Waterfall Displays Explained: Ask Dave #21

[@BrightBlueJim]

Fun fact: waterfall displays were introduced in military RADAR systems as well as SONAR. My involvement was with the system implemented on the AN/FPS-26A system that the US Air Force used, which was introduced in 1962, but this was not by any means the earliest implementation. In our system, because our scopes were not digital, so they could not move the historic data. Instead, they scanned slowly from the top to the bottom of a CRT that had a very long persistence phosphor, so that you could see the last minute or so of activity on your band, before returning to the top of the screen. But aside from that difference, it looked very similar to today's SDR waterfall displays. The band for this system was 5400-5900 MHz. It was used for evaluating what types of jamming devices were being used against your station, as a tool to determine the best countermeasures to apply, as different receivers had different efficacy against different types of jamming, and we had several receivers to choose from. I didn't work with any naval equipment, but Destin at "Smarter Every Day" has a recent video about how waterfall displays are used on submarines. Totally different beast, there.

[@johnroscoe2406]

Different but still similar. The fundamentals of electromagnetic radiation propagating through atmosphere are not all dissimilar from acoustics propagating through water.

[@greghawkins1025]

Dear Facie, thank you for explaining this subject to us. You're a true professor of electromagnetic energy. With radio, we can speak & hear farther than our voices can carry & our ears can hear. In cowboy tines, this would've been seen as magic.

[@davecasler]

I still see it as magic!

[@nickt2469]

Thank you Dave. Great videos which are perfect for this newbie.

[@wspad2136]

Thanks David

[@davecasler]

Thank you for your financial support of this channel! It is greatly appreciated! 73, Dave, KE0OG.

[@amudlifecrisis]

Another great video Dave, thanks for sharing. I learn things I didn't even know I would like to know about when I watch your videos.

[@tonbonthemon]

Noob question: it looks like at 6:30, you're receiving text messages through radio? Or is this transcribing something someone said? I'm using a ham radio app on my phone just to listen in and sometimes I find activity that doesn't sound like voice or even morse code... just a bunch of weird sounds and I'm wondering if it could be a different means of sending data.

[@JerryWick]

The ducks and their speech bubbles coming down the waterfall literally had me quacking up

[@davecasler]

:-)

[@doxasnob8137]

Thank you Dave, I understand, I understand!

[@tpmbe]

Excellent many thanks for the information... Great ! good to have all our ducks in a row !

[@Manoj-my7dj]

Thank you, you explain it in a very easy manner.

[@rcx575]

FiFi SDR looks interesting but very little on Google about it. It is discontinued?

[@terrymishler4208]

Dave my wife and I each bought a YAESU FT2D followed by taking the Technician exam. We passed and are waiting for published notification. This information you provided is exceptionally accomplished but yet a little confusing for two 71 year old retirees. We're studying for General now and really look forward to becoming proficient with these radios for we travel in our RV full time. We bought radios because of the seriousness of being able to request help and to help others. Two radios because we are sometimes separated for a week or more when Ruth flys home to visit our two wonderful granddaughters. I request please the necessary (in your opinion) additional equipment you recommend enabling us to become (as we hope) "professional" amatures one day. We cannot express our warm thoughts to you for sharing the great informations and look forward to viewing more of you're videos in the near future. Again, thanks so much. Terry and Ruth Mishler

[@davecasler]

Hi Terry and Ruth, and again thank you for your support of Ham Radio Answers. I suspect that in researching the capabilities of the FT2DR you're ahead of me regarding digital modes. I suggest you join a local amateur radio club or two (or at the places you frequently visit in your travels), as you can get excellent advice from the members. Also, be sure to join the ARRL (www.arrl.org) because the magazine, which you can get online and view on your portable devices, is absolutely chock-full of excellent information. I note that APRS has a messaging function, but don't know if it's enabled in the FT2DR. If so, you can use that to contact each other regardless of where you are. There are other digital capabilities built into the FT2DR. Good luck with your ham radio adventures! 73, Dave, KEØOG

[@laurentgudel]

Thanks for the video! I try to create high quality images from a waterfall display. How could I do that? Is there any software with "high resolution" waterfall? best

[@JDs_RandomHandle]

So I was looking for sonar systems but this was extremely helpful, I'm assuming that this applies to sonar as well. Funny enough I started getting into radio recently and didn't know that this was a possibility with radio, makes me want this COVID-19 to end so I can take my tests

[@johnlaurin7022]

Dave: I like the rose to ham radio analogy. Nice pictures. Thanks for all that you do for ham radio. KG7SHC

[@DXPortableAmatirRadio]

Great video Dave , Thanks

[@nofxslc]

Thanks again for the great content and QSO on 40M LSB! Great making contact with you.

[@samiam5557]

No umbrella needed! I want santa to bring me a SDR swl rig w/waterfall display, the many affordable rigs available now. Any advice on which one is best for the buck?

[@davecasler]

+Sam Iam If just for SWL, look at the FiFi SDR, available from a German firm (do Google search). It's only $150. More and more vendors are getting into SDR radios these days. The big one for ham radio seems to be Flex Radio, but their products are remarkably expensive.

[@vicentecamilo5636]

In what language are the graphical interfaces of these radios programmed?

[@jpintek]

Great video thanks for sharing. So it seems the sdr with your ft3000dx on a computer screen shows a more detail display than the yaesu? So which of the programs do u prefer, seems like there are alot. Which pne do u like. 73,kc1ero

[@davecasler]

+jpintek There are lots of SDR programs out there. I use SDR Radio V2, made by the person who originally programmed Ham Radio Deluxe. All the software is sophisticated and have steep learning curves.

[@1911bladeguy]

Just heard you on 14.278, could not make a contact the band died. First celebrity sighting on the bands. Thanks for all you do. 73 de KM4OVT, Steve

[@davecasler]

+Steve Hi Steve, sorry I missed you. We'll hook up eventually! My on-air time is sporadic and doesn't follow a good pattern. 73, Dave

[@JoePastorgomez]

Thanks for the Info

[@mohamadfikri5247]

so its means that bright the color at the waterfall display means it has strong signal right? the darker the weaker the signal right dave? btw can it be related with the interference? thanks sir

[@davecasler]

As signal colors tend to red, the stronger the signal.

[@mohamadfikri5247]

@@davecasler i see. thank you dave ^,^

[@nokomisjeff]

My starving millennial son (KI4QOG) turned me on to your series. You do a wonderful job of explaining everything for the newbie, and I will recommend it to a couple of kids that I'm Elmering. 73 de W9NYX

[@kerrym1456]

Great explanation, that helped a lot! 73, KC0MDO

[@kn6bst349]

Dave are there any "high" quality SDR software for the Mac? I have the SDRPlay.

[@davecasler]

I know there are lots of people in your situation. I've always been a Windows guy, so I can't comment. Perhaps another Oggie can give you a solution.

[@michaelbradley8508]

Are you saying a waterfall can be added to a very capable radio (e.g. ICOM IC-7100) that does not have a waterfall originally built in?

[@davecasler]

If, and that's an all-important if, the radio has an IF or RF output on the back panel, usually in the form of an RCA phono plug. You plug that into the SDR and you'll get a spread over however wide the IF stage is of the radio.

[@adelarsen9776]

I like operating low power portable next to a water fall out in the nature :-)

[@johnkershaw9575]

Hi Dave. On my display I have a signal that looks like a corkscrew. It this interference? Its only in one spot on the far right of the screen. JJK

[@davecasler]

It's some sort of weird signal. It may be due to a nearby switching power supply which operates in the low RF region with an unstable oscillator, hence the appearance of the corkscrew on the waterfall. Plus, there's all kinds of strange stuff on HF.

[@johnkershaw9575]

Thanks Dave.

[@dalemyers9265]

dave your good with the shutter.

[@AppalachianFreedom]

Thank you as always!

[@Nick-vk4gw]

What is the site you used?

[@davecasler]

Could you expand your question a bit, such as a time hack in the video? I looked at the script, and did not use any websites in the construction of the video. 73

[@dalemyers9265]

who makes the best sdr.

[@davecasler]

+dale myers More and more vendors are coming out with SDR radios. Flex Radio seems to be the big one.

[@dgr3756]

Great Vid Dave ..73's Dave, k3dgr

[@davecasler]

Thank you!

[@dalemyers9265]

10 4 rubber ducky. let them truckers roll "pig pin"

[@RadioRich100]

Waterfall displays are nothing but glitchy eye candy that has no practical purpose. Fortunately most radios have a way to turn it off to give you a bigger scope screen. Its just a way of selling radios to geeks.

[@davecasler]

Hmmm...I like them. And use them.

[@RadioRich100]

@@davecasler Like drugs?