AirView9-EXT interpretation questions

[Karl in NY]

I've never used a spectrum anaylzer before, but understand the general theory. A few question about what I'm seeing, though...

I understand the Real-time view. Channel Usage view...what is that? Are there actual WiFi channels (902.11x?) on 900?

Waveform View really confuses me...it seems to capture history, but some of that history expires over time w/o doing a manual reset. What is the significance of the colors in this view? I'm seeing mostly low amplitude bars of red, but also high-amplitude scattered blue bars which I'm guessing is a spread spectrum mode of some particular service, plus scattered green bars, some stacked on top of red columns like around the 930 paging part of the band. How quickly does the historical data "evaporate" and what do the colors mean in Waveform View?

[UBNT-Ramin]

I've never used a spectrum anaylzer before, but understand the general theory. A few question about what I'm seeing, though...

I understand the Real-time view. Channel Usage view...what is that? Are there actual WiFi channels (902.11x?) on 900?
AirView UI application was originally designed for 2.4x GHz band, so the channel definitions are the standard WiFi ones that everyone is used to when using AirView2 USB dongle. But when it came to displaying 900 MHz data (AirView9), with a lack of any channel definition standards, we simply picked an arbitrary set of center frequencies and provided them as "channels" to have something to show in that chart. We fully realize that this arbitrary channel definition for the 900MHz range won't fit everyone's use, that's why in an upcoming version of AirView UI app you'll be able to define your own channel center frequencies and channel spread pairs so that chart will be a lot more meaningful to you.

Waveform View really confuses me...it seems to capture history, but some of that history expires over time w/o doing a manual reset. What is the significance of the colors in this view? I'm seeing mostly low amplitude bars of red, but also high-amplitude scattered blue bars which I'm guessing is a spread spectrum mode of some particular service, plus scattered green bars, some stacked on top of red columns like around the 930 paging part of the band. How quickly does the historical data "evaporate" and what do the colors mean in Waveform View?
The Waveform View is all about "popularity" (counts) of amplitude hits. How many times has a particular amplitude (Power level - Y-axis) been "hit" @ that frequency bin (MHz 0 X-axis). The more hits, the "hotter" the color. Colors start at a very cool dark Blue, to a very hot bright Red. As of this version no "legend" is provided for what each color corresponds to the hit counts, but again, in the upcoming version (soon to be released) such a legend is provided on screen. There's also a timer on each hit indicator so as that amplitude doesn't get hit for about 1-1/2 min, it gradually loses its hit count and therefore loses its graduation of color, until it fades away and is removed from view. The fade-out timer makes the chart's waveform depiction time-based and fairly current.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Regards,

[Karl in NY]

OK, thank you for the explanation...I feel slightly less dumb now....
I do think the documentation for the AirView9 (as released) was kind of deficient...mine shipped with 1.0.08 BETA, and the "help" contents were obviously directly ported over from the 2.4 band model, with no thought to making them more specific to the 900mhz model...

I'm totally new to 900 mhz and needed relevant info, but at least there is forum support.

Thank you for your fast and courteous reply, and I look forward to updated firmware for the 9-EXT. This will be a single-use item for me, to evaluate WISP sites for a week or so, then I will purchase (or trade for) an AirView2 model which I will have a continuing use for.

-Karl