Consider all the Midwest States of US. Imagine that I am not allowed
to do any activity and cannot have any physical (trackable) facility
inside any of these states. My project is to broadcast (at least) ONE
TV Channel so that Midwest TV watchers can receive the Channel fairly
clear. I don't want TV watchers do anything extra (i.e. buying and
installing special antenna) So my question, in fact, is:

How can I go onto TV screens in the imagined area with two limits:
1-we can't have any TRACKABLE facility inside the region. 2- TV
watcher can't buy or install usuall satellite equipments.

I assume that the only way we could probably do this is to broadcast
it directly (direct broadcast TV)-- Is this a correct assumption? Or
there are other ways? if yes, what are those?[:FIRST PART OF
QUESTION])

Holding my assumption true, I believe, leads to the following question: 

 What are the technological broadcasting limits of Direct Broadcast
(NON-satellite*) TV? How far can we push these limits, considering
extra resources and new technology?[:SECOND part of question]

* I am ruling out satellite option because I think that for receiving
satellite broadcasts you have to have extra equipment (satellite
antenna and receiver). Regardless of price, is it possible to do my
project with satellite (not requiring dish and receiver) with the
latest technology?[:THIRD part of question]

-------------------------MORE INFORMATION-------------------------------

Suppose that geographical layout is unknown. Could be heavily
mountainous, flat or a combination.

I am allowed to install anything in the neighboring states or Canada.

TV viewers have fairly new TV sets with a normal UHF-TV antenna.

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Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 02 Mar 2004 21:36 PST

Do you care whether it's legal or not? Is there an upper price limit?

An example of what I'm getting it is that it would be technologically
possible to cover all the Midwest using a VHF or UHF broadcast
satellite. But it wouldn't be legal, and it would also be quite
expensive, due in part to the fact you'd have to transmit at a higher
power than most satellites do (in order to be picked up with cheap
antennas).

Keep in mind, also, that many TV viewers use cable and don't have an
external antenna connected, so they'd still have to do _something_
extra in order to receive something that's broadcast over the air.

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Clarification of Question by lost_explorer-ga on 03 Mar 2004 15:59 PST

1-Legal issues and price do not matter at this point*. However it is
essential to have information on how price would change with regard to
range of coverage. It's important also, that the solution be
applicable in any part of the world, with such a situation.

2-If you are answering this with a satellite approach, it would be
great if you can still give some information on dirct non-satellite
broadcasting's price-coverage and its coverage limits.

*Well, with unlimited power and money, proabably anything is possible.
Here we are talking in business terms.

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Clarification of Question by lost_explorer-ga on 03 Mar 2004 16:07 PST

Don't worry about the antenna. Just suppose that TV watchers have a
normal UHF-VHF antenna.

Howdy lost_explorer-ga,

Almost certainly not possible to do, and get any decent coverage
of any of the key midwest states, and virtually no coverage in
the larger states such as Illinois and Indiana.

You are looking at maybe a 60 mile broadcast range with a 100kW
UHF station, and that is with the end user having a real good
(not normal) UHF antenna, flat land, etc.

Satellite gets ruled out because of all sorts of reasons.

Without the purchase of additional equipment, I can't think of
any way to accomplish what you are outlining.  The problem is
not so much on the broadcast end, but rather the reception side
of the formula.

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

Check out Space Data Corporation (www.spacedata.net) for another
option.  Basically, the idea is that you launch a constellation of
weather balloons that sit up at around 100K feet and broadcast for
12-24 hours before coming down.  The electronics package is fairly
small and light, and since you are only broadcasting a direct line of
sight under 20mi, the power required is not large relative to
satellite.  The coverage area is about a 290km diameter circle per
balloon.  This has the advantages of satellite relative to terrain
with only about a $300 cost per balloon (their estimate including
electronics package suitable as a cell tower replacement).

This would seem to cover your requirement for non-trackability as
well.  If you pick an unused channel in the spot area being covered,
you should easily be able to provide a tunable service.  Wouldn't make
the FCC happy, but you could do it.

-Geoff