Self Install Sat Finder

philahern

Just wondering can people give a recommendation for a sat finder that just works and is cheap enough for someone who just wants to do their own install or fix friends satellites.

I had one of the cheap plastic ones and it worked fine but it is very flimsy and broke the connection inside when twisting on lead.

http://images.maplin.co.uk/300/a96fg.jpg

I tried one of the digital ones from Maplins but it just didn't work. The signal was passing straight through it and I actually aligned the dish with meter in the receiver.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/satellite-finder-digital-444738

Anything under €100 you can recommend that works and would last?

Thanks

watty

Anything under €200 is usually no better than the meter with a needle.

See http://www.maplin.co.uk/hq-satellite-finder-48667

Those are from about €8 online. Always adjust knob to keep needle about 1/3 when no signal and about 1/2 when on a Satellite. You need to continually turn it down as you peak the signal. The Cheap sub €100 meters are just that meter with LED bargraph or LCD voltmeter as the display, they are both poorer than the Analogue scale meter.

They only show level. Once you have a signal you need to be able to select individual transponders and check relative signal on each satellite in a Cluster / Constellation, such as Eurobird1/Astra2A/Astra2B/Astra2D as a slight misalignment can make one in the group too much poorer. Doesn't show up on simple meter. Then you need "BER" per transponder to check LNB skew or any cable damage or interference from Terrestrial sources. "BER" (aka as Quality or Digital SNR) is specific to DVB-S and DVB-S2. "Signal Level" doesn't care about modulation type (DVB-S, DVB-S2 etc)
There are some cheap chinese ones like pocket TVs with satellite Tuners (maybe that's what they are really!). Never tried one. Search eBay and you see what I mean.

Some are like this
http://www.maplin.co.uk/installers-digital-satellite-meter-with-spectrum-analyser-340777
But though cheaper, still over €200. That one probably doesn't do DVB-S2, so a bad buy. But it's the sort of thing to look for on eBay from China. Must be DVB-S2 (which does DVB-S also) and do BER or you wasting your money. (That one is only QPSK so only DVB-S, no DVB-S2, so worthless now)

I sort of need a new meter as mine doesn't do DVB-S2, only BER on DVB-S. But I don't do installs for anyone.

dnme

Speaking of which, what would you professionals think of this device from HK ?
Would it be any good for a hobbyist, or someone setting up a motorised dish?

Or indeed this one which mentions BER, but not DVB-S2

What do you think?

watty

1st one:
demodulation chip QPSK(SCPC and MCPC compatible), so no DVB-S2. Obsolete.
No spectrum analyser mentioned, so likely a portable Satellite receiver + LCD. with just "bars".
Waste of money.

2nd model is same thing really
DVB-S and Modulation QPSK
(so no DVB-S2)
No Spectrum Analyser.

A spectrum analyser is unbelivably useful. Apart from Ka-Sat, you could nearly live without BER and DVB-S2 if you had a good spectrum analyser. You can see Analogue SNR in a general sense per transponder with Spectrum Analyser.