SDR Waterfall DisplaySpectrum Analysis
Explore the radio spectrum with an interactive waterfall display. Generate synthetic signals, use your microphone, or connect to real SDR receivers to visualize RF energy across frequency and time.
SDR Waterfall Display
Explore the radio spectrum with a real-time waterfall display. Generate signals, analyze spectra, and learn how software-defined radios visualize the electromagnetic world.
Keyboard: Space=Pause, M=Mic, E=Export, +/-=Zoom, Arrows=Tune
Understanding Waterfall Displays
- 📡What is a Waterfall?
A waterfall display shows signal strength across frequency (x-axis) over time (scrolling y-axis). Color intensity represents power — bright colors indicate strong signals, dark colors indicate noise. It's the primary visualization tool in software-defined radios.
- 📊Reading the Spectrum
The companion spectrum plot above the waterfall shows a real-time snapshot of signal power vs. frequency. Peaks represent signals; the baseline is the noise floor. Wider peaks indicate larger bandwidth signals. Use max-hold to capture peak values.
- 🎨Colormaps & Dynamic Range
Different colormaps emphasize different signal levels. SDR Classic is the standard blue-cyan-yellow-white scheme. Thermal mimics infrared cameras. Choosing the right colormap helps distinguish weak signals from the noise floor — typically a 120 dB range.