RFmx SpecAn 21.8.2 Readme

May 2022

This file contains important information about the RFmx SpecAn, including system requirements, and installation instructions.


Overview

New Features

Supported Hardware

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Installed Software

File Locations

Executable

Accessing the API

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

Product Security and Critical Updates

Behavior Changes

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Legal Information


Overview

RFmx SpecAn offers simple access to the most advanced optimization techniques such as multi-measurement parallelism, multi-DUT measurements, and high dynamic range noise correction. The result is extremely fast and high-quality measurements with the minimal software development effort.

New Features

RFmx SpecAn 21.8 includes the following new features:

  • Support for configuring odd and even coefficients in DPD GMP polynomial in DPD measurement
  • Support for maximum gain and user-defined gain reference modes for compression point computation in AMPM measurement
  • Support for peak reference power and peak reference power gain results in AMPM measurement

RFmx SpecAn 21.3 includes the following new features:

  • Support for LabVIEW 2021 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Support for list mode feature on PXIe-5840/5841/5830/5831/5832
  • Support for configuring manual gain reference for compression point computation in AMPM measurement
  • Support for all FFT window types and user-defined overlap (%) for Sequential FFT measurement method in ACP measurement
  • Support for I-Only and Q-Only modes in Spectrum measurement for PXIe-5820
  • Addition of I vs Time and Q vs Time traces in IQ measurement in the RFmx Soft Front Panel

RFmx SpecAn 20.7 includes the following new features:

  • Support for Pre-CFR PAPR result in the DPD measurement
  • Support for Noise Figure measurement Y-Factor method on PXIe-5665

Supported Hardware

Visit NI Hardware and Operating System Compatibility to view driver, desktop operating system, and real-time operating system support for individual hardware devices.

To view information for your device:

  • Select your hardware model in the dropdown list on the page to view compatibility information for your device.
  • Type your hardware model number in the dropdown list on the web page to filter the list of available devices.

Note: Some compatibility information may only be available in the archive attached to the NI Hardware and Operating System Compatibility page. For historic driver and OS support information, refer to the readme for the relevant driver version.

System Requirements

RFmx SpecAn has the following requirements:

  • Processor—1 GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
  • 4 GB RAM *
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
  • Windows 10, with all available critical updates and service packs

* Depending on the amount of data acquired and/or processed, a larger amount of memory may be required.

Supported Operating Systems

RFmx SpecAn 21.8.2 supports the following 64-bit operating systems:

  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016

Note    RFmx SpecAn no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.1, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. RFmx SpecAn 21.8.2 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use RFmx SpecAn 21.8.2 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing RFmx SpecAn 21.8.2, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.

For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit http://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

Application Software Support

RFmx SpecAn supports the following application software versions, including service packs. You should install application software, such as LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing RFmx SpecAn. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.

Application Software Versions Supported by RFmx SpecAn
LabVIEW 2018 SP1 f4 patch, 2019 SP1 f3 patch, 2020 SP1, or 2021 SP1 f1 patch
LabWindows™/CVI™ 2017 or later

Required Software

  • NI-RFSA 14.1 or later
  • NI-RFSA 17.1 or later (for initializing debug session when "using breakpoints in C/C++/.NET application" is selected)
  • NI-RFSG 14.0.1 or later
  • NI-RFSG Playback Library 19.1 or later (for DPD examples)

Microsoft Visual Studio Support

If you are using the RFmx SpecAn .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The RFmx SpecAn .NET Class Library can be used with Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET in any Visual Studio version that can target .NET Framework 4.0.

Installation Instructions

Download the RFmx SpecAn installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.

Notes

  • If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.
  • RFmx SpecAn installs the following licensed products
    • RFmx Noise Figure: This will enable the Noise Figure measurement in RFmx SpecAn.
    • RFmx Phase Noise: This will enable the Phase Noise measurement in RFmx SpecAn.
    • RFmx Power Amplifier: This will enable the AMPM and DPD measurements and the Crest Factor Reduction (CFR) support in RFmx SpecAn.

Notes

  • If Windows Update is enabled, the installation process might hang if Windows Update interferes with the installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time. Visit ni.com/r/exjq43 for more information and steps to resolve this issue.
  • Use the serial number that is included with your software to activate the product. Refer to the NI Software Activation for more information on product activation.

Installed Software

  • <MSTUDIOVS2010DIR> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\MeasurementStudioVS2010
  • <NIDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    •  Program Files (x86)\National Instruments 
  • <SYSDIR> is an alias for the following file folder location:
    • Windows\SysWOW64 for 32-bit programs and windows\system32 for 64-bit programs

File Locations

Item Installed Location
Version Compatibility Checker <NIDir>\RFmx\niRFmxCompatibility_Checker.exe
Debug Configuration Utility <NIDir>\RFmx\niRFmxDebugConfigurationUtility.exe
DLLs <SYSDIR>
Header files

<NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\include

Import Library files
  • 32-bit: <NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\lib32\msvc
  • 64-bit: <NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\lib64\msvc
.NET Class Libraries
Assemblies <MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>\DotNET\Assemblies\Current\NationalInstruments.RFmx.SpecAnMX.Fx40.dll
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>\DotNET\Assemblies\Current\NationalInstruments.RFmx.InstrMX.Fx40.dll
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>\DotNET\Assemblies\Current\NationalInstruments.Common.dll

Executable

Select Start » National Instruments » RFmx SpecAn » RFmx Soft Front Panel to launch the RFmx Soft Front Panel (64-bit).

Accessing the API

RFmx SpecAn palette VIs are available from the Functions » Measurement I/O » NI-RFmx » SpecAn palette.

Accessing the Help

Documentation for RFmx SpecAn is located at Start » National Instruments » RFmx SpecAn » RFmx SpecAn Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.

Document Format Description
RFmx SpecAn Help HTML/Windows Help Contains primary help content for RFmx SpecAn. This help file is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
  • An introduction to RFmx SpecAn
  • How to get started with application development
  • A complete reference for all RFmx SpecAn programming functions and VIs
RFmx SpecAn 21.8.2 Readme HTML (this document) Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices.

Finding Examples

Select Help » Find Examples from LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI to launch the NI Example Finder and navigate to Hardware Input and Output » Modular Instruments » NI-RFmx » SpecAn. You can also select the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword.

You can access all the installed RFmx SpecAn examples at Start » National Instruments » RFmx SpecAn » RFmx SpecAn Examples.

Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.

Behavior Changes

The following are the behavior changes in RFmx SpecAn 20.7 from RFmx SpecAn 20.6.

  • Obsoleted the RFmxInstr Configure Automatic SG SA Shared LO API and the RFmxInstr Automatic SG SA Shared LO property. Use RFmxInstr LO Source property with Automatic_SG_SA_Shared value instead.

The following are the behavior changes in RFmx SpecAn 20.0 from RFmx SpecAn 19.1.

  • Deprecated the PAVT Measurement Start Time(s) property and the PAVT Configure Measurement Start Time API. Instead, use PAVT Segment Start Time (s) property and PAVT Configure Segment Start Time API, respectively.
  • Spectrum traces obtained after noise compensation in the ACP and Spectrum measurements are no longer hard-clipped to stay above -174 dBm/Hz.

The following are the behavior changes in RFmx SpecAn 19.1 from RFmx SpecAn 19.0.

  • For the noise figure measurement on PXIe-5830 and PXIe-5831, calibration data saved from the previous version of RFmx will not be valid and requires recalibration in RFmx 19.1.
  • Dropped support for Cleaner Spectrum property on PXIe-5830 and PXIe-5831
  • Obsoleted RFmxSpecAn Analyze (IQ) and RFmxSpecAn Analyze (Spectrum) APIs. Use RFmxSpecAn Analyze (IQ, 1 Wfm) and RFmxSpecAn Analyze (Spectrum, 1 Wfm) APIs instead.

Automating the Installation of NI Products

You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes.

If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.

For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

For more information about NI support for Windows 10, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.


Legal Information

Copyright

© 2014–2022 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.

NI respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.

End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices

You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:

  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights

If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.

IVI Foundation Copyright Notice

Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.

The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

Trademarks

Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Patents

For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.

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