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TXAdvance - New app


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6 hours ago, Compasseur said:

Thanks Fred, and nice view!
Here are also a nice view and pretty clean spectrum from not very far...

txadvance_kazneh.png

Hi Daniel, I am not sure I completely follow you. You need to first set up your scan limits, let's say from 470 to 694. So any frequency below 470 or higher than 608 will not be scanned but can still be selected for a TX (you will just not know the frequency content in dBFS) then set your TX frequencies limit : you can keep the default one or in the case of MCR54, set them up so that they represent 32MHz. That will make sure the app only presents you with 32MHz worth of bandwidth frequencies. You can then add exclusion lists from 608 to 614 for example (I believe this band is forbidden in the US) and any other you need. The frequencies in exclusion lists will also be kept out of the list of frequencies for every TX. That can also be useful if you have to share the RF spectrum with other people.

All good with this part since you explained about using multiple customs exclusion lists.

 

The other part I think I need to spend more time with the app and watch the videos again. Thank you for the reply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

As a follow up: 

I stopped trying to reference the frequency co-ordination of TXA with those of the various RX in use  (🤯) and just went with TXA (as advised by Compasseur :) and so far been very happy. Ran the scanner during a location recce, built a TX list, applied exclusions, pressed AUTO and dialled the numbers into the HW. 7 channels all good to go on the day. Next job, has no recce but I've built a new TX list specific to the shoot, dialled in the provision numbers and saved (to 'home') so i can compare numbers to results specific to the next location but the same TX list and change as required.

I think my anxiety around the difference between TXA and the RX co-ordination is not knowing how TXA handles the different RF footprints of the specific brands and ranges? I guess if TXA uses the largest 'footprint' for the calculation it doesn't matter?

 

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Hello all, back from my shoot in Palestine/Israel. 6 wireless lav LT tx, 2 HMa, 3 different IFB tx (sennheiser G4, lectro LT et sony something). No SL2 but the PSC multiplexer 8x inputs and lectrosonics lpda antennas. The app really gave me confidence and saved quite some time. I followed its auto function for each set without any trouble. Only some tx could not give me easy access to the frequency suggested by the app (no time for fine tuning) so I choose the closest available in all green and changed it manually in the app. Not a single rf interference during the 10days. Quite a breeze overall!

 

Important advice: the usb connections need to be perfect. I had a bit of gap in the female usb A connector and the sdr usb male, and that gave me lots of scans stopping not completed. I had to hold it in a way that the connection is maintained without moving for the time of the scan. Will look for better adaptor now 😉

 

 

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6 hours ago, daniel said:

As a follow up: 

I stopped trying to reference the frequency co-ordination of TXA with those of the various RX in use  (🤯) and just went with TXA (as advised by Compasseur :) and so far been very happy. Ran the scanner during a location recce, built a TX list, applied exclusions, pressed AUTO and dialled the numbers into the HW. 7 channels all good to go on the day. Next job, has no recce but I've built a new TX list specific to the shoot, dialled in the provision numbers and saved (to 'home') so i can compare numbers to results specific to the next location but the same TX list and change as required.

I think my anxiety around the difference between TXA and the RX co-ordination is not knowing how TXA handles the different RF footprints of the specific brands and ranges? I guess if TXA uses the largest 'footprint' for the calculation it doesn't matter?

 

Hi Daniel, 
I am glad that the auto mode worked well !
About it, the app does not take into account TX specific deviation but has a general settings TX bandwidth (and also IM bandwidth). This setting will affect the bandwidth of a frequency on the charts (so the red line representing TX), the number of "orange" dots in the frequency list (so the frequencies considered too close to an already taken (red) frequency and the auto mode.
The auto mode will take every possible frequency for a TX (so the "frequency step" settings in the TX setting will affect the auto mode, especially the time it takes), and give it a rate. The higher the rate, the worst the frequency is considered ; for example frequencies which are already occupied by another TX or are at a 2T3O intermod will get a very very high rate. 

For every frequency, the rate will include the surrounding frequencies (the number of surrounding frequencies is determined by the TX bandwidth setting), so the closer you are to an intermod the higher the rate will be, but a 2T7O will not increase your rate as much as a 2T3O...

And of course, the noise value of every frequency (and its surrounding frequencies) is also taken into account.

Also, the surrounding frequencies are always with a 5kHz resolution like the scans are  (and thus do not depend on the "frequency step").

I hope that it clarifies a bit how the auto mode works.

6 hours ago, Fred Salles said:

Hello all, back from my shoot in Palestine/Israel. 6 wireless lav LT tx, 2 HMa, 3 different IFB tx (sennheiser G4, lectro LT et sony something). No SL2 but the PSC multiplexer 8x inputs and lectrosonics lpda antennas. The app really gave me confidence and saved quite some time. I followed its auto function for each set without any trouble. Only some tx could not give me easy access to the frequency suggested by the app (no time for fine tuning) so I choose the closest available in all green and changed it manually in the app. Not a single rf interference during the 10days. Quite a breeze overall!

 

Important advice: the usb connections need to be perfect. I had a bit of gap in the female usb A connector and the sdr usb male, and that gave me lots of scans stopping not completed. I had to hold it in a way that the connection is maintained without moving for the time of the scan. Will look for better adaptor now 😉

 

 

Hi Fred,

 

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Indeed you are right, all OTG were not created equal and some can be sensitive. I would recommand to put the phone/tablet and SDR dongle on a table or something so that they do not move while scanning.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone,

 

I would like to introduce a new feature in the TXAdvance app : TXAdvance Scan Exchange (TASE). It is a collaborative worldwide map of RF spectrum scans.
Scans are uploaded from TXAdvance and can be downloaded and imported by anyone.
The scans are precisely geotagged and time-stamped by the phone/tablet and have a 5kHz resolution in any band from 50 to 1300MHz. 

 

More infos there : https://www.compasseur.com/txadvance-scan-exchange-tase/
And the app is there : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.compasseur.txadvance

 

Thank you.

txadvance_v4_tasehome_screenshot.jpg

txadvance_v4_tase_screenshot.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/28/2022 at 10:11 PM, Fred Salles said:

Hello all, back from my shoot in Palestine/Israel. 6 wireless lav LT tx, 2 HMa, 3 different IFB tx (sennheiser G4, lectro LT et sony something). No SL2 but the PSC multiplexer 8x inputs and lectrosonics lpda antennas. The app really gave me confidence and saved quite some time. I followed its auto function for each set without any trouble. Only some tx could not give me easy access to the frequency suggested by the app (no time for fine tuning) so I choose the closest available in all green and changed it manually in the app. Not a single rf interference during the 10days. Quite a breeze overall!

Hi Fred, am curious, what frequencies are legal over in Israel? (there was discussion on  jwsound saying all blocks from 21 to 28 are ok to use, or at least not enforced, but that was a decade ago)

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On 6/23/2022 at 5:16 AM, IronFilm said:

Hi Fred, am curious, what frequencies are legal over in Israel? (there was discussion on  jwsound saying all blocks from 21 to 28 are ok to use, or at least not enforced, but that was a decade ago)

Hello, I do not know for sure about the legal ones. The gear rental company in Tel Aviv almost use exclusively blocks 21 and 26 Lectrosonics. I also had sony and sennheiser systems from my assistant in both 21&26. It might be also a question of import choices since taxes are uge. Anyway I was able to find clean frequencies wherever I worked (Haifa, Jerusalem and some villages in the west.) Block 21 seemed the cleaner. The app really helped being fast selecting all freq and a mind relief.

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40 minutes ago, Fred Salles said:

Hello, I do not know for sure about the legal ones. The gear rental company in Tel Aviv almost use exclusively blocks 21 and 26 Lectrosonics. I also had sony and sennheiser systems from my assistant in both 21&26. It might be also a question of import choices since taxes are uge. Anyway I was able to find clean frequencies wherever I worked (Haifa, Jerusalem and some villages in the west.) Block 21 seemed the cleaner. The app really helped being fast selecting all freq and a mind relief.

Thanks Fred! This sounds like great news for me, as I'm considering aliyah (not sure how much of a handicap my lack of Hebrew would be...) and the bulk of my transmitters for talent is in blk26 (with my IFBs in blk22, close enough to blk21 eh?). 

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So I took the plunge and ordered an inexpensive Android 10 tablet (amazon link below) and a NESDR. Got it all in and set it up and... nada. Can't seem to get the app to connect with the antenna. I installed the SDR Driver. It appears to see the NESDR. Launch TXAdvance, plug in the usb and hit scan, will not connect. 

Have attempted to change the default setting on the USB. Checked the energy setting to make sure it would allow concurrent app usage. All of this, of course, once developer mode was enabled on the tablet. 

 

Is there a compatible device list somewhere?

I was under the assumption that all Android devices were equal. Does it HAVE to be a phone for it to work with TXAdvance?

I'm at the point of sending all this back for refunds and going a different direction. That said... I REALLY, REALLY want this to work as it seems the best solution for my needs. 

Any light appreciated. Thanks!

Marvin Lee


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LHMMJ2Q/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

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3 hours ago, MarvinLee said:

 

I was under the assumption that all Android devices were equal. Does it HAVE to be a phone for it to work with TXAdvance?
 

No it does not have to  be a phone, but the device needs to have the USB connection that has both USB OTG compatibility. They not all equal at all in that regards.

Install USB OTG Checker from the play store on your tablet, run it and see if both are enabled/compatible.

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13 hours ago, Fred Salles said:

No it does not have to  be a phone, but the device needs to have the USB connection that has both USB OTG compatibility. They not all equal at all in that regards.

Install USB OTG Checker from the play store on your tablet, run it and see if both are enabled/compatible.

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

According to USB checker, this tablet does have OTG. I also set the tablet to "developer mode" and reset USB default to data. I was also hoping to use this with SD Remote, which requires USB midi to function. Doesn't connect there either. 

Perhaps others who are using tablets might share what specific model tablet they are using? I am an iPad guy and this is very first Android. Pretty underwhelming so far.

 

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17 hours ago, MarvinLee said:

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

According to USB checker, this tablet does have OTG. I also set the tablet to "developer mode" and reset USB default to data. I was also hoping to use this with SD Remote, which requires USB midi to function. Doesn't connect there either. 

Perhaps others who are using tablets might share what specific model tablet they are using? I am an iPad guy and this is very first Android. Pretty underwhelming so far.

 

Hello Marvin,

 

Can you try to download RFAnalyzer : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mantz_it.rfanalyzer&hl=fr&gl=US

and check if it works with your SDR dongle. You should not need to go in developer mode.

If it does not work, I suspect that the tablet does not have OTG despite claiming so. This would not be the first cheap Chinese tablet I hear about with this issue. 
 

You can also contact me by MP or email : thecompasseur (at) gmail.com

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For anyone following this topic, here are a couple of things that might be helpful for those new to this app. First... not all android tablets are created equal. I purchased and returned two cheap Chinese android tablets. Both claimed to have OTG. Both were completely dysfunctional when it came to doing anything with the usb. Next... directly emailing the good folks at compasseur is your best bet for a detailed answer. I finally ended up with a Samsung A7 lite, which worked brilliantly on the first try. Pretty stoked about this scanner, it is quite purposefully designed for exactly what we are doing. 

Marvin Lee

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got TXadvance up and running and am very, very glad I did. It is exactly what I was looking for. Gregoire was very helpful and responsive, so I thought I'd come back around and post what I will be rolling with now. I'll include links for others who might be looking to source the hardware in the USA. Tremendous product, can't wait to get it out in the field. I used the antenna from my Src for the pic, but have supplies coming in this week to make some just for TXadvance. If I knew what I know now, I would have just ordered the stand-alone SDR without the antenna kit. I suppose the other antenna's would be useful if I ever want to use the SDR for anything but this app. Had to make a very minor mod to the tablet case to get the adapter to fit. Took about 20 secs with a dremel... because I'm slow.

First.. the list....

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Restored-Samsung-SM-T220NZABXAR-Galaxy-Tab-A7-Lite-8-7-Tablet-32GB-Memory-w-Bonus-Book-Cover-Dark-Grey-Refurbished/252683274

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0969FXR7Z?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GDN1T4S?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


image.jpegimage.jpeg


 

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4 hours ago, Paul F said:

Can I load the app on more than one device and then use it on one device at a time? I want to try it out on my phone, but I will likely use it on a tablet.

Hi Paul,

 

You buy the app through your Google Account. Therefore, any device which uses this Google account can download and use bought apps. So you can use TXAdvance on both your phone and tablet at the same time without problem.

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