8dtek

TEST REPORT DVB Combo Signal Analyzer

8dtek TSM-8800
Digital Signal Analyzer for
DVB-S and DVB-T Signals
Solid Design and Fully
Featured!
Since the beginning of the satellite age there was
always this one problem for the die-hard satellite
hobbyist: the necessary hardware to properly
align his own antenna, that is, a satellite
signal analyzer was always ridiculously
expensive. When the transition to
digital transmissions began, it finally
became possible to offer signal
analyzers with professional features
at much lower prices.

0.6

26 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 04-05/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

Since that time, TELE-sat- analyzer can be placed in a to prevent the installer from 04-05/2010
8DTEk TSM -880 0
ellite has regularly presented safe spot in view of the installer accidentally dropping the ana- Easy menu operation
and exc eptionally
these kinds of analyzers as and while the antenna or LNB is lyzer to the ground while trying simple to operate

long as they met our quality being adjusted, the signal ana- to adjust the antenna plus it’s
and functionality requirements. lyzer can be operated using the simply much easier this way to
credit-card sized remote con- control all the functions of the
One such candidate, that trol. For one thing, this helps analyzer using a mini remote
without a doubt fulfills both of
our demands, is the TSM-8800
from 8dtek. 8dtek from Hong-
kong was founded in 2008 and
specializes in sophisticated,
highly technical solutions. The
TSM-8800 is a perfect example
of that.

When we opened up the
box, it was obvious that 8dtek
did not skimp on quality nor
on any of the included acces-
sories. Absolutely solid and
sturdy; there’s no other way
to describe it. The electronics
were placed in a solid, brushed
aluminum chassis.

The analyzer itself sits nicely
in your hand and is protected
from falls and other environ-
mental concerns. The manu-
facturer also surrounded the
analyzer in a rubber jacket with
openings for connectors on the
underside as well as the upper
and lower edges. This rubber
jacket prevents the analyzer
from slipping on almost any
surface. Because of its rela-
tively heavy weight, it sits sol-
idly in place and thus makes it
all the more easier to use.

The front panel sports a 3.5-
inch LCD display. It’s very easy
to read and produces very little
glare even with direct sun-
light. Six LEDs are located just
below the display and indicate
the current operational mode
of the analyzer. At one glance
you can identify the current
polarization level as well as the
current band (high or low) and
whether or not the analyzer
has locked on to a signal.

8dtek incorporated an infra-
red receiver right in the middle
of the row of LEDs. Wait a
minute… an infrared receiver
for a signal analyzer? Actually,
it’s not a bad idea! The signal

www.TELE-satellite.com — 04-05/2010 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 27

TELE-satelliteother languageswww.TELE-satellite.com/...
Download this report in
World from the Internet:
Arabic ‫العربية‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/ara/8dtek.pdf
Indonesian Indonesia www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/bid/8dtek.pdf
Bulgarian Български www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/bul/8dtek.pdf
control. And should you ever the other end for the PC has Czech Česky www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/ces/8dtek.pdf
German Deutsch www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/deu/8dtek.pdf
need both hands for whatever a serial connector, something English English www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/eng/8dtek.pdf
Spanish Español www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/esp/8dtek.pdf
reason, the remote control you might not find anymore on Farsi ‫فارس ي‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/far/8dtek.pdf
French Français www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/fra/8dtek.pdf
can be easily slipped into your every new PC or laptop. Hebrew ‫עברית‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/heb/8dtek.pdf
Greek Ελληνικά www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/hel/8dtek.pdf
pocket. Croatian Hrvatski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/hrv/8dtek.pdf
Italian Italiano www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/ita/8dtek.pdf
The wide assortment of Hungarian Magyar www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/mag/8dtek.pdf
The signal analyzer itself accessories includes a match- Mandarin 中文 www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/man/8dtek.pdf
Dutch Nederlands www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/ned/8dtek.pdf
comes with 15 function but- ing plug-in power supply, a car Polish Polski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/pol/8dtek.pdf
Portuguese Português www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/por/8dtek.pdf
tons, a cross-shaped button as power adapter, an A/V cable, a Romanian Românesc www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/rom/8dtek.pdf
Russian Русский www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/rus/8dtek.pdf
well as a set of buttons labeled useful carrying case that also Swedish Svenska www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/sve/8dtek.pdf
Turkish Türkçe www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1005/tur/8dtek.pdf
0 to 9. All of these buttons helps to protect the unit plus a
Available online starting from 2 April 2010
except for the two on/off but- key chain with integrated com-
tons can also be found on the pass. As you can see, 8dtek
remote control making it pos- really thought of everything battery lets you use the ana- also from a handling and OSD
sible to completely control the that an installer might need to lyzer continuously for four point of view it certainly ranks
TSM-8800 from a distance. set up a satellite antenna. hours when fully charged. This as one of the best we have ever
should be enough to set up and seen.
The TSM-8800 also comes A printed user manual was align even the most compli-
with every possible connector not included in our test ana-
you could ever need. In addi- lyzer; it was provided by the
cated motorized antenna with-
Everyday Use
out having to worry about the
After turning on the analyzer
tion to the satellite IF input and manufacturer in PDF format in battery dying.
for the first time, the TSM-
the integrated speaker, you will English, German, French and
8800 immediately jumps to the
find RCA A/V outputs and A/V Spanish. A printed manual will To put it all together, it’s safe
Main Menu. There is no Instal-
inputs on the underside of the though be provided with regu- to say that 8dtek has not only
lation Assistant and it’s not
unit. lar shipments. developed one of the highest
even necessary. The submenu
quality signal analyzers that we
“System” lets you take care of
Connection to a PC can be Up until now, we haven’t have ever had
all the necessary analyzer set-
done through the USB inter- seen a signal analyzer with the oppor-
tings.
face and the included USB/ such easy-to-follow on-screen tunity to
serial adapter. This will let you graphics and with functions test
The first would be to select
not only upload new operat- so good and easy to use that but
the desired OSD language; you
ing software but also let you anyone that has some idea of
can choose from English, Rus-
edit the various settings and what’s going on can use this
sian, Dutch, French, Greek,
parameters directly on the PC. analyzer without having to
Turkish, German, Czech, Span-
The only drawback is that the refer to a user manual. Our
ish, Italian and Polish.
interface cable comes with a compliments to the software
You can also select where
USB connector on one end to programmers.
the analyzer will be used;
link with the analyzer while The integrated lithium-ion


8dtek Logo The TSM-88008 Main Menu The System Settings menu lets you match the
analyzer to your personal requirements

Various LOF values are preprogrammed Zoom View makes it easier to read the value The preprogrammed satellite list comes with
61 entries

The Blind Scan feature can find transponders Real Time and Multi Functional DVB-S NIT Mode Spectrum lets you identify the
that are not already in the preprogrammed list Spectrum satellite clearly

USALS Settings

DiSEqC 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 (USALS) Thanks to the PC editor, transponder and satellite data
are supported can easily be edited


The Angle calculation simplifies the installation All identified and unencrypted channels can be The channel list contains all the TV and radio
of an antenna viewed on the display channels that were found

The serial interface links the analyzer
with a PC

The channel list can also be matched to your personal preferences

here you can choose from er’s many different settings probably scratching their
England, France, Spain, capabilities. heads right now consider-
Italy or Germany. Additional ing that we’re using a three-
countries and languages Since we are dealing with meter antenna but here in
are being worked on and a Combi unit, the TSM-8800 Austria an antenna this size
will be made available with comes with two different is absolutely necessary
a future software update. operational modes: DVB-S for the stable reception
and DVB-T. We decided to of ASTRA 2D since we’re
An audible signal tone start our tests in DVB-S already quite a distance
can also be activated here mode; we’ll get to DVB-T a outside of this satellite’s
and the analyzer can be set little later. footprint.
to automatically shut off
after a user-settable time DVB-S Regardless of how big
period. After determining that or small the antenna actu-
this analyzer is really easy ally is, it is essential to first
The OSD also comes to use and self-explanatory, figure out the correct satel-
with a timeout feature we decided to jump right lite parameters, that is, azi-
that is user-settable. And into the deep end of the muth and elevation.
of course, if it’s neces- pool and align our three-
sary, the analyzer can be meter antenna located in Normally, you’d have to
easily returned to its fac- Vienna, Austria to ASTRA find some sort of table with
tory settings thus giving 2D. this information or find it
us an overall very positive online using a number of
impression of this analyz- Our British readers are different Internet sites, but


All DVB-T channels can be searched Multi Channel Search for DVB-T lets you view 8 Active frequencies can easily be recognized in
channels Signal Quality simultaneously the spectrum analyzer display

none of this is necessary with This makes working with the to activate and test them. Of An acoustical signal output is
the TSM-8800. The analyzer analyzer fun and with the push course, if you want to, you can available so that you can adjust
comes with its own Angle Cal- of just one button the azimuth enter the required frequency the antenna without having to
culation submenu that takes and elevation data needed to manually which then auto- look at the analyzer.
care of this work for you. To adjust the antenna have been matically becomes part of the
perform this calculation prop- calculated for you. transponder list for the current For our setup, we quickly
erly, you need to know the satellite. Additional parameters adjusted the antenna to the
exact geographical position of As soon as these values such as low or high band as correct angle and then began
the antenna as well as what have been transferred to well as the LNB supply voltage moving the dish in the direc-
satellite you want to align to. the antenna, the analyzer which determines the polar- tion of ASTRA 2D at 28.2° east.
is switched over to DVB-S ization can be handled via the With such a large antenna, the
The geographical coordi- mode and the desired satel- corresponding menu entries, signal level would naturally be
nates can easily be found via lite is selected. The TSM-8800 via the function buttons on relatively high and in no time at
the Internet, for example, assumes that it will be a Ku- the analyzer or via the remote all the LOCK LED on the ana-
through Google Maps, Google band satellite using a universal control. At the bottom of the lyzer indicated a signal had
Earth or Wikipedia. GPS navi- LNB. If this is not the case, the screen are a pair if bar graphs been found.
gation devices will also give you necessary parameters can be that show the current signal
your local coordinates. edited in the Scan menu. strength and signal quality. In Zoom mode we roughly
aligned the antenna to ASTRA
Once the local latitude and A number of LOF frequencies With the help of one of the 2 but we already knew that the
longitude have been entered, for the Ku-band and C-band are function buttons you can switch signals from the other ASTRA 2
the next step involves select- already preprogrammed but if to a rough measurement of the satellites would be quite strong
ing the desired satellite. Now needed the user can enter LOF antenna on an expanded dis- using a three-meter antenna
the user for the first time gets values manually for those older play that shows noise offset, and that receiving the signals
to see the preprogrammed LNBs with unusual LOFs. signal quality and signal level from the ASTRA 2D bird would
satellite list stored in the ana- optically in bar graph form and be the cream of the crop.
lyzer and it is quite a list. 61 For every stored satellite also numerically. Additionally,
satellites with up-to-date tran- entry there are multiple pre- there are also numerical values So we switched over to
sponder data are stored in programmed transponder for VBER, CBER, the C/N as normal scan mode and modi-
memory. entries available making it easy well as the channel power. fied the preprogrammed fre-


quency to one from ASTRA 2D. If you don’t need to use Blind This makes it easy to identify The spectrum analyzer can
With the aid of the zoomed-in Scan, 8dtek incorporated a an antenna that is not properly also highlight the peak that
view, we began adjusting the very fast transponder scan that aligned or one with a mast that was reached by a particu-
antenna again. The goal was to looks at the currently selected isn’t perfectly vertical letting lar signal; it displays a small
achieve the highest signal qual- transponder. you correct the problem with symbol to indicate how high
ity while keeping the CBER to a very little effort. the most recent signal peak
minimum. It is also possible to per- was. This feature lets you use
form an NIT transponder scan To round it all off, the TSM- the spectrum analyzer as a way
Thanks to the screen-filling so that other transponders 8800 comes with a very clever to initially fine tune the antenna
signal level display and the belonging to the same provider channel list editor that lets you assembly.
nearly instantaneous measure- can be found as well. easily move, rename or delete
ment response of the analyzer, any of the channels in the list. The TSM-8800 can display
we were able to do this easily The satellite scan looks at all The channel list can therefore the entire frequency spectrum
and without any problems. the preprogrammed transpon- always be kept in an organized or you can zoom in on a specific
Once the antenna was properly ders for the selected satellite. fashion. For the installer, the section and then use a cursor
aligned we knew that we were But since there are only a few TSM-8800 couldn’t be better; to mark each signal peak so
pointing to ASTRA 2 but it would transponders stored for each he can store the most popular that it can be directly read in to
also be very practical to be able satellite, this scan is not nearly satellite positions and chan- the analyzer.
to display the received signals as complete compared to a nels so that they can easily be
on the analyzer’s monitor. standard satellite receiver. shown to a customer. It’s becoming clear that the
TSM-8800 would not only be
With the TSM-8800 this When dealing with more Another very practical fea- a useful tool for installers but
isn’t a problem at all, a vari- complex or motorized system ture is the integrated spectrum it would also be very interest-
ety of scan modes are avail- installations, it is especially analyzer. It has the advantage ing for DXers and feedhunters.
able including TP scan, TP-NIT, critical that the signal analyzer of not only graphically display- With just one look an experi-
satellite scan and Blind Scan at used be able to communicate ing the entire frequency spec- enced feed hunter would be
8 MHz intervals and also at 12 with every possible DiSEqC trum but it also makes it easy able to recognize which feed
MHz intervals. Yes, believe it or component. The TSM-8800 can to align the antenna to a spe- frequencies are currently active
not, this signal analyzer comes handle this without any prob- cific satellite or to look for a and with the push of just one
with a Blind Scan mode that lems; it comes integrated with certain transponder. button the desired transpon-
even worked perfectly in our DiSEqC 1.0 for up to four satel- ders would be identified fol-
tests! lites, DiSEqC 1.1 for up to 16 If you regularly install satel- lowed by a full-screen display
satellites as well as DiSEqC 1.2 lite systems, it won’t take long of the feed on the analyzer.
It scans the 950 to 2150 MHz and 1.3 (USALS) for motorized for you to look at the spectrum
frequency range in steps of systems. image of a satellite and be able As soon as an active tran-
either 8 or 12 MHz. It does take to tell which satellite it is. But if sponder has been identified,
time to complete a scan (in Aligning a USALS motorized you haven’t quite mastered the the new 8dtek analyzer imme-
our test a scan in 8 MHz steps system with the 8dtek analyzer spectrum images just yet, the diately blends in additional
on ASTRA 2 took 11 minutes) is actually fun. After entering in TSM-8800 can identify the sat- information such as noise
but it finds everything for you your local geographical position ellite you’re currently pointed offset, C/N, various signal qual-
including some unknown tran- the antenna can be moved to to using the NIT data from a ity values as well as the orbital
sponders. every desired satellite position. valid transponder. position of the current satellite.


To document all the work Another amazing bonus
that has been done, the spec- feature is that TSM-8800 can ENERGY
trum image on the analyzer can indicate MPEG4 SD and HD DIAGRAM
be stored and later recalled if channels, although it is not
needed. able to display those channels
yet. Apparent Power

DVB-T Mode Apparent Active Factor
Finally, we wanted to check Battery Loading 45 W 27 W 0.6
The signal scanning and pro-
out the three RCA jacks on the
cessing with DVB-T is similar
underside of the analyzer a
to DVB-S although the recep-
little more closely.
tion parameters for DVB-T are
Active Power
less plus DVB-T uses a dif-
While the A/V jacks displayed
ferent frequency range. The
video that was helpful to us for
desired DVB-T frequency can
this test report, the end user
be entered manually or it can
would probably not use them
selected from the prepro-
all too much since even with
grammed list.
the remote control, the ana-
lyzer is not a comfortable DVB Expert Opinion
The TSM-8800 can also
receiver. +
supply the necessary power
The TSM-8800 is a handy and reliable analyzer
for an external signal amplifier for digital DVB-S and DVB-T signals. It is con-
On the other hand, the video
directly through the coax cable trolled by a very logical and user-friendly con-
input is very practical; it can be
the parameters of which can structed on-screen display and is shipped from
used for example while install-
be edited in the channel scan the factory with very up-to-date preprogrammed
Thomas Haring
ing larger, motorized antennas
menu. As soon as a signal is data. TELE-satellite
Test Center
that are moved using 36-volt Thanks to the many different settings capabili-
found, the display shows the Austria
actuators. The video from the ties and features, it is easy to adjust any antenna
signal quality and signal level
required positioner can be system.
bar graphs just like in DVB-S
attached here. You can also The spectrum analyzer mode makes it easy to find active fre-
mode.
use this input to display any quencies and is perfect for DXers and feedhunters. The assort-
other CVBS signal on the ana- ment of accessories as well as the excellent user manual clearly
A channel scan can be per-
lyzer. show that the manufacturer always keeps the customer in mind.
formed on a specific transpon-
der or it can be done on the
Thanks to the integrated
-
entire frequency spectrum. The interface to a PC should be via USB
interface to a PC, the analyzer’s
Naturally DVB-T mode also
software can easily be updated
comes with a zoom view with
expanded signal bar graphs as
and since 8dtek is constantly TECHNICAL
working on improving their DATA
well as the display of S/N and
products, they would consis- Distributor 8dtek Technology, Hongkong
BER in numerical form.
tently use this function in order
to add more features to their Email sales@8dtek.com
The analyzer also provides
products. Website www.8dtek.com
information on the FEC and
Model TSM-8800
modulation mode that is being
The transponder and satellite Function DVB Signal Meter with tv monitor for
used. A very practical feature
lists can also be edited on a PC DVB-S and DVB-T
is the ability to show the signal
and in our tests this turned out Display 3.5“ LCD color display
levels from up to eight different
to be no problem at all using an Frequency range 950~2150 MHz (DVB-S) and UHF/VHF (DVB-T)
frequencies at the same time.
MS Windows PC. Unfortunately
This makes it easy to adjust Level range -65 dBm ~ -25 dBm (DVB-S) and -78 ~ -20 dBm (DVB-T)
you need a serial interface for
the antenna so that the high- LNB power supply 13/18V, max. 500 mA
this to work, something you
est possible signal level can be Symbol rate 2~45 Ms/s
might not find on newer PCs or
reached on all of the frequen- DiSEqC Yes (1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 (USALS))
laptops.
cies; it’s an especially impor- Spectral Inversion Auto conversion
tant feature when dealing with Video format 720x576 (PAL), 720x480 (NTSC) & SECAM
Overall though we were quite
multiple frequencies from dif-
Supply voltage 13.3V
thrilled with the TSM-8800. We
ferent broadcasters using one
can’t wait to see what tech- Supply voltage charger 90-240V
antenna.
nological advances will come Li-oN battery 2200 mA

but one thing about digital TV Supplied items Protective case, user guide, mains charging unit,
And just like in DVB-S mode,
reception and its accessories is car charger, PC connection cable, A/V cable
DVB-T signals can be identified
very clear: the competition will Dimension 10.2 x 18 x 3.4 cm
and viewed on the analyzer’s
definitely have their hands full! Net weight 0.72kg
screen.


8dtek

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