DTV Signal Strength Meter

[John Scudder]

Are there any reasonably priced ($100 or less) signal strength meters
for locating the optimal placement of a DTV antenna? I have been using
an antenna mounted on a tripod attached to a DTVPal converter box with a
small monitor. It works but it is rather cumbersome.

[Sal M. Onella]

Signal strength meters are available for several hundred dollars (new)
but the surplus market has many of them used. I bought my latest one
about five years ago for around 75 dollars. It's been too long to
recall the exact amount. It appears to read a little on the low side
-- hard to believe I can lock signals that read so weak. However, for
relative readings, you and I don't need absolute accuracy.
Calibration service isn't cheap.

I went to ebay and searched for <signal strength meter> . No
problem. Many new and used. The older [primitive?] ones may be
better suited to your need, since they are built with analog meters,
which make it really easy to peak the antenna location, direction and
height. (Antenna installers use the term "walking the roof" to
describe the process; they hold the antenna mast while watching the
meter needle of the instrument as they move.) These older analog
meters are less common that the ones that display numbers on a
readout.

In the San Diego metropolitan area, with about 2 million people, we
have a half-dozen electronic surplus stores. Your mileage may vary.

Three cautions: (1) A satellite signal level meter will not detect
and display individual broadcast signals; (2) ebay is listing at
least one TV signal level meter that's good for VHF only. That has to
be a real oldie!!!! (3) If you buy a CATV signal level meter that
DOESN'T have a function switch to change its tuner to OTA frequencies,
you will have to make yourself a conversion chart from tables of the
frequencies. It's not difficult at all, but it's a consideration that
can't be ignored.

Sal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The people who failed to deliver adequate swine flu vaccine this year
are the same ones who will fail to deliver adequate care in years to
come if this stupid "Health Care Reform" comes about. You need to be
fighting it.

[John Scudder]

Sal M. Onella wrote:
>
>
> Three cautions: (1) A satellite signal level meter will not detect
> and display individual broadcast signals;

Dogs! That is exactly why I would need the meter. In my case I need to
pinpoint which stations are being received at a particular spot.
Presently I have three antennas, each receiving different stations. For
example the ONLY place that I can get channels 6,23,35 & 51 is on the
roof of my house, 6 ' from the gable end and 36" above the peak and no
higher or the signal degrades. The 24" above the roof of my garage and
3' from the gable is the optimum place for channel 11. And down on the
ground (30" off the ground in a bush no less) is the only place where I
can get channel 9. Channels 8, 10 & 13 are the only ones that can be
received in any of the three locations. I found these 'sweet spots' by
walking the yard as well as walking the roof. A tricky locale.

Thanks for your informative response,

John

[GMAN]

You situation requires a Omnidirectional antenna.

[John Scudder]

I don't think so for 3 reasons: all stations are from the same compass
direction except for 1, the signal levels are very low requiring high
gain antennas and the 'sweet spots' are geographically 30 ft apart.

John

[Sal M. Onella]

OOPS! I may have misled you by saying anything about satellite signal
level meters. (I did it because many advertisements for signal level
meters are for that kind -- the kind you don't want.)

With a regular signal level meter (one NOT intended for satellite)
you CAN read individual signal levels for broadcast channels. The
tuners in these meters have roughly the same bandwidth as a TV tuner
and when you tune to channel 36, for example, the needle moves across
the scale (like a speedometer) a distance corresponding to the signal
strength.

I hope I fixed any confusion.

Sal

[Sal M. Onella]

On Nov 24, 5:24 pm, John Scudder <jscud...@kanasatka.org> wrote:
> GMAN wrote:

I relate. When I lived in Fremont, California years ago, I couldn't
get the Sacramento stations worth a darn on a brand new Channel Master
antenna. My next-door neighbor had pretty decent reception on all of
them with a crappy old bent-up antenna. Life is tough.

[Ivan]

"Sal M. Onella" <sob...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:0a84e3ff-6052-42dc...@f16g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...

>
> OOPS! I may have misled you by saying anything about satellite signal
> level meters. (I did it because many advertisements for signal level
> meters are for that kind -- the kind you don't want.)

> With a regular signal level meter (one NOT intended for satellite)
> you CAN read individual signal levels for broadcast channels. The
> tuners in these meters have roughly the same bandwidth as a TV tuner
> and when you tune to channel 36, for example, the needle moves across
> the scale (like a speedometer) a distance corresponding to the signal
> strength.

> I hope I fixed any confusion.
>

I appreciate that these are for a different system to the US one, but I
suspect that what John is looking for is the ATSC equivalent of something
very basic and cheap such as one of these.
<http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=227864&C=SO&U=Strat15>

<http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=221768&C=SO&U=strat15>

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