Microwave backhauls

[brandon]

I'm not even sure if this is appropriate for this site (if not please delete) but after listening to the LA area media frequencies for the past few days, it sounds like there are plenty of microwave links/feeds from the helicopters being sent to different mountaintop sites.

Are these legal to pick up and is it even possible to do so without investing thousands in commercial equipment? Are microwave backhauls encrypted or are they "free-to-air" like most satellite news feeds? I'm guessing microwaves are a whole different animal and it's probably way out of my league. But hey, I figure I'd ask the experts on here

I just think it would be cool to see the raw video being fed from SkyFox and other media helos.

Thx for any assistance.

 

[ICP963]

I just think it would be cool to see the raw video being fed from SkyFox and other media helos.

Thx for any assistance.

Not sure on the legality, but they tend to be VERY directional in nature. If you have listened to them dial in a live truck you will hear them calling off signal levels. The helicopters usually have GPS driven antennas which dial them in a lot easier. If you lived close to a receive site it might make it easier.

The links are usually in the GHz ranges and are more and more often digital now as well

 

[JerGoTV3]

Well...I work in a tv station...and to the best of my knowledge it probably would be hard to see shots coming in.

It works like this...at least at our place, and I'd believe the rest as well. We shoot a microwave signal from our truck, to a tower. That tower bounces that shot to our station. If we're on air...it bounces to the station, then back to the main tower, if that's not the station tower.

We have different microwave channels on different bandwidths I guess you could say. I don't think, unless you had the equipment, that you could see the microwave signals. There isn't an encryption, it's pretty much straight down the pipe so to speak.

 

[unitcharlie]

Hi JerGoTV3:
You are correct... very directional and usually very low power... out trucks are 2 gig and 10 watts or so.... if someone wanted to monitor they'd need to be in the path to pick-up much worth seeing/hearing.... not a matter of security as much as the nature of the beast.... it is more fun figuring out the radio intercom freqs....

 

[jim202]

As others have said on here, you would probably be hard pressed to intercept a news microwave broadcast from the field. Your chances are much better going to the KU band satellites and looking for news feeds there. You will need something other than a direct TV satellite receiver to do this. Those units are not able to obtain anything except what your card is set to receive. This also goes for the channels your looking to receive.

The sat news links are not in the regular TV reception channels.

Jim

I'm not even sure if this is appropriate for this site (if not please delete) but after listening to the LA area media frequencies for the past few days, it sounds like there are plenty of microwave links/feeds from the helicopters being sent to different mountaintop sites.

Are these legal to pick up and is it even possible to do so without investing thousands in commercial equipment? Are microwave backhauls encrypted or are they "free-to-air" like most satellite news feeds? I'm guessing microwaves are a whole different animal and it's probably way out of my league. But hey, I figure I'd ask the experts on here

I just think it would be cool to see the raw video being fed from SkyFox and other media helos.

Thx for any assistance.

 

[brandon]

Thanks for help with my question. Guess I can put this one to rest and just stick with C/Ku band for feeds

 

[JerGoTV3]

Yeah...I've seen it and used it a couple times, but there's a handbook for people that run SAT. It has a listing of each Satellite, freq, channel, etc. I'm not really sure where you'd buy it though.