Review of new Tracker Light OTM 500 Meter
I decided to go SWM on my new rig and found that the old cheapo meter would no longer work. After looking at different meters I decided to try the Tracker Light from SatPro here.. This meter is SWM ...
Forum Discussion
I thought resurrecting this old thread worthwhile as others might discover it using Google, and would be interested in a current review of the OTM500.
I'll second the OP's positive comments regarding the Tracker Light meter and disagree with Schneid's negative opinion.
I used an Acutrac Pro 22 for several years to set up a tripod mounted SWM-3 Directv dish. The 22 died recently. I replaced it with the OTM500 (v3.0). The new version of the meter powers the SWM LNB independently of the power inserter. The dish can be aligned with only the meter connected to it. The SatPro website lists several parameters for the 101 satellite, each with a different LNB frequency. I programmed all of them into the meter and found one that worked with my LNB. With the dish aimed at the proper azimuth and skewed, it was easy to zero in on the satellite, as the meter beeps become more rapid as signal strength increases. Using the dithering screws, I was able to maximize the Q (quality) bar graph on the meter. In less than 10 minutes (not counting the time it took to determine which of the several parameters was correct for my LNB, and also hitting the Dish satellite early on) I had signal strengths in the upper 90s for most of the 101 transponders and in the 70s and 80s for the 99 and 103 transponders.
I'll second the OP's positive comments regarding the Tracker Light meter and disagree with Schneid's negative opinion.
I used an Acutrac Pro 22 for several years to set up a tripod mounted SWM-3 Directv dish. The 22 died recently. I replaced it with the OTM500 (v3.0). The new version of the meter powers the SWM LNB independently of the power inserter. The dish can be aligned with only the meter connected to it. The SatPro website lists several parameters for the 101 satellite, each with a different LNB frequency. I programmed all of them into the meter and found one that worked with my LNB. With the dish aimed at the proper azimuth and skewed, it was easy to zero in on the satellite, as the meter beeps become more rapid as signal strength increases. Using the dithering screws, I was able to maximize the Q (quality) bar graph on the meter. In less than 10 minutes (not counting the time it took to determine which of the several parameters was correct for my LNB, and also hitting the Dish satellite early on) I had signal strengths in the upper 90s for most of the 101 transponders and in the 70s and 80s for the 99 and 103 transponders.
