Frequently Asked Questions about Track It TV®
Marine Satellite TV Tracking
Since 1996 - Just $896.90
Simple, Lowest-cost, Accurate
Dockside, Motoring, At Anchor
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Testimonials
Why change the product name to Track
It TV®?
Until recently Track It TV® was know as
Follow Me TV®. We changed our product name to aggressively emphasize our
product's ability to work worldwide with almost any type of satellite TV
dish, as well as many other directional antennas used for a variety of
applications. Our product has been successfully used by customers for
such things as satellite phone and broad-band Internet applications,
cellular phone and broad-band Internet applications using Yagi style
antennas, Wi-Fi Internet access with directional "Cantenna" type
antennas, and by Ham Radio operators who want to use directional Yagi
antennas while "maritime mobile".
Since other satellite (and non-satellite) antenna types can potentially
be used with
Track It TV®, we're exploring these possibilities along with some
of our customers. "Piggybacking" such antennas on top of satellite TV
antennas, or mounting them alone on a
Track It TV® system, allows users to point to multiple and
different types of satellites (and/or non-satellite targets) at the same
time.
To alert you to these exciting possibilities, we've designed this new
web site. And we've given our product its new name of
Track It TV®. Our customers in the past have successfully used a
variety of satellite TV and non-satellite antennas and shown us the way
to extend our tracking product use. We anticipate our customers will
confirm other antenna possibilities that we see out there for
Track It TV®.
One of the most constantly voiced desires that we have heard from
boaters is for better Internet access on the water, and we believe
Track It TV® can augment a number of fairly recent developments
for mobile Internet access. As you will see, both satellite and
non-satellite antennas are involved. For detailed information see
How can I get Internet access on
my boat?, including wi-fi, cell phone and BGAN satellite services in
combination with
Track It TV®.
We'll keep you posted, as we along with our customers explore emerging
services with satellite (and non-satellite) antennas that are suitable
for our tracking product.
How does the Find feature work?
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Whenever the Find button is pressed, the
Track It TV®
shaft turns to a previously memorized "Find" direction (or azimuth) and
then continues tracking. When setting up the system initially, after
setting the correct elevation on your dish, you use Right
and Left
buttons to turn your satellite TV dish to point to the satellite and
pick up the signal. This "Find" direction is then memorized by pressing
(2nd Func) and (Reset) Find
buttons together. Thereafter, any time you press the Find
button, the shaft will rotate to the "Find" direction and continue
tracking, causing the dish to point to the TV satellite and pick up the
TV signal. Complete Find details are found in
the
Track It TV®
Operation Manual available by clicking on
Literature.
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Find Feature
Details Are In
Operation Manual
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Can Find track changes in elevation and azimuth when I
travel?
Not automatically, and as you travel, both elevation and azimuth to the TV satellite can
change. However, the DSS setup menu on your TV gives new azimuth and elevation as
you move, and you can quickly compensate for a new azimuth by using "fine adjust"
1/2° Right or Left
button presses, after using the Find button,
even while the boat is turning. Once you are satisfied with TV signal
reception, memorize this new "Find" direction by pressing
(2nd Func) and (Reset) Find
buttons together.
Even while swinging wildly at anchor, it is easy to "step over" to the
required new azimuth from the original "Find" azimuth in controlled 1/2°
increments as described above. Elevation may also require adjusting,
depending on how far you have traveled - about one degree for every
sixty nautical miles traveled North or South - but this is an easy
manual operation.
Can
Track It TV®
handle multi-satellite dishes?
Yes. Many of our customers have used these dishes in the United
States. The dishes have both an elevation and a skew adjustment so that
multiple satellites can be accessed at the same time. Such dishes may be
a little less convenient as you travel, since as you move over longer
distances you may have to reset skew, in addition to elevation, to pick
up several satellites.
Can
Track It TV®
handle Hi-Definition TV (HDTV) dishes?
Yes,
Track It TV® can handle smaller 3-LNB Ku band dishes which have been offering HDTV
services. Several of our customers use these dishes in the United States
to obtain an exceptional high quality viewing experience on their
vessels. The DirecTV 18" x 20" Triple LNB Dish handles the Sat-C LNB
(110° Satellite) with HDTV broadcasting. The Dish Network 21" x 26" DISH 1000.2
Triple LNB High-Definition Compatible (VOOM) Dish also offers reception
of
some HDTV broadcasting.
Various larger and heavier HDTV dishes have been introduced recently by DirecTV
and Dish Network which realistically cannot be handled by
Track It TV®. In this category is the new DirecTV Five LNB Ka/Ku Slim Line Dish
Antenna, designed to handle new Ka band dedicated HDTV
satellites recently launched by DirecTV. This dish weighs over 20 lbs with a 22.5 inch
x 32.5 inch dish size. Dish Network offers a couple of large and heavy HDTV
dishes for "Local High-Definition
Compatible" programming (the DISH 500+ and DISH 1000+). These dishes
both require a 16 gauge or thicker galvanized
steel pipe of 1-5/8 inch diameter that must have at least 3 feet buried in concrete
or have equivalent support.
These offerings exceed our recommendations for larger dishes
(see Can Track It TV®
handle larger dishes? below).
We expect that lighter and smaller dishes will be offered to support
the recently introduced Ka band HDTV programming from DirecTV, and
"Local High-Definition Compatible" programming from Dish Network.
Track It TV® will be ready to add these
dishes to the broad range of satellite TV dishes used by our customers.
Can
Track It TV®
handle larger dishes?
Yes. The advantage of larger 24" and 32" dishes is that it can extend
reception to so called "fringe areas" beyond 150-300 miles where 18"
dish coverage gets weak and may not be able to pick up signals well.
Track It TV®
has a very strong oversized stepper motor that allows larger dishes to
be handled with ease. The exposed part of the
Track It TV®
turning shaft is about 8-1/2" high. It is sized to allow mounting of
either a basic DSS 18" dish on the shaft, slightly larger 20" multiple
LNB (multi-satellite) style dishes, larger 24" dishes, and some lighter
32" dishes.
Technically, the larger dishes require more accurate
tracking than the smaller dishes. With a reasonable level of signal
strength in an area, an 18" dish has about a 6 degree "window of
reception", while a 24" dish has about a 4.5 degree "window", and a
32" dish has about a 3.8 degree "window". Therefore,
Track It TV®
, due to its extremely accurate tracking, has no difficulty tracking
with these dishes, which are offered with standard 18" dish size
pole mounting, and are mostly under 10 lbs. in weight.
What is the geographic coverage for DSS satellite TV?
For information click on Satellite TV
How do I purchase Satellite TV services and equipment?
For information click on Satellite TV
What is the best DSS dish and receiver for my boat?
From a technical perspective, all of today's systems are very
similar. Performance is virtually identical. The convenience
of menus has become pretty much equal across systems as well.
In the US you can get a dish and multiple receivers for almost
nothing (under $30) when signing up for service for the first time.
To locate equipment and service sources click on
Satellite TV.
How did you develop such a low-cost tracking system?
We have been ruthless in putting all our costs into only those
components that are critical to tracking. We've used the strongest
stepper motor and gear case with the most precise, reliable digital
electronic compass. We left out everything that smacked of
unnecessary "gold-plating", but put everything in that would get
more accurate satellite tracking.
Why this set of priorities? We invested in tracking because that's
the heart of the system. With accurate tracking, you get an
enjoyable experience watching satellite TV. Without it, you get
annoyed at the video interruptions.
Use this link,
Track It TV®, to learn more about our approach to product
design. Our design approach delivers the lowest cost satellite
tracking system available, while at the same time offering extremely
accurate tracking. In fact we believe it's better tracking than any
other systems currently available.
How do I get additonal information?
If you have any other questions or need additional information,
please
contact us and we'll be glad to help you. For additional product
information, you may also want to check out our
product literature.