A Decent Sat Finder

[nextlevelcell]

I am going to be installing both Dish and DireTV sat systems for a few local places in town and need a pretty decnt sat finder, not the old school one with the super laggy needle I would prefer a digital one and something that is not to crazy of a price.

Any suggestions, with some links would be good, if you have some experience with them.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Birdog is the way to go.

 

[boba]

It all depends on the business you are planning on. A $20 meter will work and a $1000 meter will work a little better. A perfect 10 Accutrac I think would be the minimum for a professional, just be careful not to drop one off the roof few will survive.

 

[drdroo]

Birdog is the way to go.

He said "something that is not to crazy of a price". Birdog isn't something I'd call cheap, at multiple hundreds of dollars, more expensive for the USB version.

Ironically I usually use a 5 segment LED version of the cheapie that is sold all over eBay and online sat stores. They no longer seem to sell this model anymore but it works well. The only problem would be that it is virtually useless for integrated multi-sat LNBs.

Of course, if you find A sat, you can just use a phone near the speaker to hear the tone on the Dish box and cell into it to get the others lined up and fine tune.

I have considered buying an Accutrac at one point or another. I've seen them for ~100 bucks. I hear the battery is complete turd though.

 

[StormUSA]

Mi friend, a little bit of math a level and print the info according to your city as long as the Dish is in good shape not warped is as easy as 1,2,3...

hxxp://satcalculator.freehostia.com/

remember to change the xx for tt

 

[Liquidforce88]

He said "something that is not to crazy of a price". Birdog isn't something I'd call cheap, at multiple hundreds of dollars, more expensive for the USB version.

Ironically I usually use a 5 segment LED version of the cheapie that is sold all over eBay and online sat stores. They no longer seem to sell this model anymore but it works well. The only problem would be that it is virtually useless for integrated multi-sat LNBs.

Of course, if you find A sat, you can just use a phone near the speaker to hear the tone on the Dish box and cell into it to get the others lined up and fine tune.

I have considered buying an Accutrac at one point or another. I've seen them for ~100 bucks. I hear the battery is complete turd though.

Poster said they wanted a Digital meter. 350 - 400 for the most important tool is not much. This is by far one of the biggest time saving tools I own. I would not have another meter except for the supersat buddy, and that is far more expensive. Using any of the cheaper (and when you spend 100 or more they are not that much cheaper) meters is like using a cheap no name drill. Sure it will work for a while but you will spend more in the long run. A professional installer is going to use the best tool for the trade. Anything else is just a waste of time. If all you had to do was a Dish500 then any cheap analog meter will work ok. All the new stuff requires something better.

Time is money in this business. The more time you have to spend on a job, the less jobs you can do. The less work you do the less money you make. With a Birdog it takes 30 seconds and you know you have the Dish set. I don't have to worry when I go in the house that it is not set right.

 

[charlesrshell]

I am going to be installing both Dish and DireTV sat systems for a few local places in town and need a pretty decnt sat finder, not the old school one with the super laggy needle I would prefer a digital one and something that is not to crazy of a price.

Any suggestions, with some links would be good, if you have some experience with them.

Why use a digital meter? Check this out. Signal Meters

 

[Liquidforce88]

Why use a digital meter? Check this out. Signal Meters

All I can say is everything in that article is B.S. I have used the Channel Master 1008. To tell you the truth I also thought there was no reason to used a Birdog when I had the 1008. I thought it worked just fine. Untill I got a Birddog used for cheap. I will never go back to an analog meter.

1. The analog meter will not hold up in weather. I would have to buy a new meter every year. Have not had to replace my Birdog in three years, and it was a couple years old when I got it.

2. The Birdog tells me I am on the right satellite and that I have good signal. The analog only tells you that you have a signal. You could go in the house and find you were on the wrong sat. Also you would think you had a good signal and then find out you just had a hot LNB. Some LNBs would show a much stonger signal thean others.

3. This statement is pure B.S. my Birdog is instant in showing the signal. "In order to point a dish correctly with a any digital meter, you must actually loosen the bolts and move the dish a little, then wait. You wait to see the effect of your movement while the digital processor re-figures the result. Then you must check the next satellite, etc. This is very time consuming and frustrating when dealing with multiple satellite dishes"

4. This statement says that you can't do it, but this is exactly the way a check alignment with my Birdog "Without even loosening a bolt, you can check the alignment of a dish. Slightly move, twist, pull or push on the dish and immediately, and continuously, the analog needles are responding, giving you the real time results! It's fast and easy to see the effect of the smallest movement of the dish. That's why analog is easier and faster, due to faster results on the meter, and the smooth movement of the needles on an analog meter are easier to read and reference."

5. Analog meters do not work very well with the new LNB's such as DPP. You have to use a seperate LNB to peak the dish then replace it with the LNB you are going to use. This is a real pain on the Dish1000.2 because you have to remove the yolk and replace it as well. This is more stuff you have to carry around. If you are getting up and down a ladder you don't want to have to carry extra stuff around. I don't have to do this with a Birdog I just use the LNB I am going to install.

6. While using a Birdog on the Dish1000.2 you can see the signal of all 3 satellites. You can't do that with an analog meter, all you know is that you have a signal and you really don't know how strong it is if you try to use the DPP lnb.

It is more than clear that whom ever wrote this has never used a Birdog. I really doubt that they ever did any installs as well.

 

[drdroo]

Time is money in this business. The more time you have to spend on a job, the less jobs you can do. The less work you do the less money you make. With a Birdog it takes 30 seconds and you know you have the Dish set. I don't have to worry when I go in the house that it is not set right.

He said "For a few places". I assume that to mean a few locations, but it might mean that he's going to be a contractor for a few companies. If it's the latter, I agree with you, that he should have the best tool for the job.

However, if we're talking installing to a few locations, then the expense is potentially painful, when one considers there's other things that need to be purchased.

 

[highdefjeff]

The best three meters would be a dual analog meter like the Channel Master, the Birdog, and the Super Buddy.

If money is a consideration, the best VALUE would be the dual analog meter.

 

[oldford]

For me...

I got a SatHawk from Sadoun. Works good for Dish, Direct and Starband. ID's the sat for you. Battery holds up for a couple of days of use, and seems waterproof so far. Around $400 IIRC. Easier than dragging a spectrum analyser around.

Good Luck from snowy eastern Maine, Eric

 

[drdroo]

The Sathawk does look like an interesting rig.

 

[vegassatellite]

The person who wrote that article obviously never pointed anything other than a DirecTV dish or a Dish 500. Satellites are being spaced closer and closer together and we are more commonly finding ourselves working in medium-power orbital slots as well. Positive satellite identification is a must. The sky is getting crowded.

I hope the OP has experience and isn't some freshcut thinking he can contract without experience.