Trimax 3500 - What are your experiences with this meter?

[Stargazer]

This seems like an interesting meter. It has real time spectrum analyzer and allows you to view the channels on it's screen. It also seems to have a real nice user interface. Does anybody have any experience with this meter? Does it show a signal as quickly as a first strike? Any issues with the meter? How does it compare with the other ones out there on the market?

 

[Pixl]

I've had this meter 2 years now, and like it quite well now, but not at first. The user interface is ok, but annoying that every time you change from one area to another you have to re-select the sat you were working with. As a sat meter it does well at locking a signal when you are close, then peak it up. But the best feature is the spectrum analyzer that took me several months to appreciate and now I use it more than the meter function for finding a new sat. Reason: a spectrum analyzer screen will show you ANYTHING you are getting close to without knowing freq and SR and doesn't matter if it is scrambled or any special signal.
The screen is hard to see in bright daylight, and the text is small. Shadowing it is a must, but works.

 

[Stargazer]

I am noticing some cheaper Satlink meters such as the 6902 which also have spectrum analyzers. I wonder if it is a cheap knockoff of the Trimax (cloned) and perhaps should be avoided or is it ok to buy?

I have also noticed that they had a Trimax SM-2500 and have a new SM-3500 meter. Is it the 2500 meter that you have or has the 3500 been out for a few years now? I am thinking if the 3500 just came out then maybe they fixed the feature with having to punch in the settings on the satellite if you exit out of it?

I use my meter mainly for Glorystar installations now and am thinking it would be useful to know at the meter whether I have the right satellite and channels tuned in at the dish instead of having to go back and forth to the receiver inside. I figured the spectrum analyzer would tell me the three transponder's signal levels all at the same time that I need to peak preventing me from having to make as many adjustments to the dish.

I see that you had to get used to the spectrum analyzer to appreciate it due to it telling you everything that is out there. Isn't there a pattern for the signals on the frequencies that you look for so that you know what satellite that you are on? Then once on that satellite just try to peak those particular frequencies that you want to peak? Is that how you do it?

 

[Pixl]

I've read in here that the look alike are not much better than just using a set top box.

I have the SM-3500, it's been out two years or so. There has only been one software update since the original with minor improvements.

What meter do you have now? If you are doing mostly Glory star installs a First Strike or comparable should do fine, maybe easier.

The 3500 is a great tool for the advanced hobbyist especially for finding a new sat you have little info about. The spectrum analyzer screen is fast and responsive to peak in your dish. All the TPs on a given sat will peak at the same time across the screen, not much point in trying to look at one particular signal.

As far as identifying a type of signal, I've only learned to spot what a S-2 TP looks like compared to the DVB-S ones, and Dish Net/DTV are easy to ID by the shape of the waveforms.

I paid $600 for mine two years ago, they are now down under $400, a nice price for the hobbyist who has to have everything.

 

[TRG]

I'm looking for a relativly inexpensive meter (less than $300) that does DVB-S2. Aligning to 125W (Montana PBS specifically) can be a bear without it. I'm using a bird-dog USB at the moment. I can tune the SD stuff perfectly but Montana wont cooperate unless azimuth is slightly off center. For me this is the difference between having a lock on MPBS or not.

 

[KE4EST]

Here ya go TRG

Sathero SH-200 Satellite Signal Meter

 

[Stargazer]

I use a First Strike meter but was hoping a spectrum analyzer would make it easier to tune in all the Glorystar transponders in at the same time. I like the perks that the meter has compared to the First Strike. Did you say that the First Strike may be easier than the Trimax meter? What about it may make it easier? In looking at a youtube video I noticed that it showed the signal instantaneously as you change the frequency and seemed to change it's signal value very quickly. I like that compared to the First Strike because you don't have to shut off the signal reading to change to a totally different frequency if I seen the video right. It operates more like a FTA receiver and prevents you from having to bring a television out there to load the channels up to see what you have.

I am curious how quickly it locks onto the signal compared to a First Strike though.

 

[Pixl]

Since I don't own a FS and don't have them side by side, I am not able to answer your comparison questions. I'm only guessing that the FS would be easier due to most everything is on one screen.
It would be nice to own both meters. The FS for routine sat alignments, and the Trimax for exploring new sats.

 

[pwrsurge]

The BIG advantage with Trimax meters are that they are the only ones which will control a DiSEqC motor either using 1.2 or USALS. This makes installing motorized offset dishes a breeze as you simply have to punch in your site's longitude and latitude and the motor will point the dish to the correct position for the satellite you are trying to receive.

With elevation and declination correctly set on a plumb mast, it's simply a matter of slowly swinging the entire motor assembly on the post until you get signal. You can then move your dish to the lowest receivable satellite on each side of the arc simply by selecting the satellite on the meter and tweak your alignment in order to correctly track the arc and you are done!


Regards,

PwrSurge

 

[SatelliteAV]

SatLink meters also control motors using either using DiSDEqC 1.2 or USALS and meters and the 6912 displays DVBS / S2 / H.264. We tested the 6912 meter last year and gave it away in a Satelliteguys contest. Nice meter with spectrum display, but at the time was not display the S2 programming. That is now fixed and displaying S2 nicely.

 

[Stargazer]

Is that the only difference between the 6912 and the 3500 is the S2 signal lock and programming display?