Sky Speaker Satellite Meter - Hamfest Find

[spongella]

For $5 at a recent ham fest could't pass this one up, The Sky Peaker satellite meter, wonder if anyone knows about this older meter? Checked previous posts here and even got a link to the manual, thanks SatelliteGuys! This meter definitely is bigger, heftier and looks better made than the newer ones I have used. I get a meter swing out of it so it is working. Just wanted to tap the knowledge and experience of others who are familiar with this.

Jewel or junk? Bargain or bummer?

Thanks.

 

[Titanium]

Look to be in excellent condition and well worth $5! Nice find!

Useful for verifying that the LNBF is powering-up and the meter will swing up when the dish is panned across a satellite or any other RF source.

Holding your hand a few inches in front of the feedhorn (to block signals from entering), adjust the sensitivity until the meter registers 10% off the bottom reading. Adjust the dish AZ/EL aiming to approximate calculated satellite coordinates until the meter peaks. Reduce the sensitivity to allow fine tuning for peak reading.

Check the STB signal meter on an active transponder to determine if the dish is aimed at the target satellite or blind scan to see what channels scan in and verify the satellite.

The meter looks at the entire IF range and will be minimal assistance for adjusting the skew, but it will get you in the ballpark. Select the polarity with the attached STB or provide 13Vdc battery voltage for vertical polarity reception or 18Vdc for horizontal.

To power without connecting a STB, you should be able to power the unit with a 9Vdc battery connection to the receiver f-fitting port.

 

[jorgek]

Just one caveat, it probably will not do S2 signals. These broadband meters are great for tweaking dishes/LNBs but you never know exactly what sat you are receiving.

 

[spongella]

Thanks fellas for the information!

 

[Titanium]

The meter works the same no matter what modulation is used. It is an analog meter, so it does not care if the modulation is analog, DVBS, DVBS2. It only detects the carrier and the meter shows the signal strength.