There have been plenty of very interesting threads about maximum transmission distances for VP2/Vue signals under ideal conditions, but the question I'm posing here is different: what is the longest distance over which users have had
consistent (i.e., averaging at least 90% reception of data packets) reception from VP2/Vue transmitters over a clear line of sight? Davis' guideline of 1,000' over a clear line of sight is a good starting point, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of users having success over longer distances -- sometimes significantly longer distances. Many (myself included) have accidentally picked up the stations of others from over 1,000' through obstructions. I'm wondering what the longest intentional transmission distances have been in practice,
sans repeaters or extra antennae.The specific reason I'm asking is because I may have the opportunity to relocate a Vue I was fortunate to be able to install at a public dock near my home (see this thread for details:
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=32804.0). The Vue is currently in a good, but not great, siting location: there are miles of open water on one side of it but three-story condo buildings quite close by on another side. The location to which I may be able to move the station is a public beach a little further up the road. That location also has miles of open water on one side, but -- instead of a condo building -- it has a salt marsh with grasses and mudflats on its other side. While neither location is perfect, I think the station would be better-sited at the public beach.
The issue is the distance from my home, where the console is located. The Vue is currently only 620', direct line of sight, from the console. The signal passes through one exterior wall and otherwise has no obstructions in its way, save for a power line and a couple of very low-lying bushes. My reception has consistently been exactly 100% during every archive interval. The public beach, however, is 2,006', direct line of sight, from where the console would be located. In order to reach the console, the signal would pass over the aforementioned salt marsh and mud flats and then through one exterior window. Thankfully, no trees or buildings are in the way. Depending on tide and wind conditions, the salt marsh is sometimes dry and sometimes flooded.
There is no possibility of using wireless repeaters; the salt marsh in between my home and the public beach is part of a National Wildlife Refuge and cannot be accessed. Long-range antennae are not in the budget. As such, the only way I will relocate the Vue is if I can get consistent (90%+) reception just using the Vue alone. I also do not currently have any spare equipment to test the reception and cannot temporarily remove the Vue from its current location to test it. I'm trying to get an idea of whether this is even a possibility before exploring the option any more.
Attached is a diagram illustrating the site.