Your options are to sample at 184.32 MHz and decimate in the host machine
down to 30.72 MHz for LTE decoding, or if that isn't an option then you
need to place an RFNoC block at the output of the radio but before the DDC
which will give you an input power estimate that you can read from the host
periodically.  You need to feed that into your AGC algorithm as another
input.

Note the block can just update an internal register that you poll and not
produce any samples.

Brian

On Fri, Oct 18, 2024 at 11:57 AM Patrice PAJUSCO <
patrice.paju...@imt-atlantique.fr> wrote:

> Dear Marcus,
>
> thank you for your answer. Just to clarify the problem a little better.
> We use a UBX160 daughter card.
> To have optimal SNR, an automatic gain control has been implemented based
> on the max IQ value.
> The sample rate is 30.72 for LTE decoding.
> Unfortunately, high power exists outside our useful band (30.72 MHz) but
> inside the bandwidth of the 160 daughter card (sampled by the 200 MHz ADC).
> We expected the AGC to saturate... but after DSP filtering process by the
> motherboard, the IQ samples got with UHD is no longer saturated.
> As a result, the IQ max is low enough and AGC control continue to increase
> the gain :-(
> It is my current understanding of the situation.
> Is there any way to have an estimate of the raw AGC input level when the
> sample rate is not 200 MHz?
> I hope to be clear enough... but surelty  not crystal clear :-)
> Best regards
>
>                           Patrice
>
> ------------------------------
> *De: *"Marcus D. Leech" <patchvonbr...@gmail.com>
> *À: *"usrp-users" <usrp-users@lists.ettus.com>
> *Envoyé: *Vendredi 18 Octobre 2024 17:38:43
> *Objet: *[USRP-users] Re: ADC saturation problem in USRP X310
>
> On 18/10/2024 11:35, je.amg...@gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am currently facing an issue with ADC saturation on a USRP X310
> > equipped with a UBX daughterboard. We are conducting measurements
> > using an LTE signal and a sinusoidal input signal, but it seems that
> > the ADC is saturating, leading to a loss of dynamic range in our
> > measurements.
> >
> > Test context:
> > We are transmitting (using a generator) an LTE signal with a power of
> > -50 dBm at a center frequency of 1815 MHz. Then, we add a sinusoidal
> > signal at 1865 MHz with a power of -30 dBm. This second, more powerful
> > signal seems to be causing the ADC to saturate, even though we don’t
> > see it directly in the IQ samples due to the digital filtering applied
> > downstream.
> >
> > Problem:
> > We suspect that the ADC saturation occurs before IQ conversion and is
> > therefore masked by the digital filters. This results in a loss of
> > dynamic range in our measurements, and we feel that adjusting the gain
> > based on the IQ samples may not be reliable.
> >
> > Question:
> > How can this ADC saturation be detected upstream of the IQ processing?
> > Are there tools or methods to directly monitor the sample values at
> > the output of the ADC in the USRP (before digital filtering) to
> > prevent saturation?
> > Do you have any advice for implementing an automatic gain controller
> > (AGC) based on reliable saturation indicators?
> > We would appreciate any suggestions or experiences in resolving this
> > issue. If you have encountered a similar problem or have ideas on how
> > to address it, we would be happy to hear your recommendations.
> >
> > Thank you very much for your help!
> >
> >
> A -30dBm signal applied at the antenna inputs, and then amplified
> greatly by the amplifier/mixer/gain-chain ahead of the ADC
>    would very-likely saturate the ADC.   A -30dBm signal from an "over
> the air" antenna is one that is thunderingly loud in
>    the real world.  It would not surprise me to find that gain elements
> ahead of the ADC are *also* becoming non-linear.
>
> Turn your gain down.
>
> _______________________________________________
> USRP-users mailing list -- usrp-users@lists.ettus.com
> To unsubscribe send an email to usrp-users-le...@lists.ettus.com
> _______________________________________________
> USRP-users mailing list -- usrp-users@lists.ettus.com
> To unsubscribe send an email to usrp-users-le...@lists.ettus.com
>
_______________________________________________
USRP-users mailing list -- usrp-users@lists.ettus.com
To unsubscribe send an email to usrp-users-le...@lists.ettus.com

Reply via email to