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Oz Jon

Just as well I wasn't holding my breath, waiting for your reply Paul! ...Lol!  (November to May!)

Things move slowly in Cambodia! ... or you've been a busy boy?

 

With the latest path/frequency information, the path is not critical.

So, even with several metres error in the high mast height, the result will be little changed.

5 to 10 metres mast height at the farm looks like the best solution....easy!

 

Cheers

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Parrothead
6 hours ago, Oz Jon said:

Just as well I wasn't holding my breath, waiting for your reply Paul! ...Lol!  (November to May!)

Things move slowly in Cambodia! ... or you've been a busy boy?

 

With the latest path/frequency information, the path is not critical.

So, even with several metres error in the high mast height, the result will be little changed.

5 to 10 metres mast height at the farm looks like the best solution....easy!

 

Cheers

 

Well, it's higher now. But, when the antenna was around 4 meters high, it had much better signal than it does at the moment - at 7 meters. So, I hope we have the welder out within the next week, to fabricate the tower for the antenna. 

 

To be perfectly honest, I would actually rather have a beam antenna, directional, faced toward the tower. I am pretty certain the signal would be optimized, then.

 

 

Edited by Parrothead
Corrected height.

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Oz Jon
3 hours ago, Parrothead said:

 

Well, it's higher now. But, when the antenna was around 4 meters high, it had much better signal than it does at the moment - at 7 meters. So, I hope we have the welder out within the next week, to fabricate the tower for the antenna. 

 

To be perfectly honest, I would actually rather have a beam antenna, directional, faced toward the tower. I am pretty certain the signal would be optimized, then.

 

 

A directional antenna pointed the right way is certainly the way to go.

As a former employee of an antenna company - "antenna gain is the best gain" .....  and it's true!  ... improves the wanted signal and reduces unwanted signals/noise.

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Parrothead
2 hours ago, Oz Jon said:

A directional antenna pointed the right way is certainly the way to go.

As a former employee of an antenna company - "antenna gain is the best gain" .....  and it's true!  ... improves the wanted signal and reduces unwanted signals/noise.

 

Most definitely. I am currently looking for a yagi antenna. Not sure how long it will take me to locate one, though. I did send an email to the company that manufactured the omnidirectional antenna that I have now, to see if they currently offer a yagi in their product line. 

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Parrothead

Oh, @Oz Jon, since I did decide to keep the apartment in the city, long term, I don't think I mentioned to you that I completed some calculations on installing a microwave antenna and beaming it to the farm, directly. The distance wasn't too bad, actually, 22 - 23 Kilometers, as the crow flies. Only problem is, there is a bit of a rock in the way, about 100 meters high. :D 

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Oz Jon

Well, That hill  will probably make a microwave path from the city to the farm impracticable, but maybe not?

 

When you can give me a bit more information on the link frequencies you have available and the path data, I'll have a look at the possibilities.

... A long shot! ...but there may just be a solution?

 

Cheers

 

ps.  for a start. give me the Google Earth latitude and longitude of your city apartment and a photo of the view from the roof in the direction of the farm... If there are any big buildings near your apartment, it may be possible to use them as a reflector? ...that's a really long shot, but maybe a solution?

 

Edited by Oz Jon
ps
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Oz Jon
14 hours ago, Parrothead said:

 

Well, it's higher now. But, when the antenna was around 4 meters high, it had much better signal than it does at the moment - at 7 meters. So, I hope we have the welder out within the next week, to fabricate the tower for the antenna. 

 

To be perfectly honest, I would actually rather have a beam antenna, directional, faced toward the tower. I am pretty certain the signal would be optimized, then.

 

 

Yes, there will be an optimum antenna height, so that the (F1) ground reflection adds to the direct signal.

If you go much higher, you lose that bit of extra signal and eventually lose signal strength, because the F2 reflection tends to cancel the direct signal.

A directional antenna tends to reduce both of these effects because it's beamwidth may be small enough to not see so much of the ground.

 

It's all RF engineering black-magic Paul! - Lol!

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Parrothead
46 minutes ago, Oz Jon said:

When you can give me a bit more information on the link frequencies you have available and the path data

 

Well, my CPE-510s don't have the range. But, I guess I would stick with 5Ghz antennae.

 

50 minutes ago, Oz Jon said:

ps.  for a start. give me the Google Earth latitude and longitude of your city apartment and a photo of the view from the roof in the direction of the farm... If there are any big buildings near your apartment, it may be possible to use them as a reflector? ...that's a really long shot, but maybe a solution?

 

The apartment is located at 13.0917306, 103.1913385 decimal, or 13° 5' 30.2302'' N by 103° 11' 28.8186'' E.

Unfortunately, I am unable to take a photo from the roof here. No ladder available. But, we are on the south side of town. No buildings south of here over two-stories, currently, that I am aware of. 

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Oz Jon

To be useful as a reflector, a building would need to have a fair amount of metal in/on it (the frame or cladding, like multi-story city office buildings?) and be located off to the side of the direct apartment-farm path. You would then aim your antennas at the intermediate building.

 

It's a long shot, but a possibility.

 

At 5GHz, your prospects of getting over an intermediate hill are not good.

 

I'll have a look into it nerxt week

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Parrothead
4 minutes ago, Oz Jon said:

To be useful as a reflector, a building would need to have a fair amount of metal in/on it (the frame or cladding, like multi-story city office buildings?) and be located off to the side of the direct apartment-farm path. You would then aim your antennas at the intermediate building.

 

I understand. I was going to state, "No buildings SE to SW of here, that would be suitable," but didn't. And buildings of any height here, are mostly concrete.

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