Setting up extra Dish for camping with the Hopper 3

[lakebum431]

Back in the day you could point a dish at a single satellite without any problems because there were so few satellites up there it made it easy to find the one you wanted and peak on that one. Now a days it's a totally different story with the crowded sky and to get the best alignment and signals from the multiple satellites that the dish points at. Judging from personal experience and the posts all over the internet you're the exception rather than the rule for your pointing prowess.

And please give us a link for this magic meter.

If you say so. Unless something has changed since last spring we can agree to disagree. As I said, it really isn't that hard if you get your numbers right and level the mast. Then a very slow swing left and right and you're there. Nothing magic about the satellite finder I have. It looks very similar to this one, but it is not the exact model. I have had it for a few years and the link from when I bought mine on Amazon is now a dead link. Although it looks like the price has gone up. This one is $7.49 as opposed to the $6.99 I paid.

Amazon product ASIN B000G2EMM4

 

[boba]

There is always somebody who claims they use an $8 meter. Enough said.

Wouldn't it be nice if they still worked? $8 instead of $800.

 

[NYDutch]

Just to clarify, you switch between the arcs by changing the LNBF heads.

Oh certainly... Two screws and two coax, takes about two minutes.

 

[TechWriter]

There is always somebody who claims they use an $8 meter. Enough said.

A Dish Whisperer

 

[NYDutch]

Below are the two meters I own, but the one on the right is the only one I use. For a $50 meter, it does a decent job for my needs. The $10 meter on the left was included with a used dish I bought years ago, but other than hooking it up once to see if it worked at all, I haven't used it.

 

[lakebum431]

There is always somebody who claims they use an $8 meter. Enough said.

There is always somebody who claims that a several hundred dollar meter is the only way to aim a dish reliably.
The reality is that aiming a dish just isn't that hard if you start with a level mast and have the skew set correctly. Enough said...

 

[JSheridan]

 

[NYDutch]

Well, I know I could do the job better and likely faster with a better, but much more expensive meter. On the other hand, for my usage, my meter gets the job done, and it's rare that I don't hit all three sats on either arc the first try as long as I have a good LOS. Shooting through small openings in trees can take a little fussing at times. My meter only locks on the western arc sats though, so the eastern arc can take a little more tweaking to peak it in.

The photo below shows what I had to work with in one Florida location. Surprisingly, even 72.7 was usable, although the signal level was marginal.

 

[JSheridan]

Well, I know I could do the job better and likely faster with a better, but much more expensive meter. On the other hand, for my usage, my meter gets the job done, and it's rare that I don't hit all three sats on either arc the first try as long as I have a good LOS. Shooting through small openings in trees can take a little fussing at times. My meter only locks on the western arc sats though, so the eastern arc can take a little more tweaking to peak it in.

The photo below shows what I had to work with in one Florida location. Surprisingly, even 72.7 was usable, although the signal level was marginal.

IMHO your meter qualifies as a usable meter because you can identify the satellite you're pointing at. It isn't the $8 joke variety and is obviously fine for your uses.

Did it come pre-programmed or did you have to enter the sat specs? Also do you have to update it with any changes?

 

[HipKat]

There is always somebody who claims that a several hundred dollar meter is the only way to aim a dish reliably.
The reality is that aiming a dish just isn't that hard if you start with a level mast and have the skew set correctly. Enough said...

Actually it IS necessary to do limit scans on different transponders to make sure they're all peaked in, all picking up signal, plus testing dBM's at various points in the cabling, setting them for different LNBF's and Switches, testing for LNB Drift and about 50 other things. if a $10.00 meter was good enough, why would Dish spend hundreds on meters for the techs? "Good enough" is NOT good enough.

 

[NYDutch]

IMHO your meter qualifies as a usable meter because you can identify the satellite you're pointing at. It isn't the $8 joke variety and is obviously fine for your uses.

Did it come pre-programmed or did you have to enter the sat specs? Also do you have to update it with any changes?

It came with the North American DBS and FTA sats pre-programmed, but I deleted a bunch of them that I didn't need to make the settings I wanted quicker to access. The sat listings are fully editable, but I haven't had to do it so far. I see what appears to be the same meter on eBay now, for $60-$70, but I don't know what sats they're set up for.

 

[lakebum431]

Actually it IS necessary to do limit scans on different transponders to make sure they're all peaked in, all picking up signal, plus testing dBM's at various points in the cabling, setting them for different LNBF's and Switches, testing for LNB Drift and about 50 other things. if a $10.00 meter was good enough, why would Dish spend hundreds on meters for the techs? "Good enough" is NOT good enough.

For a mobile, temp setup, "good enough" is good enough. It only needs to work for the next 6-12 hours for tailgating. As I said, I've done this for many seasons and never had an issue. Also did it at my lake house early this year when I had to move the dish and it works just fine (no loss of signal except in a terrible storm). But hey, whatever makes you feel better about the "skill" needed to aim is fine by me.

 

[NYDutch]

For a mobile, temp setup, "good enough" is good enough. It only needs to work for the next 6-12 hours for tailgating. As I said, I've done this for many seasons and never had an issue. Also did it at my lake house early this year when I had to move the dish and it works just fine (no loss of signal except in a terrible storm). But hey, whatever makes you feel better about the "skill" needed to aim is fine by me.

There's a big difference between the requirements for professional permanent dish installations versus the temporary "good enough" installations mobile RV'ers and tailgaters can get away with. For one, we're not under the same time constraints that a pro would be with other calls waiting, where having the proper tools to get it right in the least amount of time is obviously more important. Then again, rushing to get my dish set up in time for my wife's soap opera can be stressful at times as well...

 

[charlesrshell]

There's a big difference between the requirements for professional permanent dish installations versus the temporary "good enough" installations mobile RV'ers and tailgaters can get away with. For one, we're not under the same time constraints that a pro would be with other calls waiting, where having the proper tools to get it right in the least amount of time is obviously more important. Then again, rushing to get my dish set up in time for my wife's soap opera can be stressful at times as well...

I understand the wife's soap opera stressful times!

 

[Brussam]

Early on when I had two tripods to setup (Dish and HughesNet) I found having good tools took what used to be hours down to the time for the Boss to finish vacuuming the RV. And setting up tripods 40-50 times a year is not a hobby.

I have played with all the toys, the cheap meter, aluminum foil, Acutrac 22 Pro meter, First Strike FS-1 meter, and now the Super Buddy 29 and I know what works. The game changer was the Hopper 3 and Hybrid LNBFs. The FS-1 and the Acutrac 22 Pro didn't work with the Hybrids so I serious question when someone says the $8 meter works with a Hybrid LNBF. And since the Hopper 3 needs the dish to be pretty much in range before the Signal Meter will work, so much for loud speakers and baby monitors.

 

[dweber]

Back in 2000-2005 when I had a Dish 500 and a SW21 switch, it would take me 15-30 minutes to aim a Dish. My son would be watching the signal strength on the TV inside. Now I leave it to the professionals who have the correct tools. Unfortunately not all of the Dish installers are as good as J Sheridan or Hipkat. You might remember that it took 5 visits where they kept replacing the LNB and the DPH42 switch before they found that the coax between my DPH42 switch in the basement and the outside ground block was bad.
The meters that the Dish installers have are capable of checking the Db signal loss at various points. I am confident that J Sheridan or Hipkat would have diagnosed the problem sooner.


Sent from my iPad using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[Claude Greiner]

There is always somebody who claims that a several hundred dollar meter is the only way to aim a dish reliably.
The reality is that aiming a dish just isn't that hard if you start with a level mast and have the skew set correctly. Enough said...

When you do these jobs every day, you really need s good meter

 

[lakebum431]

When you do these jobs every day, you really need s good meter

Totally agree with that. But the OP is asking about an extra dish for camping.