Save Waveform File

After setting up all parameters that are required to define your waveform, you can generate and save the waveform file in .tdms format.

To save the waveform file,

  1. Select the Save Waveform File menu and select Current Settings option to display the Save Waveform File dialog box as shown in the following figure.
  2. In the Save Waveform File dialog box,
    • Enter File Path.
    • Select Waveform File Version.
    • Enter Runtime Scaling.
    • Select Datatype.
    • Add Description for the waveform file.
    • Select Store Configuration checkbox to embed the current settings in the waveform file. The Store Configuration checkbox is deselected by default. This option does not apply to legacy plugins such as User and Tones which save the settings in .rfwc format.
    • Deselect the Show File Summary checkbox, if required. The Show File Summary checkbox is selected by default.
      Note Selecting the Show File Summary checkbox presents the File Summary dialog box. For more information about the File Summary dialog box, refer to the File Summary topic.
  3. Click Save to save the waveform.
Note If the modulation settings that you are generating are not based on a saved file, the default file name is placed in your local My Documents directory. If you have loaded a file or saved the modulation settings you are generating, the default .tdms file name is set to the same name and location as the saved file.

The waveform file version 2.0 contains NI_RF_RuntimeScaling and NI_RF_PAPR fields in dB, in the TDMS header. Waveform values saved in the file are scaled by NI_RF_PAPR value. The RFmx Waveform Creator computes peak to average power ratio (PAPR) of the waveform. The default value is 2.0.

The waveform file version 1.0 contains NI_RF_Headroom field in dB, in the TDMS header. The Runtime Scaling control is disabled and the value is ignored. Waveform values saved in the file are scaled by NI_RF_Headroom value. The RFmx Waveform Creator computes Headroom as ceil(PAPR + 1.5) in dB.

For more information on using your own I and Q data, refer to Generating a User File.