The Birdog Satellite Meter

The Birdog meter is one of the industry’s most popular satellite finders. The Birdog Meter is used as an installation, signal peaking and troubleshooting device that can locate satellites in the atmosphere and target their signal to a receiving dish. This particular satellite finder separates itself from many of the competing devices because it allows technicians to positively identify satellites and it can be loaded with custom configurations that are relevant to a particular technician. Birdog satellite finders are most commonly used for DIRECTV, DISH Network, HughesNet, Wildblue, VSAT and Free-To-Air installations. Many technicians consider the Birdog Meter a must-have for new installers and seasoned professionals alike. Because of the user-friendly interface and ability to positively identify satellites, Birdog meters are popular among new installers. More experienced installers also prefer Birdog meters because they can be easily customized to increase efficiency, trimming technicians’ cost per job.

The Birdog meter has a robust feature set, but remains easy to use. Below is a brief how-to on using the Birdog satellite finder.

All of the satellite finder’s functions are controlled via the keypad
Once the satellite is installed securely and aimed loosely in a suitable direction, connect the Birdog meter to the satellite’s LNB via a small RG6 coaxial cable
Press the down arrow button to power on the Birdog meter
The following screen will indicate the Birdog meter specifications, a battery reading and the satellites loaded into the device
Using the left and right arrow buttons, scroll through the available satellites until the desired satellite is located
Slowly begin sweeping the dish horizontally, changing the elevation after each sweep
Continue to sweep the dish until the Birdog meter indicates it has positively “Found” the desired satellite
Once the desired satellite is “Found”, press the down arrow button to view the signal to noise ratio and use this function to help peak the dish for achieving maximum signal reception
These are the basic steps to perform a satellite dish installation using the Birdog meter. However, this is just the beginning for the Birdog satellite finder. The Birdog meter has a full menu of setup options to customize the device to meet the specific needs of each technician. Some of the new models, such as the Birdog USB Plus and Birdog Ultra, have a sub-menu which includes new features like constellation and log functions. The sub-menu also contains the DiSEqC function and Spectrum display. Technicians may load up to 64 satellites on the Birdog meter, giving it unparalleled flexibility. By visiting the manufacturer’s website, technicians can easily build custom satellite lists to be uploaded to the Birdog satellite finder.

All Birdog satellite finders include a protective case, USB interface cord, A/C charger cord, D.C. auto charger cord, rechargeable battery pack, 2 F-port savers, owner’s manual and 1-year warranty. Other accessories are also available like computer interface cables and leather carrying cases. It is easy to see why the Birdog satellite finder is the industry’s leading satellite installation tool.