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Man builds 60ft tower so he can receive wireless internet

Queasy

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
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Have you ever faced a real challenge whose only solution most people would consider too crazy or difficult? In this article you will learn about one of the most challenging personal projects I?ve done, and it was all in the name of Internet access. The goal was simple: throw away 56k and upgrade to high-speed internet. Sound easy? Think again.

I live in a small town with a population under 2,000. I was stuck with a 56k modem for nine years because no other option is available in my town. However, I learned of a new service provider that could allow me to get between 250 and 320 k/s. It sounded great!

Well, the situation was more complicated. The provider informed me they put a transmitting tower in my town approximately one kilometre from my house, but there could be absolutely no interference between the transmitting tower and my house. Herein lay the problem: there was a very large church less than 30 meters from my house, and so the signal had no way to reach me. I should have forgotten about it at that point, but I?m not that kind of person. Not after 9 years of waiting, and not when everyone around me, just far enough away from the church, would have it.

Eventually, I came up with a plan. I would build a sixty-plus foot tower so I could intercept the signal! Well, that?s a simple thing to say, but it's another story to really to do it. This is the story of how one man got the Internet access he craved, and how others can follow in his footsteps (just in case you ever need to build a sixty-foot tower in your backyard).
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Click through for the rest.
 
We've been very tempted to do the same thing. *


*Except that our dialup is 19.2 to 21.6Kbps at the fastest and we have hills, not a church, blocking signal.
 
Misleading title... he didn't build it, he bought it and reassembled it with a few customizations. A real challenge would have been if he had built the whole thing himself from scratch.
 
I am sitting here thinking it might be easier to put a radio repeater on top of the church. Might be the wireless company could make a deal with them. If it is a really high structure they might be able to get more customers that way.

Might be possible to put one on a neigbors house off to the side also.
 
Originally posted by: piasabird
I am sitting here thinking it might be easier to put a radio repeater on top of the church. Might be the wireless company could make a deal with them. If it is a really high structure they might be able to get more customers that way.

Might be possible to put one on a neigbors house off to the side also.
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that is more common than you would think
 
Title is very misleading. He erected a 60 foot tower not built one. BIG difference. Good price on used tower and appears to be in fine shape. That's a Rohn BX series (64') tower for the record.

The "effort" is not a big deal at all. Obviously not many Hams on this board. 😉

Cheers!
 
Originally posted by: swtethan
verizon wireless internet...... guy ever heard of that?
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hmm not aviablable in all areas.

as for satellite well it sucks. they will lock you down to dialup speeds if you use it to much. I have a feeling that guy would get locked down.

not to mention satellite goes out all the time. also the speed sucks.

I have satellite and would love anything else. wish i could get cable modem or fios =(
 
There's more to it than the construction:

Link to FAQ type page at WSP Forum at DSL Reports

Anyway, good info, but, this was a good solution for this person who has skills and access to do the job themselves. As others said other folks may have found that contacting the church to put a repeater there would be better. In fact, the ISP may have found that giving the church free access in exchange for serving that role may have been a win-win for all.

 
Originally posted by: Jnetty99
oh my... all of that for just 300k. Don't they have like Satellite Internet Service
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That's not the connection speed, that's the download rate. Here:

The only drawback is that with this type of service the ISP usually won't guarantee in any way the speed you will reach, as it depends on many things. They say it could go to as fast as 320 k/s, but I?ve not reached a rate higher than 300 k/s yet. It's more than enough though; it is WAY more than my old rate of at best 5 k/s!
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I get 400 k/s on my 5mpbs connection.
 
Originally posted by: sharkeeper
Title is very misleading. He erected a 60 foot tower not built one. BIG difference. Good price on used tower and appears to be in fine shape. That's a Rohn BX series (64') tower for the record.

The "effort" is not a big deal at all. Obviously not many Hams on this board. 😉

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Oh, I didn't say it was easy, but it's not news-worthy IMHO.
 
I like at the end how he says its installed in his yard. His yard looks like its about as big as the base of the tower
 
Maybe just use a satellite dish and a usb wireless nic. Much cheaper. I forget the site, but I seen peope easily gettign those distances with homemade contraptions. Some just use a wok utensil.

Found the link!
 
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