Looking for a satellite finder with Signal and Quality on LCD Screen

[TheHamNerd]

NICE METER Dee!!! Congrats!!

 

[Titanium]

The beauty is that you don't need to know how to use it for FTA! Select the Satellite, LNB type, LO and if there are any switches in line. Then return to the main screen. There really no difference between the different services other than the LNB type and LO!

One feature you will definitely want to try is the LNB frequency deviation - LNB LO drift estimate. This tells you how accurate the LO frequency is on a LNB.

In the Options Menu screen, select Freq Dev = YES. This will replace the bottom line of the main display with the estimated frequency drift from the center of the selected satellite transponder. If you keep the meter updated regularly, Applied Instruments does a great job of keeping the transponder list current and accurate. When you first power up a LNB it is interesting to watch the Frequency Deviation shift. This shows the amount of shift or drift that occurs. 0000KHz will display if there is no LO shift/drift on the connected LNB. On many failing LNBs you will observe the drift to be far in excess of 3000KHz rating (3MHz) when powering up a cold LNB or monitor the amount of drift that occurs on a hot afternoon to that in the cool of the evening. I have seen LNBs that are tuned 10,000 - 15,000 KHz off frequency straight from the factory.

I know... Geeky, but fun!

 

[Dee_Ann]

The beauty is that you don't need to know how to use it for FTA! Select the Satellite, LNB type, LO and if there are any switches in line. Then return to the main screen. There really no difference between the different services other than the LNB type and LO!

One feature you will definitely want to try is the LNB frequency deviation - LNB LO drift estimate. This tells you how accurate the LO frequency is on a LNB.

In the Options Menu screen, select Freq Dev = YES. This will replace the bottom line of the main display with the estimated frequency drift from the center of the selected satellite transponder. If you keep the meter updated regularly, Applied Instruments does a great job of keeping the transponder list current and accurate. When you first power up a LNB it is interesting to watch the Frequency Deviation shift. This shows the amount of shift or drift that occurs. 0000KHz will display if there is no LO shift/drift on the connected LNB. On many failing LNBs you will observe the drift to be far in excess of 3000KHz rating (3MHz) when powering up a cold LNB or monitor the amount of drift that occurs on a hot afternoon to that in the cool of the evening. I have seen LNBs that are tuned 10,000 - 15,000 KHz off frequency straight from the factory.

I know... Geeky, but fun!

Woa! That's some crazy stuff there!

One thing that has me thoroughly confused is that it lists transponders some by normal numbers and some by what looks like HEX numbers.

For instance on Galaxy 19, it lists a transponder as "TR A4B1"

There are a lot of them like that on all the satellites.

 

[Titanium]

To display regular transponder frequencies like you are used to seeing on your STB, change the display to the downlink frequency instead of the IF frequency (IF + LO = Downlink Frequency).
In the Options Menu screen, select Frequency = DL Freq instead of the default Frequency = L-band.

Hint: Press the button to the left of ID onscreen display to verify that the found satellite is indeed the one you are searching for.

 

[Dee_Ann]

To display regular transponder frequencies like you are used to seeing on your STB, change the display to the downlink frequency instead of the IF frequency (IF + LO = Downlink Frequency).
In the Options Menu screen, select Frequency = DL Freq instead of the default Frequency = L-band.

Hint: Press the button to the left of ID onscreen display to verify that the found satellite is indeed the one you are searching for.

DUDE! You da man !!

Thank you !! That was soooooooo messing with my head!!

Yep.. It's gonna be a looooooooong road to learning this thing!

 

[Tron]

The Sathero 500 will not display video on HD or S2 channels. The 600 will. I'm considering returning my 500 for a 600.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Ouch !!

 

[Martyn]

Sorry, late to the conversation but I checked the Sat Hero page and they seem to have all new versions with S2 support. SH-100HD and SH-300HD, which looks like a new version of the 200, which is no longer listed. I can't find the 300 on ebay anywhere.

http://www.sat-hero.com/index.php?ac=article&at=list&tid=223

 

[KE4EST]

That is not the sat hero website that is some clone site. Also when I try to go there my computer goes crazy throwing red flags everywhere, telling me that link is full of malware.

Here is the official Web site: http://satherometers.com/

Looking at that site more though, it could be the one for China, still don't know why everything is throwing a red flag.

 

[TRG]

The SH-200 was supposed to have S2 support too. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

[Martyn]

Ah, buyer beware indeed then.

Thanks!

 

[Cosmo Blatz]

You can buy a full-feature 12 volt 'micro size' satellite receiver for under a hundred bucks. Why does a quality meter have to cost so much?

 

[Dee_Ann]

You can buy a full-feature 12 volt 'micro size' satellite receiver for under a hundred bucks. Why does a quality meter have to cost so much?

Because some hot glued a $30 TV and a $10 battery to the $100 tuner?

 

[TheHamNerd]

The Sathero 500 will not display video on HD or S2 channels. The 600 will. I'm considering returning my 500 for a 600.

Well that sure is misleading...Their website states that it is compatible with S2 signals...now what does that mean...?

Hmm..so signal READ ONLY.....that's POOPY!!! But how many FTA birds are really broadcast in DVB-S2? I am still new to FTA, which is why I was looking at the Super Buddy 29....are the FTA birds in DVB-S2 yet...? Just curious...

Posted from their site:

Features

• DVB-S/S2 signal read (only)
• DVB-S video

Compatible with DVB-S~DVB-S2~CBS MPEG-4~ABS-SDirecTV DSS~Dish Network/Bell TV Turbo 8psk

 

[TheHamNerd]

I too been looking at the 500 really close..I was almost ready to pull the trigger on it...Now I am confused? Do we really have to spend $900 on a meter for a HOBBY...I do NOT do installs, so I cannot see paying that much money for something I am trying to view for myself....I do want quality, but price has to meat the road for a hobby meter! I am willing to spend $300 but not $900 for FTA only.

 

[Dee_Ann]

It all depends. Do you have a hobby or an obsession? If you just have one or two dishes for FTA only it's crazy to spend $900 or even $500 on a meter unless you have $$$ to burn.
If you have a bunch of dishes AND subscription dishes AND you support friends and or family who have assorted satellite services, then that might begin to justify the expense of a better meter.

Most people get by just fine with the basic meters and taking a tuner/TV out to the dish. It's the most cost efficient way.
If you're just starting off in this, that would be the wise path to take.

There are a LOT of very smart and helpful people here that can help walk you through pretty much anything.

And just think, if I can do this stuff, ANYONE can..

 

[TheHamNerd]

It all depends. Do you have a hobby or an obsession? If you just have one or two dishes for FTA only it's crazy to spend $900 or even $500 on a meter unless you have $$$ to burn.

Well....it could be said I have an obsession with ham radio, or radios in general...so I guess I see your point Dee! Oh trust me...I can find birds with my tookie $30 meter....But back to my original question...how many FTA birds broadcast in DVB-S2? Or is it just mainly the pay to view birds...? At most I could swing the SH-600HD meter. I could also see a Super Buddy 29 on ebay in my future if the DVB-S2 is not a problem on FTA birds. Again, I don't know much about FTA, but I am addicted to FTA for sure!

Everyone on this forum has been very helpful!!!!

 

[TheHamNerd]

I have cable tv, I use FTA for international news and documentaries.

 

[KE4EST]

Most all but G19 is going to DVBS-2.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Yep. Lots of S2 now. And it's the trend. Until the next thing comes along. And I hope that's a loooooooong way off because I am into this meter for some serious $$$...
G19 is mostly foreign/religious stuff, very little if any S2 on there. I only find three channels of interest to me, RT, DMC and EBRU. YMMV of course.
All of the PBS is S2 now. Just not really anyway to get around it. Also, the Superbuddy 29 does not do S2. That's why I ended up going with the Turbo S2.
And their VSAT 7850 doesn't do Turbo 8PSK you can't do Dish/Direct with it. So it's pretty much down to the AITS2 if you need to "do it all"...
The Superbuddy meters are good if you're just doing commercial Dish/Direct only and not messing with FTA.

One option is to tweak your dish to the non S2 stuff, I think pretty much every satellite has at least one non S2 transponder. I may be wrong though.
So you can use an old school meter and take your STB outside and get by reasonably well unless you're a bumbling dumbie like me.
I did it that way for several years and I got by OK for the most part but I had a really hard time with all this homemade Frankendish stuff and having a proper meter helped a lot.
But you tech head guys are probably much, much better at this stuff than I ever will be.

So I think you can get by without an S2 meter but the questions are, how much do you want to spend on one and how much patience do you have?
Without one you need the patience of a saint. I, being a redhead have the patience of a firecracker.

Finding a meter somewhere in the middle is a tough task, I spent months trying to compare features and most of the Chinese clone stuff is very shady in their descriptions so be very careful.