My local Church is causing me to see ghosts

[AgeGap]

Between my house and the local(ish) television transmitter is a church on a hill. I keep getting ghosting, a second fainter image, offset from the normal picture on my TV. Can anyone explain why this happens. As far as I can see if the signal is split into two components, the difference in paths must be minute, and I thought that they would still reach my aerial at the same time leading to just one signal and a clear picture. Has anyone got any thoughts on this problem? Also sorry about the topic title but sometimes I just can't resist.

[mhaze]

This phenomena was covered in the movie "They Live"!:D

[AgeGap]

Sorry mhaze, I havn't seen the film.

[aggle-rithm]

Between my house and the local(ish) television transmitter is a church on a hill. I keep getting ghosting, a second fainter image, offset from the normal picture on my TV. Can anyone explain why this happens. As far as I can see if the signal is split into two components, the difference in paths must be minute, and I thought that they would still reach my aerial at the same time leading to just one signal and a clear picture. Has anyone got any thoughts on this problem? Also sorry about the topic title but sometimes I just can't resist.

I've had this problem before, then I got cable.

I don't think it's a transmission issue, I think it's the way your TV is interpreting the signal. I think (and I could be wrong) that interference patterns are usually more subtle than a "ghost" image.

But perhaps you should ignore me completely, as I have little idea what I'm talking about. Does anyone with more expertise wish to chime in?

[Dr. Imago]

Between my house and the local(ish) television transmitter is a church on a hill. I keep getting ghosting, a second fainter image, offset from the normal picture on my TV. Can anyone explain why this happens. As far as I can see if the signal is split into two components, the difference in paths must be minute, and I thought that they would still reach my aerial at the same time leading to just one signal and a clear picture. Has anyone got any thoughts on this problem? Also sorry about the topic title but sometimes I just can't resist.

First, you have to decode the incoming signal. This is a layered 60Hz normal television transmission that has been mistaken as noise. You should notice that the pulses of intereference are actually a series of prime numbers that repeat themselves. After you've decoded it, you will then see that there is a picture of the first television transmission that went into space; Hitler at the 1936 Olympic Games. This will be misinterpreted by many as a sign that the Third Reich will make a resurgence or that, somehow, the signal is actually hostile.

After that, you will decode a diagram that shows you how to make some sort of transport vehicle. You will build one, but that will be destroyed by radical Christian fundamentalists. You won't let the public know that you've actually built a second one on an island off the coast of Japan.

Then, you will climb into this device and have a bizarre and fascinating journey through an apparent wormhole to another planet or, perhaps, alternate universe. Upon your return people will doubt that you went anywhere which will raise compelling metaphysical questions about the meaning of your own existence.

Have fun!

-Dr. Imago

[DoubtingStephen]

Assuming that you are using NTSC, the deprecated US standard, your TV has locked on to the 15,750 Hz horizontal sync signal of either the primary signal (usually) or the reflected signal (ghost). The display draws a line from left to right after each horizontal retrace pulse.

Because the reflected signal travels a longer path it reaches your antenna later than the primary signal. By this time the horizontal position of the current line has moved father along to the right. The video information contained in the reflected signal is therefore displayed just slightly to the right of the same information in the primary signal.

ATSC as used in US HDTVs fixes this. You either get a perfect picture or none at all.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

If you google for <"multipath distortion" television >, you can learn more about this than you'll ever want to know. :D

[AgeGap]

Thanks everyone especially Gord_in_Toronto. Multipath distortion led me to Ghosting (television) on Wikipedia.
By the way Dr. Imago I could really see you were spouting rubbish cos I am in England and have a 50Hz TV.:alien006:

[Zep]

...and it is PAL-D, not NTSC, in the UK? OK? CU L8TR!