration of the
software. Hovering the mouse over each option will provide more information. See Getting
Started: Preferences.
Presets3.5.3
The presets menu bar provides a way for users to manage the preset functionality for the software. Each
preset offers the capability to recall a full software configuration. This is convienent for recalling specific
measurement configurations. Presets can be renamed. Presets can be recalled with keyboard shortcuts.
Both spectrum analysis settings and audio player settings are saved and loaded with presets. The mode of
operation is also saved.
Settings3.5.4
Sweep Delay –Introduce an artificial sweep delay for standard sweep mode only. This will
slow your sweeps down by up to 1 second allowing some users an easier time tracking
marker values or noisy signals.
Real-Time Update Interval –Change how long data is masked together in real-time
mode before returning a trace.
Reference –Change the source of the BB60s reference oscillator. You can choose to use
the internal reference or an attached 10MHz reference on the appropriate BNC port.
oInternal –Use the internal 10MHz clock
oExternal Sin Wave –Use an external AC 10MHz reference clock
oExternal CMOS-TTL –Use an external 10MHz CMOS input clock.
Spur Reject - When spur rejection is on additional signal processing is enabled attempting
to remove spurious signals which are the result of mixing products. Spur rejection roughly
doubles sweep time and is great for cleaning up a steady signal, but should not be used for
pulsed RF, or modulated signals. Spur rejection is not available in real-time mode.
Spectrum Analysis3.5.5
Idle –Cause the device to enter an idle mode. No trace is displayed in this mode. Playback
is possible in idle mode.
Swept Analysis –Enter standard swept analysis.
Real-Time Analysis –Enter real-time mode.
Zero-Span –Enter zero-span mode.

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Time-Gate Analysis –Enter time-gate analysis.
Trace3.5.6
Copy Trace –Copy the currently displayed trace to one of two available copies.
Show Trace –Toggle the display of the two trace copies.
Disable –Disable the limit lines or path loss tables.
Persistence –Enable/Disable/Clear the persistence trace.
Spectrogram –Enable/Disable spectrogram display.
Signal Tracking –Enable/Disable signal tracking.
Utilities3.5.7
Audio Player –Brings up the dialog box allowing you to use and customize the BB60 for
audio playback. See Additional Features: Audio Player for more information.
Measuring Receiever –Enables the measuring receiever utility. See Taking Measurements:
Using the Measuring Receiver Utility for more information.
Help3.5.8
About –Display the software and API version.
Preferences3.6
The preferences menu can be found under Edit Menu  Preferences. The preferences menu contains a
collection of settings to further configure the BB60 software.
Trace Width –Determines to overall width of the trace being drawn on the graticule.
Graticule Width –Determines the width of the lines that make up the graticule.
Graticule Dotted –Set whether the non-border graticule lines are dotted or solid.
Colors- Control the colors of various software features.
Sweep Delay –Set a delay which occurs after each device sweep. This delay can be used to
artificially slow down the rate of sweeps, which can reduce overall processor usage and
increase the length of time a recording covers.
Real Time Accumulation –Determines how often a sweep is returned from the device
operating in Real-Time mode. A lower value increases overall resolution of events in Real-
Time mode, but increases processing significantly. Not all PCs will be capable of handling
the lowest setting. Recommended values range from 16-32ms. To learn more about Real-
Time mode, see Modes of Operation: Real-Time Spectral Analysis.
Playback Sweep Delay –Set how fast the sweeps are played back from a recorded sweep
file.
Max Save File Size –Control the maximum size of a sweep recording. The software will
stop recording when the max file size has been reached.

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The Status Bar3.7
The status bar runs across the bottom of the BB60 application. When the mouse enters the graticule the
status bar displays the frequency/time value for the x-axis and the amplitude/frequency value for the y-
axis. The status bar readings should not be used for precise measurements, but is great for quick
estimations.
The status bar also displays information about the current device connected if there is one. You can see
the type of device, temperature of the device, power supplied to the device, the device serial number and
firmware version.
Annunciator List3.8
On the upper left hand corner of the graticule, you will find a list of annunciators. Annunciators are
provided as warnings and indicators providing useful information to the operator. Below is a list of all
annunciators and their meanings.
Temperature –The device temperature is always displayed in °C. This is the device’s internal
temperature.
IF Overload –This indicator appears when hard compression is present on the displayed sweep. This
annunciator will appear in the top center of the graticule and will trigger the UNCAL indicator. This
occurs when the input RF signal reaches the maximum possible digital level. To fix this, you can increase
the reference level, increase attenuation, or lower gain.
TEMP –This indicator appears when the device has deviated more than 2 °C since its last temperature
calibration. The software will automatically calibrate if the device is not in real-time mode. Manually
recalibrate the device by pressing the Self-Cal IF control panel button.
LOW V –This indicator appears when the device is not receiving enough voltage from the USB 3.0
connection. The voltage value appears when this annunciator is present. The device requires 4.4V. If this
annunciator appears, it may indicate other problems. Contact Signal Hound if you are unable to
determine the source of this problem.
UNCAL –This indicator appears whenever any warning indicator is active to notify the user that the
device may not be meeting published specifications.
Playback Toolbar3.9
The playback toolbar controls the recording and playback of sessions. Sessions are a collection of saved
sweeps at one device setting. See Taking Measurements: Saving Sessions.
1. Record –Begins recording a session
2. Stop Recording –Stops recording an active session.

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3. Play/Continue –Begin playing a saved session or continue a paused session.
4. Stop –Stop playing the current session.
5. Pause –Pause the current session.
6. Rewind –Rewinds then pauses the session.
7. Step Back –Shows the previous trace in the session and pauses.
8. Step Forward –Shows the next trace in the session and pauses.