Help on xlating frequency

GNU Radio
1

Hi All,

i tried out to delete some antialiasing and the middle signal
of the FFT-Plot. Therefor i use this filter:

VARIABLE

#At adc_rate=64MS/s and decim=64 we get an usrp_rate of 1 MS/s
self.decim=64
self.usrp_rate=1e6

FILTER

self.firdes_filt_coeffs = gr.firdes.low_pass(1,
self.usrp_rate,
self.usrp_rate0.5,
self.usrp_rate0.001,
gr.firdes.WIN_RECTANGULAR)
self.chan_filt = gr.freq_xlating_fir_filter_ccf (self.chanfilt_decim,
self.firdes_filt_coeffs,
self.usrp_freq,
self.usrp_rate)

SOURCE

As source i use:
self.usrp_source = usrp.source_c(which=0, decim_rate=self.decim)

SINNK

And as sink i use an FFT-sink-Plot:
self.wxgui_fftsink2 = fftsink2.fft_sink_c(
self.GetWin(),
baseband_freq = self.usrp_freq,
y_per_div = 10,
y_divs = 8,
ref_level = 0,
sample_rate = self.usrp_rate,
fft_size = 512*2,
fft_rate = 30,
ref_scale=11885000.0,# 11885000.0 oder 32768.0 ?
average = True,
avg_alpha = None,
title = “FFT Plot”,
size=(1024, 600),
peak_hold = False,
)

CONNECT

Then i connect this all together:
self.connect((self.usrp_source, 0), (self.chan_filt, 0))
self.connect((self.chan_filt, 0), (self.wxgui_fftsink2, 0))

But the antialiasing still exist and the middle signal of the FFT-Plot
too. There comes the next problem, that my spectrum in the
FFT-Plot will be shifted.

Can i use the usrp_rate in the source as well as for the xlating element
?
Or do i have to use another decimation value ?
Which rate must i use for the FFT-Plot ?
Why is the low cut off frequency limited to usrp_rate/2 ?
From which point starts the low cut-off frequency and to
which direction ?
Why must i use the transition width>0 by the WIN_RECTANGULAR ?
How can the shifting of the spectrum in my FFT-Plot corrected ?
Any Hints ?

Regards Markus

2

See ‘usrp_am_mw_rcv.py’ for an example. Look for the code relating to
these
lines in particular:

    if self.use_IF:
      # Turn If to baseband and filter.
      self.chan_filt = gr.freq_xlating_fir_filter_ccf

(chanfilt_decim,
chan_filt_coeffs, self.IF_freq, usrp_rate)

Paul M.

3

Paul M. schrieb:

See ‘usrp_am_mw_rcv.py’ for an example. Look for the code relating to these
lines in particular:

    if self.use_IF:
      # Turn If to baseband and filter.
      self.chan_filt = gr.freq_xlating_fir_filter_ccf (chanfilt_decim,

chan_filt_coeffs, self.IF_freq, usrp_rate)
hI pAUL,

i used this example as possible as i can, but this
frequency translating filter has one important difference
to my application, the FFT-Plot-sink which is connected to this
xlating filter is staticly.
I have a slider to change my baseband to the wished spectrum, so
my xlating filter it is dynamically.

I still doesn’t know whether to use a low_pass is usefull
or a band_pass. The low_pass doesn’t delete the middle
signal in the FFT-Plot in my tryings.

Further on i doesn’t know which conditions have to be made to
let my application work fluidly ?
Which decimation ?
Which rate is useful ? Should it use the same rate, than
the element before ?
Which is the centerpoint from which the low_pass_cutoff
and the high_pass_cutoff frequency will be counted ?
I tried it out, but still doesn’t know how it works.

Regards Markus

4

Paul M. schrieb:

See ‘usrp_am_mw_rcv.py’ for an example. Look for the code relating to these
lines in particular:

    if self.use_IF:
      # Turn If to baseband and filter.
      self.chan_filt = gr.freq_xlating_fir_filter_ccf (chanfilt_decim,

chan_filt_coeffs, self.IF_freq, usrp_rate)
hI pAUL,

i used this example as possible as i can, but this
frequency translating filter has one important difference
to my application, the FFT-Plot-sink which is connected to this
xlating filter is staticly.
I have a slider to change my baseband to the wished spectrum, so
my xlating filter it is dynamically.

I still doesn’t know whether to use a low_pass is usefull
or a band_pass. The low_pass doesn’t delete the middle
signal in the FFT-Plot in my tryings.

Further on i doesn’t know which conditions have to be made to
let my application work fluidly ?
Which decimation ?
Which rate is useful ? Should it use the same rate, than
the element before ?
Which is the centerpoint from which the low_pass_cutoff
and the high_pass_cutoff frequency will be counted ?
I tried it out, but still doesn’t know how it works.

Regards Markus

5

As in the example, a common practice is to signal process like this:

USRP tuning w/ hardware decimation --> freq translating channel filter
–>
demodulator --> additional filtering

AFAIK, you haven’t told us what sort of signal you’re trying to receive,
so
it’s not possible to recommend specific values for anything.
Here’s the flowgraph backbone that I use for 900 MHz ASK signals with
important modulation products in the low kHz range (adapted from
‘usrp_am_mw_rcv.py’):

    ################# Build main flowgraph ##################

    self.u = usrp.source_c()                    # usrp is data

source

    adc_rate = self.u.adc_rate()                # 64 MS/s
    usrp_decim = 64
    self.u.set_decim_rate(usrp_decim)
    usrp_rate = adc_rate / usrp_decim           # 1000 kS/s
    chanfilt_decim = 32
    demod_rate = usrp_rate / chanfilt_decim     # 32 kHz
    audio_decimation = 1
    audio_rate = demod_rate / audio_decimation  # 32 kHz

    chan_filt_coeffs = optfir.low_pass (1,          # gain
                                        usrp_rate,  # sampling rate
                                        10e3,       # passband

cutoff
12e3, # stopband
cutoff
1.0, # passband
ripple
60) # attenuation

    self.chan_filt = gr.fir_filter_ccf (chanfilt_decim,

chan_filt_coeffs)
if self.use_IF:
# Turn IF to baseband and filter combo.
self.chan_filt = gr.freq_xlating_fir_filter_ccf
(chanfilt_decim,
chan_filt_coeffs, self.IF_freq,
usrp_rate)
else:
self.chan_filt = gr.fir_filter_ccf (chanfilt_decim,
chan_filt_coeffs)

    self.am_demod = gr.complex_to_mag()

    audio_filt_coeffs = gr.firdes.band_pass (1,     # gain
                                        demod_rate, # sampling rate
                                        4e3,        # low pass

cutoff
10e3, # high pass
cutoff
1000) # transition
width
# WIN_HAMMING) # window type

    self.audio_filt = gr.fir_filter_fff(audio_decimation,

audio_filt_coeffs)

    # Wire it all together.
    self.connect (self.u, self.chan_filt, self.am_demod,
                  self.audio_filt)  #, self.volume_control,

audio_sink)

I chose an IF value of 32 kHz, which puts the IF well above the signal
spectrum. Works for me.
Paul M.