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Old December 30th 03, 07:40 AM
ComputerDoctor
 
Posts: n/a
Default TV reception challenge

I live in a small steep valley in a very hilly area (Innisfail, Queensland,
Australia) with a nearby ridge just preventing 'line-of-sight' to the TV
broadcast tower (Mt. Bellenden Ker, pictu
http://www.gu.edu.au/ins/collections...tml/16-17.html ). To make
matters worse, there is a wall of trees in the way, and the electricity
powerlines run both line-of-site (to the house) and sideways on (along the
street).

Amazingly, I can get 2 VHF and 3 UHF channels on rabbit ears, but the
channel with the cricket on (604-610 MHz) is so snowy I can't really see the
ball, which is very frustrating. The only thing I have going for me (I
think) is that the back yard is so steep that I can see over the house from
30 metres away.

Is it worthwhile trying to run some twin cable up the hill to a dipole
strung between 2 trees?
Would it be: 75-300 ohm balun + any length of ribbon + 232 mm dipole?
Is there a simple way to fine tune the arrangement at the TV end once its
up?

Or can I use the garden fence mesh ( see
http://home.austarnet.com.au/davekimble/gardenfence.jpg ) by tapping into it
at 2 well-chosen points? It seems a pity to waste all that wire.

I am a novice (you guessed) so please talk slowly.

Dave