It is essential in the development of any RDS capable FM receiver to fully validate the reception characteristics in as many real-world situation as possible. This is difficult to achieve with a receiver designed for use in a static location, but becomes far more complex when the receiver is moving such as is encountered with automotive products. Typically this involves extended periods of on-road testing across multiple countries to ensure good coverage of likely scenarios.
Ideally, it would be possible to recreate these situations in the development environment, allowing better testing throughout the process and reducing the amount of expensive on-road testing. The DeskLab RDS is specifically designed to assist engineers in this process by providing 8 individually controllable FM/RDS channels, providing a rich environment to emulate real situations without leaving their desks.
Key Features
Powerful 8 Channel FM/RDS Generator
All channels independently configurable and controllable
Supports RDS (Radio Data System) and RBDS (Radio Broadcast Data System)
Onboard processor offloads RDS management from host computer
Overall RF output level can be controlled over a 60dB range in 0.5 dB steps
Controllable from a Windows computer via a standard USB-2 link
Per Channel Features
Transmit frequency adjustable from 76MHz to 108 MHz with 50kHz resolution
Channel RF output level can be controlled in the range 15 to 70 dBuV in 0.5 dB steps
Generates stereo audio and RDS multiplex
Supports all RDS group types in an arbitrary sequence
Can dynamically switch between multiple group sequences
Audio Capabilities
External stereo audio inputs on 2 channels
Onboard mono/stereo DDS tone generation on all channels (500Hz -15kHz)
Arbitrary waveform replay (1 stream transmitted on 1 or more channels)
Application Software
DeskLab Explorer provides a GUI driven configuration interface
DeskLab Script allows the creation of complex, dynamic scripted tests
Software supports Windows 7, 8.1 and 10
Custom application integration possible via SDK
Typical Applications
Fully automated FM/RDS receiver testing
Multi-station AF switch simulation
Checking of TA handling
Tunnel entry/exit requrements validation
TMC message generation to exercise navigation systems
