Driveway alarms; do they work?

[Boeing]

MJNCAD, I read your suggestion but am thinking that we are talking over 1,000ft. of dug in copper wire here......what a lot of work. I don't know electronics but air traffic control has repeaters for radios thousands of miles away from the original transmitter. I guess they have lots of electricity and wattage. I just wanted something similar to relay a 9V radio wave up a wooded hill. Thanks though.

 

[mjncad]

So give it a try before you bury it, and if it works, throw dirt over it instead of trenching. My WaterCop transmitter uses 2 AA batteries. Granted, I'm not going 1,000 feet; but I've got a steel beam nearby, plenty of copper pipe and 120VAC wire by the repeater wire. NASA receives signals from deep space probes with the power of a refrigerator light bulb. Granted they have huge dishes and plenty of high tech stuff to amplify the signal once they receive it.

 

[lhfarm]

MJNCAD, I read your suggestion but am thinking that we are talking over 1,000ft. of dug in copper wire here......what a lot of work. I don't know electronics but air traffic control has repeaters for radios thousands of miles away from the original transmitter. I guess they have lots of electricity and wattage. I just wanted something similar to relay a 9V radio wave up a wooded hill. Thanks though.

I have a wired solution, hooked into my home automation. It runs through a couple of hundred feet through the woods. For many years, I had the wire on top of the ground, just covered with dirt and leafs. I did finally (I'm talking 10 years) develop a short and replaced the cable. This time I ran it in conduit, but still only placed deep enough that the deer won't trip over it. I wouldn't be concerned about deep burial.

My sensor is a couple of hundred feet from the county road. That prevents it being trip by someone just pulling in to the drive to turn around. I still have several seconds notification of someone coming up the hill. So I'd be tempted to try placing the senor at the top of the hill as suggested earlier. If that doesn't work for you, you can add the wire.

 

[BobRip]

Since some of these transmitter have a long range, why not just put a piece of wire attached to the antenna of the transmitter and run it high up a tree so the signal can see over the hill. You might do the same for the receiver. This could be 30 feet or wire instead of 1000.

 

[Boeing]

BOBRIP [/B]"Since some of these transmitters have a long range, why not just put a piece of wire attached to the antenna of the transmitter and run it high up a tree so the signal can see over the hill. You might do the same for the receiver. This could be 30 feet or wire instead of 1000".
Boy, I like that idea....would it work with no additional wattage?Thanks

 

[BobRip]

BOBRIP [/B]"Since some of these transmitters have a long range, why not just put a piece of wire attached to the antenna of the transmitter and run it high up a tree so the signal can see over the hill. You might do the same for the receiver. This could be 30 feet or wire instead of 1000".
Boy, I like that idea....would it work with no additional wattage?Thanks

I would give it a try. Start with the receiver. I don't know what the frequencies used are, and they might be upset by the antenna. I would call the manufacturer and see if he has any suggestions. You also have a risk of lightning damage, but that beats a 1000 ft antenna.

 

[infinityfarmer]

I am getting in on this post a little late but we have had a Mighty Mule for about a year. It sits about 150 yards from the house in the woods. We haven't changed the battery in the receiver since I installed it. I don't think it has ever missed picking up a car or even a bike that's went past it. Probably one of the most surprising things I have ever purchased with regards to how well it performs and how much benefit we get from it. I have since bought some for Christmas gifts. Well worth the money!