Will any satellite finder do or should I spend $?
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Welcome to FTA. No I would not really fool with those. They are nice to sorta have to see that you are in the general area, but not of much more use. You best bet is to take your receiver and a small TV out to the dish and you the receiver as a satellite finder. If you do want to invest in a meter, and all you will be doing is FTA, you need nothing more than some like this a Sathero meter.
This will do what you want and is programmable via computer or on the fly out at the dish. Very nice meter for the cost. Though as I said your receiver makes a good meter, at least to get you started out. Then later if you decide to stay in this hobby you can buy more. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any more questions that you have.
This will do what you want and is programmable via computer or on the fly out at the dish. Very nice meter for the cost. Though as I said your receiver makes a good meter, at least to get you started out. Then later if you decide to stay in this hobby you can buy more. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any more questions that you have.
I have a cheap but old RCA meter that I use because my Ku dish is up on the roof. It would be really difficult without something up with me on the roof to get any sat. It gets me close and then its up and down the ladder to fine tune using the STB but the meter helps as a go-back reference when I overcorrect. My problem with a more expensive meter is I'm not sure that I could physically adjust the dish set up for elevation or azimuth in fine enough adjustments to take advantage of the better metering and who knows if my mast is even true enough vertical or not. At the end of the day its the picture on the screen and the STB Q bars that I count on and if it fit means more ups and downs on the ladder, oh well. For me $9 is worth it for home users like us but not much more than that.
I seem to be in the minority when ever the topic is brought up but I think they are a great little tool. There are plenty of threads here with new users who wasted an hour or more getting a signal when they could have been done in 10 minutes if they had a meter. Also unless you are dealing with a trusted brand the elevation numbers stamped on a dish can be way off. With the meter those numbers barely matter. Just put your hands on the dish and move it until the meter jumps or squeals louder. Over time you will get a gut feel for where the arc is if you install more dishes and it will become less valueable. I still use mine especially when I am experimenting with modified dishes.
The only downside to them is that you are likely to be fooled by neighboring more powerful satellites. If you use one to find 97w the first time you will probably land on 95w or 101w. This is where bringing out a small TV and receiver to the dish is necessary to dial it in.
The only downside to them is that you are likely to be fooled by neighboring more powerful satellites. If you use one to find 97w the first time you will probably land on 95w or 101w. This is where bringing out a small TV and receiver to the dish is necessary to dial it in.
I agree with oblio, toucan-man, and Bob2011. I have a cheap meter and have used it to find a satellite. It does have the benefits of knowing when you have 'hit' on a signal. You can even roughly 'peak' the dish on the signal. But, you don't know what satellite you are on. For me, just finding something is great to get a start. If it is the wrong satellite, it is easy to move to what you want, once you use an STB to determine which satellite you are on.
I like the cheap meter. I hand held a dish and got a lock on 97W, just swept the sky until the meter did its beepy thing. Beyond that it's of little value. I still bring the receiver and tv set out to the dish, or the proposed location of the dish, and just use the meter as a quick and dirty indicator. The DSF-120 is what I have.
Apsinkus,
As you can read there is a great deal of different thoughts on the subject. I agree with most of them. I first took the equipement out to the dish. A real drag. Then I bought one of the small meters and it helped to some extent. Better than the drag equipement out. Then purchased a much better one and really enjoy the advanced capablities of the better meter. All methods work, some better than others. The same way a small cheap car will get you down the road where the $$$$ car will do it in luxury. It all depends on what you want to spend.
As you can read there is a great deal of different thoughts on the subject. I agree with most of them. I first took the equipement out to the dish. A real drag. Then I bought one of the small meters and it helped to some extent. Better than the drag equipement out. Then purchased a much better one and really enjoy the advanced capablities of the better meter. All methods work, some better than others. The same way a small cheap car will get you down the road where the $$$$ car will do it in luxury. It all depends on what you want to spend.
Meters? Well, I did finally buy one of those "cheapie" ones like you mentioned and I have used it with some degree of success but in the end, the more you learn about setting up/aiming a dish, the less you need a meter. If I'm going to make adjustments now I just get on the cell phone then have the Wife relay info to me from the TV.
Question, what kind of dish are you looking to put up? My last dish was a local BUD "transplant", ie, it was originally setup 4 miles from me so the declination and elevation were very close to begin with. The 10footer I have was moved 15 miles East of it's original install and I moved that one, set it on the post then ran it via the 4DTV receiver to a far West satellite. Then I turned the dish on the post until it peaked on that West satellite and it stayed that way for about 10 years before I ever did anything else with it. Once I got into FTA and wanted to go back further East, I did have to tweak on it a bit to get back to 40W.
So if the "cheapie" meter is only $10, what's the problem? If you're into this hobby for the long haul, that $10 will amount to no more than a pimple on an elephant's butt in a year or two as right now I have 7 receivers, two BUDs and I've been considering putting up an offset dish for Ku only! ;-) Do the math, I'd probably be better off money wise with a basic pizza package but hey, I wouldn't have anywhere near this much fun! ;-)
Question, what kind of dish are you looking to put up? My last dish was a local BUD "transplant", ie, it was originally setup 4 miles from me so the declination and elevation were very close to begin with. The 10footer I have was moved 15 miles East of it's original install and I moved that one, set it on the post then ran it via the 4DTV receiver to a far West satellite. Then I turned the dish on the post until it peaked on that West satellite and it stayed that way for about 10 years before I ever did anything else with it. Once I got into FTA and wanted to go back further East, I did have to tweak on it a bit to get back to 40W.
So if the "cheapie" meter is only $10, what's the problem? If you're into this hobby for the long haul, that $10 will amount to no more than a pimple on an elephant's butt in a year or two as right now I have 7 receivers, two BUDs and I've been considering putting up an offset dish for Ku only! ;-) Do the math, I'd probably be better off money wise with a basic pizza package but hey, I wouldn't have anywhere near this much fun! ;-)
Falls under the old saying, "What seperates the men from the boys is the price of their toys" Since aiming the dish is usually a "once done and forget it" people don't invest a lot into that part of the hobby. So the more you do it the more you appreciate better tools. 
As you can tell from the above posts, there are many factors and opinions about meters. It can depend on where your dishes are located (roof, ground, distance from house, etc.) and whether you can take a TV out to the dish to do the pointing with your receiver.
One other consideration is the receiver you have. For example, I would never use my AZBox to do anything other than peak a signal (usually for S-2 signals) on a satellite I already have locked on. The meter is a thin line and the quality numbers are too small, especially on the 13 inch TV I use out at the dishes. Even when peaking for S-2 signals, I constantly have to go up and down the ladder to check the numbers for that extra point or two, or take the TV up to the roof (for some of the dishes I can't reach by ladder).
One time when just adding an extra LNB to a dish I tried to use the AZBox, and eventually gave up as it wasn't locking on a signal and when I did a blind scan it didn't find anything or even give a hint that I was close (and it takes a long time to blind scan). I eventually used my Pansat, which has a nice big meter with readable numbers, even when I am on the roof and the TV is on the ground! As well, when you do a blind scan, if you are close to getting a signal, but not quite strong enough to get it, it will hesitate in the scan, showing you that you are close. Found the satellite in minutes with the Pansat (and I wasn't that far off it in the first place, but with the AZBox I could have been up there for a long time trying to find it).
One other consideration is the receiver you have. For example, I would never use my AZBox to do anything other than peak a signal (usually for S-2 signals) on a satellite I already have locked on. The meter is a thin line and the quality numbers are too small, especially on the 13 inch TV I use out at the dishes. Even when peaking for S-2 signals, I constantly have to go up and down the ladder to check the numbers for that extra point or two, or take the TV up to the roof (for some of the dishes I can't reach by ladder).
One time when just adding an extra LNB to a dish I tried to use the AZBox, and eventually gave up as it wasn't locking on a signal and when I did a blind scan it didn't find anything or even give a hint that I was close (and it takes a long time to blind scan). I eventually used my Pansat, which has a nice big meter with readable numbers, even when I am on the roof and the TV is on the ground! As well, when you do a blind scan, if you are close to getting a signal, but not quite strong enough to get it, it will hesitate in the scan, showing you that you are close. Found the satellite in minutes with the Pansat (and I wasn't that far off it in the first place, but with the AZBox I could have been up there for a long time trying to find it).
Anybody have any experience with the Satlink WS-6906? Just saw one on ebay listed for around $130.00
I have one spare coax going out to the dish(s). It's connected to my in-house distribution. Just have to have the little battery powered TV with me, set to the FTA channel*, to watch the Q. The *S9 is feeding A/V into a freq-agile modulator. If needed, I bring out the IR Extender, plugged into an inverter, and the S9 remote.
expensive meters might be fine for installers
squealer meters are good if used correctly
if you have a receiver that beeps when it gets signal get a cheap pair of those walkie talkies that families use or a multi handset cordless telephone with intercom function and put one handset with you. and the other next to your tv speaker
Regardless avoid the "is there a signal yet" yelling method if you value your spouse/family relationship
squealer meters are good if used correctly
if you have a receiver that beeps when it gets signal get a cheap pair of those walkie talkies that families use or a multi handset cordless telephone with intercom function and put one handset with you. and the other next to your tv speaker
Regardless avoid the "is there a signal yet" yelling method if you value your spouse/family relationship
I have the Satlink WS-6908. Its more convenient than bringing out a portable TV and receiver and more accurate than a squealing meter. It also has its faults. Difficult to see from sky glare, the bit error rate reading is slow to update, its generally awkward to use, I cant figure out how to rearrange satellites in the menu.
Up till the last few weeks, I had nothing to aim my Dish with..It was a bear going back and forth dozens of times over an hour or more.And once you got a signal, tweaking was hard..Had to make sure you didnt lose what you had..From a friend giving me a used Openbox s9 recently, I could use my old Fortec Star Receiver as a meter..Much much better and less time consming. Seems that a decent meter and a cheap receiver would cost the same and do the same thing..I may get a Meter down the line but only If I know it will work right..
Ok this post got me thinking about meters and doing some research. Does anyone know the difference between the FS1 First Strike 1 L series and the Tracker Light OTM500 they both look like the same meter. (Even the descriptions are the same)
For a backyard DIY dish farmer, nothing beats a Coolsat 5000 SD receiver for a meter!
However, if you are an installer for any of the pay service providers and doing some FTA hobbying on the side, then the SuperBuddy series meters from Applied Instruments are a must!
I own a SuperBuddy meter (the original or first model) and I just LOVE it! I bought it for my own FTA hobby... more as a toy, but have found it useful to repeak my friend's DN or DirecTV dishes after a storm or when they had to have their roof's repaired. I also used it for my WildBlue dish. It paid for itself in the sheer enjoyment that I received.
Of course I don't attempt to compete with or encroach on any of the local businesses or their service techs livliehood. I am not out to take money away from any of the guys and gals that install or service paid provider services, I just help clean up little messes and keep my friends happy.
RADAR
However, if you are an installer for any of the pay service providers and doing some FTA hobbying on the side, then the SuperBuddy series meters from Applied Instruments are a must!
I own a SuperBuddy meter (the original or first model) and I just LOVE it! I bought it for my own FTA hobby... more as a toy, but have found it useful to repeak my friend's DN or DirecTV dishes after a storm or when they had to have their roof's repaired. I also used it for my WildBlue dish. It paid for itself in the sheer enjoyment that I received.
Of course I don't attempt to compete with or encroach on any of the local businesses or their service techs livliehood. I am not out to take money away from any of the guys and gals that install or service paid provider services, I just help clean up little messes and keep my friends happy.
RADAR
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