FreeScopes Basic III - Signal Processing | SkyRadar

FreeScopes Basic III — Signal Processing

FreeScopes Basic III extends the FreeScopes training environment from radar-specific processing into the broader foundations of digital signal processing. Trainees generate, sample, modulate, filter and analyse signals in time and frequency domains while building the processing chain directly in the FreeScopes block-diagram environment.

The module forms the signal-processing foundation for later radar, communication, navigation and surveillance exercises and prepares trainees to work with increasingly complex physical and simulated systems.

Work in progress; implementation and trainee-facing composition documented.

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Training Advantages

BUILD SIGNALS FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES — Generate and combine signals directly in the FreeScopes block-diagram environment.
MOVE BETWEEN TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAINS — Apply FFT-based analysis and compare time-domain and spectral representations.
EXPLORE SAMPLING AND QUANTISATION — Configure sampling and quantisation and evaluate their effect on signal quality.
MODULATE, FILTER AND RECOVER SIGNALS — Build practical modulation, filtering and demodulation chains.
ANALYSE NOISE, SNR AND CHANNEL LIMITS — Investigate noise, signal-to-noise ratio and channel-capacity relationships.
WORK WITH DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONCEPTS — Use eye diagrams, constellation diagrams, BER and pulse-shaping workflows where included.

From Signal Generation to DSP Analysis

FreeScopes Basic III extends the FreeScopes learning path from the radar-oriented foundations of Basic I and the two-dimensional, matrix-oriented processing of Basic II into broader digital signal processing. Trainees build the processing chain directly in the visual block-diagram environment, working with generated, simulated, recorded or supported live signal data.

Signal generation → sampling and quantisation → time-domain inspection → FFT and spectral analysis → filtering and mathematical processing → output comparison

Trainees generate defined signals, sample and discretise them, vary quantisation, inspect successive processing stages and compare time- and frequency-domain results. The emphasis is direct experimentation: parameters are changed, outputs are observed and processing choices are evaluated in repeatable exercises.

What Trainees Do

Generate analogue and discrete signals
Configure sampling parameters and investigate aliasing
Compare quantisation levels and signal resolution
Build modulation and demodulation chains
Apply filters and compare their behaviour
Calculate and analyse signal energy, power and SNR
Inspect FFT and spectrogram outputs
Compare eye and constellation diagrams
Measure BER where the digital-communications chain is included
Evaluate channel-capacity relationships
Compare mathematical path-loss models where included

Main Training Scope

SIGNALS, SAMPLING & QUANTISATION

Continuous and discrete signals
Sampling, aliasing and discretisation
Quantisation and signal resolution
Pulse width and pulse repetition frequency

MODULATION & DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

AM / DSB-SC and FM
PAM, QAM and QPSK
Symbol mapping and pulse shaping
Matched filtering, eye and constellation diagrams
BER where included

FILTERING, FFT & SPECTRAL ANALYSIS

Filtering and FFT
Spectral magnitude and spectrogram
Frequency-domain comparison
Windowing where used by the composed exercise

ENERGY, POWER, NOISE & CAPACITY

Signal energy, signal power and RMS
AWGN and SNR
Shannon capacity

MATHEMATICAL SIGNAL / PATH-LOSS MODELS

Breakpoint / power-law path-loss model
dB graphs and model-curve comparison
Effect on the received signal

Breakpoint and path-loss analysis is a shared Basic III / Basic IV teaching topic.

Practical Experiment Examples

Sampling and Aliasing

Generate a signal, vary the sampling rate and compare the resulting time- and frequency-domain representations.

Quantisation

Change bit depth or level count and analyse quantisation resolution and noise.

AM / FM

Build modulation and demodulation chains and compare time- and frequency-domain behaviour.

QPSK / QAM / PAM

Build symbol-based modulation chains and inspect constellation and eye diagrams.

Filtering

Compare filter configurations and evaluate their effect on the signal spectrum.

Noise and SNR

Introduce AWGN and compare signal quality at different SNR levels.

Energy and Power

Compare signal energy, RMS and average power under different amplitude and length conditions.

Channel Capacity

Use SNR and bandwidth parameters to analyse Shannon capacity.

Breakpoint / Path-Loss Model

Configure a breakpoint or power-law model and compare the theoretical curve with its effect on the received signal.

Technical Specification Summary

PRODUCT & TRAINING ROLE

Product
FreeScopes Basic III

Primary role
Signal-processing foundation module

Environment
Browser-based FreeScopes

Status
Work in progress

Teaching focus
Practical digital signal processing

Position in series
Builds on Basic I / II; foundation for Basic IV–VII and advanced modules

SIGNAL PROCESSING SCOPE

Domains
Time and frequency

Signal generation
Supported through FreeScopes generator blocks

Sampling / quantisation
Included in documented training compositions

Modulation
Analogue and digital modulation exercises

Spectral analysis
FFT / spectrogram workflows

Noise analysis
AWGN / SNR workflows

Digital communications analysis
Eye / constellation / BER where included

DATA & WORKFLOW

Interaction
Visual block-diagram construction

Inputs
Generated, simulated, recorded or supported live signal data

Visualisation
FreeScopes Fig / scopes according to exercise

External workflow
May be combined with Record, Replay & Livestream for dataset-based experimentation

Where It Fits

FreeScopes Basic I → FreeScopes Basic II → FreeScopes Basic III → FreeScopes Basic IV and advanced modules

FreeScopes Basic III is the digital and mathematical signal-processing layer between the radar-oriented foundations of Basic I / II and the RF, antenna and propagation focus of Basic IV. It provides a reusable DSP foundation for later communication, navigation, surveillance, AI, ECCM and military-radar training without blurring the boundary to physical RF transmission.

Who It Is For

Universities and engineering programmes
Technical academies
ATSEP training organisations
Radar and signal-processing laboratories
Communication, navigation and surveillance training programmes
Defence radar and EW training organisations
Applied research laboratories

Learning Outcomes

After completing the relevant exercises, trainees can generate and configure analogue and discrete signals; configure sampling and quantisation parameters; identify and analyse aliasing; apply FFT and compare time- and frequency-domain representations; configure modulation and demodulation chains; apply filters and compare signal outputs; calculate or analyse energy, power and SNR; inspect eye and constellation diagrams; evaluate BER and channel-capacity relationships where included; compare mathematical signal and path-loss models; and transfer the same DSP concepts to later radar, COM, NAV and SUR exercises.

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Build Practical DSP Skills in FreeScopes

Use FreeScopes Basic III to build, inspect and compare signal-processing chains across time-domain, frequency-domain and digital-communications exercises.

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