Click here if the video doesn’t show.
These satellite finders are really useful little helpers when it comes down to perfectly aligning a satellite dish.
In this YouTube video we can see how sensitive the meter is. This sensitivity allows finding the sweet spot of the satellite dish. Here, we’ve got already a perfectly aligned dish, the meter is at the maximum. Even the slightest movement of the dish to either side of the perfect alignment reduces the signal level (and audio tone) of the meter. You can see that once the fine-tuning is finished, the signal level is again at the maximum.
Some people are trying to align their satellite dishes with the on-screen digibox signal bar which is way too slow, inaccurate and not sensitive enough for a good alignment. Save yourself the hassle and get one of these satellite finders – the prices dropped down to almost 5 quid (they were 40 quid 5 years ago).
For more detailed instructions, see the perfect satellite dish aligment how to guide.
Entries (RSS)
October 9th, 2007 at 12:38 am
IF POSABLE PLEASE SEND ME AN E-MAIL 4 THIS QUESTION
WHTAT IS THE MINIM SIZE SATTELITE DISH REQUIER FOR ME TO PIC UP BRASILSAT 70 WEST ( DIGITAL) FROM NOTTINGHAM
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Jose,
you’ll find the answer to this question on my other site http://www.dishpointer.com
November 9th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
i need a full detail obout this meter
December 6th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Hi Alan,
I am from Malta. I found this information exceedingly helpful. I’ve decided to buy this meter. I can pick up good signals from Astra2, Astra 19.2 and Hotbird. Sky Digital pixilates and freezes a bit. I think Astra2 needs dish alignment. Do I need to align the dish every time my transponder is on a particular satellite or do I find the average? Thank you
Benny
December 10th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Benny, not sure what the question is – I guess you have a single dish with 3 LNB’s on it? If so, adjust the dish for maximum signal on Astra2 (have Astra2 on the LNB arm). Once you’ve got Astra2, the others shouldn’t be a problem.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Hi Alan,
I have a motorized dish, and after many weeks of trying have only managed to tune in hotbird.
The skew of the lnb, is this still important with the motorized dish, because as the dish moves around the skew would change?
The other problem i have is – working out which sat i am pointing too – for example with my sat finder i get a good signal – then i scan for channels – ofcourse these come back – but sometimes BBC appears on a number of sats so i can’t work out which one i am pointed too…
Tony
December 11th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Tony,
For a motorized dish you don’t set the LNB skew as you’ve already rightly pointed out. The motor takes account of the skew by pivoting the dish while rotating it around it’s vertical axis.
With a motorized system one of the pre-requirements is that the mast must be absolutely vertical – you need to check that with a spirit level. Then the declination angle must be set correctly. If your motor supports usals then it should be easy to enter your coordinates, select the satellites and get the motor to rotate to the satellite. Now fine tune everything.
BBC is only available on Astra 28.2, only BBC World is available on other satellites. You can check on my other website http://www.dishpointer.com which channels are on what satellite.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Hi Alan,
Excuse me for sounding a little stupid, but i don’t quite seem to understand your instructions for setting up the signal, do i need to set the meter to 0 when i start? I just can’t seem to get a lock or any signal quality, the signal strength is almost at it’s maximum. Also the widget on this site gives me a different lnb skew to that on dishpointer.com…
Cheers,
Andy
August 14th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Ihave just obtained an “Adtel AD70 satellite meter, would anyone know who the maker is or where I could obtain a service manual?
Thanks. Mike Mander
December 29th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Hi Alan,
Just after a little advice: my flat is in a block of 4, built about 6 years ago. On the roof it has one communal aerial and one communal satellite dish. Each room in the flat has a single RF aerial socket only, which I’ve up to now, used for analogue TV. I’ve tried a freeview box, but the signal is terrible so I was thinking of freesat since the dish is there! I haven’t checked behind the main faceplate yet, but I half suspect the builders have just shoved a cheap RF socket plate on, rather than one with a satellite coax output. There may be a second cable curled up in there, or it might be a combined feed, in which case I guess I’ll need a splitter/filter to separate it back to RF/sat/FM. Before I go buying a freesat box to find it doesn’t work, or getting an aerial/satellite man in, is there any way to check if there’s a satellite feed coming down that wire? i.e. would one of these alignment meters do the trick?
Thanks, Grant
January 9th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
PLEASE CAN YOU HELP I HAVE PANASONIC TX-P50G10B WITH FREETV AND FREESAT ALSO DMR-BS750EB WITH FREETV AND FREESAT IHAVE A SATDISH WITH ONE LNB CAN I PUT TWO OR THREE OR FUOR LNB ON IT I DO NOT WHANT SAT FOR OTHER ROOMS JUST AS MUCH AS I CAN GET IN THE ONE ROOM WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST THING TO DO AND WHAT IS THE BEST STUF TO GET DO I NEED A SPLITER AND SO ON PLEASE IF YOU CAN HELP WITH WIRING DIAGRAM AND THE TO WAY TO PUT IT TO GETHER I WHOULD BE GRATEFUL THANK YOU YOURS A C PS I WAS THINKING OF A THREE HEAD LNB WILL THIS GET AL THE FREE SAT YOURS AGAIN ALAN C
May 23rd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Hi Alan
Can you please tell me if a satellite finder meter can be used on the output of a multiswitch. So a dish with a Quatro LMB ( or is it a Quad that gives the 4 separate parts of a signal ) can be tuned.
Cheers
Joe
May 31st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I have just bought the cheapest complete satellite system that I could find from Maplin…it was recommended by many people. I bought it because when we go away in our caravan the tv aerial does not always pick up a good local signal here in Norfolk.
I just did not give any thought to just how critical it was to point the dish towards the sky and find a satellite….I understand nothing when it comes to setting up the satellite system.
Reason for contacting this site?….can you suggest somewhere that I can get basic info? The written instructions are no better or worse than most other manuals, they just do not make much sense to a beginner.
Any info will be appreciated……Norman
June 5th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Joe:
Yes a meter connetced to a multiswitch and quadro LNB will work.
But ideally a decent meter is required and you connect that to each of the 4 output to align the LNB and dish better, rather than going via the multiswicth which can give eooroneou readings, due to any amplification if may have.
June 5th, 2010 at 8:55 am
have a look at satelliteforcaravans.co.uk
basic guides and all.