Which Sat meter to buy

[NYDutch]

One advantage I had with the Super Buddy was in the. Maritimes because I could load the Canadian Postal Code database and get the setting cot the WA. The Dish manual does not cover this not dishpointer.com. You have to have the settings even with the cheap meter.

But the DishPointer app should work ok there, since it uses the location and direction using the phone or tablet's built in compass and GPS to overlay the sats on the camera screen along with the dish settings.

 

[Brussam]

But the DishPointer app should work ok there, since it uses the location and direction using the phone or tablet's built in compass and GPS to overlay the sats on the camera screen along with the dish settings.

I just checked DishPointer Pro at my location and the Skew isn't even close. Skew is critical for three satellite lock.

DishPointer is nice for finding holes in the trees.

It looks like the web version has added Postal Codes which was not there when we were in Canada.

 

[NYDutch]

Where I am right now, the Dish eastern arc skew for the 1K4 shown on the DishPointer site is 89.4 degrees, and on the app it shows as -0.6 degrees. If you add/subtract the skew shown on the app to/from 90 degrees, depending on whether it's a plus or minus number, the result is the correct skew. The western arc sats here for instance show a 127.0 degree skew on the web site, and a 37.0 degree skew on the app. As explained in the app instructions (#6 in the Quick Guide):

"Set the LNB or dish skew to the given value. Note that many multi-LNB dishes start their skew at 90 degrees (that's when the dish is not skewed). You would need to add or subtract the skew value given by the app to 90 degrees on such dishes."

 

[HipKat]

Where I am right now, the Dish eastern arc skew for the 1K4 shown on the DishPointer site is 89.4 degrees, and on the app it shows as -0.6 degrees. If you add/subtract the skew shown on the app to/from 90 degrees, depending on whether it's a plus or minus number, the result is the correct skew. The western arc sats here for instance show a 127.0 degree skew on the web site, and a 37.0 degree skew on the app. As explained in the app instructions (#6 in the Quick Guide):

"Set the LNB or dish skew to the given value. Note that many multi-LNB dishes start their skew at 90 degrees (that's when the dish is not skewed). You would need to add or subtract the skew value given by the app to 90 degrees on such dishes."

If your EA Skew is 89.4, then 127 makes sense for WA. In Central Illinois, for example, EA Skew is 70, WA is 120, so you're on the East Coast, I'm guessing?

 

[Brussam]

When I was using the First Strike FS-1, I had to learn the 90 degree offset Dish uses compared to most of the satellite dish settings. The inaccuracy of DishPointer Pro is that the skew number is varying as you try to hold the cross-hairs on the satellite. So much easier to just punch the Zip Code or Postal Code.

I do use an Align-A-Sight that has a periscope with the proper signal path offset that skews with the dish. Just have to remember that 129 is off to right quite a bit when I think I have a hole in the trees.

 

[NYDutch]

If your EA Skew is 89.4, then 127 makes sense for WA. In Central Illinois, for example, EA Skew is 70, WA is 120, so you're on the East Coast, I'm guessing?

Yes, in Vermont at the moment. I do need to correct in error in my previous post though. The WA skew here 127.7 (37.7+90), not "127". Old eyes...

 

[NYDutch]

When I was using the First Strike FS-1, I had to learn the 90 degree offset Dish uses compared to most of the satellite dish settings. The inaccuracy of DishPointer Pro is that the skew number is varying as you try to hold the cross-hairs on the satellite. So much easier to just punch the Zip Code or Postal Code.

I do use an Align-A-Sight that has a periscope with the proper signal path offset that skews with the dish. Just have to remember that 129 is off to right quite a bit when I think I have a hole in the trees.

I normally use the web site to get the numbers, usually while we're at our previous location. But if I need to get them from the app, I steady my phone on something solid that's non-metallic for the skew reading. Being off by a tenth or two usually isn't critical, given that the mount scale isn't that granular anyway.