Is there anyone in the SE Michigan, NW Ohio, or Windsor region that would like to do some testing across Lake Erie this winter?

What I would like to do is see if we could make connections from as far East as Cleveland and back into the Detroit area across Lake Erie.

Looking to see if this would be a viable means as an alternative for arranging contacts during the 10GHz contest each August and September. Currently during the 10GHz contest, we are allowed to use 2m and cellphones to help in arranging contacts as long as the full exchange of info is via 10GHz and above. I would prefer to use this means as a liaison compared to using the cellphone.

This is just an idea that I would like to give a shot at to see if its viable or not. If I can make a contact from Monroe, MI (EN81hv) to Conneuat ,OH (EN91rx) on 10GHz using 250mw on a bad day, what could be done on 2.4GHz?

James W8ISS

Hello I am in Windsor but I am only just starting to get a couple of routers working. Once I get this figured out though I would like to try and hook up.

I'm very new to broadband hamnet, and haven't even tried flashing a device yet. 

However, you might be able to rope me in. 

Out of naive engineering curiosity, how do contend with the radio horizon?

1) First, get line of sight.  Which means some combination of height, location, and finding a gap through obstructions.  Remember at 2.4 GHz, even leaves will block the signal, so you have to be above the trees.

2)If you're far enough away that it doesn't work, use high gain beam antennas pointed at each other.  You multiply the signal strength of your signal, and of the signal you're receiving.  The narrow beam width also cuts down on the noise level from other users of 2.4 GHz. 

Do not simply use amplifiers.  There are several problems with that.

3) Use the mesh network, and place mesh nodes between the points that need to communicate.

That was my understanding, and the reason I asked my question. What the OP is proposing is to run a 145 mile link running two thirds the length of Lake Erie.

To help those unfamiliar with the area, there is not much natural elevation on either end to get line of sight. In the West, SW Ontario, SE Michigan, and NW Ohio are about as flat as terrain gets, as the area was alternately scoured glaciers or flooded beneath the glacial lakes that preceded Lake Erie. On the Eastern end, there is a ~300 foot ridge that parallels the lake shore a few miles inland.

Line of sight would require a pair of 2500 ft towers.

So I'm guessing the only way this could work would be to use some kind of atmospheric ducting. It seems this is possible in the 10GHz region. This link documents a ~900mile hop along the Baja peninsula. http://www.slideshare.net/wayne_yoshida_KH6WZ/breaking-a-twoway-10ghz-distance-record

The question would be if this would be possible with 2.4Ghz?

What might help is to use Pelee Island as a hop point maybe cut it in half.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=pelee+island&ie=UTF-8&ei=NUqjUuOdBs-yqQG6m4DoDg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

Sorry about not replying sooner but been busy with school and work.

I operate at 10Ghz with only 250mw on voice and can get from Sterling State Park to Cleveland even on a bad day :) Granted, I use an old discarded DirecTV dish with a decent homemade feed.

But each band and mode is different in how it works for distance. At 2m, I can get down to the Southwest area of Pennsylvania with 50watts and a 4 element beam from the same location and just make it most days. At 2.4Ghz Wifi, we would have to work with a wide bandwidth signal, so the rf energy is spread out more than it would be for a voice or cw signal. We could be able to work 200 miles one day and the next hour not be able to get across the parking lot. Example(s): 6m and 10m

I think its worth testing out at least to see what could be done. I look at it this way, you won't know til you at least try. Theory is one thing, reality is totally different :)