This is one of those creations you wish you had thought of yourself. Anyone who has ever attempted to align a dish, alone, while watching a meter or TV monitor for some indication of 'best signal' can appreciate a device that allows you to fully concentrate on the dish adjustments. Creator Jim Roberts well understands eyesight is not the only 'sense' available. After briefly considering taste and smell, he hit upon sound as an indication of relative signal strength. Dish-pert Tim Alderman calls it 'Yellow Bird' (the high impace metal case is an unmistakable vivid yellow). Roberts, perhaps keying off of the customised electronic sound it emits when your dish finds one or more signals, calls it a Spectrum Analy"zzz"er. Everyone else calls it Canary because it is yellow and it sings.
Yellow Bird is a sensitive broadband (950-1450 MHz is included in its bandwidth) detector. It installs anyplace in the IF line between receiver (which supplies 13-18 volts for the LNB) and LNB/feed. Say you put it at the dish even if the receiver is indoors. Power from the receiver passes through Yellow Bird to the LNB. When you move the dish and it encounters a satellite the LNB responds sending signals down the coax line to the receiver. Along the way they pass through the Canary and it detects their presence. A squeal ("ZZZ") emits from the tiny in-built speaker. The louder the squeal, the stronger the signal. With your eyes fully on your adjustments, you simply peak for loudest "ZZZ".
Canary is very small (60 x 55 x 30 mm) and rugged. It can install right at the output of the LNB (jumper cable supplied), anyplace in the down line, or inside. Two tip-point meter jacks allow you to plug in virtually any low-cost multi-meter to read voltage (0-3 volts DC) or current (0-2mA). This kills the "ZZZ" from the speaker while you study or write down the meter numbers. It doesn't care whether signals are C or Ku in origin, analogue or digital. It sings the same song. With Arc-Set (SF#15, p.19) and Yellow Bird in your vest shirt pocket, you are a fully equipped satellite teckie. Canary: Under US$100 from Gourmet Entertaining, 2545 Loring Street, San Diego, CA 92109.; tel:858-273-3666, fax:858-273-4666.