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BBC Canal Report


robtheplod

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5 minutes ago, Heartland said:

I seem to recall the BBC Report showed a drained pound on the Huddersfield- was that the case?

 

Seen a pic recently of a drained pound with a cruiser suspended mid-air by its mooring lines, can’t find it now though.

However, drained pounds have been the norm long before any drought on the Narrow :) 

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You didn't need anything complicated in 405-line TV days to find out if a TV was being used. . The  radiated  horizontal scan waveform used to cause considerable interference on medium wave, and could be readily picked up by an ordinary  transistor radio, especially when you were trying to listen to Radio Luxembourg.  The approximate bearing could be determined by rotating the radio, as the usual ferrite rod  aerial was pretty directional.  The waveform of the signal would tell you which programme was being viewed. It would not have been rocket science for a sensitive detector, used in conjunction with a directional aerial, to be used to get a bearing on a working TV.

 

Regarding detector vans, while licence evasion used to be the responsibility of the Post Office, more than 30 years ago, when the BBC started adding  RDS data to their FM services, I  managed to get the BBC to send round an  engineer to investigate my RDS-related reception problem. He came in a BBC  Land Rover  fitted with a rotatable telescopic mast on which was mounted an impressive  directional aerial that he used, in conjunction with the equally impressive array of electronic stuff in the back,  to check the quality of my received signal.  It certainly got the attention of my neighbours! 

Edited by Ronaldo47
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7 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

You didn't need anything complicated in 405-line TV days to find out if a TV was being used. . The  radiated  horizontal scan waveform used to cause considerable interference on medium wave, and could be readily picked up by an ordinary  transistor radio, especially when you were trying to listen to Radio Luxembourg.  The approximate bearing could be determined by rotating the radio, as the usual ferrite rod  aerial was pretty directional.  The waveform of the signal would tell you which programme was being viewed. It would not have been rocket science for a sensitive detector, used in conjunction with a direction aerial, to be used to get a bearing on a working TV.

 

Regarding detector vans, while licence evasion used to be the respinsibility of the Post Office, more than 30 years ago, when the BBC started adding  RDS data to their FM services, I  managed to get the BBC to send round an  engineer to investigate my RDS-related reception problem. He came in a BBC  Land Rover  fitted with a rotatable telescopic mast on which was mounted an impressive  directional aerial that he used, in conjunction with the equally impressive array of electronic stuff in the back,  to check the quality of my received signal.  It certainly got the attention of my neighbours! 

There hasn't been a single successful prosecution using a "detector van" as far as I am aware... willing to be educated.

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I don't kniw that either. Just pointing out that making a detector van to detect a working TV would have been techically possible in analogue TV days.

 

Some 20 years ago, when computers used CRT monitors, I remember seeing a TV  programme about computer security. A guy sat in a van parked outside an office was able to.pick up the signal radiated from a computer monitor in the building and use it to display what was bring displayed on the monitor, on his own computer's monitor. CRTs used to need very high voltages to display their images,  unlike the low voltages  used by today's flat screen displays (plasma excepted).. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, The Gravy Boater said:

There hasn't been a single successful prosecution using a "detector van" as far as I am aware... willing to be educated.

I can't say it was owing to a detector van but back in the 60s a colleague was "done" for not having a licence.  His excuse was out on the fell side reception was so poor he didn't think he should pay. 

 

How they knew he was using a TV I don't know.  Presence of an aerial doesn't say you are using it.

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1 hour ago, Ronaldo47 said:

You didn't need anything complicated in 405-line TV days to find out if a TV was being used. . The  radiated  horizontal scan waveform used to cause considerable interference on medium wave, and could be readily picked up by an ordinary  transistor radio, especially when you were trying to listen to Radio Luxembourg.  The approximate bearing could be determined by rotating the radio, as the usual ferrite rod  aerial was pretty directional.  The waveform of the signal would tell you which programme was being viewed. It would not have been rocket science for a sensitive detector, used in conjunction with a directional aerial, to be used to get a bearing on a working TV.

 

Regarding detector vans, while licence evasion used to be the responsibility of the Post Office, more than 30 years ago, when the BBC started adding  RDS data to their FM services, I  managed to get the BBC to send round an  engineer to investigate my RDS-related reception problem. He came in a BBC  Land Rover  fitted with a rotatable telescopic mast on which was mounted an impressive  directional aerial that he used, in conjunction with the equally impressive array of electronic stuff in the back,  to check the quality of my received signal.  It certainly got the attention of my neighbours! 

I don't understand how or why it happened. Around 1980 I had my first cheap electric guitar and a small valve combination amplifier to play it through. One Saturday afternoon I was trying to learn my blues scales and, at low volume background noise level, the greyhound racing on ITV World of Sport was coming through my speaker. 

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14 hours ago, Jerra said:

I can't say it was owing to a detector van but back in the 60s a colleague was "done" for not having a licence.  His excuse was out on the fell side reception was so poor he didn't think he should pay. 

 

How they knew he was using a TV I don't know.  Presence of an aerial doesn't say you are using it.

The 60's was a different era. If you watched anything by any means you needed a licence as it all came via the transmitters. On the plus side if you couldn't get a good picture you could complain and they were obliged to assist (as they are still now if pushed hard!).

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