Satellite Finder / Dish Alignment

What are you using.??
Model number...link to it.....run down.....cost ect ect.??

G'day Narrawa,

This is the one we got with ours when we bought it last year from Jaycar in Kalgoorlie. Access satellite finder model No SF-99. www.accessantennas.com (08) 9446 4433

It is a in line signal strength meter. Once you get the angles of the dangles from your set box menu this helps to fine tune the signal. It works as a meter and sound the higher the signal strength the sound and meter gets higher/louder. Hope this helps.

I did a ebay search, of the sf-99 model that we have.
Boy there are some dear ones about.   

This one looks like the one we got with the kit.   
Cheap as chips.. Works ok though.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SF95-Pocket-Mini-Satellite-Finder-Signal-Meter-for-Sat-Network-LNB-Directv-Dish-/360689801877?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item53fac99a95&_uhb=1

This one looks ok..
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=LS3302


I was reading the frequency range... It's not the quite the same..
Ours has the range.. 950-2400 MHz

Hi guys, thx for the reply,
I got given one of those needle type last season in Lienster by a guy for services rendered. He also had the type im thinking of getting which he used to setup my dish after seeing i was having problems.
The only place i had problems was that van park in Lienster...out bush, never a problem.
Yet there was nights of rain and stuffing about in the wind to keep the dish facing true that im not interested in going through again this season. Im about to remedy that issue over the next week or so with mounting hardware.  
Im thinking of this unit which he used to align my dish....tho im not getting it off ebay...by shopping around  you can get it cheaper from online shops. Its self powered and not the inline type. It took about 1 minute to hone in on the satellite and the job was done.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-SATLink-WS-6906-DVB-S-C-KU-Band-Satellite-Finder-Meter-3-5-LCD-USB-Cable-/351039446183?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item51bb94dca7

That's one nifty little gadget there Narrawa..

             
  one nifty little gadget indeed..

G'day Narrawa

Freshwater has one very similar to the one you have in the link in your post, seems like a good one.

As you know we just use the one the same as the one in the link Jen58 put up, the sf-99 model, it works for us and thats all that matters.

cheers dave

All good Dave,
Spoke to a mate in Mudgee who doe's it for a living, he offered me one for a few grand...    Kinda makes the one i want look like something you'd find in a pre-school sand pit.     


You can get the updated models similar to the ones you guys have, just in digital with both signal and quality graphs displayed. Thought about them also. 

Will make a decision over the next week i guess.?

 I think I know what it is Davesgold..

Ours doesn't have enough knobs / switches on it for Narrawa to play around with   
He sure does like to have a fiddle     

   Narrawa...

I have one of these.   You can set it so it will ONLY find the VAST satellite.  About $42 from China from memory.


http://www.satmultimedia.tv/prof-digital-satellite-finder-sf-500

Waz

Edit: Seems they are more like $80ish. Must have a worse memory than I thought.

Narrawa... all U need is a compass, chart showing location corresponding angles (should be able to Dload that some where in OZ). If U have a vast receiver use that to locate signal, its what I did in WA last year and wasn't that hard. Should be twice as quick for ya as U have a set of eyes to say yes/no as the signal increases/decreases. I had to setup a mirror to see screen will moving dish around.
The one I had (still around somewhere) failed grrrrr and had to go the manual method, so id save ya pennies.

Regards

freshwater wrote:Narrawa... If U have a vast receiver use that to locate signal, its what I did in WA last year and wasn't that hard.

Regards

Totally agree, Use the Vast set up details on your TV, move the location on the Oz map to roughly where you are (usually it is centered over SA), swivel the elevation to the correct angle and the compass direction and then minor tweaks left/right/up/down and you're in.
Also gave up with the dish on the tripod, not being able to peg it down, two pegs in and the third hitting solid rock, skinned knuckles and lots of ^$&*^$#.
Fitted a bracket to the van "A" frame, dish to this, now point the van East and reception with in minutes.

Last season i used the mobile phone APP to find the satellite...no problems using it as its pretty simple and accurate to get the direction... But simply not as fast as using a dedicated device. When its p!ssing down rain the last thing you want is to be standing in it, looking through the window at the telly trying to get the green line.  
Trust me, a 2nd set of eyes are of no help.  Some things are best done yourself.    

My biggest problem was my method of mounting the dish....portable non fixed other than using tent pegs....useless in the wind and rain....im over it.  

It'll be fixed to the A frame of the van via 2" telescopic tube using wing-nut fasteners...permanently. The gadget will allow me to set it up without any help....and stay put in the wind.  
Getting out of a a bed thats got an electric blanket warming it, while its raining cats & dogs outside cuz the damn dish has moved, is over, trust me. 

Late edit...
Here's the phone APP i use/used.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zekitez.com.satellitedirector

Yer I sorta know what ya saying .
Still will use the pegged to the grd method it served myself quite well, at one stage had the dish sitting on the roof of the van (in a small gully no choice due to the low angle) and yer it blew off  .
Anyways found the link for the angle dangles

http://wanderingtews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/satellite-dish-setup-and-the-grey-nomad.pdf
The graph is all I used and is quite accurate as long as U know where U are   .
regards

Freshy, get yourself an inclinometer  from Bunnings...$6 or there abouts.?? It sits on the LMB arm and if you find a plastic one...it can be stuck there permanently.

I'll be getting one when i remember thats why im walking around Bunnings.....last two trips were for that very purpose....came out with a $24 remote controlled shed/solar light and other sh!t i didn't need.  On the way home it always dawns on you what it was you were there for.  
Age thing i guess.?   

Yeah we had a blow over and it broke the LMB bracket...cable tied with electrical tape....all good now.  

Still haven't ordered my yagi and splitter for phone/net...i'll do it after Easter.

Re-strung the geny today with new rip-cord...$3.20, that was fun....couldn't believe the amount of mud and red dirt built up in side the geny housing.  
Ordered 2mtrs...good thing i did as it took all 2 mtrs of it with none to spare.  

Asked me mate who does this for a living if he had a spare bracket that holds the LNB in place....he gave me a whole new dish and Sharp brand LNB, along with sundries to mount coax and plugs.   Now i have two dishes.     

Still haven't got the tuner gizmo yet.....next week maybe. 

Narrawa wrote:Asked me mate who does this for a living if he had a spare bracket that holds the LNB in place....he gave me a whole new dish and Sharp brand LNB, along with sundries to mount coax and plugs.   Now i have two dishes.     

Still haven't got the tuner gizmo yet.....next week maybe. 

You are a lucky bugger..  Although two sat dishes    maybe you could set another T.V up

One in the van the other in the car..     
Nah just kidding..  

Just get the cheapie gizmo for now.. Narrawa... Getting a wet arse won't kill ya!   

      Hmmmm no I'm not!

Getting a wet arse won't kill ya!

Well it might...whatever the case, it will certainly cause chaffing of the buttox when mixed with WA soil.   

No... I am sorry Narrawa. I was having a senior moment..

( I have the kids and grandson down)   

Hopefully you will get the gizmo you want soon..   for you.

   hi Rainbow.

I have the kids and grandson down

Oh ok...you need some advice...hang on, i have some spare. Ok pay attention.
For grand kids....do the following.
Throw the ball at-em, not too-em.   
Make-em work for ya, not make more work for ya.  
Wipe their faces after wiping their arsses.  They wont do it again trust me...i have 4 kids.  


If none of that works, slap the parents...they'll soon get the message and take care of their brats. Or they wont come visit anymore...either way its a win win situation.     

    
Yep good advice, been there, done that   

Nah.. It's all good..

Now back to topic.. Have you found the gizmo you are after.????

Yeah, one of these models will do the job. Or the next model up.??... tho i have not read up much on either yet.....could be rubbish.??
Had a unit in my hand yesty that cost 3k..  had to give it back tho....  
http://www.sat-link.com.au/satlink/ws-6908.htm

We have used the SF that Jen put up since our first Sat TV.
We recently upgraded our receiver to a VAST CERTIFIED SATKING 800 DECODER which enables us to record programs to watch the following night. We are fowls not owls after long days detecting.
After several phone calls to the supplier (East coast) clearly stating we travel remote and must have a unit which is 12V powered.
Deal sealed, unit arrived and you guessed it, a 240V/12V adaptor supplied. The audio leads were included the RCA were not. On the blower and was informed the 12V lead and RCA were optional extras (which there was no mention of during purchase) but with good will they would send them overnight express so we could be operational before leaving in a weeks time. Several calls during the week we left without being operational.
Arrived home 3 weeks later and the 12V lead had arrived with another set of audio leads?????
We now have the unit working with help from another business and we can not fault it.
It is the lack of customer care I'm really p****d off with.
This business has a quote on their homepage which I stress is far from the truth, do not think about dealing with them.


Our Business has grown over the years based on advertising but mostly through word of mouth as our main goals are to finish every job we start with the end user bragging to friends and family about how good his/her new equipment is .

Hi Nightjar
I know what you mean about some business.. Costumer care and support just aren't there..

I like the part ( " through word of mouth" )
That can make ya or break ya

We have a decoder, and satillite dish that we brought over here from jaycar last year..
It was the first satillite dish we ever brought.. There was a choice between two decoder's, I went for the one we could record two channels on, or watch one channel while recording another channel, very handy, saves arguing on which show we watch  as we don't always like the same shows..
I love the fact that we can be out all day hunting the yella, and if there is anything coming on tv, I set it to record while out..
Ours didn't come with the 12 volt lead.. Had to buy that from dicksmith.. I can't understand why these stores sell the equipment, but not the accessories..

P.s I just want to add that Jaycar in Kalgoorlie were good to deal with.