Satellite Signal Meters

[az99]

Are there any good easy to use signal meters to setup Dish and SWM DTV for under $250?

Thanx

[PatRenee]

I use an app called dish pointer pro... just point to sky and it will show you where sat is in sky... read compass direction and point dish with compass that comes with the signal ,Sat finder meter to tweek the signal... takes me about 5 min to set up... app cost $20 but is a lot better than the free ones...IMO. Total cost less than $50

[edatlanta]

filrupmark wrote:
I loved our baby monitor, worked great. Then we switched to HD and my receiver has no tone. Bummer

Even without a tone you can still see the signal strength screen on the remote monitor. Or, upgrade your receiver. My Genie has a tone again, but I lived without the tone for a long time.

[cpaulsen]

Bought a re-furbished Bird Dog for 2 hundred bucks.....takes me all of 3 minutes to get my Dish programming.

[filrupmark]

I loved our baby monitor, worked great. Then we switched to HD and my receiver has no tone. Bummer

[edatlanta]

I use the built in meter in my sat receiver and a wireless baby monitor. Aim the camera at the TV screen and take the remote outside. Works great.

[TechWriter]

2oldman wrote:

nomad.297 wrote:
Who needs a meter when you have a level and a compass?

Oh hell I just use a sextant and a watch.

Good one -- these threads always bring out the "Dish Whisperers".

[2oldman]

wa8yxm wrote:
It is the antenna pointing page on your Receiver,, The software built into your receiver rivals a thousand dollars plus Birddog it's that good

x2. You don't need another one.

[wa8yxm]

donn0128 wrote:
Birdog is pretty good. However Direct is using a newer meter forr their SWM system. Check ebay for deals.

What he forgot to tell you is thast Bird Dogs sell for a kilo-buck.. USED.

Actually if you are using DISH network there is a very good meter, IN fact it is every bit as good as the professional BirdDog which you already have.. yes, you already have it, though you need a display for it.

It is the antenna pointing page on your Receiver,, The software built into your receiver rivals a thousand dollars plus Birddog it's that good

You need a small portable color TV, battery operated, and some coax and an outside TV connection
Hook TV to outside TV connection, via coax. Set beside tripod. Feed it from the Sat receiver, set receiver to antenna pointing and then aim away.

Hints.. If your target bird is 119 (As it likely should be)_ and the TV shows "Wrong sat, 101" or some such.. Farther west

If it shows "Wrong sat 127" farther east.

That simple.

[2oldman]

nomad.297 wrote:
Who needs a meter when you have a level and a compass?

Oh hell I just use a sextant and a watch.

[nomad_297]

Who needs a meter when you have a level and a compass?

Bruce

[WyoTraveler]

RoyB wrote:
I have no idea what is involved with the new SATELLITE SETUPS.. My old setup uses one of these DISH round platforms which usually ends up setting on the covered hard plastic folding Truck bed cover



Mine has a dual port head and I can wind up two 100-foot lengths of RG cable around the base.

I have one of these cheap SATELLITE FINDERS installed coming off one port and then connect one of the 100 foot RG cables to that to get back to the RV...


By pointing the dish in the approximately southern skies with the gain turn up all the way I can pick up the SAT signal with with ease. Then I start turning back the gain and zeroing in on the signal until I get exactly on it.. Then I can turn off the SATELLITE FINDER and my dish is ready to use. Takes a couple of minutes for me...

Of course this is for standard SAT TV reception and with the two RG cables both feeding a SAt RCVR located at my two TV set locations I can select separate TV stations at both locations.

Couldn't be any simplier.

I stopped bringing my portable SAT DISH and SAT RCVRS from the house however when the National Broadcast went to digital TV in 2009. My OTA BAT WING antenna picks up great full high def TV signals from the local towns just fine... Picture quality much better than standard SAT TV

I'm sure this is NOT what you folks are talking about here haha...

Roy Ken

These cheapo meters do work. I use them with 2 sats but 3 would be with some difficulty. However, you have to know where the sats are and adjust the signal strength between the two sats. I would opt for a better meter.

[2oldman]

Some of us have found success with a hitch camera and the TV screen.

[Carl_n_Susan]

az99 wrote:
Anyone use the Satlook Lite?

I love my Sat Look Lite!!! I have a SWM/Genie/Mini-Genie setup and it is perfect. One of our camping partners bought one and showed the group how it worked. Three more of us ordered one that day. I use it for DirecTV along with two others. There is one Dish user.

The Sat Look Lite positively identifies the 101 satellite. No chance of locking onto one of those irritating nearby imposters. It does not positively identify the 99 and 103 sats but if your skew is anywhere near close, it isn't an issue.

My Dish buddy has a bigger challenge getting setup. His three sats (110, 119, and 129) are much further apart in the sky and consequently a little touchy to get all of them working. The Sat Look Lite *DOES* positively lock on all three to enable maximizing the signal strength of each of them. He tells me it is imperative you start with a dead level stand and vertical antenna post or else you will have problems.

I had used an Accutrac II previously but it didn't lock positively to identify the DirecTV 101 sat. I occasionally wasted some time in setup when I was pointing at the wrong 101 sat. With the Sat Look Lite that doesn't happen. You know when you connect to the DirecTV 101 sat.

The Birddog allegedly positively all three DirecTV sats (99, 101, and 103) but is was priced almost three times as much when I was looking. As I wrote before, once you have 101 peaked, 99 and 103 will be fine if the skew is anywhere close.

[Dutch_12078]

Try using one of those $10 signal meters on a triple LNB dish. That's when you'll start seeing the value in spending a bit more for a meter that ID's which satellites your dish is seeing. One like this SF-500 Digital Sat Meter has worked pretty well for us for several years in setting up our Dish 1000.4 dish, but it's been getting a bit erratic lately, so I'll be following to see what the current recommendations are.

[RoyB]

I have no idea what is involved with the new SATELLITE SETUPS.. My old setup uses one of these DISH round platforms which usually ends up setting on the covered hard plastic folding Truck bed cover



Mine has a dual port head and I can wind up two 100-foot lengths of RG cable around the base.

I have one of these cheap SATELLITE FINDERS installed coming off one port and then connect one of the 100 foot RG cables to that to get back to the RV...


By pointing the dish in the approximately southern skies with the gain turn up all the way I can pick up the SAT signal with with ease. Then I start turning back the gain and zeroing in on the signal until I get exactly on it.. Then I can turn off the SATELLITE FINDER and my dish is ready to use. Takes a couple of minutes for me...

Of course this is for standard SAT TV reception and with the two RG cables both feeding a SAt RCVR located at my two TV set locations I can select separate TV stations at both locations.

Couldn't be any simplier.

I stopped bringing my portable SAT DISH and SAT RCVRS from the house however when the National Broadcast went to digital TV in 2009. My OTA BAT WING antenna picks up great full high def TV signals from the local towns just fine... Picture quality much better than standard SAT TV

I'm sure this is NOT what you folks are talking about here haha...

Roy Ken