Hi Mal,

I get a signal indicated sometimes on the TV baragraph but it will not lock.
I need some sort of device to accurately point the dish towards the
satellite. The normal procedure used for analogue pointing does not seem to
work for digital.

IMHO, if you have a good analog picture, there is an adequate signal to get
a reliable lock.  Your problem is probably other than dish alignment.

Is your analog receiver a separate unit?  If so, are both receivers connected?
Which one is controlling polarity and band?  Is this 22 kHz band switching,
or are you using DiSEqC or other fancy control?

First, make sure that the analog program you are receiving is from the right
satellite.  If one is available, try to receive an analog program from a
transponder on the same polarity and band as the digital signal you are
seeking.  If not, at least check that your analog program goes away when
you change polarity and/or band.

Try to receive a digital package other than the one you really want to watch.
Make sure you entered the right SR.  Try transponder frequencies +/- 1, 3,
and 5 MHz from the correct value.  A signal with a high SR, e.g. 27500, will
be easier to lock than a narrow one.  Choose an unencrypted signal.

If you're trying to receive something exotic, aim your dish at e.g. Astra
or Hotbird for initial testing.

Be aware that if your dish is smaller than 1 m, an alignment meter can
give misleading results, because you start to see signal from an adjacent
satellite, before the signal from the desired bird falls off very much.

If you still have trouble, let me know your setup: dish size, LNB type,
receiver model(s).

73,

Stewart