I discovered that I had the availability of a Rocket M5 and 30dB dish that I could play with on AREDN. Loaded the software without any real issue and mounted the radio and dish on the pole that I use for satellite antennas. From that location, I have a perfect visible path to Mt. Wilson 15.5 miles away. Configured the radio for channel 177 and 10MHz bandwidth. Pointed the dish visually and after a while I was able to get a 4 to 5 dB S/N signal from something only identified with an IP address. Attempted to peak the signal using the built in real time signal level utility and never could get even expected functionality from that - i.e. turn the dish 20 degrees off axis and no change in tone pitch. Then I would lose the signal completely. Came back after the Dodger game and tried again with similar results.
Most disappointed... I expected better results based on other paths seen on the KG6WXC map...
Jim
K6CCC
Most disappointed... I expected better results based on other paths seen on the KG6WXC map...
Jim
K6CCC
Hi Jim,
Assuming your address on QRZ is correct and I mapped the Wilson node correctly, then you do have a blocked path. On your side it could be the trees, but more importantly, on the Wilson side you are hitting the Mt. Wilson dirt filter.... see images.
The solution could be to work with other meshers in your area to build a mesh with one or two nodes that have clear LOS to Wilson. Or to try and connect to some of the nodes to the East.
Good luck!
73,
Oliver K6OLI
Thanks Oliver. No tree issue on my end, but I could not plot the Mt. Wilson end as I did not have an accurate location. Based on the screen capture, it is not at the location I was given a few weeks ago. The photo below is about 20 years old, but it has not changed. Mt. Wilson is just to the left of the bottom of the rotor clamp.
As far as other locations to link to, there really isn't anything to the east that has any elevation except Snow Peak. Although I likely have a path, it is LONG - and may have tree issues. Pleasants is a possibility, but I do have a tree next door that will be in the way. I'll have to see if I can find a spot at my house that can see around it. The other complication is the Pleasants site has antenna patterns that put me right on the edge of the patterns at best.
I would not worry too much about distance. On the ham bands and with 30dBi gain, distance in the Southland is rarely the issue.
A couple of nodes you can try
KE6BXT-PleasantsPk-RM5-NE (5.8GHz)
33.7978624, -117.6236321
SSID: AREDN-10-v3
Channel: 170, Bandwidth: 10
K6ECG-LA-MtWilson-SE (5.8GHz)
34.224, -118.061
SSID: AREDN-10-v3
Channel: 177, Bandwidth: 10
AI6BX-1-RM5-XW-NW (5.8GHz)
34.014063, -117.138505
SSID: AREDN-10-v3
Channel: 182, Bandwidth: 10
WD6EBY-LA-Verdugo-W-Sector-5G (5.8GHz)
34.223, -118.28
SSID: AREDN-10-v3
Channel: 177, Bandwidth: 10
And please try the Wifi Scan feature, I have found it incredibly useful. It will find pretty much any wifi device on the same bandwidth and highlight the AREDN devices.
73,
Oliver K6OLI
WD6EBY-LA-Verdugo-W-Sector-5G (5.8GHz)
34.223, -118.28
SSID: AREDN-10-v3
Channel: 177, Bandwidth: 10
But we have recently had a couple of pretty crazy connections: one was a 2G node pointed downwards at Huntington for local (!) distribution that connected with Toro Peak. So you'll never know what is possible unless you try :-)
73,
Oliver K6OLI
Not that it really will matter, but you were off by one house on my end.
The red arrow is the pole I have the dish mounted on. It's a little hard to tell in your path profile, but it clears the tree (green arrow) by about 5 feet at about 15 feet from the dish. Other than that it's a clear shot up until the dirt in the way at Wilson - and I can't fix the dirt! I am seriously looking at reducing that tree too because it really blocks my solar in the afternoon... The tree with the yellow arrow is going to be a major problem to Pleasants, although I might be able to do it from the east end of my house (the purple arrow). There is a pole there for my weather station that I could at least use for a test, but it's not beefy enough for a dish on a long term basis. Note that the pink and purple arrows are approximate directions.
Just for good measure I have a NanoStation M5 (not AREDN and fairly critical) pointed to Johnstone (the pink arrow) that is mounted to a vent pipe. That's on a low 5 GHz channel so should not be a major problem adding AREDN on a high 5 GHz channel at least with some physical separation.
BTW, what did you do the path profile on? It looks like it's Google Earth, but I have never seen a Google Earth path link look like that.
I did a more detailed plot on this and the hills of SW San Dimas (north of I-10 and west of the 57) block that.
That's what started this thread in the first place. No good.
That one may be a possibility. It's 41.5 miles, but I have a path it looks like (if I pick the right place on my house)..
Not a prayer. That's way on the wrong side of the Verdugo Hills. Miles of higher rock to get through. Long term I expect a radio to go to my work which should be able to see that site.
Thanks Oliver.
I'll see if I can view your path profile from the computer at home (can't find anything here that knows what to do with a .tgz file...
Joe AE6XE
All this is making me wish I had some REAL path profile software - as opposed to Google Earth. Either that or convince Google to add real RF propagation to G.E.
http://www.ve2dbe.com/rmonline.html
Andre
On a related note, I may be able to put something up on Johnstone Peak. That will be able to see several sites, and I know I can see Johnstone - I already have a part-15 5 GHz shot to there...
Chuck...
WB6YOK
34.109764° -117.852606°
That is close to the chimney where I could mount a dish fairly easily to point almost any direction.
The dish is currently on a pole at the west end of the house:
34.109849° -117.852652°
That location works best for generally north to west pointing. There is a large tree that blocks from about 200 - 270 degrees.
Chuck...
WB6YOK
I have now plotted all of these with Radio Mobile Online. According to that, Wilson should work, JPL Mesa and Snow Peak should have a few dB of obstruction loss, Pleasants and the water tank site in Redlands are no way in @#$%. I had to make some guesses on antenna height and gain on the far ends, but my guesses should at least get me close...
Now to see what I see when I can onto the roof...