Can anyone help me use my Acutrac 22 Plus more effecitvly? I can't seem to find the signal I'm looking for most of the time with it. Is this thing a piece of crap or am I just not doing something right?
Acutrac 22 Plus help
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It can effectively keep a door propped open or as a tire block to keep the install van from rolling away ..... 
Seriously though, the Acutrac 22 Plus is a handy tool, but it is limited in capabilities. It will tell you when you are on a satellite with the Signal Level readings, but not which satellite you are pointed at. They are handy when testing an 22KHz switch, current draw on a LNBF, testing a coax, or roughing in a Dish Network (DBS) / DirecTV (DSS) dish.
Because it will not provide confirmation of which satellite you are aimed at or Signal Quality readings, it is not very useful in aiming or peaking a FSS signal.
Seriously though, the Acutrac 22 Plus is a handy tool, but it is limited in capabilities. It will tell you when you are on a satellite with the Signal Level readings, but not which satellite you are pointed at. They are handy when testing an 22KHz switch, current draw on a LNBF, testing a coax, or roughing in a Dish Network (DBS) / DirecTV (DSS) dish.
Because it will not provide confirmation of which satellite you are aimed at or Signal Quality readings, it is not very useful in aiming or peaking a FSS signal.
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I have to disagree about the Acutrac 22.
When I started in FTA the combination of the Acutrac and a STB receiver was all I needed. Now I've integrated my wicked bench spectrum analyzer and a complex array of receivers, some of which I can remotely monitor and make very accurate SNR measurements while at my dishes using a laptop. But the Acutrac is always hooked up first and does almost all of the high-level adjustments. It's fast, simple and reliable. When I need to make a refined measurement or verify which satellite I'm on, I'll use the other stuff.
I've looked at fancier meters, but they are awfully pricey for amateur use. I'm sure a professional might find them handy, but on the other hand I can pretty much hit almost any FSS or DSS bird by eye or with a compass at worst. I can't see spending that kind of money when the Acutrac does everything I need in a much more palatably-sized package. It's been dropped, abused, rained on and subjected to other tortures, but it keeps on going.
OP didn't give much detail on their problems, so it's hard to know where to start. As long as the meter isn't defective, it may simply be pointing the dish in the wrong place or having the feed badly adjusted.
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When I started in FTA the combination of the Acutrac and a STB receiver was all I needed. Now I've integrated my wicked bench spectrum analyzer and a complex array of receivers, some of which I can remotely monitor and make very accurate SNR measurements while at my dishes using a laptop. But the Acutrac is always hooked up first and does almost all of the high-level adjustments. It's fast, simple and reliable. When I need to make a refined measurement or verify which satellite I'm on, I'll use the other stuff.
I've looked at fancier meters, but they are awfully pricey for amateur use. I'm sure a professional might find them handy, but on the other hand I can pretty much hit almost any FSS or DSS bird by eye or with a compass at worst. I can't see spending that kind of money when the Acutrac does everything I need in a much more palatably-sized package. It's been dropped, abused, rained on and subjected to other tortures, but it keeps on going.
OP didn't give much detail on their problems, so it's hard to know where to start. As long as the meter isn't defective, it may simply be pointing the dish in the wrong place or having the feed badly adjusted.
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I like that meter too. It's small but can do a lot. It can't identify what sat you are pointed at, but you aren't going to find a meter that does that unless you spend hundreds of dollars.
Don't get me wrong, I own an Accutrac, carry it as part of my tool kit and it is useful for the reasons given previously. Is it a meter that I would choose to take on an install as my only meter? No.... Could I find a satellite along with an inclinometer and sighting compass? Yes.... Could I adjust the LNBF skew? NO .... Could I peak the Signal Quality? No ....
Without using other tools such as the satellite receiver's SL / SQ meter, portable meter with BER / SNR / SQ, or a spectrum analyzer, the Accutrac is just a digital signal strength meter that tells me that the dish is aimed at a satellite. Performs as well as any $10 - $20 analog meter for locating a satellite.
Most satellite receivers Signal Level and Signal Quality meters provide more information and are more useful, especially for the inexperienced individual.
An example is when aiming at AMC4 KU @ 101W. The Accutrac will indicate the signal is peaked when aimed slightly to the west of AMC4, but it is not identifying that the dish is actually being peaked on the DirecTV DSS bird and not AMC4 FSS which are co-located in the same orbital slot.
We all have our favorite tools and we use what we can justify and afford to own.
Without using other tools such as the satellite receiver's SL / SQ meter, portable meter with BER / SNR / SQ, or a spectrum analyzer, the Accutrac is just a digital signal strength meter that tells me that the dish is aimed at a satellite. Performs as well as any $10 - $20 analog meter for locating a satellite.
Most satellite receivers Signal Level and Signal Quality meters provide more information and are more useful, especially for the inexperienced individual.
An example is when aiming at AMC4 KU @ 101W. The Accutrac will indicate the signal is peaked when aimed slightly to the west of AMC4, but it is not identifying that the dish is actually being peaked on the DirecTV DSS bird and not AMC4 FSS which are co-located in the same orbital slot.
We all have our favorite tools and we use what we can justify and afford to own.
We are probably in violent agreement. The main difference is you have to carry your instrumentation to the field and a high-end sat meter saves you time and money.
Most of the FTA community represented here works on their embedded systems. At that point the question is whether to spend a lot of money on a better meter, or invest it elsewhere in their FTA system. For the price difference in meters, one can get or upgrade to some pretty nice receivers. Coupled with a cheap meter, that combo can do about as well as the expensive meter, although it will be less convenient and will probably take longer. The real benefit comes when you're not outside tweaking dishes, because a more capable receiver keeps on giving, while a nice meter sits on the shelf.
On the other extreme, I looked at the high-end meters, and frankly they would not work as well as my bench equipment and the Linux-based system I have set up. When you're used to working on a high-end spectrum analyzer, the ones in the high-end meters feel like junk and don't tell you much of what's going on. But I could never take my stuff into the field.
Most of the FTA community represented here works on their embedded systems. At that point the question is whether to spend a lot of money on a better meter, or invest it elsewhere in their FTA system. For the price difference in meters, one can get or upgrade to some pretty nice receivers. Coupled with a cheap meter, that combo can do about as well as the expensive meter, although it will be less convenient and will probably take longer. The real benefit comes when you're not outside tweaking dishes, because a more capable receiver keeps on giving, while a nice meter sits on the shelf.
On the other extreme, I looked at the high-end meters, and frankly they would not work as well as my bench equipment and the Linux-based system I have set up. When you're used to working on a high-end spectrum analyzer, the ones in the high-end meters feel like junk and don't tell you much of what's going on. But I could never take my stuff into the field.
Actually, for the hobbyist or first timer, I don't recommend any meter. The meter that is built into the receiver will be superior to most basic and intermediate meters.
You are correct! Invest in a good receiver. Add a small portable TV and you have everything that you need!
You are correct! Invest in a good receiver. Add a small portable TV and you have everything that you need!
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