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05-06/2013
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TELE-audiovision International —
全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志
C y b e r T e n n a
TEST REPORT
Manufacturer:
TeleWide AB, Skellefeteá/Sweden
Fax:
+46-91017348
E-Mail:
Model:
CyberTenna S64
Function:
Fixed digital lens antenna for 8 Satellites
Azimuth Range:
26° and more
Material:
Technical EPS
Gain:
36 dBi/11.7 GHz
Frequency Range:
10.7-12.75 GHz
Cross Polarization at +/- 3°:
>34 dB
Cross Polarization at +/- 0°:
>22 dB
Diameter:
80 cm
Elevation:
0-90°
F/D Ratio:
1
Separation Angle:
from 2°
Weight:
9 kg
Global Approval:
yes
TELE-
satellite
INFO-BOX
TEST REPORT
C y b e r T e n n a
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TELE-satellite International— TheWorld‘s LargestSatelliteMagazine —
SatelliteHomePages —
Wind and Snow? No Problem!
S64 for Eight Satellites
I
t was about a year ago when we first
introduced this satellite antenna that
was based on the lens principle. Since
then the design has been perfected and
it was decided that this antenna concept
needed to be looked at more closely
once again. The idea of receiving mul-
tiple satellites with a fixed antenna is
becoming more and more popular. And
in many cases it’s for reasons of neces-
sity. The prevailing reason is the private
use on a balcony or a terrace. The noise
from a motorized antenna could wake
the neighbors and may even make them
angry. Another reason would be Internet
via satellite access. While one LNB could
be used exclusively for Internet access,
the remaining seven LNB’s could be used
independently for satellite TV and radio
reception. In apartment houses with
multinational tenants an antenna like this
would be able to serve the needs of each
group and it could be done much more
inexpensively than using multiple single
antennas.
But what about using two multifeed dishes
each with three LNB’s? Such a set up would
allow you to receive six satellites. The problem
here is that two LNB’s would be missing (if the
need is there) but more importantly the LNB’s
sitting in the offset position of the antenna
would have to deal with less amplification from
the antenna’s reflector. Outside of that, this
kind of antenna would have difficulty dealing
with 2° of separation between adjacent satel-
lites and many multifeed antennas would even
have troublewith themore standard3° separa-
tion (e.g. 19°, 16°, 13°, 10°, 7° and so on). In
our tests we were able to achieve a 2° offset
using Digistar SF-1 LNB´s.
TeleWide, the manufacturer of this antenna,
has its headquarters in Sweden. In this part of
the world you always need to keep in mind that
snow accumulation on an antenna is a constant
problem. With prime focus antennas, winter
snow has a tendency to collect on the reflec-
tor making it essentially unusable. With offset
dishes it is the lower half of the reflector that is
affected by the white stuff. For these reasons
and also for the reasons mentioned above, Tel-
eWide developed the CyberTenna S64. It was
designed foruse in the10.7 to12.75GHz range.
The most prominent feature of this antenna is
the lensassemblywitha shape that looksmuch
like a car tire. Up to eight LNB’s sit behind the
lens at a distance of about 85cm (33.5 inches).
Signal amplification actually takes place opti-
cally. The LNB’s are aimed at the middle of the
16cm (6.3 inch) wide hole in the lens assem-
bly. The incoming satellite signals are bundled
together and amplified by the antenna and
then delivered to the LNB’s. The gain at 11.7
GHz is about 36 dBi and this is similar to a high
quality 65cm (25.5 inch) antenna. Normally an
antenna this size has a beamwidth of approxi-
mately 3° and this would lead to interference
between individual satellites spaced 3° apart.
The CyberTenna has no interference problems
from neighboring satellites. Onlywith 24 dBi is
a beamwidth of 3° first reached.
Everyday Use
Set up of this antenna is simple. The logical
layout and the well-written user manual allow
assembly in just a couple ofminutes. Tools are
not necessary since all the screws come with
an easy grip that allows them to be easily tight-
ened. The LNB’s are fastened using an easy
yet very stable clamp fitting. With the help of
included graphics, the individual LNB holders
are mounted to a rail in the proper position
so that the desired satellites can be received.
This actually works quite well although a scale
imprinted on the rail would make the job even
easier. Since the signals fromup to eight LNB’s
need to arrive at the receiver in a single cable,
it is also necessary to use a multiswitch to link
everything together. The focal point of 85cm
(33.5 inches) is automatically obtained during
the antenna’s assembly but small fine-tuning
adjustments would be necessary and are pos-
sible. The entire antenna is attached to a mast
via a mount on the side of the antenna’s ring.
On the same side the feed arm running back
to the LNB rail is mounted. We were not too
happywith this solution a year ago since all the
weight of the antenna (9 kg, 19.8 LBS) was on
one side of the mast. In the meantime though,
the mount was greatly improved making the
entire antenna assembly much more stable.
The alignment of the antenna is very easy. The
LNB for the southernmost satellite is mounted
in the center of the rail. For Munich this was
HOTBIRD at 13° east. Munich lies at 12.7°
east. The difference of 0.3° is insignificant.
The final step is the elevation adjustment.
Once this is done, satellite reception can begin.
If the other seven (or less) LNB’s are installed
in the proper location, reception of all the other
desired satellites is now possible. In our tests
two LNB’s required minor adjustments. An
included templatewith all the regionalDTH sat-
ellites greatly helps with the alignment.
All new DTH satellites deliver very strong
signals and as such present no problems for
theCyberTennaS64. In our testswewere able
to receive the following satellites:ASTRA 1 and
2,EUTELSATW1/2/3 andHOTBIRD. Alldesired
satellites should be within an azimuth range of
26°. With extremely strong signals this range
could be expanded. The CyberTenna’s 90°
elevation adjustment allows it to by installed
anywhere on the globe: from northern Scandi-
navia, to the Equator to South Africa.
Conclusion
At a price of about $535 (535 Euros), this
antenna isn’t exactly cheap. The cost of the
LNB’s must also be considered. But what
you get for your money is solid Swedish
quality. The CyberTenna S64 is mostly unaf-
fected by wind and it really has no surface
where snow can accumulate. Mounted on a
balcony it would be very hard to recognize
this as a satellite antenna. Its amplification
is more than sufficient for most DTH satel-
lites. Its mechanical construction is excel-
lent and its rust proofing guarantees a long,
healthy life.
H i T O P
Si-dTV & Ti-dTV
TEST REPORT
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TELE-satellite International— TheWorld‘s LargestSatelliteMagazine —
SatelliteHomePages —
The First Portable Receiver for
DVB-S and DVB-T
T
he desire for mobile satellite recep-
tion is as old as the DTH era itself.
There have always been small port-
able TV’s for analog terrestrial recep-
tionwhose characteristics includedonly
what was absolutely necessary. The
move towards mobility was somewhat
faster with computers. The bulky PC’s
found in the home soon found them-
selves next to small colleagues – the
Laptop– that todayareanormal tool for
wireless Internet access.
The idea to make one Notebook for ter-
restrial digital TV/radio reception (DVB-T)
and another for digital satellite reception
naturally did not come from Europe or North
America. No, this idea came from Taiwan.
Both receivers - the HiTOP Si-dTV (DVB-S)
and the Ti-dTV (DVB-S) – weigh a mere 2Kg
(4.4 LBS) and are about the same size as an
A4 sheet of paper (8.3 x 11.7 inches). From
the outside both receivers look like one
another. Both of them come with a multi-
tude of accessories: external power supply,
3.5 hour rechargeable battery, 12 volt car
power adapter, stereo headphones, carrying
caseandallnecessaryvideo cables. Just like
with a notebook computer, the upper half of
the 35mm thick receiver opens up to reveal
a 7” LC video screen in 16:9 format. Under-
neath the video screen are two speakers for
stereo audio. The remote control is located
in the lower half of the assembly. With the
remote placed in its holder, the receiver can
be controlled directly on the unit. With it
removed from its holder, additional control
buttons on the receiver are revealed. This
guarantees that even if the batteries run out
in the remote control, the receiver can stillbe
used. Despite this receiver being so flat, it is
still very nicely equipped on the rear panel.
The antenna signal is looped through in both
the DVB-T and DVB-S versions. Video and
analog stereo audio outputs are available via
apairofminiature jacks. Thematching cable
is provided. This means that both of these
boxes, besides being excellent portable
units, would also be perfect for use at home.
There’s also a set of video and audio inputs
for use with external peripherals such as a
VCR, DVD player or video camera. The serial
interface allowsnew software to beuploaded
and with the satellite version this interface
also allows current transponder data to be
uploaded. The included headphones are
plugged into the side of the HiTOP. Both
receivers are also fitted with slots for two
PayTV CA modules.
Ti-dTV
As with all other receivers, the first step is
to set it up the way you like. The available
menu languages for the Ti-dTV are German,
Russian, Chinese and English. Additional
languages will become available in future
software updates. Just like with a satellite
receiver, an automatic channel scan would
need tobe run. And ifyouareabeginnerand
don’t know exactly what DVB-T parameters
are in use where you are, the Ti-dTV makes
things easy for you by asking you where you
live. This menu lists every country that is
either testing or regularly using DVB-T. A
channel scan can be set to either “Fast”
or “Detailed”. In “Fast” mode the receiver
only scans preset, country-specific channels
while in “Detailed” mode the entire band is
scanned. If the data for a regional chan-
nel is known, it can be manually activated.
After a channel scan, the Edit menu helps to
organize all of the new channels that were
found. Popular programs can be moved to a
Favorites list and canquicklybe recalledwith
the simple push of a button. An Electronic
Program Guide (EPG) takes the place of the
typical printed TV programming guide. The
Ti-dTV also comes equipped with a teletext
decoder allowing these services to be dis-
played even on a monitor. The basic version
of the Ti-dTV can store up to 400 channels.
This should be enough for terrestrial TV
reception but if more channels are needed,
there’s also a receiver version with 1500
channels or more.
The type of antenna used with the terres-
trial digital model is not so critical especially
when it isusedwithin close range of the local
station. This receiver was tested in a region
where DVB-T was still in the testing stages.
A small modified “Rubber Duck” antenna
mounted to a car provided adequate mobile
reception results.
Si-dTV
The satellite version of the HiTOP does
come with an antenna problem. But even
here there are alternatives. The Digiglobe
antenna featured in this issue would be an
ideal solution. The excellent input sensitiv-
ity of this portable receiver would also make
it a perfect choice for use with those small
camping satellite antennas. The installation
of a portable satellite receiver should be
especially simple.
HiTOP didn’t miss the boat here either.
Communicating with the receiver can be
accomplished in English, Spanish, French,
German, Italian and Russian. After activat-
ing the desired satellites in C and Ku-band
and after matching the local oscillator
frequency (LOF) with the LNB, the signal
strength and quality are displayed. These
virtual “gauges” react very fast to antenna
movements and make finding the desired
satellites extremely easy.
The channel scan canbe refined to look for
ALL or FTA channels and can complete a scan
of an 80-transponder satellite in just about
five minutes. SCPC signals starting at 2 Ms/
sec were no problem for this box but it would
require using a larger antenna. Even in the
satellite model the basic version comes with
only 400 channels. This is not nearly enough
especially if this box is also to be used with
your antenna at home. If you decide to buy
this receiver you should without a doubt opt
for the version with 1500 channels. The Si-
dTValsohasanEdit function,a Favorites list,
a teletextdecoder and anElectronic Program
Guide.
Conclusion
The Si-dTV version for digital satellite
reception is a wonderful toy! But also well
thought out. A highly sensitive tuner even
works well with smaller antennas. Its instal-
lation and normal use are quite easy.
The terrestrial version will quickly find its
buyers. Wherever DVB-T is already in use,
this version does not need to rely on large
antennas and can be used up to 3.5 hours
without the need to find a power outlet.
Both receivers come with an outstanding
picture quality although the audio quality is
somewhat limited by the size of the built-in
speakers. The overall quality of both models
deserves high praise.