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]
Damn you - I can't leave the house now!!!!
(just tunned in - 92.7 in the midlands)
cheers just listening in now, bbc iplayer 
cheers
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...
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.
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
They had 22 for the whole country.
Interesting idea/conspiracy that they were really going around detecting KGB transmitters for MI5.
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.
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.
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....
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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