James
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:25 AM |
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TV Detector vans on radio 4 NOW
Radio4's own gumshoe, Steve Punt, investigates TV detector vans at 10.30am... ie. 5 minutes!
92.5fm for those that aren't regular Archers listeners!!! 
I know we've discussed the vans on here and concluded they don't exist... and that *no-one* has ever seen them! But I'd be
interested to hear the full story.
Cheers,
James
[Edited on 13/6/09 by James]
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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MikeR
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:29 AM |
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Damn you - I can't leave the house now!!!!
(just tunned in - 92.7 in the midlands)
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iscmatt
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:34 AM |
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cheers just listening in now, bbc iplayer 
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emsfactory
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:35 AM |
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cheers
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02GF74
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:45 AM |
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so do they exist?
likewise noone ever saw the men who emptied the coin phone boxes either. rumour had it they were connected by an underground pipe network where all
the money went...
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mistergrumpy
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:49 AM |
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I'm listening to it now but I've just realised, it's a BBC presentation and so of course they're going to tell you that the
vans now exist.
That's enough, I'm off out.
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MikeR
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:51 AM |
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reading on the internet whilst listening and the idea is ....
TV transmitted on carrier wave, to view you need to generate your own carrier wave to take away the inital - they detect the creation of that wave in
your tv
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iank
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:56 AM |
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They had 22 for the whole country.
Interesting idea/conspiracy that they were really going around detecting KGB transmitters for MI5.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Macbeast
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:56 AM |
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They do exist and I've seen them in operation. Not so much need for them now that the authority has a database of every home in the country and
assumes that every home will have a TV.
They used to be able to tell which channel yoy were watching by measuring the frequency of the leakage from your local oscillator.
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Danozeman
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 10:12 AM |
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They did exist. We used to look after them in the Royal Mail workshops.
I think they still do but youl never catch one at it. All theyv got to do is knock on the door of any house without a licence.
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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coozer
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 10:24 AM |
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Popular mith about being able to detect the magnetic field in your CRT... so, plasma and LCD's?? No magnetic field to detect there.
More like sneaking round in the dark and spotting the glow through the curtains....
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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MikeR
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 01:22 PM |
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question is - do the LCD / Plasma's generate as much interference (which is what they're measuring in reality).
I also heard a story that they always ask to come in - cause they have no power to force you to let them in & if they don't see the TV they
can't serve notice (could be radio ham or something etc).
Another story was they aren't allowed to work after 8pm, therefore if you get home after 8 you don't have to buy a license.
nb - these could be could be complete myths
Me - i buy a license a) don't want the hassle and b) i quite enjoy what the BBC provides.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 01:35 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Popular mith about being able to detect the magnetic field in your CRT... so, plasma and LCD's?? No magnetic field to detect there.
All TVs (and most radios) work in a similar way - they mix the incoming signal that's at a very high frequency (f1) with another signal at a
lower frequency (f2, called the intermediate frequency, or IF). The result of this is that you get 4 frequencies out of the mixer - f1 & f2 (same
as went in), f1 - f2, f1 + f2. One of those mixed signals, f1 - f2, is at a low-enough frequency to be turned into audio/TV. (Crummy explanation
in layman's terms).
The detector vans received the IF frequency that would be transmitted out of the set (unless the screening was VERY good - and how many commercial
manufacturers would worry about spending money to prevent that leakage). As the IF frequency was varied to tune the TV, they could even tell you what
program you were watching.
That's the science behind the vans - whether they even bothered to do it was another matter.
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Macbeast
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 08:47 PM |
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I just remembered - my GF ran a set for a few months without a license in about 1994. One day we spotted a detector van patrolling. She shot off to
buy the license.
So they did work
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JoelP
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 09:15 PM |
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you definately dont have to buy a license. They have no legal right of entry to your home. That said my wife isnt up for telling people to wee off so
i have to buy one  You really dont get value for money from the BBC, i cant see it lasting long in its current funding format.
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Peteff
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| posted on 13/6/09 at 10:41 PM |
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They only need to look if you have an aerial or a dish. Where's the science in that and if you bought your equipment new from a shop they are
required to ask for your address so unless you lie and pay cash you are on record from your card payment.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 14/6/09 at 12:24 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
you definately dont have to buy a license. They have no legal right of entry to your home. That said my wife isnt up for telling people to wee off so
i have to buy one You really dont get value for money from the BBC, i cant see it lasting long in its current funding format.
Oh it will, your tv licence money doesn't go to Dave...
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