In the Pines: Folklore Woes Come to Modern Life
How ETS crews are overcoming the Texas Pine Tree problem
American folk and rock singers from Dolly Parton to Nirvana have been telling of troubles “In The Pines” for more than a century. The song is haunting, and now, new research is making it clear that the woeful tale of the pine trees will continue to haunt us into realms that old mountain singers could never have imagined.
It turns out, “In the Pines, where the sun never shines” is also the perfect place to end up in a wireless service “dead zone.” According to Wireless Crash Course, by Paul Bedell, pine needles are organic material made up mostly of water. That means they are excellent at absorbing wireless signals known as RF Transmissions. In fact, the absorbing, or so-called “phasing” of RF signals, happens routinely around the 800 MHz frequency range. It just so happens that the length of a pine needle is equivalent to one-fourth the wavelength of a base station signal in the 800 MHz range.
REPLACE_THIS_TEXT_WITH_OPENING_IMAGE_TAG alt="" src="http://cn.hcents.com/sites/default/files/blogs/pine-needles2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; " title="">REPLACE_THIS_TEXT_WITH_OPENING_IMAGE_TAG alt="" src="http://cn.hcents.com/sites/default/files/blogs/tx-pines_map.jpg" style="margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; float: left; width: 100px; height: 144px; " title="">So, what does that mean? The bottom line is that pine trees can prove killer to wireless broadband signals that provide high-speed Internet to nearby homes and businesses. That’s why Connected Texas ETS teams are helping wireless providers take strategic steps to ensure your wireless signal can win the pine tree battle. Providers are using higher-gain antennas, higher RF power levels, and decreasing the distances between wireless signal base stations in heavily pine-wooded regions to make sure your broadband doesn’t get lost in the forest.
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