Thread: We are #1
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Old 01-18-2015, 02:31 PM
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Boreas Boreas is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Sonoma County, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeamOn View Post
I don't quite buy the mountain theory. There used to be no AT&T coverage between Placerville and Echo Summit on the way to lake Tahoe via US-50. Now there is a strong signal almost the entire way.
Cell signals are line of sight and are blocked quite effectively by geographic features. That's why that always look to site them on high ground.

When I lived on the Russian River, I was less than 1/2 a mile from a cell tower on the Korbel Champagne vineyard's property. I lived in a canyon. If I were on the side of the canyon closest to the tower, I couldn't get the signal. The canyon wall blocked it. If I went to the other side of the canyon I left the "shadow" of the canyon wall and could then get the signal.

I could also get the signal by going up to the second floor of my next door neighbor's house. His house was built higher up the canyon wall. The combination of 2-storey building and a starting point farther up the wall meant the signal was no longer blocked.

John
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