How to Perform IQ Data capture on WaveEye S02
Qibo Tori WaveEye S02 offers single, periodic and continuous IQ capture. Covers real-time SA and Block DPX procedures, Full-band span settings and Auto Log synchronized capture.
The Qibo Tori WaveEye S02's high-quality IQ data can be captured and saved as a single file or a series of files. The platform offers three types of IQ capture: single finite-length capture, automatic periodic capture (with synchronized screen captures), and continuous IQ recording. This document covers the first two; the third is described in a separate document.
1.1 Single finite-length IQ capture: The length is determined by application settings (e.g. RBW) or by a duration explicitly specified by the user.
1.2 Automatic periodic IQ capture (with synchronized screen captures): Targets a single finite duration. This is particularly useful for RF-AI model training, and is an important data source for radio spectrum monitoring and real-time spectrum analysis.
1.3 Continuous IQ recording: Maximum sample rate 20 MHz; continuous file sequences are stored to a user-selected external drive (recommended). The system detects the drive's maximum capacity and uses 90% of it in a circular manner. For example, if the drive can hold 5 days of data, running continuously for a month keeps only the last 5 days.
Except for Wide-span sweeping mode SA, Continuous DPX and Spectrogram tests, all other test functions allow capture of the single IQ data stream used by that test. The specific IQ data length and sample rate can be viewed via the button. Figure 1 shows an IQ capture example under the most commonly used Real-time SA function.
Figure 1, IQ capture interface under Real-time SA
For spans below 100 MHz, if the IQ capture option in Figure 1 is greyed out (disabled), press the Span button to change the span mode from Half-band to Full-band, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2, Span mode switching
The best way to perform IQ capture is under the Block DPX test function, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3, Block DPX function entry
After entering Block DPX, also confirm that Full-band mode is set when the span is below 100 MHz (Figure 4).
Figure 4, Block DPX parameter settings panel
Before attempting IQ capture, check the following three items (see Figure 4):
First, ensure Full-band is selected when the span is below 100 MHz. Otherwise, Auto-log can be enabled but will not actually capture IQ. This must be confirmed every time after changing the Span.
Second, choose an appropriate Block length. The smaller the Span, the longer the Block length can be set. Example: with Span = 20 MHz, the maximum block length is 2000 ms, allowing capture of a 2-second continuous IQ stream. Note: long IQ captures take time — 2 seconds of data may take 10 seconds to be fully collected and saved to disk over the network cable. Please be patient. If you do not need that length, a shorter block length is more efficient.
Third, once configured, start the actual IQ capture using the same steps as in Figure 1.
As shown in Figure 4, under Block DPX the fourth button on the right, Auto Log, enables automatic periodic screen capture plus IQ data collection. The purpose is to use these two datasets to train RF-AI signal recognition models. DPX screenshots (PNG) and raw IQ data are time-synchronized and come from the same source. AI models can be trained on PNG images (recommended — simpler and more efficient) or, when necessary, on the raw IQ. After pressing Auto Log, the dialog in Figure 5 appears:
Figure 5, Auto Log period settings dialog
The software works as follows:
First, it immediately performs one capture (DPX screen saved as PNG) plus the matching IQ capture. The two files correspond to the same IQ dataset, with identical filenames (including the same timestamp) and only different extensions.
Second, it repeats the above at an interval of 20 seconds (or 40 / 60 seconds).
Figure 6, Example filenames produced by automatic periodic capture with the settings in Figure 5
This happens when the span is below 100 MHz and the span mode is still Half-band. Press the Span button and switch to Full-band. Note that this must be reconfirmed every time the Span is changed.
Long IQ captures take time: 2 seconds of data may require 10 seconds to be fully collected and saved to disk over the network cable. If you do not need that much data, a shorter Block length is more efficient.
Both correspond to the same IQ dataset, with identical filenames (including the same timestamp) and only different extensions. They can be paired one-to-one by filename, and the two datasets are time-synchronized and from the same source.
No. The system detects the external drive's maximum capacity and uses 90% of it in a circular manner. For example, if the drive can hold 5 days of data, running continuously for a month keeps only the last 5 days. Detailed operation is covered in a separate document.
