Blocked by mountains

[LoTech]

I live in one of those 3% areas (TV Fool report) that the gov. says can't receive more than one station OTA; at least at my house. There is a spot on the hill behind my house that I can get 10 to 12 stations. The problem is that it's 2100 feet through rough terrain from my house to the top of the hill.

I know there are expensive ways to get that signal down to where I live. Realistically, though, is there any economical way to get some of those signals down into the valley where my house is?

[rabbit73]

Do you now get the first one on the list WYMT-DT?

What is your price range for economical?

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...ve+tv+repeater

The least expensive legal way to do it is to run an open wire line to the good location which will carry the tv signals down to you and DC power for a preamp up the hill. An alternative would be the open wire line for just the signal and a solar panel and battery to power the preamp at the antenna.

Other more expensive ways would be a satellite dish or an internet connection. The internet connection streams what is available or could be a remote connection to another location where an antenna has better reception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingbox
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=14835
http://forum.tvfool.com/showpost.php...4&postcount=13
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=14641
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1286

[LoTech]

Originally Posted by rabbit73

Do you now get the first one on the list WYMT-DT?

What is your price range for economical?

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...ve+tv+repeater

The least expensive legal way to do it is to run an open wire line to the good location which will carry the tv signals down to you and DC power for a preamp up the hill.

Other more expensive ways would be a satellite dish or an internet connection. The internet connection stream what is available or could be a remote connection to another location where an antenna has better reception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingbox
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=14835

Yes, WYMT is the one channel I get right now. Right now I would be happy to get WCYB and WJHL. On the hill, WCYB is strong, but WJHL is Pretty weak. I think an amplified repeater might do it though. Could I boost a SN of about 7 enough? The problem, I think, is that the top of the hill is not LOS to my house, and VHF doesn't bend that well. Too many terrain features and trees. Would this present a real issue?

Right now I have Dish Network, but WYMT, the PBS. sub channels, and the Tri-Cities sub channels are not carried on Dish. I'm not hurting for programming, but my main goal is just to supplement what I currently have.

[rabbit73]

WCYB might be possible from the bottom of the hill with a very long yagi antenna (or two stacked) cut for CH5 and aimed up. The CH5 antenna would need its own low-noise preamp; combine it with your WYMT antenna with a HLSJ.
http://www.hollandelectronics.com/ca...-Diplexers.pdf

WJHL is a lost cause from the bottom of the hill.

I think an amplified repeater might do it though.

Yes, it might, but that's not legal. The output of the preamp that feeds the second antenna aimed down to you would be an unlicensed transmitter. That is why one of the links I gave you, by GroundUrMast, suggested a WI-FI wireless connection.
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1286

The way an amplified repeater works is this: the first antenna would receive the signal and be connected to the preamp input (which must be locally powered). Its output would feed the second antenna with vertical polarization to reduce interference from the original signal. The third antenna at the bottom of the hill also must have vertical polarization.

As I said, it's not legal, so I'm not suggesting it, but that's the way its done as described in some of the Google links for passive repeaters.
Passive means no amp.

The problem, I think, is that the top of the hill is not LOS to my house, and VHF doesn't bend that well. Too many terrain features and trees. Would this present a real issue?

VHF bends better than UHF, so it might work for WCYB.

There is such a thing as a legal wireless AV sender, but its range is limited, and you would need power at the transmitter:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Wireless.html
http://www.amazon.com/AVS-5811-5-8GH...2Fvideo+sender

[LoTech]

I thought it was actually legal to set up an unlicensed amplified repeater for personal use as long as it didn't exceed 100 mW or 40 mW if it interferes with a licensed co-channel. I don't know where I read that, but i remember reading it somewhere. Could someone tell me if I'm wrong?

If true, a 20-30 DB amp would fall well within this range, and probably be strong enough to get all the signals I want down to me.

[rabbit73]

http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/En...3/oet63rev.pdf

http://www.hobbybroadcaster.us/faq.html

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...smitter+100+mW

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx....16.8&rgn=div6

[Tower Guy]

Originally Posted by LoTech

If true, a 20-30 DB amp would fall well within this range, and probably be strong enough to get all the signals I want down to me.

An on-channel booster requires gains in the 70-110 db range. This would be a preamp plus a multi-unit apartment type amplifier.

Gains of 110 db require more receive to transmit antenna isolation than normally feasible.

Filtering to prevent out-of-band emissions are also necessary.

[LoTech]

Thanks guys. I guess I'm just SOL on those channels. I was just hoping there might be some way to make it work.