Mobile phones and gadgets

In a modern home, you want to be able to watch TV, and preferably without interference, and even better in HD quality. And use the internet too.

In this photo you see 2 antennas: a satellite dish for the TV and a 4G antenna for the Internet. Let's talk a little more about this.

TV antennas - satellite and terrestrial

Surely, many have long known how satellite TV works and what you need to start watching news in high quality. But for sure there are those who have not thought about it before, that's just for them this part of the article will be useful, where everything will be laid out in a simple and understandable language. In addition, let's talk about digital DVB-T2 television, which can be watched using a conventional antenna.

So, if you want to watch hundreds of channels with news, movies and other programs, you will need a satellite dish.

In this photo, the Lans plate, it seems, is 80 centimeters in diameter. The range of antennas starts from a diameter of 55 cm, if I'm not confused, and the larger the dish, the more confident the reception of the satellite signal. It is advisable to use 80-90 cm plates, then even in bad weather (snowfall or heavy rain) the picture on the TV will not “crumble”, that is, there will be no interference.

Antenna "in the hole" - there are small holes over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe dish. This is necessary in order to reduce the wind load. Such a perforated antenna will not be swayed by the wind and certainly will not be torn off during a squall. It's a little more expensive, but it's justified.

The antenna must be installed so that it is directed to the satellite. Literally every millimeter counts. For example, the NTV + satellite is located in the south, so the antenna is hung on the facade that faces that direction. It is not necessary to hang the antenna on the house, it can also hang on a fence or on a tree, in some cases this is generally the only way to “catch” a signal - visibility must be direct, tall trees often interfere. When we install an antenna, we make sure to set it up and check the signal with a special device!

A so-called converter is fixed on a metal rack. It is needed to convert the satellite signal, it is to this little thing with an orange cap that the antenna cable is connected, which will go to the TV. Converters are different, some can only connect one cable (one TV), some two, some four. Perhaps there are models with more outputs, but I doubt that someone needs more than 4 TVs.

What you need besides the dish antenna

The satellite dish does not connect directly to any TV. There are 2 options:

1. Connecting the cable to a special receiver. This is a separate box with its own remote control, which connects to any TV, like a DVD player or VCR. It is used to convert the satellite signal from the antenna into a television signal. Decodes it. A special smart card is inserted into this box, which you buy from the operator (for example, Tricolor or NTV +), this is necessary to pay for access to the selected TV channel packages.
2. On sale there are TVs with a special CL + slot into which you can buy and insert a CAM module. This TV has an input for a DVB-S2 antenna cable. That is, the cable from the antenna is connected directly to the TV, a module is inserted into the TV, a smart card is inserted into the module. This option is convenient - there are no extra wires and an extra "box", and most importantly, everything is controlled by one remote control. If in the previous version it was necessary to turn on the TV and adjust the sound with one remote control, and change channels with another, then here all control is on one remote control and it's great.

At the construction stage, it is advisable to limit yourself to buying only an antenna with a converter, fix it on the facade or on the roof, adjust the position in order to receive a reliable signal from the satellite and bring the required number of cables into the house. Each TV is connected with a separate antenna cable and each TV needs its own receiver / module and its own smart card. By the way, each TV is also paid separately ... Therefore, most often the cable from the dish is connected to the living room, where a large TV will appear in the future.

Thus, after finishing the finishing, it remains only to connect the cable to the TV with the module or the receiver, you no longer need to climb onto the roof and touch the antenna.

Digital TV without satellite dish: DVB-T2

Some time ago, broadcasting of digital television in the DVB-T2 format began. Modern TVs already have a built-in receiver for this type of signal. It differs from the good old antenna in that there is no "snow" and interference. If the reception is confident, the picture will be very clear.

Reception is carried out on a similar antenna. At the time of writing, 20 channels are broadcast in digital format. These are 2 so-called multiplexes, 10 channels each. A multiplex is something like a package of channels that is broadcast on a specific frequency. These are on-air channels and they are broadcast free of charge.

If your TV does not have a built-in digital receiver, separate receivers are sold (“boxes” like those needed for satellite TV), you can connect such a box to any, even an old TV and watch TV channels in good quality.

You can read more about digital TV here: http://www.rtrs.ru/dtv/, and you can see the coverage area at this link.

Which is better, satellite or digital TV?

Satellite is better, digital is free, and in general, all modern television is junk, but let's still figure out the pros and cons.

So, on the satellite side, 100% coverage - you can receive a satellite signal anywhere, there would be a dish. It can be difficult only in the forest among centuries-old tall trees, but even there you can try to find a “window” and adjust the antenna. The range of TV channels is also on the side of satellite TV - there are hundreds of these channels. Movies, sports, news, educational programs, cartoons - choose what you want, just don't forget to pay on time. Actually, the need to pay is the main disadvantage, and payment for each connected TV.

And on the side of digital DVB-T2 television, there is a lower cost of the antenna, a lower cost of the receiver (or if the TV is fresh, then the receiver is already built in), no subscription fee and the ability to connect any number of TVs to one antenna. However, you don’t have to pay a subscription fee for terrestrial channels on a satellite either, but on a satellite there is a choice, but not here. The disadvantages include not 100% coverage, there may not be reception somewhere or it will be too weak (see the link above) and only 20 channels. Maybe someday there will be more of them.

Many people put both antennas at once. Satellite is connected to a large TV in the living room, where you can watch movies, and a regular or digital antenna is connected to a TV in the kitchen or in the bedroom so that you can watch news on federal channels, for example.

Internet outside the city or 3G/4G antenna

Nowadays, good and fast Internet is already much more important than a TV, so let's talk about antennas for the Internet separately.

The photo shows a 3G/4G Proflink antenna. Why is she needed? What's good about her? Before answering these questions, it is worth delving a little into the problems of the mobile Internet.

If the mobile Internet on your modern smartphone is fast, and a regular USB modem is enough for a computer and the speed suits you, then you don’t need such an antenna, you don’t need to read further. But if everything works very slowly, and even with a good signal, the antenna can already help.

The principle of operation of 3G / 4G Internet is quite simple. In your or neighboring village, a telecom operator (Megafon, MTS, etc.) installs a base station. This is something like a large antenna to which your devices are connected - a phone or a modem. Your phone, the phone of the neighbor on the left, the neighbor on the right, the neighbor behind, across the street. They all need the Internet and they all share it with you. The fact is that the base station has a limited resource, bandwidth or "pipe" and it is divided approximately equally among everyone. Quite a bit, but not quite. There is the so-called concept of "radio resource", it is also limited. And this resource is needed the more, the worse the received signal on the subscriber device. Simply put, if your modem or phone is “bad”, there are only “one or two sticks”, the base station needs to expend more “strength” to provide you with good Internet access speed. If your signal is good or excellent, you need less strength = resources. These resources are also divided approximately equally, and all this is very rough and simplified.

The result is that those devices that have a better signal get a better speed. And this is only one side of the coin. Any mobile device, phone or modem is rather “weak”. If the operator's base station is a huge antenna on a mast or on the roof of a tall building, it emits a powerful signal, then the transmitter in your phone or modem is extremely small and it is difficult to “hear” the response signal from it to the base station. That is why your mail can be sent slowly, and uploading a video to Youtube is a whole problem.

What's the point of an antenna?

Well, now let's compare, what do you think receives the signal better - your phone or tablet in your hands, or the antenna on the roof of the house? What radiates better? Obviously, a large antenna pointing towards the operator's base station will be in better radio conditions and provide you with a better internet experience.

In addition to better reception, and therefore higher network access speed, the antenna in the photo above boasts built-in WiFi. Those two small antennas on top are just wireless communication in the house and on the site. You can connect any device with WiFi to such an antenna, and besides it, there is also a regular Ethernet cable (by the way, power is supplied through it, this is POE technology).

Therefore, if the Internet in your home does not work well, it makes sense to think about the antenna. This is not a panacea, in the event of a severe overload of the operator's network, it will not help much, but even then the Internet will work better, because the signal will become better.

At the request of customers, I install Proflink antennas, which are manufactured in Krasnodar http://smarten.rf/antenna/ These antennas are built on high-quality components, differ from analogues in a more reliable "stuffing".

Satellite dish is a common but expensive pleasure. Many of us often thought about the question: is it possible to make such a multifunctional antenna on our own? Of course, it is quite possible! Most often, the question of making a satellite dish with their own hands is asked by people in order to save money or those who like to conduct experiments. Building a homemade TV-dish is not as easy as it seems. When installing it, you need to take into account not only the features of a particular model, but also even the smallest nuances: setting available satellites, reflection angle, and others. Today we will tell you how to make a satellite dish with your own hands from quite affordable improvised means. Let's look at the most common ways to make such a device.

Method of gluing with a concrete base

When making a homemade satellite dish, do not forget to draw a detailed drawing of the device, taking into account all measurements and calculations of consumables, in order to get the desired result. It is thanks to your accurate calculations and values ​​that you will save yourself from the risk of getting an irregular shape and similar unforeseen troubles.

The whole manufacturing process of such equipment is as follows:

• We draw a parabola in the drawing, which will be transferred a little later to a steel sheet 0.05 cm thick.
• Using a welding machine, we make a frame from metal rods with a diameter of 10 mm. We bend the steel ribs along the knife, and then weld the bearing to the top of the structure.
• Install the frame on a flat surface. We mount the pipe vertically in the center under the mounted bearing. After fixing the part, install the knife on the bearing of the large washer.
• We fill the plate with a thick concrete solution.
• We dry the resulting matrix for 4-5 days (preferably in the open air).
• Now we make gluing the antenna. We divide the finished structure into several parts. We have 8 sectors.

Important! This is necessary in order to slightly facilitate the further process of work. Do not forget to follow the same interval between the elements of the matrix.

• We use for the pattern a special fiberglass, cut into identical strips, and an epoxy primer. We apply ordinary machine oil to the surface of the already dry matrix, and then put the washer in the installed pipe. We lubricate the matrix with resin, on which we apply a strip of fiberglass. We smooth the applied component with our hands so that bubbles do not appear on the surface of the glued matrix.
• Cover the reflector with aluminum foil.

That's all the work. Such a satellite dish can be used for its intended purpose.

Do-it-yourself satellite dish at home from foil

It happens that the location of the house does not allow the use of a parabolic dish, so you can build a similar antenna with your own hands. It is extremely important to take into account the following basic requirements for this homemade device:

• The need for a TV tower remoteness of 30-50 km from your home.
• The signal must have sufficient reception of at least a few satellites.
• It is desirable that there is a tall building next to your home - it will be easier to cope with the task.

Materials and tools:

• Old umbrella.
• A roll of plain foil.
• Antenna cable (preferably copper).
• Can.
• Amplifier with built-in power supply.

Manufacturing:

• We make a satellite array. We measure the interval between all the spokes of the umbrella, the central angle of their attachment and the height of the segment we need.
• We cut out all the details from the foil, apply them to the triangular parts of the umbrella and sew them with nylon threads to the existing fabric. With similar manipulations, we sheathe the entire inside of the umbrella with foil.
• Let's start assembling the signal receiver. We install it in the focus of the satellite array. To do this, you can use the purchased amplifier, or you can make it yourself. To do this, remove 4 cm of braid from the cable, cut off the noise-protective layer and leave one central copper core, which will transmit the television signal.
• We cut out an oval part from a beer can, in the center of which we make a small hole. We insert a ready-made cable core into it and solder this contact. We close the connections with ordinary plasticine to avoid oxidation and corrosion during the operation of the device.
• We attach the resulting receiving apparatus to the handle of the umbrella with ordinary tape, we wind the cable 10-15 cm so that in the future you can adjust the focus of the mirror.

Important! Make sure that the receiver does not come into contact with the metal handle of the umbrella, as this may cause a lot of noise interference. To protect the device from such troubles, we put plasticine in the zone of possible contact, which will serve as a kind of insulator.

• We have a home-made power supply close to the TV, since our amplifying device will be powered through an antenna cable.
• We fix the plate with a nylon thread or the upper central tip of the umbrella. We direct it to a nearby source (tower), and then select the focus as a receiver, which came as a signal to our TV.

DIY satellite dish at home from a thin metal sheet

It is not difficult to make such a satellite dish with your own hands, it is only important to follow the instructions and purchase one sheet of thin galvanized metal, the thickness of which should be a maximum of 1.5 mm, and the dimensions should be 100x100 mm. From such a sheet, you can make a homemade plate with a diameter of 80 mm.

Step-by-step algorithm of actions:

• We pick up the cardboard of the size we need, and then divide it into 16 identical round parts.

Important! Please note that each sector should be offset from the previous one by about 22 mm.

• We draw 4 circles with the following radii: 75, 254, 400, 538 mm. Due to the fact that the last circle goes beyond the cardboard blank, we simply cut off all the extra parts. According to the obtained circles, we will continue to bend our template.
• We make cuts along 16 rays, adhering to the same distance - C1, C2, C3 and C4. Size C1 - 0 mm, C 2 - 11 mm, C 3 - 29 mm, C4 - 50 mm.
• We transfer the cutouts made to the metal sheet using a metal ruler and a sharp scriber.
• Next, we cut out the previously made blank of the future plate with scissors for metal.
• We connect together all the metal petals. So we got a finished mirror for our satellite dish.

How to make a satellite dish at home from wire?

To make such homemade equipment, you will need a large inflatable ball, which will serve as a model for the frame of our future wire antenna.

The manufacturing technique is as follows:

1. We mark on the ball with a pencil the largest radius of our satellite dish. The curved surface will represent that part of the ball that is separated by a circle.
2. We pick up a coil of copper (preferably) wire with a diameter of 3 mm (you can take it from an old transformer), and then we make circle No. 1 out of it, which we put on our ball.
3. Now we make wire circle #2 a little larger in size so that the interval between it and the previous one is about 20 mm. So we will gradually reach the desired maximum diameter.
4. We connect the finished circles with rays so that the places of their intersection are twisted with a thick wire and soldered in a tin way.
5. Leave empty space inside the smallest circle. This is where the antenna stand will be attached.
6. We cover the finished frame with an aluminum mesh (you can use foil), observing the rear curvilinearity of the reflective structure.

DIY satellite dish made of plexiglass

Plexiglas is great for making a homemade satellite dish, since with moderate heating this material has excellent plasticity, due to which it can take absolutely any shape. For work, we took one sheet of plexiglass 3 mm thick and with a larger diameter than the diameter of the factory satellite device.

A step-by-step master class on making a satellite dish with your own hands from plexiglass:

1. After softening the material under the action of heat, we level it on a blank, giving the plexiglass a round shape. Now we are waiting for the cooling of the material.
2. We glue the concave surface of the material used evenly with thin foil. In our case, the foil will be a reflective element.

Do-it-yourself satellite dish is ready! Now you can set up channels!

One author suggested the easiest way to do this. A satellite dish is used as the basis, because it is ideal in shape for focusing the sun's rays, formally it is designed to focus waves. In addition, such an antenna has an adjustable node, which allows you to change its angle if necessary and conveniently follow the sun.

This solar oven works very simply. When the sun's rays hit the plate, they are reflected from it and then focused at one point. As a result, the temperature rises sharply at this point, the principle is very similar to the operation of a lens.

Materials and tools for manufacturing:
- parabolic satellite dish;
- a board or timber to create a reliable foundation;
- saw for metal;
- wooden plank;
- mirror film;
- glue;
- scissors and other tools.

Solar oven manufacturing process:

Step one. Making a platform for the oven
In order for the stove to stand securely on the ground and at the same time hold the pot, you need to make a good support for it. A board is suitable for these purposes, but it is better to use a beam, as it is heavier. The platform must be made as wide as possible, then the stove will be more stable and will not tip over even with a strong gust of wind. You need to cut off two pieces of the board and then screw the antenna to it with self-tapping screws as shown in the photo.

Step two. We lengthen the gander
The thing is that the dish is designed to focus waves in the region of the LNB heads, that is, this is too small a distance to focus the rays on the bowler hat. In this regard, the gander needs to be slightly lengthened. For these purposes, a wooden block is used. It needs to be sharpened at one end, and then driven into the antenna pipe. At the end of the gander, you need to hammer in a hook, a bowler hat will be hung on it. Instead of a hook on the gander, you can make cuts into which the bowler handle will simply be inserted. Thus, the distance to the bowler from the antenna web can be adjusted if necessary.

Step three. Create a reflective surface
In order for the sun's rays to bounce off the antenna, its surface must be made mirrored. For these purposes, you can use foil, mirror film or small pieces of mirror. It is important to understand here that the efficiency of the furnace will directly depend on the quality of the materials used. The better the material will reflect the sun's rays, the higher the temperature at the focused point will be.

Step four. Final Assembly and Inspection of the Furnace
Now the oven can be assembled and tested in practice. It must be turned towards the sun in such a way that the focused rays fall directly on the bowler hat. You may have to experiment with the distance from the antenna web to the bowler hat. The better the beam is focused, the higher the temperature will be.

There are several tricks to improve the efficiency of such a furnace. Firstly, the bowler hat must be black, since if it reflects the color of the sun, the efficiency of such a device will be low. Secondly, the pot can be placed in a heat-resistant bag, as a result, a greenhouse effect will form in the bag and the efficiency of the furnace will increase significantly.

The disadvantage of such a stove is that it needs to be turned every half hour to follow the sun. In addition, there is a risk of getting burned if accidentally exposed to focused sunlight. It is very dangerous to get such a source of energy into the eyes.
According to the author, the temperature at the focal point reaches several hundred degrees. So, for example, a stove easily ignites a wooden block, and this requires about 300 degrees. In the photo you can see how a newspaper caught fire from a beam of light, and all this after 15 seconds, although the temperature outside was only +18 degrees.

It is necessary to work with such furnaces in sunglasses, as there is a risk of burning the cornea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eye due to glare.