ok, not sure what a scope is, I might have one but not know it (please explain). Anyway, does the cheapo ones work well? If so, are you reffering to the SF-95 types? Thanks.
Katrinasucks means an ocilloscope. A spectrum analyzer would work, but those are expensive pieces of gear.
If you use an SF-95, make sure it passes 22k from the receiver to your LNBF if you have a universal LNBF. The SF-95 version that Sadoun carries will do this.
I still believe that the best meter (besides the 300-400 dollar Birddog types) is bringing your receiver and a small portable color TV up to the roof when you align the dish.
The signal meter in the receiver helps you when you are almost lined up. An in-line signal meter gives a much wider window to help find the sat. I use to play with dish back in the analog days. I did not get digital Ku working until I bought one. I could like up Dish network signals but that is even harder without a signal meter. I am not saying you or anyone else can not line up a dish without one but it does save time and speed things up with one.
Think of a signal meter like a spotter telescope. It can see the sat signal before the main telescope/receiver can not.
Good luck and keep us posted.
tradewinds said:
Ken,
Not sure how it will help much since without something like a Birddog I would not know which sat it is I am hitting. Would this be any different than using the receiver signal meter? If all else fails tomorrow I will need to order one.
I used Google Earth to hone in on my house and the roof lines were exactly parallel to the latitude and exactly perpendicular to the Longitude. So I proceed to try and align my true shouth (Nimiq2 - 82.0W) but I had to move everything to the left (looking from behind the dish). I guess that Google Earth lines are actually Magnetic and not True. So does moving it to the left compensate for the the magnetic difference or is something quite wrong with my set up?
Tradewinds, You should be close and you are on the right path.I did the same thing here in the Atlanta area last weekend.It will at least give you the general direction you should be aiming.MY motor gets mounted tomorrow.Can't wait to get this thing going.
