GTS-Dart 14KT
Application areas: Satellite antennas, BeiDou portable/vehicle
-mounted wireless terminals, GPS portable/vehicle-mounted wireless terminals
Product Description
General Test Systems (GTS) has launched the DT14KT, a high-performance low-frequency tapered darkroom system, which is more suitable for low-frequency antenna testing than the traditional rectangular darkroom, offering better performance and lower cost and space requirements. It is mainly used to solve the problems of poor antenna directionality, high performance of absorbing materials, high cost of the rectangular darkroom, and limited construction space when testing antennas in the low-frequency band at far field. Through careful design and darkroom simulation, the final amplitude fluctuation and phase taper in the static region meet the expectations of far-field testing. The system was designed using the classical layout of a tapered darkroom, based on equivalent feeds and ray tracing so that the turntable is located in the center of the optimum quiet zone range. The main reflective area on the front wall of the darkroom is made of high-performance absorbing material, thus ensuring the absorption of low-frequency signals.
Product Features
New generation of clean and moisture resistant rigid EPP absorbers
Test software plays a pivotal role in an OTA test system and is critical to the experience of the system and the efficiency of the test. Ruijer® wireless OTA test software is modular in design and integrates several proprietary technologies, supporting international standards such as 3GPP and CTIA and all measurement indicators, and is updated with the upgrading of standards. The software has been proven to be the industry’s leading industrial-grade automated OTA test software in terms of performance, stability, ease of use, and security by a large number of customers in the field.
Raytests® wireless OTA testing software has the following features.
(1) Full range of testing functions
(2) Fast testing speed
(3) Process automation
(4) High safety margin
(5) Customisation of functions
(6) Diversified results
(7) Good user experience
Raytest wireless OTA testing software is fully compatible with the GTS DT range.
Good test performance
The DT14KT darkroom design allows the mirror reflection to occur close to the source antenna, so that the phase difference between the direct and reflected waves is slow to change in the quiet zone, creating a better planar wavefront than a rectangular chamber, especially for the sub-1GHz band. Instead of suppressing the specular reflections caused by the wide beam of the feed antenna at low frequencies, the dark chamber uses the reflections to form a feed array, resulting in a flatter amplitude phase, smaller cone clipping, and a larger static zone, making it more suitable for low-frequency testing of large components under test with higher accuracy.
High testing efficiency
General Test Systems (GTS) has launched the DT14KT, a high-performance low-frequency tapered darkroom system, which is more suitable for low-frequency antenna testing than the traditional rectangular darkroom, offering better performance and lower cost and space requirements. It is mainly used to solve the problems of poor antenna directionality, high performance of absorbing materials, high cost of the rectangular darkroom, and limited construction space when testing antennas in the low-frequency band at far field. Through careful design and darkroom simulation, the final amplitude fluctuation and phase taper in the static region meet the expectations of far-field testing. The system was designed using the classical layout of a tapered darkroom, based on equivalent feeds and ray tracing so that the turntable is located in the center of the optimum quiet zone range. The main reflective area on the front wall of the darkroom is made of high-performance absorbing material, thus ensuring the absorption of low-frequency signals.
Automation testing software
The DT14KT uses Raymond EPP foam, the most advanced fourth-generation absorbent material based on US technology, to absorb waves in the darkroom, which has unparalleled advantages over traditional PU foam. The EPP absorbent foam is made from conductive carbon powder absorbent mixed with EPP resin through a special foaming process, which has the characteristics of high cone strength, no deformation, no odor, no pollution, etc. It is also light, heat insulation, sound insulation, impact resistant, high strength, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly, and has a service life of over 20 years.
Suitable for low frequency testing
When testing low frequencies in conventional darkrooms, the beam width is large and the energy radiated to the side walls is strong, while the absorption performance of absorbing materials is poor at large angles of incidence. However, this can lead to oversized and expensive chambers.
The DT14KT approach to far-field testing differs from conventional darkrooms in that the DT14KT darkroom does not eliminate specular reflections. Instead, the cone shape creates a specular reflection area, which allows the mirror image of the feed source to be closer to the feed source and become part of the irradiation through the specular reflection. The specular area can be used to create irradiation by forming a set of parallel rays incident into the static zone. The final quiet zone amplitude and phase cone are close to the desired values in free space.
High performance test probes
The DTXT series of test probes use General Test Systems’ (GTS) own low-reflection dual polarisation probe antenna. The antenna design is a unique combination of EPP absorbing material and simulation, which allows the antenna and the internal structure of the darkroom to be cleverly integrated, increasing the stability and accuracy of the darkroom measurements. The antenna can operate in the ultra-wide frequency band from 0.2GHz to 2.5GHz, generating orthogonal line polarisation signals to meet the wireless performance testing requirements of low-frequency satellite communications at 0.2GHz, BeiDou positioning and navigation, and most cellular mobile communication devices.
