All TV Signals Are Blocked By Mountains. Only Reflections Are Available Here.

[@stuartstuart866]

I believe that my West facing TV antenna signals, in the Las Vegas valley are reflective. Reception during bad weather, especially snow covered mountains, knocks out several stations. Most of the primary stations are VHF

[@allanegleston4931]

i live in a bowwl with 4000 foot mountains . a friend of mine has a full 360 degree view of the sky. he gets 50 tv signals amplifed with a tv amplifier. his site has remnats of radio antennas and from what i was told there were a number of ge and marconi listening sites for maritime traffic on the coast . they were also used to listen for war signals in ww2. i also live in a aprtment so that dosent help either.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

In Europe OTA reception is not a problem and I'm talking in situations that you experienced and places with no signal at all. The solution is satellite television, and I'm talking that in most countries the TV channels that broadcast OTA (terrestrial as we call them) are also broadcasting free to air on satellite. An 80 cm satellite dish and a DVB-S2 satellite receiver is enough, if you have two or more TVs you need an LNB with two or more output. Also European TVs have DVB-S2 tuner built in so you can receive both, OTA, cable and satellite channels without a receiver/converter box. In some countries you must buy an access card to decrypt the channels In this case there is no monthly bill, channels are broadcasted free of charge, you buy the card once and make sure your receiver can read it.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

Thanks for the information. Some of the religious broadcasters suggest using a small satellite dish called Sky Angel to receive their signals, and we also have direct TV and dish network satellite TV, but Dish and Direct TV are expensive, and many of the people who call me are wanting to pick up the free stuff. but I'm wondering if the system you are using is available in the USA.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

@@GrantsPassTVRepair The free to air satellite system is available but you have to buy it online, in USA and Canada. In North America when it comes to satellite reception things are getting more complicated. Unlike Europe where we use Ku Band and a 80-100 cm dish is perfect for reception, North America uses both Ku Band and C Band. I recommend to have both, since some channels are on KU Band and other are on C Band. And I'm going to explain in detail: KU Band: For satellite free to air reception it is recommended an 100 cm dish, Ku Band LNB an USALS H-H motor and a DVB-S2 satellite receiver, Make sure the satellite receiver has the North American satellites such as Galaxy, Intelsat. they have stored the satellites that broadcast for North America. You can control the H-H motor from your receiver just enter the correct latitude and longitude (your GPS position) and you can point your satellite dish on multiple satellites. Ku Band is similar to UHF Band C Band: You need a 240 cm dish, C Band LNB, actuator, positioner, DVB-S2 satellite receiver. Unfortunately you can't point your satellite dish straight from your receiver and a positioner is mandatory. A 200 cm dish might work both it will have problems with weak transponders, a 240 cm dish is better. A 300 cm dish is perfect. C Band is similar To connect multiple satellites you need a Diseqc Switch. It operates on the following frequency band: 950 - 2150 MHz. It can have 2, 4, 8, 10 and 16 (very rare) inputs. The most used Diseqc switches are the ones with 4 or 8 inputs. They are compatible with both C Band and Ku Band. The receiver must be programed from the "Menu -> Satellite Setup" in order to recognize the switch and the correct input/port. If you don't select the correct input you will not receive channels at all (no signal). A switch allows you to run a single cable to your receiver and be able to receive more satellites. Speaking of receiving multiple satellites it is recommended to also have fixed satellite dishes besides the motorized ones, since you will find channels that you are interested and they are broadcasting on different satellites, just like OTA in some cases. Diplexers are recommended to receive both satellite TV, OTA TV and FM radio. The first diplexer is connected to both OTA antenna and the LNB or Diseqc switch, and the second diplexer you connect it to TV and satellite receiver. There are two KZbinrs that live in Canada and explain in detail everything you want to know about satellite reception. NorthCoaster Hobby and Robbie Strike.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

@@GrantsPassTVRepair Some religious channels and I'm talking about Christian channels can be either on C Band and Ku Band. For Ku Band an 80 cm dish will receive with no problems, for C Band a 200 cm dish is required, or 240 cm if the transponder is weak. Direct TV and Dish Network are not recommended for Free To Air reception because the dish is too small. And the LNB may be for circular reception (left and right) instead of linear reception (horizontal and vertical). FTA satellite channels use linear broadcast. Even if you connect a linear LNB to your Direct TV or Dish Network and you will have problems receiving FTA channels. With some luck you may receive some channels on Galaxy 97 West but you will not receive all transponders. With a minimum 80 cm dish you will receive all transponders and can receive other satellites. A 100 cm dish is perfect.

[@norcal715]

When I was heavy into HAM radio had a 2-meter 8 element Yagi vertical antenna, and I had to point it toward a mountain range about 40-50 miles away at 90 degrees off axis to talk simplex from Chico, CA to Sacramento, CA (about 60-70 miles). I could talk to one of my friends in his mobile. He was running a Yaesu at 50W and I had a Kenwood at 70W.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

I'm not surprised my friend, I remember being on the 11 meter band using 4 watts of output power, and a mid-sized base load antenna on my truck, and I spoke to a guy in Oregon who sounded like he was a mile away. At first I thought he was joking until I heard other Oregon stations coming in that evening. and night time skip is somewhat rare on the 11 meter band.

[@robertogalvez3865]

In Costa Rica we do many installations using reflected/bounced signals or echoes. There are sites surrounded by mountains where is the only solution to get channels, usually the stronger ones.

[@frankowalker4662]

On a VERY local level I had to adjust the rabbit ears on my B/W TV on an hourly basis back in the early 80's. I don't know why though. It might have been heat in the house or the the amount of things plugged into the wall. (oven on or off)

[@jasoncunninghambluejmc]

I think it’s a really cool job dude. Nice niches

[@cindyjones520]

There are a lot of trees out my way and the little bit of a signal I get can change with wind or rain.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

That's fairly common. Is your TV antenna outside?

[@cindyjones520]

@@GrantsPassTVRepair There was a Huge pole antenna outside but it did no better than the rabbit ears connected to the old TV so I took it down.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

@@cindyjones520 It's been my experience that an outside antenna works far better than an indoor antenna.

[@cindyjones520]

@@GrantsPassTVRepair Mine was so closed-in by trees by the time I was living here and needed to be moved.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

@@cindyjones520 Trees aren't necessarily a problem if the signal is strong enough in your area.

[@aloneandscared1]

you can install a Passive repeater as back-to-back antenna system on the mountain

[@edzanjero353]

Dave's the man!

[@olswirly]

the main interfirence during the day is tree mag fields and sun shine electric . when dealibg with weak signal every thing effects signal strenth . impeadance in the flow yars

[@williamzoom]

My basic knowledge about the signals changing over the day or night is because the ionosphere & troposphere affects them. I was told that is why HAM radio people prefer to certain times of the day or night to broadcast.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

You're mostly correct. I'm also a ham operator, and I've made many contacts by bouncing my signals off the ionosphere, but Television signals operate at higher frequencies which generally pass through the ionosphere. Tropospheric ducting is a more likely scenario where radio waves can travel between a warm and cold layer of air, but reflections off mountains can be a big issue in many locations around here. Here is an easy to follow video on radio wave propagation in case you're interested by Gorden West. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4qVgqikjb2Bhqc

[@OffGridAussiePrepper]

What about a vertical phased array TV antenna???

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

Looking at the design of TV antennas I only see horizontal elements being used, but it sounds like an interesting experiment.

[@dennisqwertyuiop]

will that change,in time ,,the direction, weather etc ?

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

Weather does have an effect on signals, and so can the trees as the seasons change and the leaves grow, There is also a condition called tropospheric ducting which can carry TV signals between warm and cold layers of air in the summer time, but I'm not sure about the winter months.

[@OffGridAussiePrepper]

Unfortunately reflections of tv signals are too unstable.... in bad weather they can just vanish and the customer can not watch tv. Did u try a mast head amp? or were u worried about amplifying the noise level? Did u try a 10ft, 15ft and 20ft mast at the roof peak?? cos with a masthead amp it should have enough db to cater for the longer coax required.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

I didn't use an amplifier on this job location, but some of the channels were stable enough to satisfy the home owner. You can't tell in the video, but this location was probably close to 1500 feet above sea level.

[@OffGridAussiePrepper]

​@@GrantsPassTVRepair The masts were suggested to get above the tree canopy. And I knew u were high in elevation, I did do alot of mountain work where I use to live which was a nightmare for Tv Reception work especially when the ground was so high in mineral content it that it affected tv transmissions and a super high lightning attraction.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

@@OffGridAussiePrepper Yea these mountain jobs are often a challenge. Sometime I walk the property with a portable signal meter looking for the perfect spot, and on some occasions I end up lowering the antenna close to the ground.