Spectrum monitoring and analysis with the AMD RFSoC

Northcote, David and Šiaučiulis, Marius and McLaughlin, Lewis and Fitzpatrick, Graeme and Crockett, Louise H. and Stewart, Robert W. (2022) Spectrum monitoring and analysis with the AMD RFSoC. In: Operating in the Future Electromagnetic Environment Symposium 2022, 2022-11-21 - 2022-11-22, Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

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Abstract

The Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum is a finite resource that requires strict regulation to prevent illegitimate use and unauthorised transmissions. Spectrum monitoring (measurement and analysis) is key to supporting regulation by determining usage and occupancy in real-time as well as establishing temporal trends. Spectrum monitoring technology can also enable Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) solutions, which improve the efficiency of the radio spectrum by autonomously adjusting wireless communication networks in real-time. DSA techniques require knowledge of real-time spectrum occupancy and a historical database of past usage. Engineers from the University of Strathclyde and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have developed an innovative spectrum monitoring solution that aims to improve spectrum regulation and enable real-time DSA techniques. This solution features an open-source software stack and hardware design to measure the power of ambient radio signals and record the frequency spectrum over time. The system is also able to combine spectrum measurements alongside a local database of frequency band allocations published by Ofcom (UK regulator). Thus, the spectrum monitoring solution can identify in-use frequency bands and the organisation(s) that can legitimately use them. The solution is implemented entirely on AMD’s Radio Frequency System on Chip (RFSoC) device, which features high-speed data converters for accurately performing wide-bandwidth measurements of the frequency spectrum. Autonomous vehicles, media and broadcast technologies, and smart manufacturing environments increasingly require DSA to overcome wireless communication congestion. DSA techniques are essential to improve the efficient allocation of the RF spectrum. This spectrum monitoring solution addresses the challenge of implementing DSA techniques by providing a cost-effective, real-time solution for efficiently measuring and recording the ambient radio spectrum. For example, the spectrum monitor can be deployed alongside a 4G/5G mobile base station and can probe the local radio spectrum to inform the base station as to the most suitable frequency bands for wireless communication.

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