TV detector vans

[Morrison's Lament]

Of course, it's highly unlikely you'd actually be prosecuted for getting your mum to tape the new series of Dr Who for you...

My mum tapes "Have I got News for you?" and Stephen Fry's "QI" - I'd probably pay for the license if I lived in England just for those programs. I'd rather watch five episodes of that than ten seasons of American/Icelandic/German/Azerbaijani television programs.

It may be a pain in the proverbial bum to have to pay for a tv set, but television doesn't get any better than original British programming.

--- G.

 

[JamesM]

So, how much is this TV license anyway?

£126.50 a year, which is about $220, I think.

 

[Miggins]

You could take the family to Butlins for that. I did.

 

[ktesibios]

All utter non-sense.

Buy a TV mail order from another country, no name in the database.

Antenna line mismatches and that sort of thing would not radiate enough signal to be detected at any significant distance.

What's amazing is that the TV manufacturers aren't required to put equipment into the set to make it detectable. For example, my water department drives by with a truck, each water meter has a radio transmitter on it, the receiver in the truck receives the account number and usage from the meter. The TV system could work the same way. There isn't any other realistic method to make it work. Ratings boxes work in a similar way.

There already is. It's called the "local oscillator" (if you don't know what that is, see here).

It's common for the LOs of commercial broadcast receivers to radiate enough signal to pick up on another receiver. Designing an antenna/receiver system specifically for the purpose of detecting the LO radiation from a TV set from a few dozen yards away shouldn't be beyond the bounds of feasibility.

If you can pick up the LO radiation from a TV receiver not only will that confirm the receiver's operation, but the LO frequency will give away what channel the set is tuned to.

 

[Johnny Pixels]

I'm all in favour of the licence fee, if it stops BBC News from turning into ITV news. It's very very poor quality, not like when it was ITN, but I suppose if you've got to get advertisers money, you've got to get viewers, and that seems to mean more disaster news.

On the subject of detector vans, when Channel 5 was to be introduced, I remember reading a story about people that used Amigas on their TV's using an aerial splitter. Basically it's a device that means you can connect the TV output from your Amiga, and the aerial to your tv at the same time, and then just switch between them. Apparently the Amiga uses a similar frequency to one of the ones proposed for Channel 5, and this caused the signal to be bounced through the aerial splitter to the aerial and so people living next door could pick up faint signals of what you were playing on your computer.
Whether all this was true or not I have no idea, and I'm not likely to be able to find the magazine again, but I think it was either in Amiga Power of Amiga Format. Or possibly The One. Damn my memory.

 

[moopet]

Digressing

Apparently the Amiga uses a similar frequency to one of the ones proposed for Channel 5

Everything used that frequency range (32-36 iirc), computers, VCRs, etc. so if you remember they had to send people round and launch a massive "how to re-tune your VCR" leaflet and advert campaign)

 

[moopet]

As another slight side-issue to the talk about having to pay a license to use your PC to watch BBC-produced shows, and the website stuff, it's interesting to note that you used to have to pay the TV license in order to legally use a radio, too (since the BBC was responsible for all the national radio stations at the time)
I'm not sure when this was changed, and I'm into urban legend territory now but I believe this was dropped sometime in the 80s or 90s when commercial radio really took off in the mainstream?

 

[tkingdoll]

As another slight side-issue to the talk about having to pay a license to use your PC to watch BBC-produced shows, and the website stuff, it's interesting to note that you used to have to pay the TV license in order to legally use a radio, too (since the BBC was responsible for all the national radio stations at the time)
I'm not sure when this was changed, and I'm into urban legend territory now but I believe this was dropped sometime in the 80s or 90s when commercial radio really took off in the mainstream?

The license doesn't cover radio anymore, which is a good job if you think about all the car and portable radios that are out there.

 

[Miggins]

Anyone remember the dog licence? you had to have one to own a dog here, not so long ago. My dad bought us a black and white dog because the licence was cheaper- Boom Boom! I thank you.

 

[tkingdoll]

Anyone remember the dog licence? you had to have one to own a dog here, not so long ago. My dad bought us a black and white dog because the licence was cheaper- Boom Boom! I thank you.

Ha ha! Hey, as blind people only to have to pay for half a TV license, does that mean it's cheaper to get a guide dog?

 

[homer]

Those detector vans detect the RF stages of your TV to detect what you are watching on your TV . Mostly they just check on addresses from a list of non license holders . Also the law requires a license to install equipment able to receive broadcasts , don't see any mention of use there . Heads they win tails you lose .So pay up or else . Ba$tard$

 

[tkingdoll]

Those detector vans detect the RF stages of your TV to detect what you are watching on your TV . Mostly they just check on addresses from a list of non license holders . Also the law requires a license to install equipment able to receive broadcasts , don't see any mention of use there . Heads they win tails you lose .So pay up or else . Ba$tard$

We've covered all this, did you read the rest of the thread? You don't need to buy a license to merely own a TV.

I'm not saying it again.

 

[Dave_46]

As another slight side-issue to the talk about having to pay a license to use your PC to watch BBC-produced shows, and the website stuff, it's interesting to note that you used to have to pay the TV license in order to legally use a radio, too (since the BBC was responsible for all the national radio stations at the time)
I'm not sure when this was changed, and I'm into urban legend territory now but I believe this was dropped sometime in the 80s or 90s when commercial radio really took off in the mainstream?

See posts 25 & 26 of this thread.

Dave

 

[dogbite666]

The TV licence is immoral, how do they know I dont just watch ITV? I once had a chap knock on my door saying I didn't have licence and had to prove to him that I didn't have a TV. Reminded me of the usual woo-woo crowd argument: ' We dont have to prove homeopathy works, but you have to prove it doesn't'. I told him that he would require a search warrant if he would like to inspect my house for televisions. He never returned and to this day I've never owned a licence and never will.

 

[Miggins]

Rick had the right idea in that episode of `The young ones`-
`VIVIAN! EAT THE TELLY`

 

[JPK71]

Its funny how the rules vary from country to country. In Denmark we have mandatory TV and Radio license, that is if you own a tv or a radio. I have however not owned a tv in about 12 years and have no plans on acquiring one. This nevertheless doesn´t keep the DR (national tv station that are also in charge of the license thingy) from pestering me from time to time. Claiming that I must be owning a tv and that noone can possibly live without a tv. They regularly send me letters with information how to sign up, and once in a while they show up personnally. I refuse to let them in not matter what - one actually said that he would call the police and get a warrant. My reply; well go ahead stupid.

 

[Soapy Sam]

Its funny how the rules vary from country to country. In Denmark we have mandatory TV and Radio license, that is if you own a tv or a radio. I have however not owned a tv in about 12 years and have no plans on acquiring one. This nevertheless doesn´t keep the DR (national tv station that are also in charge of the license thingy) from pestering me from time to time. Claiming that I must be owning a tv and that noone can possibly live without a tv. They regularly send me letters with information how to sign up, and once in a while they show up personnally. I refuse to let them in not matter what - one actually said that he would call the police and get a warrant. My reply; well go ahead stupid.

I've had three more from TVLicensing UK this month, with a half-hearted apology for poor wording by the "marketing agent" (Read, not OUR fault) and a referral to write to the BBC, not TVLUK seeking their database records on me (Not OUR fault). Nothing is ever their fault and their insistence that I am a criminal (for which they have no evidence) and a liar (because I maintain my innocence) continues. They will believe me however, after a "cursory glance" around my living room by one of their hired goons.
Like hell.

I maintain- the BBC should be funded by the marketplace, or by its customers, of whom I am not one. They can inspect my living room when they arrive with a policeman and a Sheriff's warrant.

 

[Johnny Pixels]

The TV licence is immoral, how do they know I dont just watch ITV? I once had a chap knock on my door saying I didn't have licence and had to prove to him that I didn't have a TV. Reminded me of the usual woo-woo crowd argument: ' We dont have to prove homeopathy works, but you have to prove it doesn't'. I told him that he would require a search warrant if he would like to inspect my house for televisions. He never returned and to this day I've never owned a licence and never will.

They know you don't just watch ITV because you'd go mad if you did.

 

[JPK71]

I am totally with you on this - Soapy Sam

In the years when we only had like one channel, that being again DR, (in Denmark) it seemed like a reasonable concept to support DR with a licens. DR as the national newschannel were providing a national service noone else provided. Now on the other hand we have in the excess of 40 channels, virtually all giving us the same mix of pseudo entertainment. All the other channels are funded by commercials, why not DR or BBC for that matter.

The DR or BBC are virtually no different from the other channels - and therefore the concept of being a public service channel is invalid.

But I will keep up my rightous fight - and I look forward to the day when they show up with police and a search warrant. The look on their face when they realize I don´t have a TV will be worth all the trouble.

 

[JPK71]

We've covered all this, did you read the rest of the thread? You don't need to buy a license to merely own a TV.

I'm not saying it again.

Well that depends on where you live -

In Denmark you have to pay license if you have a TV, no matter if you use it or not. It could be sitting in your basement, you still have to pay.