Signal Meter

Marty

Can anyone recommend a decent signal meter for positioning satellite dishes (the free to view in my case - but is there a different one for Sky?) and where to get it. Radionics are out of stock, Peats are checking....

Zaphod

If you're willing to spend a bit more, then the Promax MS-250 is very good. About UKP65. Try Alban Electronics:
http://www.albanelectronics.co.uk/

adeypius

1/2 way down the page

Order code, DIGISAL

http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/install.htm

Works on fully digital satellites like Sky Digital at 28E.
Has some of the advantages of the "Pro" including an LCD screen but at less cost.
Works on analogue satellites and all other digital satellites.
Ideal for setting up a motorised or fixed dish system
Produces a audible tone & an LCD visual meter reading of signal strength.
AND, the "LCD" can drive a diseqc motor east and west.
Ideal for moving the motor while you set up and track
the arc on a motorised system.

Mike 1972

Did you try Maplin

I have their "Satellite finder kit"

watty

www.satcure.co.uk

also many folks advertising in What satellite.

You do NOT need self powerd, bargraph, 22KHz switch or any such stuff.

The Receiver powers the meter and switches 22KHz or H/V

An analog meter needle is easier to "fine tune" than a digital display or bargraph.

In use:

Adjust sensitivity knob on front panel for 1/2 scale.

As the needle goes above 3/4 turn back the knob to keep the needle at 1/2 scale. If you go too far, and needle drops below 1/4 scale, turn knob up again.


Only ones costing over £1000 are "truely" digital with BER measurement, Transponder ID and absolute signal level.

All the ones from £10 to £200 work on the "relative" analog signal strength as above.

The ONLY setting that works better reading the Receiver bargraphs is LNB skew (the rotation of LNB in holder). If the satellite has a roughly even mix of H and V channels the Sat Meter won't show skew error as when the "H" signal drops the "V" signal rises as you rotate LNB.

Skew mis-adjustment shows VERY clearly as rise/fall "QUALITY" on the Receiver's bargraph. Adjust this last.

Actual signal "peak" can often be more accurate on the Analog needle meter, unless your dish is picking up from more than one satellite (e.g. 10E and 7E can be received at the SAME time on a small 65cm dish pointed at 8.5E, on a 1.2m dish you won't get this happening, only cosmic and solar noise at 8.5E!). A Sky minidish pointed at 16E will actually get weak pictures from 13E and 19E too!

If you have £5,000 + to spare a spectrum analyser that does 10.500GHz to 13GHz will be wonderous. You can see the "blips" for each transponder and see the H reduce and V come up as you rotate LNB from correct skew when on H polarity.

Ideal for really quick alignment and also finding ALL the new unlisted transponders.

If you tune an Analog Sat receiver to the "newly found" transponder and connect a 1MHz to 45Mhz spectrum analyser to the old "base band out" for external D2MAC decoder the frequecy of the "blip" is approximately the SR of the unkown transponder.

A 1.8MHz to 30MHz HF / SW radio connected to this on an Analog Sat receiver hung off the Digital Receivers IF out, will have an audiable increase in noise at the frequecy representing the SR.

aersat

The Promax Range are generally regarded as the best.
Contact Don at
www.albanelectronics.co.uk

watty

Originally posted by aersat
The Promax Range are generally regarded as the best.
Contact Don at
www.aIbaneIectronics.co.uk

Totally badly done security hazard website! DO NOT GO THERE

Do NOT adjust your InternetExplorer settings to browse this site

If the site menus do NOT give you warnings/errors then your Internet Explorer settings are too lax.

byte

Huh?? :dunno:

Brussel

Originally posted by LurkingIcon
Totally badly done security hazard website! DO NOT GO THERE

Do NOT adjust your InternetExplorer settings to browse this site

If the site menus do NOT give you warnings/errors then your Internet Explorer settings are too lax.

Where in the name of god are you getting this from

watty

It's OK today.



Definately was *EVIL* and *BROKEN* when I first tried it.

Perhaps they had a ISP DNS problem "breaking" links and also producing "cross-domain" warnings.


I don't make this stuff up. It really was bad


It is fine now though