Satellite Meter

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dlturner00

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Jul 21, 2006
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Will these analog style meters work with DTV? Mine seems to be useless. It's either pegged out or no signal. I finally just used the receiver signal meter but I hate going in and out of the RV to check it. It worked fine with Dish but doesn't seem to work with DTV. I had a satellite dealer check the meter and he said it was working fine. I don't want to waste my time trying a new one if that's not the problem.

http://www.amazon.com/Lava-Electronics-SDW5034O-17-Satellite/dp/B000MTXFXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362445493&sr=8-1&keywords=satellite+finder
 
Anybody? I'm using a swm slimeline dish with an H25 reciever. I placed the meter between the power inserter and the dish. It just seemed to be completely erratic. Once I removed the meter I was able to get a signal but I would really like to be able to stay at the dish and get it locked in and be done.
 
dturner00,

OK. If I follow your posts correctly you are looking for something to use with your fifth-wheel trailer. You should clarify that even in this post because it has a definite bearing on the type of meter you should be looking for since you want something you can use multiple times for each setup.

With SWM, none of the "simple" meters will work. The Accutrac II referenced above is about the least you can use. It is the one I use with my RV setup. It used to be more "affordable" and if you shop around you can find one at a better price than the one in the current ebay listing. But, be aware that the Accutrac does not work directly with SWM. You need to buy a Direct ASL-1 unit to go with it. The ASL takes out the SWM signal and lets the Accutrac see the actual satellite strength. You must also have the SWM detached from any receiver while you do the aiming so I purchased a separate PI-21 to just use for aiming. (The Accutrac is not capable of driving the SWM head during the setup.) This makes it easier to do all the dish setup prior to connecting it to your RV cabling (described in your other thread).

Hope this helps,
Bob
 
BobStokesbary said:
dturner00,

OK. If I follow your posts correctly you are looking for something to use with your fifth-wheel trailer. You should clarify that even in this post because it has a definite bearing on the type of meter you should be looking for since you want something you can use multiple times for each setup.

With SWM, none of the "simple" meters will work. The Accutrac II referenced above is about the least you can use. It is the one I use with my RV setup. It used to be more "affordable" and if you shop around you can find one at a better price than the one in the current ebay listing. But, be aware that the Accutrac does not work directly with SWM. You need to buy a Direct ASL-1 unit to go with it. The ASL takes out the SWM signal and lets the Accutrac see the actual satellite strength. You must also have the SWM detached from any receiver while you do the aiming so I purchased a separate PI-21 to just use for aiming. (The Accutrac is not capable of driving the SWM head during the setup.) This makes it easier to do all the dish setup prior to connecting it to your RV cabling (described in your other thread).

Hope this helps,
Bob
Click to expand...


Ah don't waste your time with any of that. Just go on ebay and look for the standard AU-9 LNB with 4 outputs. Peak the dish with that LNB then replace it with the SWM. You can even use an analog meter, it's just harder to do than with a digital meter.
 
my wife watches the meter on the TV while i move align the dish; right down to fine tuning. She sits by the window and watches the screen to tells me what the signal is. It usually only takes me 10 minutes or so once the tripod and dish is assembled.

My only gripe is i wish there was fine tuning for the SKEW like they have to AZ and EL.
 
35LKSA said:
my wife watches the meter on the TV while i move align the dish; right down to fine tuning. She sits by the window and watches the screen to tells me what the signal is. It usually only takes me 10 minutes or so once the tripod and dish is assembled.

My only gripe is i wish there was fine tuning for the SKEW like they have to AZ and EL.
Click to expand...
35LKSA,
Wow. My wife would put up with that about 2 times before she would insist on some other alternative. You better give that lady a real big hug; she's a peach.

I love my wife, but I know her limitations (and mine for that matter). I'll keep my meter. ;>)

And I don't dither on the road. So far I have been lucky since all channels seem to lock in just fine with just the basic setup. And my tripod has been through a couple of Arizona winds and kept a great picture all the time.
Bob
 
Liquidforce88,
Knowing what I know now I would probably go with your idea. Carting around a spare LNB is not that big an issue.

When I purchased my outfit I was new to DirecTV, absolutely new to SWM and afraid to make any differences between what I had at home and what I had on the road. So I went with what was conventional wisdom at the time. And, when you look at dturner00's other post about splitters, you get the idea he is very new to all this and probably not ready to add the confusion of tuning with one LNB and then get his signal with another.

But, since he seems to have disappeared, this is all moot.
Bob
 
BobStokesbary said:
Liquidforce88,
Knowing what I know now I would probably go with your idea. Carting around a spare LNB is not that big an issue.

When I purchased my outfit I was new to DirecTV, absolutely new to SWM and afraid to make any differences between what I had at home and what I had on the road. So I went with what was conventional wisdom at the time. And, when you look at dturner00's other post about splitters, you get the idea he is very new to all this and probably not ready to add the confusion of tuning with one LNB and then get his signal with another.

But, since he seems to have disappeared, this is all moot.
Bob
Click to expand...

Sorry but I do work for a living. Can't sit around reading the forum all day. As for my level of knowledge, I've been setting up my Rv with Dish for about 6 yrs. and I've been an industrial electrician for about 25 yrs. so I'm quite comfortable with electronics. It just seems infinitely more complicated with Direct. I could still go set up for Dish with a $10 meter in about 10 mins. Now I've got to have a $100 meter, a $20 splitter, or setup with one LNB and change to another one! Come on, there has got to be a better way.
 
dlturner00 said:
Sorry but I do work for a living. Can't sit around reading the forum all day. As for my level of knowledge, I've been setting up my Rv with Dish for about 6 yrs. and I've been an industrial electrician for about 25 yrs. so I'm quite comfortable with electronics. It just seems infinitely more complicated with Direct. I could still go set up for Dish with a $10 meter in about 10 mins. Now I've got to have a $100 meter, a $20 splitter, or setup with one LNB and change to another one! Come on, there has got to be a better way.
Click to expand...
Sorry. There are many who do just disappear so it gets a bit frustrating trying to help in those cases.

I have to admit that D* HD is more difficult than Dish. I put up with it because I want D* for the home and will put up with the issues when I am on the road. (Since I take the DVR out of our bedroom when we travel.) Honestly, with the new deal Dish has for RVers, I would probably have gone that direction for the RV if they had offered that service before I bought all the equipment for my D* service. (Although I would have really missed the DVR service on the road.)

With your H25 receivers you are locked into SWM technology (since they only work with a SWM setup). That is what is complicating your setup. If you have not yet purchased the receivers, you could go with an H24 and a non-SWM LNB and use one of those cheaper meters (as was noted earlier). Receivers only need one coax and the standard HD LNB has 4 outputs. This would simplify your life quite a bit.

Bob
 
The ONLY meter which will enable you to fully peak on all three orbital locations (99, 101, and 103) that DirecTV uses is the AIM meter ($500). All others, even the awesome, worth-every-penny, AI Turbo S2 ($900) can only see 101 due to proprietary issues. If you are only peaking DirecTV, no meter (besides the AIM) comes close to using a small 7" LCD TV with a really long RCA cable (only video needed) for peaking.

Get a 7" LCD for $30-$50. Spend $10-$20 on a 25' to 50' RCA cable. Peak to perfection every time, without dithering. Never look back.

Otherwise, you could get a $100 meter that can only see 101, and learn to dither to pick up 99 and 103.
 
dlturner00 said:
Sorry but I do work for a living. Can't sit around reading the forum all day. As for my level of knowledge, I've been setting up my Rv with Dish for about 6 yrs. and I've been an industrial electrician for about 25 yrs. so I'm quite comfortable with electronics. It just seems infinitely more complicated with Direct. I could still go set up for Dish with a $10 meter in about 10 mins. Now I've got to have a $100 meter, a $20 splitter, or setup with one LNB and change to another one! Come on, there has got to be a better way.
Click to expand...

The slimline is SO MUCH easier to peak than Anything dish has. Like I said once you learn the peak on the Slimline with your meter you will see what I mean. I have the Superbuddy meter, and peaking a Dish Network dish takes far more time than the slimline. With the cam lock on the slimline it takes all of 30 seconds to change the LNB.
 
Went camping this weekend and I couldn't find my little squealer so I set up my dish, pointed it with my compass, and by the time I got inside to check the signal, I had a picture already. Couldn't believe it. 98 % on 101, 96 or better on the other two. It was a good clear shot but it's rarely that easy anywhere. I still plan on experimenting with my meter to see if I can make it work.
 
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