Displaying a Baseline Overall rms in Ascent/MAS VB and the Instrument
The information provided is for help with Commtest Instruments products:
- Ascent®/MAS VB software, vbSeries® instruments
QUESTION
How do I display a baseline overall rms in Ascent/MAS VB and also view it on my vb instrument?
ANSWER
You set the baseline overall rms from a recording in Ascent/MAS VB and update the schedule entry Baseline Overall RMS tab. When you send the schedule entry to the instrument the overall rms baseline will display on the vb screen when a new measurement is taken.
There are three main areas in Ascent/MAS VB where baselines are managed:
- A specific recording in the navigator which you can designate as the baseline
- The schedule entry
- The Alarms menu from the Ascent/MAS VB tool bar
How each is set is very important in determining how the baseline is managed in Ascent/MAS VB and the instrument.
There are three modes of baseline operation:
1. Manually Set a Value Directly into the Schedule Entry Editor
(Click any of the images below to enlarge them.)
This option allows you to set an overall rms value in the schedule entry directly. This value may not necessarily be present in a recording i.e. it does not have to based on an actual recording but can just be an 'ideal' value that you've decided on.
This overall rms value will be sent to the vb instrument and will display on the screen during recording or review mode. The downside to this method is that the baseline value cannot be included in any chart view in Ascent/MAS VB.
2. Select an Existing Recording's Value to use as a Baseline
- To select a recording in the navigator as the baseline, highlight the recording then right-click and select Set Baseline.
The word 'baseline' will now appear beside this recording in the navigator. This method, and the one below, allows for the inclusion of the baseline overall rms be included in a chart view for comparison.
3. Select the 'Use last measurement as baseline' Option
This method will update the overall rms baseline each time new recordings are collected and 'received' into your database.
Note: All of the methods described above are affected by the options selected in the Alarms menu. These options are explained now.
Use last Measurement if No Baseline
This option takes the overall rms value of the latest recording and updates the overall rms value in the schedule entry's Baseline Overall rms box. This value will be updated every time more data is added (assuming the overall rms value has changed).
Update Baselines in this Folder
This option takes the overall rms value of the recording that you marked as a baseline and inserts it into the schedule entry Baseline Overall rms box. When the folder is sent to the instrument the baseline will be displayed during recording or review mode.
Update Baselines Before Send
This is very similar to Update Baselines in this Folder. The difference is that the overall rms value is written to the schedule entry Baseline Overall rms box when a send to the instrument is carried out. The overall rms value used is taken from whichever recording you have markes as being the baseline recording.
Viewing the Baseline in Ascent/MAS VB
Once a baseline has been set in the navigator, the baseline recording can be included in any chart view based on that location.
- Right-click on the chart view and select Include Baseline.
The baseline recording cannot be added to a standard chart plotted directly from the navigator. A chart from the Charts button must be used to enable the Include baseline option in the right-click menu.
Now the recording will be included on the current chart. Upon closing the chart you will be prompted to Save changes to this View? If you select Yes then the baseline will be included each time you use that view.
FAQ ID: 11806 Last Reviewed: 23 September 2005