Reply With QuoteIs this a one off ... or a hundred off ... VAST installs?
another sat meter question
Howdy all, I know this question has been asked a million times before, but... satellite meters, I'm trying to get hold of one for vast, I just found out the rover fast-s2 is no longer available, horizon hd s2 is available , are they ok, also the max peak sam-plus, has anyone had any experience with one of these ?
Hope you can all forgive me for asking this question, but I gotta know what I'm gettin for my hard earned.
Cheers.
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Is this a one off ... or a hundred off ... VAST installs?
Hopefully a hundred of, I do antenna installs, have been for 20yrs, I've been asked on numerous occasions to do sat intalls, keepin it simple (hopefully) but is not so easy without a meter.
With that kind of quantity, I'd suggest a meter with real-time spectrum display. eg: Promax, Rover, Unaohm.Originally Posted by chookchaser
I can personally recommend the Unaohm AP-01... it's definitely real-time. You can see the transponders coming as you sweep the dish.
Does the same for terrestrial too.
Meters like the horizon and max-peak are slow toys by comparison... the price reflects this.
What meter are you using for your DVB-T installations?
Just recently upgraded my old TDA-6 for a FAST-T. I'm not sure how much it will get used so I didnt want to spend too much as yet, but still do the job,
for aurora and when the time arrises VAST.
Either side of $1000 would be ideal.
A real time meter would be great but can't justify the extra $ . Would be happy for the time with one of the slow ones you mentioned mtv, I hope. Have you used one of these? Would they be ok to start?
Maybe I'd be better off getting a ws-6902 or sm-3500 to start with then upgrade later if needed?
Have had a look at the sam-plus and it will probably do what you want for the $$.
Haven't seen the others, so can't comment on those.
Here's a good collection with specs and prices -
The DVB-S2 capable would do the job very nicely.
Note: If you're interested in the Governments ''
thenThe digital signal meter must be capable of measuring digital signal level, bit error ratio (BER) and modulation error ratio (MER).
Thanks for your help out guys. I was supposed to call Lacey's back today on the availiability of the MAX-plus but ran short on time. I'll prob go with that at this stage.
Thank's again to you all.
Ive got a satlook NIT by emitor, its a great portable spectrum analyzer. the newer versions have fixed some of the minor things I dont like about the NIT. water resistance and battery life. the NIT is NOT water proof at all, not even water resistant at all ! the design of the tube screen makes it a funnel for water. The tube screen sucks the battery power, the new model uses lcd and has a rubber gasket around the screen to prevent water from getting in.
but its still an amazing unit, once you goto a professional spectrum analyzer you wont go back to anything else.
Prodig makes an amazing unit for 4x the cost, but its one hell of a portable SA.
Still using a cheap$500 Trimax Sm with spectum an lcd screen for 100s installs over the last several years.cheap,reliable,internet upgradable still.rechargable battery,compact,neck lanyard,cover,all on screen parameter like a regular sat. reciever box for FTA an pictures.plus extra. a full days use on the roof ,simple f connector an self power to the lnbf. K band an C band.with manual input of all freq.Sr,correction.an auto scan.an Audio level meter for seek etc.Paid for itself many many time over.
Stick the whole meter an charger an my crimping set into a standard briefcase size to take anywhere.an it does! for new installs an realigns etc.service.
I used my friends trimax 2500 and it was pretty much usless as a SA, it updated like once a second. incredibly slow. fine meter, but not a SA, more of a gimic
That's pretty much indicative of all 'cheap' meters with a spec an feature.
Sure you can do the job with a cheap 'slug' SA, but if you do regular installations, you can't beat a real-time spectrum analyser.
Mine cost $10K, so it's a lot of money to justify spending, if you have the time and patience to use a delayed display.
Trimax meters
I's a very old thread but would like to know more about the TRIMAX 2500 or 3500. I need a cheap meter for hobby purpose. But I'd like to have the spectrum analyzer. The meter is not DVB-S2 but I think with a SA on board it is better to align
Coming to the comment made by updatelee, can anyone elaborate whether the spectrum analyzer is useless.
I do not know what you guys call a realtime SA. Above it is said that display updates once a second. If this is true, then it is a good meter. So what I call the sweep time is 1 sec. I've never used a cheap SA. I've used professional ones $$$. I normally set the sweep time to 5 seconds. To measure quick variations I'll lower that value.
I was thinking of First strike meter but it's without SA. I need a cheapo
Thanks for answer
The SA on a Trimax is nothing more then a gimic. You would be better off aligning a dish with a $5 eBay tone meter.
spend the money and get something half decent like a satlook. You can find them cheap sometimes. I had mine on eBay for $400 and not a single hit, I dont know, either no interest or people thought my price was too high cause it never sold. So look around you can probably get one for the price of a Trimax, you'll be way better off.
I guess meter-performance depends on your personal benchmark.
Professional/industry standard would certainly rate a digital spectrum analyser with a delay of 1 second as NOT a good meter.
'meters/graphs' on many TV/sat tuners are often better than that.
Real time is what it says... it displays 'instantly', no delay.
The slightest movement of a dish or LNB, eg: less than a millimetre, displays instantly... you can see the signals coming as the peaks rise, before you are even fully on the satellite
The functions of a dedicated spectrum analyser for digital TV signals are a bit different from just a typical RF spec-an, in particular reading and displaying all the data parameters of the digital data stream, not just waveform, etc.
With terrestrial DVB-T, a 'good' real-time digital spectrum analyser will display multipath signals and SFN (Single Frequency Network) signals simultaneously, even telling you the distance and direction to the reflection/multi-transmission source, once again... updating instantly with any movement of the antenna. The same with locating and reducing interference and displaying multiple carriers/transponders simultaneously.
Mine will even decode and display vision with audio, not essential, but very useful to confirm if a receiver/display/TV is the problem of if it's a signal issue.
Doesn't require a separate power source for LNB's or masthead amps, etc.
These features, speed and accuracy are why they cost big $$$.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Naturally, for a hobbyist, it's a huge outlay for top-end equipment and let's face it... most hobbyists don't have a thorough knowledge of digital RF transmission and reception principles to fully understand everything that most professional test equipment tells them.
Even if you do understand what it all means, you then have to determine what needs to be done to solve a particular reception issue... this is where satellite is so easy, compared to many complex terrestrial reception challenges.
As mentioned, even a meter like a satlook is reasonable for the price... and $400 is a bargain for one. Obviously no-one was looking for one at the time you listed yours, updatelee.
Most spec-an diplays in cheap meters are, as mentioned, pretty much just gimmicks, but if you can get the desired result and are happy with the delay.. and the price... then that's fine for you.
Hi I am using Unaohm Pro Sat S22 and for the money it is excellent. Little, easy to carry around, long last battery, measures BER and MER, easily programed, fast spectrum analyser... Friend of mine bought it on e bay for $600, Laceys sell it for around $1900. Or maybe consider Hills Terestrial and Satelite meter, $2300.
Cheers
I started with this hobby probably about 4 years ago and had bought an the satellite meter that makes a sound louder as I point the dish closer to the satellite I wanted at that time it was Pas 8. Not long after that, I bought in ebay a Max Peak Sam for only 100pounds from UK. It is not a SA but it does help me focus the dish a lot faster than my satellite/sound meter. Also, when I logged in the web page of the manufacturer to find info I emailed them and told them how I got the meter. They help me out with a free download of the latest firmware and satellite listing for Australia and New Zealand. The aftersales help is excellent in my experience. Since then, I used the meter to install my parents and my brothers sat system without a problem and no more than 10 minutes on the roof to point the dish, setting up the ladder and getting the courage to go up the roof of a two storey house took longer.
1fps does not equal real time, try playing any video game at 1fps lol. Good luck haha.
I cant even imagine how long and frustrating it would be to aim a dish at 1fps updating.
I bought my satlook back when I was doing 2way satellite installs, I dont do commercial installs anymore. But I still couldnt do without a SA. I want an even bigger and better benchtop SA, hense why I was trying to sell my satlook. I wouldnt go without one again
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