[Discuss-gnuradio] multi-machine sweeper

[Brett L. Trotter]

In looking for particular frequencies which can successfully transmit across a 
particular medium or antenna, I've spent days running benchmark_tx on one side 
and benchmark_rx on the other (two separate machines). I've got an ethernet 
connection between the two machines, so it is a matter of sshing and running 
the test app and then looking at the benchmark_rx or usrp_fft. Has anyone ever 
automated this process? I'd really love a way to relatively quickly sweep 
across the entire range of a particular daughterboard and have the other 
machine generate a brief report of frequencies that seemed to work.

Is there a python whiz out there who could cobble such a thing together in a 
hurry? I have a passwordless ssh key that lets me connect to the other box and 
run commands without authentication which is good for scripting (ssh 10.0.0.2 
benchmark_tx.py yatta yatta yatta).

In the long run- perhaps a python app that sits on a socket and changes the 
frequency at the command of the other side of the link, which is doing a loop 
through the daughtercard frequencies and then keeps track of the SNR or the db 
above baseline or something. The quick and dirty way would be to have the RX 
hop to the frequency, listen to baseline with transmitter not going, record 
level, ask TX side to go to same frequency, measure again- record the result 
and then move to the next frequency.

Any thoughts would be great.