Need help! Wife want to get this for me - your thoughts?

There's an app for your smart phone to do that. But that really looks like a fun toy (tool) to have!

This is what I use and it works just fine

If you like to park under shade trees, it's worth it's weight. If you park with no trees, it's worthless. It is not at all a substitute for a signal finder, it's just to shoot through the tree canopy.

frank-2 wrote:
This is what I use and it works just fine

Yes, I've got one of these. Between this and cranking up the volume on the television to hear the difference in tones when I hit the satellite has worked pretty well. We were at one campground where the signal was perfect based on one of these, but nothing would come in on the Television. I ended up leaving the dish set up for 3 days without touching it and for 3 days got no signal. But I never touched it, since it was in the campsite yard and out of the camper, I just left it. The morning we were breaking camp, the wife turned on the television and WHOLAH! Perfect satellite viewing. To this day, I still do not know why we went the entire 4 day week-end with no satellite and the morning we leave it came on. And yes, it was a perfectly completely, tree free, line of site from dish to satellite.

I think it's because my wife remembers that event, and all the cussing and swearing I did that morning that she remembers the most ... and that's why she want to get this for me!

DutchmenSport wrote:

frank-2 wrote:
This is what I use and it works just fine

Yes, I've got one of these. Between this and cranking up the volume on the television to hear the difference in tones when I hit the satellite has worked pretty well. We were at one campground where the signal was perfect based on one of these, but nothing would come in on the Television. I ended up leaving the dish set up for 3 days without touching it and for 3 days got no signal. But I never touched it, since it was in the campsite yard and out of the camper, I just left it. The morning we were breaking camp, the wife turned on the television and WHOLAH! Perfect satellite viewing. To this day, I still do not know why we went the entire 4 day week-end with no satellite and the morning we leave it came on. And yes, it was a perfectly completely, tree free, line of site from dish to satellite.

I think it's because my wife remembers that event, and all the cussing and swearing I did that morning that she remembers the most ... and that's why she want to get this for me!

Sometime I got signals and no TV. Unplug the receiver and plug back in and it works. Has to clear its throat. As I recall it was with SD receivers.

I have held an Align-a-site in my hand and have used it to help spot a clear path, It has several uses that make it very interesting,

FIrst, you enter your zip code in the zip code field on the antenna aming page of your receiver, Then dial the settings into your ALS, Then step outside and holding it so the levels indicate level look through the view finder.. Good view of a TREE, try a different spot.

Now hook it to the dish, again line everythign up (2 bubbles and a compass) and you should have signal. ine tune

Those little in-line analog meters are, in my not very humble opinion, JUNK.

The best meter (the align-a-site is a set up aid, it is not a meter and it's not the "Last word") the best meter,, Well that would be a Bird Dog, but the software in a dish network receiver is every bit as good, and the software in a DirecTV receiver is .. Well, I'd give it about an 8 on where the bird-dog and dish are 10's.

Bottom line here is - and it is proven since your wife went ahead and ordered it -> if your wife likes it and wants to buy it for you, take it, smile, and use it - or the next time you have trouble finding a signal you will never hear the end of it. ;)

powderman426 wrote:
Its the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Is that what you wanted to hear??

My cell phone will do better than that.:B

Nice try, but you obviously don't understand what this device does.

How does your cell phone "PHYSICALLY" position the dish in order to acquire the signal and ensure the dish is level in two planes to acquire the best signal. It might show you where your dish should be pointed, but that still leaves you guessing at focusing/aligning the dish so it picks up the signal from that point in the sky and making sure the dish is level in two planes or the off plane orientation is taken into account. If your dish requires a "skew" value how does your cell phone position the dish physically to that value. The Align-A-Site does all this "PHYSICALLY" with the dish itself and something everyone touting these cell phone apps CAN'T DO.

I have one an think it's well worth the cost and instead of giving you a point in the sky to try and sight the dish on actually performs that siting using the Dish itself, something a cell phone simply can't do.

As mentioned you need some sort of signal indicator for the fine tuning, but most SAT RCVRS have one and there are stand alone meters for that also.

Larry

frank-2 wrote:
This is what I use and it works just fine

That won't tell you where to physically point the dish.

Larry