# satellite finders/meters



## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Bought this piece of crap off eBay that's basically a pointer bouncing around randomly while you get deafened by this high pitched noise now and again. Had it out and tried working with it about five times, but no joy (all the parts - LNB, dish, cabling, all functioning correctly).

The real problem is we have one of the silver Pace digiboxes that doesn't show signal quality until it's spot on (Pace and Grundig have done this with a few of their models apparently, according to that satelliteforcaravans website).

So I'm thinking of buying a more precise meter. Has anyone bought a decent one, and it does it give you the results you were looking for?


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Stormy,

Yes. Yes.
http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page6.htm#meter

Dave


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Hi Dave. That looks exactly like the one I already have!

I'm looking for one that tells you with LEDs or an LCD screen when you have an exact lock on a satellite. I don't get on particularly well with these needle type ones!


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Then I can't help, as I have difficulty understanding your difficulty. 

I'd rather have a sensitive analogue meter telling me at every instant whether my signal is getting stronger or weaker as I systematically move the dish, than a fancy bit of electronics telling me to keep on trying because I'm not there yet ....

Dave


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Roadpro do a LED one (got one with a system I bought from them) it's called a zehender satellite finder,..search here http://www.roadpro.co.uk/productsItem.asp about £35.00 I think with patch leads.

(tip) Don't leave it connected in-line when raining! :lol:


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## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi all

With a compass and the instructions from David Sullivans site its easy, Even the compass is overkill if you use a watch to find south.

http://www.satelliteforcaravans.info/

George


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

George,

Some digiboxes, including Stormywether's, do not have a friendly signal strength display.

One of the beauties of a manual tripod dish is you can park in shade, but have 20m of cable, say, to a clear view of the satellite. Having learned the hard way in such a situation, a satellite meter at the LNB is worth its weight in gold.

David Sullivan is rather "anti" satellite meters, for reasons I have never been able to fathom.

Dave


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## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Dave

You dont need a signal strength meter at all, read the instructions through and you will see what I mean.

George


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

George,

Perhaps we are talking at cross purposes. Here's one last go:

I have read, printed out and used David Sullivan's instructions in anger all over France. For my own digibox, they are fine IF I can see the TV from where the dish is. In my experience this was the exception, rather than the rule, partly because of the pitch layout in relation to the line-of-sight from dish to TV, partly because I parked in shade and needed to get the dish away from the van for a clear view of the satellite. Trying to get my wife to audibly relay the movement in on-screen signal strength as I move the dish is not a recipe I recommend for a harmonious rest of the day.

Certain digiboxes, Pace and Grundig among them, prevent David Sullivan's method, a point Stormy has already mentioned and Sullivan himself concedes:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/de.sullivan/meterneeded.htm

Finally, even David Sullivan is now softening towards meters. His own words are:
"Because the dish has to be aimed both horizontally and vertically, a signal meter will help in getting it in the right general direction, and you can then concentrate on watching the TV screen for the correct digital readout. A meter will not guarantee you a signal but in conjunction with my technique, it can definitely help. Indeed a few people do have problems getting a signal and I would hate anyone to journey across the English Channel and then have difficulty using my technique. So my recommendation now, especially as prices have recently dropped to rather less extortionate levels, is that it might now be worth buying a meter as a fallback."

"There is another argument in favour of buying one. Some people have reported a problem with Pace and Grundig digiboxes, a problem which effectively makes my technique for aiming the dish inoperable. If you want the full details, they're here. It isn't a universal problem by any means and except for the Pace Javelin Minibox which appears to be generally affected, I now think it's probably a hardware fault in a few isolated digiboxes. Nevertheless, unless you know for sure that your digibox is working OK, it's probably better to take the safe option and buy a meter."

Dave


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## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Dave

Yes sorry just read through, it doesnt cover all models.

George


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Cheers Dave - I really appreciate your help here!

The meter you recommended seems to have a "high" option that mine does not - don't know whether that would make much difference.

The main problem I seem to have is that whenever the meter registers (with both its annoying high pitch/dog scarer and the needle) that I've got the satellite pretty spot on, I'm inevitably supporting the dish slightly so when I let go, the dish lowers itself (I think they call it gravity!) a bit and loses that perfect angle.

Any solutions to that?


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

As to the 22kHz tone and what it does (making it easier picking out the Sky digital satellite cluster), see:
http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/satmeter.htm

As to dish positioning, you need to tighten everything just enough so that it takes physical effort to move it, but when moved static friction keeps it in place. Take care when final tightening so that you don't move the dish too much. The bigger the dish, the narrower the beamwidth, so the more accurate the positioning has to be.

As you peak the signal by moving the dish, at full scale deflection reduce the gain by turning the meter sensitivity knob anticlockwise, and continue peaking the signal. Use the meter reading or the audible tone according to preference.

Dave


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

After reading through this post I decided to have a play with my Dish and digibox setup. Glad that I did, could not get any readings on screen whatsoever (have read through http://www.satelliteforcaravans.info/). Read through again and wondered if my connections were faulty, so tried again using digibox from the house. Managed to get a signal strength indicator but nothing else, at least now I know that the connections are all ok.
Big problem that I have got is that both my van digibox and the house one are both Pace and Grundig respectively.
Looks like I need one of those meter thingies, the question that I have got is how and where do you install it. Once you have got your dish aligned do you then remove it, if so what do you do with the connections to keep them waterproof. :scratch: 
Sorry to appear a bit thick never come across this sort of thing before though. :-k

Chris

Glad I found all this out at home and not in the middle of a camp site, as I am sure it would of made great entertainment for the other campers :!: :!:


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Halle-flippin-lujah!

Sorry Chris, but you've just made my day our kid!

I was honestly starting to get paranoid that I was just bloody rubbish at getting a signal - that my digibox was absolutely fine, but that I was doing something completely wrong. Your post has reassured me that all MAY be well, but I just need to get used to the meter.

Right, you've inspired me to get the whole lot out when we get to Moreton at the weekend, and stick at it until Ant and Dec turn up on the screen or something.

Incidentally Chris, I'd be very interested to find out how you end up with a signal! I fully expect that you'll be there before I am!

EDIT - sorry Chris, I should explain how you connect these satellite meters - you basically connect one end with a piece of cable (provided) to your LNB/dish, and the other end connects to your coax that would normally fit straight into the connector at the LNB. It's like a mediator, in tech speak!

Ergo the digibox powers the meter. The one I bought was from someone called scottishkelpie on eBay - do a search for "satellite meter". I think it cost £12. That said, it might be rubbish! I wouldn't know - I can't get a signal!


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

What type of digibox do you have stormy?

I don't get any signal strength on the tv screen with the Pace digibox i bought for the motorhome, but I did get one with the digibox from the house (grundig). But i didn't manage to get it locked on to a satellite.
If you read up on the site - www.satelliteforcaravans.info - it explains all the problems/pitfalls and what you can do to rectify them.

Hope this helps, sorry if you have already read it !
Chris


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Chris, I've got one of those new-fangled silver Pace ones (they're really quite small). No signal quality or the other bar whatsoever. You have to get it spot on and then power it off for 30 seconds and then reboot it apparently.

A bit of a pain, to be honest. Thinking about getting another box and flogging this one.


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Yeah, I considered doing that today too, would probably make things alot easier

Good luck with it

Chris


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

*What make is yours*

Anyone with a sky digibox that can tune it in using the on screen signal strength menu, what make of digibox have you got?

Just been looking on ebay, thinking of selling the Pace one we have got and getting a different model !

Chris


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Chris, the one thing you should be aware of if you buy another box...

You have two options:

1. Either buy a free to view card (you can find details on that satelliteforcaravans website - or get one off eBay) that costs about £20 that lets you get the basic channels plus all the Sky tosh

2. Register your existing Sky viewing card - that may have all the premium channels on it such as the soccer and movies - on the second digibox by calling Sky customer services.

What you can't do is simply put your card in the second box. Effectively the Sky viewing card you have in the first box, is tied to the first box.

I found this out before buying a second box. The dilemma is, the missus wants to watch Prem Plus while we're away which means reregistering the existing Sky card - but then I'm left with this Pace box sat gathering dust. Or I flog it...


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

With a meter, the signal strength on your digibox is not needed, and as I have said, installing a dish out of line-of-sight/ readability of the TV screen merits a meter to keep one's sanity anyway.

I know you chaps have been following David Sullivan's instructions, but it is worth pointing out the following wrinkle, even though it is on that site. Especially when manually locating the satellite for the first time, impatience and uncertainty often leads to moving the dish far more than the strict method recommends. If in so doing the digibox sees another satellite cluster first, the network ID and transport stream will be different from the required 0002 and 07d4 respectively, and *you will need to power off the digibox for 30sec* to get anywhere after that.

HTH,

Dave


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

I do appreciate your help, Dave, but to be honest you're a fair bit further along the line than me and Chris. And in the words of John McEnroe, surely you can't be serious when you say the signal quality bar on the digibox isn't strictly necessary?!?!

It shows you that you're nearly there, for goodness sake! It's what us newbies need as a moral booster when we've been stood outside in the pouring rain for over an hour trying to make the most minute adjustments to the satellite almost "blind" (okay the meter's screaming and you think you've hit gold, but until your digibox agrees with you it means squat).

As said Dave, don't think I'm knocking your advice, but see it from our point of view as well!

:lol:

EDIT: And if Chris' Pace box is the same as mine, you don't even get Network ID registering on the box until it's spot on, and after you've powered down for 30 seconds... madness, I tells ya.

Bagsie a Panasonic or Sony box next time the fools from Sky come around...


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

> surely you can't be serious when you say the signal quality bar on the digibox isn't strictly necessary?!?!


Um, yes, with a meter, and I'm afraid it's not just me, Stormy, either. Network ID/Transport Stream is all you need to check. See 3rd para of: 
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/de.sullivan/meterneeded.htm
which is what you've both already read.

Anyway, I'm obviously missing the point, so I'll leave you guys well alone. I'm sure you'll get there in the end and wonder what all the fuss was about. Sorry I couldn't help more.

Cheers,

Dave


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## 94135 (May 1, 2005)

*SAT TV*

SULLAVANS WEB PAGE IS YEARS OUT OF DATE His dish size map is wrong and he talks about the south beam for europe, this is long gone,no tv on it but there is still BBC Radio 2 and Four ( tune other channels via the services button and enter 12.441 Vertical 27.500 fec 2/30).
The meter you have is a good one, I know it seems obvious but make sure you have the connections to and from it correct or it will appear to be working but will be miles out,aim the dish just east of south (28deg.)
and just back off vertical, now move dish slowly left and right till the needle is as high as poss.now turn the knob down till needle is just registering then continue moving dish so needle goes up again, do this till you can not get it any higher, now move dish back and forth (altering the vertical)to get needle as high as poss. if you lock on to another satellite other than Astra 07d4 turn off the power to the digi box for one minute and start again
Tip stick a piece of tape over the speaker hole on the meter,your right it is a bit loud. in uk it should be very easy, in Spain it takes a bit longer.

PS the complete sat finder kit of meter, compass,battery pack and cable ,all in a carry case is available from http://www.maplin.co.uk/search.aspx?worldid=6&MenuNo=895&MenuName=Satellite Equipment&FromMenu=y&source=16&doy=2m3 for £19.99


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Hallelujah!

That sounds just the sort of info I need!

Simple - perfect!

Thanks fella - will try that at the weekend.

Stormy


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