Good point Naperlou. This case of Sherlock Ohms really does require both experience and logic. Most of these entries require some combination of the two. I would imagine the experience comes through as a form of intuition, while the logic is a cool-headed effort to look at a system without assumptions.
Shouldn't need adjustment as long as the antenna (and the structure/tower/building) remain in the same place and the satellite remains at the same geosyncronous point in orbit (or for the TV reception case the transmitter tower isn't moved). A moderate to severe earthquake may ruin your day aim wise if your near the fault, perhaps also hurricanes/tropical storms, etc. if a mast gets bent a little or a clamp slips), but continental drift shouldn't be a problem in your lifetime.
Not sure how well the stationaly geosyncronous birds do long term for orbital accuracy however -- there's another hardware system question to ask & understand. The higher the gain and narrower the beam angle, the more sensitive you'd be.
This solution makes me wonder whether the antenna will have to be adjusted over the course of time. Certainly that was true of TV antennas. Is this case, a constant signal may mean there will not be variation over time. Is that correct?
This story verifies that ancient piece of wisdom that "a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link". This certainly is applicable to systems that use antennas of any kind. OF course, knowing that already a bunch of well trained people had checked the rest of the system may have helped with recognizing the clues a bit.
Looks like it falls under understanding *all* the hardware, specificly high gain antenna gain plots.
Once you know highly directional high gain antenna designs have multiple relatively high gain lobes off the axis of the main (highest) gain lobe, then the possibility of a secondary lobe being aimed at the signal source leaving the highest gain main lobe pointed somewhere else leading to excessive S/N ratio becomes an obvious possibility.
Definitely a good real world example following an introduction to antenna gain plots in future teaching situations.
You're right, Jenn. Usually the common sense solution doesn't come in until technology solutions have been exhausted. On this one however, I would think the simple solution would have been tried first, not last. Maybe that's just because I grew up having to move the antenna -- whether on the roof or on the TV -- in order to make things work -- like a decent TV picture.
Note the author said he'd erred years before with antenna pointing. He had first-hand experience with the problem, and passed it on to his student as one thing to try. I would hesitate to call this particular Sherlock Ohms straight forward, or requiring common sense.
Seems like a lot of training for such a simple solution. Sometimes the simplest solution is right in front of you. And I agree, it is great that the student was able to go and take care of the noisy channel.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
