Long saga and a rip-off?

On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:25 +0100, Bill Wright
wrote:

For Brian's benefit this shows me looking like Che Guevara in glasses
messing about with a home made aerial on my back wall. God, it makes me
cringe! The past should be abolished!

I'm not too keen on the present. The future looks a bit bleak as well.
What to do?

"Paul Ratcliffe" wrote in message
...
I'm not too keen on the present. The future looks a bit bleak as well.
What to do?

The present is the best time I've ever been in. I would hate to go back to
the 60s and 70s, with two and a half TV channels mostly in black and white,
gramophone records and dodgy reel to reel tape, no internet, no computers,
cars that broke down every verse end, Post Office monopoly on
communications, trying to make catalogues using lettraset and glue, fog so
bad you had to stop driving and walk, no central heating, corporal
punishment in schools, little or no nursery provision for the under 5s,
dreadful road accident statistics, almost no motorways, medical science far
less advanced from now, no routine screening for breast cancer, inflation
touching 26%, etc.

The good old days? Old people who talk about the good old days are talking
out of their arses.

Bill

"Doctor D" wrote in message
et...
I was in Surbiton over the weekend at the in-laws. At a birthday get
together I got chatting to their elderly neighbour who several months ago
had a shiny new Triax Unix 52A on a 10' mast fitted to his chimney. The
mast has a Fringe box which I has assumed was a splitter or filter as
signal strength is high there, being barely 10 miles from Crystal Palace.

My in-laws are still using an Aerialite 10A on their chimney with the
original 40 year old co-ax. Sometimes there's an odd blip but 99% of the
time DTTV reception is rock solid.

Ghosting is an issue here on analogue, and the neighbour had an Aerialite
Supreme group A directed at CP and a large Wolsey B (the one with the bow
tie shaped elements) directed at Guildford. When those were removed, the
neighbour told the rigger that the chimney they were on had offered much
better reception in the past, and the chimney above the lounge had
provided poor reception. Mr Rigger (who was recommended by the local
Panasonic dealer) assured neighbour that he can get him perfect digital
pictures for his new Panasonic TV with decoder on the lounge chimney. This
chimney offers much easier access (although he had to remove the scrap
from the other one) and a much easier cable run to the TV.

Two hours later Mr Rigger is struggling with ghosty analogue, and severe
pixilation on DTTV. He blames it on traffic, as from this chimney the
aerial looks along the A3 (from almost the same height) straight at CP. Mr
Rigger still claims this is the best chimney to use, although as far as
neighbour could see no readings were taken anywhere else on the house. Mr
Rigger then fits a Fringe masthead amplifier and shows neighbour some
solid DTTV. He claims £550 (yes, five hundred and fifty pounds) from
neighbour and scoots.

Neighbour then spends some time setting up his new TV and discovers
dreadful analogue with severe patterning and unwatchable DTTV on four
muxes. I got dragged away from chatting at this stage of the sorry saga
and paused only to offer assistance when we are next visiting to have a
look at what can be done. Amazingly, AFAIK Mr Rigger has not been asked to
return and neighbour is back to watching the free channels provided by his
old cable (Telewest, now Virgin) socket.

When I do get to look at it, I suspect that the patterning will be
overloading due to the masthead amplifier, and I wonder if the DTTV
problem is also due to high signal levels? I did advise trying the TV at
3am when traffic on the A3 will be negligible, and to try a plug in
attenuator which he had left from years ago although I presume this will
not be a valid test after all that amplification?

Unbelievable. I've seen this before too. An old guy local to me had a huge
wideband high gain stuck up by another firm who charged him about £500, and
it was hopeless. Analogue not even watchable, and barely one mux coming
through properly. He didn't call them back or even ring to complain. He just
called me out.

On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:25 +0100, "Bill Wright"
wrote:


"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
...
Around here you actually get a less multipath ridden signal on a lowish
aerial screened by buildings except in the desired direction.

I had to do this at my second house. It looked very odd. See
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/albertsattic/056.html
For Brian's benefit this shows me looking like Che Guevara in glasses
messing about with a home made aerial on my back wall. God, it makes me
cringe! The past should be abolished!

Bill

That pic is bloody hilarious!!!!!!!!!!

And BTW, the past technically is abolished, as it has already
happened. And there is no present, only past and future.

Marky P.

On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:15:59 +0100, "Bill Wright"
wrote:


"Paul Ratcliffe" wrote in message
...
I'm not too keen on the present. The future looks a bit bleak as well.
What to do?

The present is the best time I've ever been in. I would hate to go back to
the 60s and 70s, with two and a half TV channels mostly in black and white,
gramophone records and dodgy reel to reel tape, no internet, no computers,
cars that broke down every verse end, Post Office monopoly on
communications, trying to make catalogues using lettraset and glue, fog so
bad you had to stop driving and walk, no central heating, corporal
punishment in schools, little or no nursery provision for the under 5s,
dreadful road accident statistics, almost no motorways, medical science far
less advanced from now, no routine screening for breast cancer, inflation
touching 26%, etc.

The good old days? Old people who talk about the good old days are talking
out of their arses.

Bill

I do believe that the times now are the best we've ever had, but i'm
sorry, reel to reel tapes were the best format ever! And what about
the 8-track tape? Songs fading out, 'kerchunk', fading back in again,
bad wow & flutter.... Ah, fantastic :-)

Marky P.

In article , Marky P
scribeth thus
On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:25 +0100, "Bill Wright"
wrote:


"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
m...
Around here you actually get a less multipath ridden signal on a lowish
aerial screened by buildings except in the desired direction.

I had to do this at my second house. It looked very odd. See
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/albertsattic/056.html
For Brian's benefit this shows me looking like Che Guevara in glasses
messing about with a home made aerial on my back wall. God, it makes me
cringe! The past should be abolished!

Bill

That pic is bloody hilarious!!!!!!!!!!

And BTW, the past technically is abolished, as it has already
happened. And there is no present, only past and future.


This is why Doctor Who and his Tardis are a complete fraud, if they
existed in the future then they'd be here now in the past relative to
the future;!..

--
Tony Sayer

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Marky P
This is why Doctor Who and his Tardis are a complete fraud, if they
existed in the future then they'd be here now in the past relative to
the future;!..

Nice drop of whisky Tony?

Bill

They were certainly streets ahead of audio cassettes in terms of
quality.

On Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:15:26 +0100, Marky P
wrote:

On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:15:59 +0100, "Bill Wright"
wrote:

dodgy reel to reel tape

i'm
sorry, reel to reel tapes were the best format ever!

In article , Bill Wright
scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Marky P
This is why Doctor Who and his Tardis are a complete fraud, if they
existed in the future then they'd be here now in the past relative to
the future;!..

Nice drop of whisky Tony?

Bill



Nah bruvver!! it stands to yer actual reason dunnit!..

Think abaht it. If them time machines are around they'd be coming back
from the future to the past i.e. now!...
--
Tony Sayer

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Bill Wright
scribeth thus
Think abaht it. If them time machines are around they'd be coming back
from the future to the past i.e. now!...

Ohhh arr! I sees what you mean. So them time traveller blokes would clean up
at the bookies for a start!

Bill