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UNSAT Signal Guardian. (OR, UNinterrupted SATellite SIGNAL GUARDIAN). Utkarsh C. 14 India. How I hit upon the idea.
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UNSAT Signal Guardian (OR, UNinterrupted SATellite SIGNAL GUARDIAN) Utkarsh C. 14 India
How I hit upon the idea I was watching a great movie on television. Suddenly it started raining and my signal went out. This had been happening to us frequently. A little frustrated, I sat and thought about it. What if I invented a device that would remove this problem? I started researching about this topic and asking other people whether this problem happened to them also. Most of them said they were suffering the same problem. So, I started to design the UNSAT Signal Guardian for the InventIt Challenge-2014. It consists of a very thin, clear, transparent fiberglass umbrella with a clear hydrophobic coating on the outer surface. It would be attached to the dish by means of support rods, which would be removable for realignment of the dish.
Details of the problem: Why does satellite TV go out during storms? It is an irritating phenomenon that happens to all of us, also called as ‘rain fade’ (the disturbance caused in satellite reception on earth during rains) First of all, in order to receive the signal from the satellite nearly 21996 miles up in space, it has to be first reflected from the curvature of the dish to the LNB* (Low Noise Block down-convertor) lens, in order to focus it into a narrow strong beam, which is simpler for the LNB to analyze and process. All these beams/rays are invisible to the human eye. *The LNB is the gooseneck-like protruding arm of the dish Then, the LNB, through cables, transfers the signal to the STB unit (Set Top Box) where it is transferred in turn to the television which converts the digital signal to a video feed. But why does the signal go out? This is because of the water accumulating on the curvature of the dish that diffuses and refracts the satellite signal that has to be reflected from the curved area to the LNB. Also, the signal from the broadcast station is diffused by the clouds or the rain (this can be solved by transmitting the signal with higher power)
SOME EARLIER INVENTIONS COMBATING THE SAME PROBLEM: To combat the issue of rain fade, there have been rain fade covers and sprays in production, which may solve the issue, but not completely, as these covers and sprays alone can’t solve the issue. These preventive measures can be combined into a simple product which can be used to combat the issue of rain fade, which is a big problem for many TV viewers who have DTH (direct to home) satellite connections.
INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS: This invention is useful to those people who face the problem of bad/no signal reception on their TV sets during bad weather. It combats this issue by shielding the dish from all environmental factors like rain, snow, ice, hail, dirt, dust or even animals. It consists of a thin, strong and clear fiberglass umbrella that would protect the dish from the ‘rain fade’ phenomenon which causes loss of satellite signal during rainy weather. The outer surface of the umbrella would be coated with a non-stick coating to prevent any particles or water collecting on it. It would be joined to the dish by means of two support rods joint to the back of the dish, and would be removable for repair work etc. The fiberglass sheet would be thin and strong enough to serve its purpose. It would be light weight, leading to low production cost and easy handling/installation.
SOME CHANGES WHICH COULD ENHANCE THE INVENTION: • A thin coating of a clear hydrophobic substance may be done on the curved surface of the dish as some of the rain fade may also be due to the water accumulating on the dish. • The signal providing companies may be asked to transmit signals with a higher amount of power, so that the signal attenuation by clouds may be eliminated/reduced to a high extent.
