> -----Original Message----- > From: tcwug-list-admin at tcwug.org [mailto:tcwug-list-admin at tcwug.org]On > Behalf Of Bob Gilbertson > > Depending on the angles involved to the tower, and the tower > shape you may > be able to just bounce the signal off the tower itself. > Wouldn't take much > to try it. 21 dB over isotropic is aiming quite a bit of > signal in the > desired direction. Same concentrating effect is seen on the > receive side. > If you're driving, say, 100mW into the antenna this would > give about 10 Watts > ERP, which is a robust signal at 2.4 Ghz. Those numbers don't go together to make a path estimate. ERP doesn't affect actual watts per square meter field strength at the tower: it's only saying that a bigger transmitter on a dipole would do the same as the 100mW on a parabolic. The tower is probably cylindrical which is dispersive and thus a lossy reflector at best, and its vertical angle isn't good for a bounce either. The receiving antenna's area is the only concentrating effect there: square meters for an incoming wavefront of some watts per square meter power density, so the result is some microwatts down the coax pipe. Might work, but looks feeble. Chuck