Thus satellite TV has been observed to offer the opportunity to watch hundreds of TV channels and this is one of the most popular means to get connected to television signal and this is prevalent where the cable TV has not been developed. But is satellite TV really accessible in every geographic location? The answer would be not a lot because there are certain restrictions regarding the installation area of satellite TV as well as its reception. But, satellite TV is now available almost in all the parts of the globe and has much less geographical limitation compared to cable and other similar services.
How Satellite TV Works
For this reason, let us first try to establish what satellite TV is and how it operates with the aim of appreciating why it has geographical limitations. Satellite TV refers to the process of transmitting television signals from satellites in space down to the earth and these signals are received at ones’ homes through satellite dish. They are positioned in fixed orbits above the surface of the earth and the dishes that are used in the receiving end must have a direct view of the satellites without any form of obstruction.
The dishes come in various sizes and a common satellite TV dish for a home use is roughly between 60-90 cm across. These small dishes can receive signals from the satellites hovering at about forty thousand two hundred Kilometers above the earth’s equator. With the transmitters, it broadcasts the signals over a large coverage area where millions of homeowners can install dishes that can capture the signals.
Interference that Prevents Signal Transmission
Because satellite TV engages in transmission of signals from an outer space down to fixed points on the surface of the earth, any object that eventually hinders the path of the signals disrupts the signals. Any object in front of the dish and the southern sky in which the satellites are located could potentially impair or fully prevent the TV signal.
Some of the most common objects that can interfere with signals include:Some of the most common objects that can interfere with signals include:
- High rise buildings as well as roofs
- They include trees, bushes and other types of growth.
- Such terrains as big hills and mountains
- Extreme latitude location such as in polar regions or near the equator
However, if the terminal has no clear view of the southern sky, the reception of the broadcast may be somewhat problematic or even impossible. Interferences are more possible in the places where buildings are densely developed or huge buildings surround a place and interfere with the signals that come from different directions. There are challenges associated with many rural areas too, by virtue of having a lot of trees.
Constraint 5: Geographic Limitations for Satellite TV
The ability of physical barriers restricts the geographical availability of satellite TV. Most specialists assume that satellite technology already has the capacity to serve 99% or more of the population in the continental United States. Other surveys suggest that satellite TV is accessible by as many as 94% of Canadians.It is generally available across Europe, Australia and many of the developed world’s countries as well.
The few locations where reception may be limited include:The few locations where reception may be limited include:
- Polar circles or regions; areas in the northern hemisphere such as northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia, and part of Scandinavia where latitudes are above 60 degrees. The fact that satellites in geostationary orbit are at a very great distance and at a very high altitude means that the angle they form to the other is very steep, which means that line of sight must be used in reception.
- Places such as remote valleys or even canyons where the buildings and structures are surrounded by very steep hills or mountain ranges, which obscure the vision of satellites.
- The construction of roads in remote areas without proper roads for the installation trucks to get to the properties. Electricity could also be a challenge, especially if one’s home does not have electricity or if the building has no power source at night.
- Areas where tall structures make it difficult to receive signals from satellites due to obstruction by numerous concrete structures present in densely populated cities. For instance, an apartment or a condo within the downtown area may not have an opportunity.
Satellite TV providers employ other mapping tools in order to be able to identify if a given home address or geographical co-ordinate will have a good sight line to the south to enable the installation. Therefore, in most cases, you can simply type in your address on the website of the satellite operating company to find out whether it is possible at your location.
When satellite TV signals have been blocked here are some of the possibilities that may exist.
In the rare situations where conventional satellite dishes are unable to achieve line-of-sight these are the two solutions to consider. Satellite service providers may give out unique accessories like the wing dishes, which are shaped to pick up signals from diverse directions due to hanging on tall towers. Another possibility is paying for satellite television reception through a broadband connection if this is possible because a roof-top dish installation is not required.
The Bottom Line
As compared to some of the earlier technologies that had limited signals such as the over-the-air antenna broadcast signals, satellite TV has a significantly smaller restriction in geographical areas due to large coverage of the powerful satellites. In some places, barriers can interrupt signals, however, satellite TV firms can currently provide connection to nearly all homes in the global community. Thus, although satellite TV is not yet present in every house, it is now effectively present in nearly every place to which one can drive a truck in order to install a dish aimed at the southern sky.
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