STRUCT ATH_SPEC_SCAN(9)

💖 struct ath_spec_scan — parameters for Atheros spectral scan 💖

okay bestie, so this is the struct ath_spec_scan page from the Kernel API Manual, and it is literally the blueprint for Atheros spectral scan vibes. the manual name is struct ath_spec_scan(9) and we are gonna get into it. 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct ath_spec_scan {
    bool enabled;
    bool short_repeat;
    bool endless;
    u8 count;
    u8 period;
    u8 fft_period;
 };

🎀 Members 🎀

• enabled — turns spectral scan on or off, no cap. it is the main character switch.
• short_repeat — controls whether the chip is in spectral scan mode for 4 usec (when enabled) or 204 usec (when disabled). tiny time window vs. big time window, pick your fighter. ⭐
• endless — true if endless mode is the goal. otherwise, the count value gets corrected to the next possible value. periodt.
• count — the number of scan results requested. but heads up, some chip revisions give this field special meanings, and it is giving lore:
  • AR92xx: highest bit set (>=128) means endless mode — spectral scan won't be stopped until it is explicitly disabled. 💀
  • AR9300 and newer: 0 means endless mode.
• period — time duration between successive spectral scan entry points, calculated as period*256*Tclk. also, Tclk = ath_common->clockrate. math era. 🧮
• fft_period — PHY passes FFT frames to MAC every (fft_period+1)*4uS. yes bestie, that is the formula, copy it exactly. 💅

🌸 Note 🌸

Tclk = 40MHz or 44MHz depending upon operating mode. typically it's 44MHz in 2/5GHz on later chips, but there's a "fast clock" check for this in 5GHz. so lowkey always check your clock situation. 🕰️

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

• Kernel file ./drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hw.h
• struct ath_hw_radar_conf(9)
• struct ath_hw_private_ops(9)
• struct ath_hw_ops(9)

and that's the whole page, bestie. slay. 💖

shoutout to ./drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k for the source, October 2026 for the date, and the struct ath_spec_scan(9) manual for the version. mwah. 🎀✨