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Grid's TinySA Ultra notes
Overall opinion
It's a very nice toy, especially given that some hardware isn't available as easily. Seeing devices like, for instance, Rohde & Schwarz FSH3 that cost $2295.00, I appreciate the cheaper device with a wider spectrum.
Capabilities
- Swept spectrum analyzer
- Waterfall mode (can't be saved on MicroSD)
- Spectrum screenshots on MicroSD
- The minimum resolution bandwidth of 200 Hz
- MicroSD configuration storage
- Basic RF signal generator
- USB interface
What's in the box?
- TinySA Ultra
- 32 Gb MicroSD card
- 2 SMA male-to-male cables
- double SMA female connector
- small SMA male telescopic antenna
- a nylon loop with a plastic opener for carrying and opening TinySA Ultra
- a piece of cardboard with an ad telling you to visit tinysa.org
- a piece of plastic to put TinySA Ultra in
Buying
ZeenKo factory store is ok and is recommended on the TinySA Wiki. The delivery from Hong Kong, Kwun Tong to Haifa took 34 days between Dec 15, 2023 (order), Dec 18, 2023 (shipment) and Jan 18, 2024 (delivery).
Currently, TinySA ultra can be bought there for ₪456.78 + ₪37.83 for shipment, although I'd expect AliExpress to change costs depending on your location.
Linux software
QtTinySA runs, shows spectrum, and isn't broken in modern Linux. It can't stop on the scan step, which is noticeable on a wide spectrum, but this seems to be the TinySA Ultra issue, not the client software issue. The positioning in 3D mode can be better and having a 2D waterfall mode that's easy to start would have been nice.
Communication
The lsusb command shows TinySA as 0483:5740 STMicroelectronics Virtual COM Port.
It's not fast, but it's fast enough to graph the useful representations of the spectrum in many cases.
Additional gear
I'll list stuff I've bought in addition to the default items here.
Antennas
| Link | Connector | Tested | Frequency range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wideband directional | SMA male | ✔️ | 800M - 6G |
| Several antenna types | SMA male, SMA female | ✔️ | 2.4 G, 5 G, 5.8 G |
| 5 dB | SMA male | ✔️ | 2.4G WiFi |
| unidirectional antenna | SMA male | ✔️ | 3G, 4G, 5G, GSM |
| unidirectional, 2 PCS/LOT | SMA male | ✔️ | 433 MHz |
| UWB | ? | ❌ | 2.8 G - 10.5 G |
| UWB Sunflower Antenna 48X32MM | ? | ❌ | |
| R101C | ? | ❌ | 730 MHz - 6.5 GHz |
| HT8 Handheld Log Periodic Antennas | ? | ❌ | 0.1-12 GHz |
| 12DBI Antenna | ? | ❌ | WiFi |
Cables
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005202042259.html - cable, male-to-male SMA
Use-cases
Specifications
https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=TinySA4.TechnicalDescription
- STM32F302 ARM Cortex M4 MCU
- 3000 mAh, 3.7V, 605080-type battery (Li-Ion or Li-Po) according to the teardown by Kerry Wong
- Resistive touchscreen (works OK, but given the capacitive screens everywhere, getting used to it takes time)
- ADF4350 PLL
Questions
I wonder if an adjustment is needed, as scans of spectrum parts are taken in different times and sometimes it's noticeable.
