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Using Artificial Satellites as TV Signal Antenna Boosters
Artificial satellites have brought about a way to increase efficiency and speed to global communications throughout the world.
Before this technological revolution came about, telegraph broadcasts were restricted by the transatlantic telephone cables laying on the ocean floor which existed for some fifty years.
At this point in time, the idea of getting on with the broadcast of live television pictures came about.
But of course, there was far greater requirement for such kind of technology. The operation of the live television pictures broadcast meant a higher frequency to be achieved in comparison with the ordinary radio broadcast. Frequency is defined as the measure of the total number of times that a signal repetition occurs per second.
One full cycle in a second is termed as 1 Hertz. In short, 1,020 kilo Hertz means that the signal completed is 1,020,000 cycles per one second. The television broadcast needed a frequency of 175 MHz. Meaning to say, the television pictures cannot in any be broadcasted by simply relying on the frequency of the radio.
The frequency bands required by the television and radio signal transmissions are managed by the use of the transmitter going to the receiver. The strength of the frequency band signal relies more on limits of the line of sight with the least amount of interference from man made and natural objects. The straighter the line of sight without interference, the stronger the signal will be. Therefore, it is common to see TV transmittion antennas placed as high as possible on an elevated tower.
Meanwhile, the radio signals are transmitted for several thousands of miles, and it utilizes the ionosphere which is the charged layer in the atmosphere. The signals then bounce back into the earth. However, the relatively higher frequencies did not spring back into the earth and had just simply disappeared completely at such a small space.
TV signal antenna boosters were a must for that time since the technology has just been crystallized. That time, the people were already craving for the broadcast of the television live pictures but since the period was quite of laid back, there was no other option available to speed up the process. Certainly, the television live pictures broadcast were unable to rely on the radio frequency. It was by the end of 1950s that the television transmission shed a light of hope. Artificial satellites came into being.
It was in the year 1960 when the Echo or the first simplest type of communication satellite was founded. It was made up of a huge aluminished plastic balloon. Both of the television and radio signals which came transmitted by the artificial satellite bounced back towards the earth and they were gathered by the earth receiving stations which were mounted parallel with the line of sight. At another point in time, a satellite called Score was placed into space and orbited the earth. It had a tape recorder in it which recorded the transmitted signals and they were played back when it happened to pass by its destination.
Both of these satellites were able to orbit for only 90-minutes at a time so communication was not achieved for a long period of time. Then came NASA's Telstar and Syncom 2. This was the next generation of satellite communications. Both of which were far more advanced than their predecessors.
Since there was no cable at that time, it was important during the earlier days to get a decent TV antenna booster because the transmission of the signals were not that strong and reliable.
Author
Mike Labram is the owner/webmaster of The Wired Gazette. Squeeze more out of your home theater dollars with our money saving tips, articles and reviews.
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