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TV detector vans

I'd just like to mention that I've not had a TV license in my last two flats, though I have owned various TVs. When they sent me a letter I've phoned them up, said I don't use it for watching TV and that's fine. They've said someone might come and check, but it's yet to happen.
I've actually called them a few times in the presence of people who claim you need to de-tune your TV or bung up the RF connection with glue or something to prevent reception, or that you need a license just to own the thing. It's simple. You need to pay TV reception tax, not TV ownership tax. If anyone has any urban legend they'd like to tell you instead, call the TV licensing authority. Please!
 
That is true. I know a guy who doesn't pay for his licence because he has informed the licencing people that he only uses the TV to watch DVDs.

He is of course a lying scammer who also claims disability benefit whilst working but that is beside the point.

On a more science & tech vein - he also pours cooking oil into his diesel car to avoid paying all that tax on fuel. Seems to work well much to my surprise.
 
I have similar experience. I have not owned a TV license for about nine years now. In that time I have lived in five different addresses, one of them for four years straight. I have in that time bought two TV sets, giving the correct address at the shop each time (and btw there's no check on that, you can give the shop whatever address you want).

I have had multiple letters informing me that TV detector vans are in my area or will be soon - about one a month on average. Clearly these are blatant lies as I have never once had that knock at the door.

Personally I strongly doubt that real TV detector vans are used by the BBC, if indeed they exist at all.
 
It's important that you all pay the licence fee so that the BBC can regularly whizz it away on revamping their logo every couple of years, or buying Graham Norton's contract and then not putting him in anything.

I love the way they try an emphasise the "unique" funding of the BBC as though the word "unique" is somehow a synonym for "good" or "desirable".
 
If detector vans were real, some manufacturor would have made them, by the hundreds? and would be advertising the fact. Like "Buy your walkie-talkie from the guys who made the detector vans" or "____ from the guys who made the black van electronics". Probably even call their company "Black Van Products" or some such... Conspicuous by it's absence?
 
In my rule8ing country we have to pay no matter what. The money for ET (the Greek equivalent of BBC) are included in the electric bill. Since I pay 3 electric bills, I also pay for 3 licenses. It's rule8ing unbelievable.
 
NEW! from 'Black Van Products'! From the same folks that made the detectors used by BBC, the Television Receptor blocker! It uses Quantum/Nano Energy to block the signals normaly given off by active TV's so as to hide from the receptor vans! Legally own an unlicensed television set! Send me you money, I will send you a piece of black plastic with a piece of co-ax cable cast into it. Simply connect the coax cable to you t'v's antenna conection, and the Black Vans will not recieve any signals from your set! A totally legal product!
 
casebro said:
NEW! from 'Black Van Products'! From the same folks that made the detectors used by BBC, the Television Receptor blocker! It uses Quantum/Nano Energy to block the signals normaly given off by active TV's so as to hide from the receptor vans! Legally own an unlicensed television set! Send me you money, I will send you a piece of black plastic with a piece of co-ax cable cast into it. Simply connect the coax cable to you t'v's antenna conection, and the Black Vans will not recieve any signals from your set! A totally legal product!
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If I was running the lisenceing people I would sell just such a product. It would contain a small radio transmitter.
 
What if you're receiving TV signals, but don't have a TV? Seems like you could hook up a VCR without actually having a TV. Or run the signal through a computer and watch it on your monitor.
 
casebro said:
If detector vans were real, some manufacturor would have made them, by the hundreds?
Click to expand...
They'd probably have been made in-house by the BBC, who have very good technical resources. If they were real, and not just a bloke with a clipboard and a van with an aerial on its roof.

tv_detector_van_50s.jpg


(Photo from here - interesting article!)
 
Art Vandelay said:
What if you're receiving TV signals, but don't have a TV? Seems like you could hook up a VCR without actually having a TV. Or run the signal through a computer and watch it on your monitor.
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Then you need a licence, in theory. Ditto if you watch live streaming broadcasts from the BBC website (for example, the coverage of the General Election was transmitted live on the site). The BBC did issue a statement saying so but everyone laughed.


Arguably, such activity actually would be detectable though. BBC spyware? Eep!
 
tkingdoll said:
Then you need a licence, in theory. Ditto if you watch live streaming broadcasts from the BBC website (for example, the coverage of the General Election was transmitted live on the site). The BBC did issue a statement saying so but everyone laughed.
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What if you were to watch a videotape of a broadcast? Or streaming video from a US station? Would I, a nonresident and noncitizen, be violating UK's laws if I were to watch it streaming broadcasts without a license?
 
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.

The best thing, eliminate the government run broadcasters and their taxes. Let the free market handle it.

What's next a water license? cannot drink water without the license.
 
Art Vandelay said:
What if you were to watch a videotape of a broadcast? Or streaming video from a US station? Would I, a nonresident and noncitizen, be violating UK's laws if I were to watch it streaming broadcasts without a license?
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The BBC are currently debating whether or not to block live web content to outside-UK viewers for exactly that reason. I think they are introducing some sort of international fee scheme.

You're OK with a videotape as far as the licence goes BUT you would be violating copyright laws (or the person who videotaped it would be, anyway). Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

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...

...wait a minute, there are some men at the door, be right ba...
 
Indeed there is currently a grey area over pcs. If the BBC choose to stream the News on their website and my pc is capable of playing that content, am I required to buy a TV licence?
I have made very sure no RF tuner- equipped PC has been on my property, but if it's decided that I need a TV licence to have a broadband link, start watching for barrels of gunpowder being stockpiled under Whitehall.
 
Ashles said:
It's important that you all pay the licence fee so that the BBC can regularly whizz it away on revamping their logo every couple of years, or buying Graham Norton's contract and then not putting him in anything.

I love the way they try an emphasise the "unique" funding of the BBC as though the word "unique" is somehow a synonym for "good" or "desirable".
Click to expand...

I must agree. They have a lot of the population brainswashed into thinking that public service broadcasting would go down the tubes :) without a TV tax. Face it, do you really think you need two terrestial channels, two digital channels, 5 radio stations (plus plenty of regional channels), a publishing diivision and web service to plug the holes with valued content that private channels don't fill sufficiently? Me thinks not.

What would be more likely to happen is that there would be fewer "celebrities" and "stars" on mega deals courtesy of the poor old tax payer. That is why all those luvvies come out in support of the licence fee.

Drop the fee I say
 
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