Wireless TV signal

[ray66v]

My guess is you would need an FCC license, to have equipment powerful enough to send a wireless signal that far.

The stuff I have messed with, does a poor job of sending wireless signals to other rooms in my house.

 

[davesl708]

I am thinking you may be able to get a repeater that will pick up the signal from the antenna and send it down your side of the mountain. The only issue may be the repeater has to be able to send all the signal received.

Small power repeaters are not expensive.

 

[buickanddeere]

What is your source for that statement?

Here ABC Ch 5.1 transmits on RF Ch 7 and PBS 13.1 is on RF 13

RF Ch 2 - 6 are no longer used for Digital TV in my area.

This is one of the best Websites for digital reception information: TV Fool

VC refers to the station's PSIP virtual channel. RF refers to the station's physical RF channel.

You are correct it's the digital number which is the actual transmitted "channel". I was incorrect stating channel Fox 2 , It is as you stated a virtual.

There appears to be Digital activity in Michigan from channels 3-6 which is .......... ???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_Michigan

TV Market City of license Digital Number Channel Number Call Letters Network Affiliation Subchannels and Notes
Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 3 8 WWMT CBS The CW on 3.2
Marquette Escanaba 3 48 WJMN CBS semi-satellite of WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI
Marquette Calumet 5 5 WBKP CW ABC (simulcast with WBUP) on 5.2
Flint/Saginaw Bay City 5 22 WNEM CBS MyNetworkTV on 5.2, Cozi TV on 5.3
Alpena Alpena 6 24 WCML PBS Satellite of WCMU-TV ch. 14 Mount Pleasant
Marquette Marquette 6 35 WLUC NBC Fox on 6.2, Grit on 6.3
Lansing/Jackson Lansing 6 36 WLNS CBS

 

[buickanddeere]

I'd love to get rid of Dish, but still get the local ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX channels. We live down in a valley, and back when TV was analog, and before DISH, we had a roof antennae with a rotor, and could get about 2 1/2 channels via it.

Now they've all gone digital, but I figure a roof antennae wouldn't do much more than it did before....we just don't have good line of sight to the broadcast antennas.

BUT I do have access to the top of our mountain, and from there, I figure I could get a signal from all the locals. Problem is, that is 2500' up the mountain (at an angle, about 800' of elevation change). Running cable would be near impossible from there.

Is there some equipment I could get a signal from a digital antennae into, then get it wireless down to my house and into my TV ?

I do have power at the top of the mountain, and 100' tower to put the antennae on (used for wireless internet in the past, the company died, so I have DSL for now)? Line of sight from tower to house.

Thanks.

How far east?
Knoxville Crossville 20 20 WBXX-TV CW
Knoxville Jellico 54 23 WPXK-TV ION
Knoxville Knoxville 7 7 WKNX-TV Ind.
Knoxville Knoxville 10 10 WBIR-TV NBC Me-TV on 10.2, Justice Network on 10.3
Knoxville Knoxville 15 17 WKOP-TV PBS
Knoxville Knoxville 6 26 WATE-TV ABC Laff on 6.3
Knoxville Knoxville 8 30 WVLT-TV CBS MyNetworkTV on 8.2
Knoxville Knoxville 43 34 WTNZ Fox Bounce TV on 43.2, Grit on 43.3
Knoxville Tazewell 48 48 WVLR CTN

 

[Deere Dude]

By 'wireless', you mean you dropped cable and went to an antennae ?

Based on responses here, I guess I'll try one down here at the house.

The tower I have at the mountain top is 2500' up. We did run power there, in a black, roll type conduit, just laid on the ground up thru the woods. It was a major PITA to do, and I would not want to repeat it with cable, plus I assume it would take some serious boosting of signal even if I did get the cable run.....hence I was looking for a wireless solution. I have little electronics experience....my skills are more 'hard' stuff....I built the tower, got the power to it, for example, but the internet company put the equipment on it. I know little about that stuff.

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions.

andy

I have sort of a dilemma like you. I can make an opening up on a hill about 4-500 feet from the house up on a woody hill with a 100 foot elevation. I cannot imagine your situation because mine stumped me. I am 60 miles from Nashville and am also in a hollow. Depending on the responses you get here, I might try something new.

Although when we first moved here I set up a 40' boom on my tractor and put a monster antenna on the end with a rotor. I could only get 2 main channels and a couple tag-a-long channels. None of them were worth watching so I got Dish. I could not get FOX but if I could I would have pursued it farther.

I was thinking just to run buried coax with an amplifier but it would be a pain as you say. Mine only needed electricity at the receiving end and sent the electricity through the coax to the attachment on the antenna which sent the signal back (Not sure how it works exactly).

 

[aeblank]

What is your source for that statement?

beats me. Been a few years since I've worried about such things. Prove I'm wrong..
It might have been directly from one of the stations' engineers, I'm not sure, honestly.

I've been battling one or two stations being pixeley forever though. I finally think I have it, with 2 antennas/amps and a uhf/vhf diplexer. Big-time fun.

 

[MossRoad]

simple passive repeater solutions consisting of unpowered passive antenna's

We had to do that for radio traffic in our building back when we used walkie-talkies. We just put a rubber duck antenna near the repeater antenna, ran a coax to the basement and plugged another rubber duck antenna into that. Worked fine for our needs. I always wondered if it would work for TV signal.

 

[MossRoad]

beats me. Been a few years since I've worried about such things. Prove I'm wrong..
It might have been directly from one of the stations' engineers, I'm not sure, honestly.

I've been battling one or two stations being pixeley forever though. I finally think I have it, with 2 antennas/amps and a uhf/vhf diplexer. Big-time fun.

I love diplexers.... it makes you feel like you're cheating or something and getting away with it. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

This article on passive repeaters looks interesting.

Passive TV Repeater

In a nutshell:

Get three directional TV antennas.
Go up to the mountaintop.
Point one antenna at the city where the TV stations are located.
Point the second antenna at your house down in the valley.
Connect those two antennas together with a coaxial cable.
Go down to your house and point the third antenna up at the one one the mountain top.
Connect it to your TV and see what happens.
If it doesn't work, try putting an amplifier between the two antennas on the mountaintop.

Wonder if it would work...

 

[ultrarunner]

Mom gets over 40 stations with rabbit ears on top of her 40 year old Zenith Console... about half are English!

People are always commenting/amazed rabbit ears work.

It did take some experimenting to find the best spot... a few times she has dusted and more the rabbit ears ever so slightly and the signal was impacted... she lives in Oakland CA

In Olympia... I get nothing before an nothing now... being down in the Hollow.

 

[k0ua]

This article on passive repeaters looks interesting.

Passive TV Repeater

In a nutshell:

Get three directional TV antennas.
Go up to the mountaintop.
Point one antenna at the city where the TV stations are located.
Point the second antenna at your house down in the valley.
Connect those two antennas together with a coaxial cable.
Go down to your house and point the third antenna up at the one one the mountain top.
Connect it to your TV and see what happens.
If it doesn't work, try putting an amplifier between the two antennas on the mountaintop.

Wonder if it would work...

I will guarantee it will work. The question is how well. If you have power, then a wideband amp between the two antennas topside will definitely help things along. Ever notice the old "flyswatter" antennas on microwave towers with a dish at the bottom of the tower pointed up at the "flyswatter"? Passive antennas can work. Keep the coax between the two antennas as short as practical. The amp can help a lot here. make sure the two short range antennas are accurately pointed directly at each other with as much gain as you can practically afford.. yeah it will work. If the signals at the top of the mountain are as good as he thinks, this should do it for him.

 

[k0ua]

I would try the totally passive antennas first, then add the amp if needed. The reason is less complexity and more lightning resistant. Very little investment for a potential high reward. On the antenna pointed at the house, be sure to depress the elevation to point it exactly towards the house as near as practical.