In any case, with some digiboxes you might have no choice but to buy one. There are several problems. I have had several emails from Pace and Grundig, and more recently Amstrad, owners pointing out that my instructions for aligning the dish manually no longer appear to work. My method relies on watching for an onscreen digital readout and with these makes of digibox, that readout doesn't necessarily appear. Even with the dish pointing directly at the satellite (by using a meter!) nothing appeared on the Signal Test screen until the digibox was powered off and back on again. All the readings described later on in my website then appeared immediately. So without a meter, it's impossible to align the dish.

The Pace Javelin Minibox (no longer made but still available from a few suppliers) is also affected but in this case, it is a general problem not just an occasional one.

There appears to be another problem with the latest Pace digibox, the DS430N. It's been reported to me that the Signal Test screen disappears within about 30 seconds, to be replaced by a 'No signal is being received' message. That is not usually sufficient time to align the dish so the task becomes a hideously time-consuming affair.

So for an increasing number of people, it seems a meter is fast becoming an essential accessory rather than an item of choice. Fortunately, as I said above they're also becoming cheaper. Go to my Links page for a list of suppliers and then shop around for the best deal.

Anyway, it's still worth reading the main body of the website but for Amstrad, Pace and Grundig owners (and anyone else who prefers to use a meter), the routine to adopt is as follows:

Start with the dish rim roughly vertical. That only applies to offset LNB dishes, and is appropriate only for Britain. As you travel southwards through Europe, the dish will need to be pointed progressively higher. Swing the dish slowly from side to side through compass bearing 145º until the meter tone reaches a peak. (145º is the approximate compass bearing in Britain; elsewhere in Europe the bearing will vary. Check here for details.) Then maintaining that same horizontal bearing, raise or lower the dish until the meter peaks again. If you have a positive reading on the Signal Test screen, good - clamp the dish and relax. Otherwise clamp the dish, then power the digibox off for 30 seconds, and then back on again. Go to the Signal Test screen and see whether you have a Network ID of 0002. If you do, fine. If not, power the digibox off again and continue swinging the dish. Once you have a reading on the Signal Test screen you will be able to fine tune the dish alignment as described in the main section.