LINE OF SITE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

If you have a good location that can see the tower easily your LOS problems are solved and you can just put your antenna about anywhere you like and start using the system. Frequently there is a place with LOS but it is too far form the computer to be usable. In some cases you LOS is too high above the house of building to make the installation reasonable without the installation of a tower which might be unacceptable for your home or your neighborhood. Each site is different, therefore we have included a variety of information in this area to help you deal with specific problems

TREES:

One of the most common problems with LOS is getting around trees. Trees contain a large amount of moisture which absorbs microwave energy. A thick cover of trees can completely stop the wireless signal unless you are less than a mile from the tower site. In many situations you may avoid trees by not trying to go over them or through them. Since the height of the antenna is not important, you might find a LOS under the trees. All you need is a hole about 3 foot in diameter which the antenna can see through to see the tower.

In some situations you may have a complete blockage of trees as in the picture below but the row may be thin or only contain a few trees that are in a line. If you cut a few limbs in the proper place you may open up a line of site situation with very little tree trimming. All that you need is a hole for the antenna to see the tower. Usually cutting a tree down is unnecessary since the opening needed to see the tower is very small in size as compared to the entire tree.

The heavy blockage above was improved by cutting a few limbs on the right trees to open up the LOS.