+LackTheCache Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 Im kinda new to all of this so forgive some of the terminology. Im sitting inside of my house and recieving a signal from 9 satelites. I have obtained and accuracy of 8 feet. I have marked a waypoint, translated the coordinates and put the Longitude and Latitude into Microsoft Mappoint. It nailed it right on the head. I was worried about reception while in the woods and here im getting great reception from inside my house. Pretty good, I think Tom Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 Wow, I'm glad you're pleased. I cant say I've had the same experience with any GPS. Let us know how it does in the woods. Vertigo Quote Link to comment
+Twitchy Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 You may find the signal will degrade under trees because trees absorb microwave signals. If you have a Direct TV or satellite dish they will always require a clear path to the satellite. If you place it behind a tree the signal will degrade to the point of loss. Same concept with a GPS. The thicker the foliage the less signal you will receive. The roof is another story. Plywood and all the stuff on top of it won't stop a microwave. My local antennia is in the attic. Yea, the signal is not as good as if it was outside the roof but, the antennia is protected from the weather. So, trees absorb microwaves, roofs don't (well at least not as much as trees). Quote Link to comment
+Twitchy Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 You may find the signal will degrade under trees because trees absorb microwave signals. If you have a Direct TV or satellite dish they will always require a clear path to the satellite. If you place it behind a tree the signal will degrade to the point of loss. Same concept with a GPS. The thicker the foliage the less signal you will receive. The roof is another story. Plywood and all the stuff on top of it won't stop a microwave. My local antennia is in the attic. Yea, the signal is not as good as if it was outside the roof but, the antennia is protected from the weather. So, trees absorb microwaves, roofs don't (well at least not as much as trees). Quote Link to comment
Astrogoth Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 Perhaps his house has a thatched roof. Not everyone on *this* site lives in a condo. :') Quote Link to comment
Steak N Eggs Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 The water content of wood (trees/roof) it what effects RF energy (the signal your gps receives) transmited from the satelite. Since trees have more water in them the blockage is more significent. Thats why wood is a good insulater of electrical energy, unless its wet.... "My gps say's it RIGHT HERE". http://www.geogadgets.com 1240 plus miles and only 8 caches? Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 Could it be that trees and leaves that are naturally filled with water act as a natural ground directing radio signals to that area? Alan Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 No quote:Originally posted by Alan2: Could it be that trees and leaves that are naturally filled with water act as a natural ground directing radio signals to that area? Alan Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Vertigo: No quote:Originally posted by Alan2: Could it be that trees and leaves that are naturally filled with water act as a natural ground directing radio signals to that area? Alan Thanks. You're explanation really cleard that up for me. Alan. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Vertigo: No quote:Originally posted by Alan2: Could it be that trees and leaves that are naturally filled with water act as a natural ground directing radio signals to that area? Alan Thanks. You're explanation really cleard that up for me. Alan. Quote Link to comment
+geomapper Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Getting Back On Subject, I can generally get several birds inside my house. I suspect some signals are being reflected off walls, etc. However, outside, I rarely have a reception problem with my Legend. Even under tree cover doesnt seem to be a big problem. So far, I can remember only once where I lost reception on a cache hunt but I got the signal back as soon as I moved a ways. Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 The water doesn't "direct" the radio waves, it just basicaly absorbs it. Radio waves are just like light waves, nothing (aside from mass, i.e. a black hole) can bend or suck them towards it. The only way the tree can block the signal is if it's within the line of sight from you to the satellite. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Thanks Vertigo. That makes sense. I was confusing electrons with radio waves. Alan Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Thanks Vertigo. That makes sense. I was confusing electrons with radio waves. Alan Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Sure.. Sorry I was so blunt before Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Sure.. Sorry I was so blunt before Quote Link to comment
jfitzpat Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Vertigo: The water doesn't "direct" the radio waves, it just basicaly absorbs it. Radio waves are just like light waves, nothing (aside from mass, i.e. a black hole) can bend or suck them towards it. The only way the tree can block the signal is if it's within the line of sight from you to the satellite. Sorry to be a stickler, but I wanted to point out that light and radio waves, both being forms of electromagnetic radiation, do "bend" for reasons other than gravity. Without going into quantum electro dynamics, EMR travels at different speeds through different media (ex. warm air vs. cold air, vacuum vs. atmosphere). And, for reasons we do not understand, photons, the quanta, or smallest divisable 'chunk', of EMR, seem to have the ability to sniff out the best route to a destination (sub atomic GPS units and cell phones?) Photons also, for lack of a better word, require 'elbow room'. We can predict these behaviors using a complicated system of probability summation, but the effect is not limited to some laboratory anomally. You can often see it in every day life. One of the best examples is the common road mirage often seen while driving in western states. It really does look like water on the road. This happens when the air just above the road is warm, but the surrounding air is cool. You are actually looking at part of the sky at road level. The photons take a curved path from the sky, down to the roadway, travel in the 'fast lane' (the warm air above the road), then curve back to your eye. Since we normally only see the sky from the ground as a reflection in water, our brain fills in the rest. The moving edges of the mirage are the moving air currents between the warm and cool air. At normal radio wavelengths bending and twisting due to atmospheric conditions can be quite severe. Again, sorry to be a stickler... -jjf Quote Link to comment
jfitzpat Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Vertigo: The water doesn't "direct" the radio waves, it just basicaly absorbs it. Radio waves are just like light waves, nothing (aside from mass, i.e. a black hole) can bend or suck them towards it. The only way the tree can block the signal is if it's within the line of sight from you to the satellite. Sorry to be a stickler, but I wanted to point out that light and radio waves, both being forms of electromagnetic radiation, do "bend" for reasons other than gravity. Without going into quantum electro dynamics, EMR travels at different speeds through different media (ex. warm air vs. cold air, vacuum vs. atmosphere). And, for reasons we do not understand, photons, the quanta, or smallest divisable 'chunk', of EMR, seem to have the ability to sniff out the best route to a destination (sub atomic GPS units and cell phones?) Photons also, for lack of a better word, require 'elbow room'. We can predict these behaviors using a complicated system of probability summation, but the effect is not limited to some laboratory anomally. You can often see it in every day life. One of the best examples is the common road mirage often seen while driving in western states. It really does look like water on the road. This happens when the air just above the road is warm, but the surrounding air is cool. You are actually looking at part of the sky at road level. The photons take a curved path from the sky, down to the roadway, travel in the 'fast lane' (the warm air above the road), then curve back to your eye. Since we normally only see the sky from the ground as a reflection in water, our brain fills in the rest. The moving edges of the mirage are the moving air currents between the warm and cool air. At normal radio wavelengths bending and twisting due to atmospheric conditions can be quite severe. Again, sorry to be a stickler... -jjf Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Vertigo: Sure.. Sorry I was so blunt before and sorry I was sarcastic. A simple "Could you explain the reaons why?" would have better on my part. Alan Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Vertigo: Sure.. Sorry I was so blunt before and sorry I was sarcastic. A simple "Could you explain the reaons why?" would have better on my part. Alan Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Youre such a stickler! Anyhow this is NOT why your GPS has poor coverage under tree cover, although it may contribute a very very very small ammount Quote Link to comment
+Vertigo Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Youre such a stickler! Anyhow this is NOT why your GPS has poor coverage under tree cover, although it may contribute a very very very small ammount Quote Link to comment
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