TV License (17)

Nonsense. RF (radio frequency) transmitters use what they call local oscillators to generate a carrier frequency which they multiply into the signal frequency from the tv cameras and microphones. They need to do this to give the signal the energy needed for transmission. The higher the frquency, the higher the energy. I'll spare you the mathematics. This multiplying of 2 signals is called modulation. It's effectively an electronic gearbox, the same way the cogs on a bicycle multiply up the rotation of the pedals giving you more speed.

When this signal reaches your tv reciever, that signal has to be divided down again which we call surprisingly enough 'demodulation.' But your tv set has to generate that signal first using it's own local oscillator. It is that local oscillator signal, which has a fixed value that the tv vans with the ariels (directional antennae) on top are able to detect. It just shows up as a spike on a very expensive piece of electronics called a Spectrum Analyser. And the spike is highest when pointed in the direction of the tv set.

And for those still awake....if we have a device which can both MODulate and DEModulate we call it a MODEM.

Next week..... why there is no such thing as digital radio transmission and how we use Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying instead.[/quotethats obvious,dont know why people make out they know all abot electronics,and give people the wrong info

14 feb 1966

I have just been on a couple of the UK whirlpool forums about all this stuff and there are people out there in the UK that do not have TV's but they are harassed continually about non payment of their TV licenses even though they have contacted them and said they dont own one....Now if the tracking Vans really worked they could tell that there is no TV set on their premises.

JMO is' that they go through every ones address and match up the ones that have not paid and they then they send out a warning to that address.

It is worth noting that only police can enter premises and only then if they have a search warrant.
A federal radio inspector cannot demand entry to your home to check whether you have a television, or anything else.

Here in the U.S. we don't have to have a license to own a tv but we do have astronomical cable bills to watch the darn thing. There's basic which is $15.00 then if you want a DVR that's another $11 and then another $10 to run the DVR. You can download a movie for $5.00 too.

Now suppose you want to watch certain channels. They are set up in groups of 5 or 6 groups and each group is $15. As you can see if you want to watch basic like ABC, NBC, CBS, Public TV, CNN, Discovery, History, Showtime, HBO, etc. and other premium channels they are all over the place in different groups and if you watch a couple movies over the weekend you cable bill could run you in the area of $200 a month.

Pay television here can cost a similar figure.
There is a simple solution: do not get pay television.
Free-to-air television can be crap (especially during Friday and Saturday nights), but that is a minor inconvenience. Some nights I turn the television off once the news is over because between the end of the news and 8.30 or 9.30 there are 17 channels of crap.
Most basic pay television plans here cost about $50 according to the promotional material, but once the add ons are included the cost can add up to significantly more.

Friends in country areas have satellite tv reception and have to pay to receive even the Free-to-Air stations. And they have 99 stations of crap for the basic fee.