OT but technical- "Rediffusion"
Brian Reay
changed since our childhood (the 1960s).
One topic that came up was "Rediffusion" which I recall seeing and my XYL's
family had at one stage.
Rediffusion delivered TV and Radio over a "cable" to subscribers. There was
generally a small "Rediffusion Box" where the cable entered the house and,
as I recall, had a rotary knob labelled A, B, C etc. Different settings gave
the available TV channels (ITV and BBC only) or some radio stations- BBC
only in those days (Light, Home, Third).
I'm curious how the system worked. As I recall individual houses had
Rediffusion ie whole streets were not cabled and I do not recall any
overhead wires so, I assume, the cable was underground.
The above is based on 40 year old memories so details may be incorrect but
I'd value any further info.
--
73
Brian G8OSN/W8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk
Brian Reay
"Brian Reay" <s...@website.invalid> wrote in message
news:ApzTl.168627$A85....@newsfe03.ams2...
I just Googled Rediffusion and was jaw droppingly shocked to find a
description of the system. I can hardly believe this has found its way onto
the web!
RobertM
Try here Brian
http://www.rediffusion-television.co.uk/
http://www.rediffusion.info/
--
Robert Maskill - G4PYR - Peterborough Cambridgeshire
MF Coastal Radio www.coastalradio.org.uk
Orton info community web site www.ortoninfo.co.uk
Nene Valley Railway Pictures www.nvrpics.org.uk/
huLLy
news:ApzTl.168627$A85....@newsfe03.ams2...
> changed since our childhood (the 1960s).
>
> One topic that came up was "Rediffusion" which I recall seeing and my
> XYL's family had at one stage.
>
My apprenticeship was with Rediffusion Radio Systems, which BET sold in the
late 80's.. it became Redifon, Redifon SPT, Redifon MEL, Thomson Racal and
then Thales...
Stew
news:ApzTl.168627$A85....@newsfe03.ams2...
here!
Stewart
Brian Reay
"Stew" <sid.m...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:9gATl.190305$IC1....@newsfe06.ams2...
>>
> Still have some of the cables running along the facias below the guttering
> here!
>
Oddly, this came to mind just after the topic was discussed today. We were
walking in around the Birchington area and several (rather grand in their
day) properties had an incredible collection of defunct wires strewn across
there fascias.
Brian Morrison
> We were walking in around the Birchington area
Heavens, haven't been there since 1976. The school I attended is gone,
the grounds replaced by housing and a McCarthy & Stone retirement complex.
--
Brian
star...@invalid.invalid
wrote:
I ask to myself if this is Brian announcing
that 'we' are moving to a new QTH ?
Brian Reay
<star...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:4a1ee96...@news.albasani.net...
No.
Brian Reay
"Brian Morrison" <scra...@fenrir.org.uk> wrote in message
news:gvmnis$a5e$2...@localhost.localdomain...
It is a nice area for a walk. We normally park near Epple Bay and walk along
the "prom" to Birchington. We generally make part of the return journey
though the area on the top of the cliffs- some interesting buildings to look
at.
The "beach" bit of Birchington does need a nice "tea and bun" cafe. Nothing
there at all at the moment- even the pub is closed for refurb.
A lovely area- quiet and unspoilt.
In the winter be tend to park at the Birchington end and have a flask of hot
soup in the car on the return leg.
--
73
Brian G8OSN / W8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk
Jim GM4DHJ ...
> In the winter be tend to park at the Birchington end and have a flask of
> hot
> soup in the car on the return leg.
>
> 73
> Brian G8OSN / G3OSN
>
I sometimes walk along the banks of the clyde at Govan.....watch the dead
dogs float down the river and the neds drinking buckie while listening to
scumbags on 2m ...........
Jim GM4DHJ ...
<star...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:4a1ee96...@news.albasani.net...
naw he can't afford a second house now ...tax you know......
Jim GM4DHJ ...
"Jim GM4DHJ ..." <jim.g...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:vmCTl.35177$OO7....@text.news.virginmedia.com...
Ian Jackson
... <jim.g...@ntlworld.com> writes
to the true traditions of amateur radio by actually doing some SWLing
before they get their MM6es.
--
Ian
Jim GM4DHJ ...
"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVET...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:l4$JNxRQ4...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk...
I think not ........
Ian Jackson
>
>"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVET...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:l4$JNxRQ4...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk...
>> In message <vmCTl.35177$OO7....@text.news.virginmedia.com>, Jim GM4DHJ
>> ... <jim.g...@ntlworld.com> writes
>>>
>>>> In the winter be tend to park at the Birchington end and have a flask of
>>>> hot
>>>> soup in the car on the return leg.
>>>>
>>>
>>>> 73
>>>> Brian G8OSN / G3OSN
>>>>
>>>
>>> I sometimes walk along the banks of the clyde at Govan.....watch the dead
>>>dogs float down the river and the neds drinking buckie while listening to
>>>scumbags on 2m ...........
>>>
>> What? The neds listen to the scumbags on 2m? Maybe they are reverting to
>> the true traditions of amateur radio by actually doing some SWLing before
>> they get their MM6es.
>
>I think not ........
>
--
Ian
Johnny Melvin
"Brian Reay" <s...@website.invalid> wrote in message
news:ApzTl.168627$A85....@newsfe03.ams2...
I well remember Redifusion for 2 things.
I lived in Peterlee in the mid 60s these were rented property.
Most of us had the usual TV antenna mounted on the chimney on the flat roof.
We heard were getting Redifusion. We could nearly see line of site to the
transmitter.
On my arrival home from work on day my dwelling was wired, my antenna (
TV ) had
been taken down and scrapped. The dwelling were links so across the roof
just lying
as it was on the flat roof was a multicore unscreened cable.
The charge for the Redifusion service was added to the rent, and the council
got a kick back
for collecting it. I found that with a TV antenna below the parapet of the
roof my TV reception
was fine.
I refused to pay the "Redifusion charge as I was not using it ) My rent was
marked in arrears
and I was threated with eviction. I paid.!!!!!!!!!
The other was Don G3FPE long ago SK.
He bought a bungalow in the east of Newcastle. Redifusion had used the
chimney stack to bring
in about 20 hard wire feeders for there system.
Don requested there removal as he wanted to put up antennas himself.
Redifusion were telling neighbours that they would not be able to get the
service unless the wires
were left intact.
Don used to wear a blue uniform with 3 stripes on it. He gave Redifusion a
date to remove the
cables.. The date expirred with no movement from Redifusion.
Don went on the roof with a pair of side cutters. SNIP SNIP SNIP as they
say. LOL.
He was less than popular for some time.
Just my 2cents
de Johnny G3LIV
>
Dave
When I last walked along the Clyde it was dead neds floating down the
river and the dogs were drinking Buckie.
As for 2m enough said.
Dave
Theo
"Johnny Melvin" <joh...@melvin.com> wrote in message
news:pNETl.462633$aj5....@newsfe16.ams2...
During it's heyday, most council estates were festooned with Rediffusion
cables, which incidentally consisted of two or three black insulated cables
suspended from a steel wire,
the whole bundle was then wrapped with a helix of thinner wire. I believe
this was referred to as a catinery wire?
Rediffusion used to pay councils a yearly fee - I understand this was a
minimal "peppercorn rent", in the 1960's it was something like 1/- a year!
Catweazel
> My XYL and I were musing over the way home entertainment equipment had
> changed since our childhood (the 1960s).
>
> One topic that came up was "Rediffusion" which I recall seeing and my XYL's
> family had at one stage.
>
> Rediffusion delivered TV and Radio over a "cable" to subscribers. There was
> generally a small "Rediffusion Box" where the cable entered the house and,
> as I recall, had a rotary knob labelled A, B, C etc. Different settings gave
> the available TV channels (ITV and BBC only) or some radio stations- BBC
> only in those days (Light, Home, Third).
>
EMI were supplying radio broadcast by cable in the early 50s, from
their factory site in Hayes to at least one of the nearby council
estates.
Paul Rigg
We had it hear too in the upper Calder Valley it was run by a company called
West Riding Communal Areials and nearly everybody had it because without it
in most parts of Todmorden and Hebden Bridge reception of ITV from Winter
Hill and Emley Moor on VHF 405 lines was virtually impossible.. You could
get BBC1 on Channel Two from Hoime Moss with an aerial though. WRCA were
taken over by Rediffusion later.
It used coax running along just below the guttering of the houses and the
odd pole/wire combination between. There must have been amplifiers in the
system but I never remember seeing one.
They had an aerial farm at about 1200 feet above the valley and transmitted
BBC1 (Lancashire) and Granada TV with 405 lines. They also transmitted
Radios 2 3 and 4 from Holme Moss down the cable, recption of those was also
poor.
The cable must have only been suitable for VHF because when BBC2 came on
they added it to the system with 625 lines but converted to VHF. Yorkshire
TV was added at the same time, also with 625 lines VHF and later 625
versions of BBC1 and Granada.
The local TV shops had stocks of "upverters" - i've still got one. This
put the 625 line VHF from the cable back on to UHF so that you could watch
them on a colour TV. They also had older dual standard black and white sets
which could do VHF 625 lines. I think the kit was probably made for the
Irish (RTE) market where VHF 625 lines was (and is) standard.
Use of in thinned out after the Todmorden UHF transmitter came on in 1972
but it continued to operate until 1977 at least after which time 6 UHF
relays had been built covering the whole valley.
We then had rubbish FM reception for around 15 yrs until the BBC finally got
round to adding it to the UHF relays. Classic FM never did.
In addition to this in the 1960s a local shop used to have a 100v line
system round the town with the Home Service and the Light Program on it. You
got two x 5a two pin sockets on the wall and a speaker with a two pin 5a
plug on it.. It had finished by 1967 I suppose transistor radios had taken
over and they couldn't add Radio 1 to it cheaply. I do remember it at my
Infant's School when it was used for Schools Broadcasts. I got into trouble
for seeing what the other socket did!
Steve Terry
news:ApzTl.168627$A85....@newsfe03.ams2...
> changed since our childhood (the 1960s).
>
> One topic that came up was "Rediffusion" which I recall seeing and my
> XYL's family had at one stage.
>
> Rediffusion delivered TV and Radio over a "cable" to subscribers. There
> was generally a small "Rediffusion Box" where the cable entered the house
> and, as I recall, had a rotary knob labelled A, B, C etc. Different
> settings gave the available TV channels (ITV and BBC only) or some radio
> stations- BBC only in those days (Light, Home, Third).
>
> Rediffusion ie whole streets were not cabled and I do not recall any
> overhead wires so, I assume, the cable was underground.
>
> The above is based on 40 year old memories so details may be incorrect but
> I'd value any further info.
> Brian G8OSN/W8OSN
> www.g8osn.org.uk
>
>
That's the system Hemel Hempstead had in the 1960's
Steve Terry
Jim GM4DHJ ...
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:q55v15t2q2jbbecmr...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 29 May 2009 00:05:49 +0100, "Johnny Melvin"
> <joh...@melvin.com> wrote:
>
>>I well remember Redifusion for 2 things.
>>I lived in Peterlee in the mid 60s these were rented property.
>>Most of us had the usual TV antenna mounted on the chimney on the flat
>>roof.
>>We heard were getting Redifusion. We could nearly see line of site to the
>>transmitter.
>
> Clydesdale that provided "piped television", as it was called at the
> time. It was cabled at a height just under the guttering of the
> houses. Whole cooncil estates were wired up in this manner.
>
> I don't think Clydesdale exists any more.
>
> 73 de Wlat
>
it doesn't..went the way of all good shops....
Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI
news:3LydnRRR37__WILX...@bt.com...
>
>
> We had it hear too in the upper Calder Valley it was run by a company
> called West Riding Communal Areials and nearly everybody had it because
> without it in most parts of Todmorden and Hebden Bridge reception of ITV
> from Winter Hill and Emley Moor on VHF 405 lines was virtually
> impossible.. You could get BBC1 on Channel Two from Hoime Moss with an
> aerial though. WRCA were taken over by Rediffusion later.
>
> It used coax running along just below the guttering of the houses and the
> odd pole/wire combination between. There must have been amplifiers in the
> system but I never remember seeing one.
>
aerials to be "unsightly" and banned their use on several estates.
Understandably, the residents complained about the lack of TV, so in
response the council provided steel lattice towers with aerials all over
them and feeders trailing between the houses; apparently this was not
"unsightly!"
Reception was at best mediocre, the system was frequently vandalised and on
one estate was finally abandoned after the tower was struck by lightning (at
least that's what the locals claimed). Last time I visited that area just
about every house on the estate had a satellite dish on the wall.
--
;-)
.
73 de Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI - mine's a pint.
.
http://turner-smith.co.uk
Brian Reay
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> On Sat, 30 May 2009 03:11:59 +0100, "Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI"
> <g3...@turner-smith.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>In Milton Keynes during the 1970s the local council declared outdoor TV
>>aerials to be "unsightly" and banned their use on several estates.
>
> Beauty?
>
> ;-)
>
ROTFLMAO!
Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI
news:Tg6Ul.192599$IC1....@newsfe06.ams2...
are the concrete cows still there?
star...@invalid.invalid
wrote:
Wonderful!
A thread about TV turns into a thread about cows.
zpk
a sign of the times.
Steve Terry
news:qC0Ul.101412$Dx7....@newsfe20.ams2...
> 73 de Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI - mine's a pint.
>
>
A G4Z friend who has recently moved to MK tells me they still have
analogue cable TV and no cable BB!
His business needs fast BB so he signed up for a pair of LLU ADSL2+
from BE (o2) with some sort of combiner
I'm shocked that MK is so technologically backward, even some villages
have digital cable and cable BB
As it's been often said, Britain is the only third world country
you can drink the water
Steve Terry
Steve Terry
news:opn125t827qtq0pps...@4ax.com...
> <g3...@turner-smith.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>In Milton Keynes during the 1970s the local council declared outdoor TV
>>aerials to be "unsightly" and banned their use on several estates.
>
> Beauty?
> ;-)
> Walt Davidson Email: g3nyy @despammed.com
>
>
Outside of MK is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Steve Terry
Steve Terry
> On Sat, 30 May 2009 21:02:46 +0100, "Steve Terry" <gFOU...@tesco.net>
> wrote:
>
>>A G4Z friend who has recently moved to MK tells me they still have
>>analogue cable TV and no cable BB!
>>His business needs fast BB so he signed up for a pair of LLU ADSL2+
>>from BE (o2) with some sort of combiner
>>
>>I'm shocked that MK is so technologically backward, even some villages
>>have digital cable and cable BB
>
> analogue telephone lines. Apparently the local council will not
> permit any company other than BT to dig up the roads for the purpose
> of laying cables.That's unusual, John Majors Gov packaged up the country into TV Cable
areas and sold off the licences for them
How Tewksbury escaped that i don't know?
Steve Terry
Len GM0ONX
> On Sat, 30 May 2009 21:02:46 +0100, "Steve Terry" <gFOU...@tesco.net>
> wrote:
>
>> analogue cable TV and no cable BB!
>> His business needs fast BB so he signed up for a pair of LLU ADSL2+
>>from BE (o2) with some sort of combiner
>> I'm shocked that MK is so technologically backward, even some villages
>> have digital cable and cable BB
>
> analogue telephone lines. Apparently the local council will not
> permit any company other than BT to dig up the roads for the purpose
> of laying cables.
>
> 73 de Wlat
>
If they are a classed as a public utility (and cable companies are) the
council can't really stop them (New Roads and Street Works Act 1991)
Len GM0ONX
jim stewart
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:jnh3251mu5kbaf4r1...@4ax.com...
>>analogue cable TV and no cable BB!
>>His business needs fast BB so he signed up for a pair of LLU ADSL2+
>>from BE (o2) with some sort of combiner
>>
>>I'm shocked that MK is so technologically backward, even some villages
>>have digital cable and cable BB
>
> analogue telephone lines. Apparently the local council will not
> permit any company other than BT to dig up the roads for the purpose
> of laying cables.
>
no utilities in Tuke then .......
jim stewart
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> On Sun, 31 May 2009 07:28:38 GMT, "jim stewart"
> <jim.g...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
>>no utilities in Tuke then .......
>
> provided over analogue BT telephone lines.
>
> 73 de Wlat
>
that is pants .......
jim stewart
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
>
>
> Your home is not in a Virgin Media cable area so you can't get our
> fibre-optic cable services, but you can get our National services.
> National services up to 16Mb!
> Our National broadband and phone services are available to all. Unlike
> our cable services, they're delivered down your phone line - in just
> the same way other companies offer it.
Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI
news:4a2144f5...@news.albasani.net...
and from Cowes we could next discuss the Isle of Wight ferry. Good 'ere
innit?
Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI
news:m17425p60jd2lq0vd...@4ax.com...
>>you can drink the water
>>
>>Steve Terry
>
>
>
> Nick.
Quite correct, Sire, if I was to drink neat water I might have a sobriety
attack.
--
;-)
.
666 de Frank Turner-Smith G3VKI - mine's a pint.
.
http://turner-smith.co.uk
Roger Basford
at a high point on the playing fields at the back off my 2ndary school in
Nottingham. We had a box on an outside wall which tapped off the
distribution wiring for a feed to our house, the box indoors had a channel
switch and a volume control, IIRC, feeding a Bakelite speaker unit.
One good side effect of the system was that when the pirate radio ships came
on the air in the '60s daytime reception wasn't great in my area. I found
that placing my tranny with its ferrite rod aerial near to the incoming
Rediffusion wires boosted the signals and meant I could get some decent
music, not the crap the BBC wanted us to listen on The Light Programme.
Didn't Rediffusion carry TV as well at some time?
Must look at the web site.
Roger
G3VKM
"RobertM" <m...@not.here> wrote in message
news:TKadnZKA9dMbWIPX...@bt.com...
Steve Terry
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> On Sun, 31 May 2009 07:28:38 GMT, "jim stewart"
> <jim.g...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Your home is not in a Virgin Media cable area so you can't get our
> fibre-optic cable services, but you can get our National services.
> National services up to 16Mb!
> Our National broadband and phone services are available to all. Unlike
> our cable services, they're delivered down your phone line - in just
> the same way other companies offer it.
> 73 de Wlat
Try putting your post code into
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/
and see if any LLU is offered on your exchange?
Steve Terry
huLLy
>
> BT Wholesale ADSL
> BT Wholesale ADSL Max
> BT Wholesale SDSL
> AOL LLU
> O2 / Be LLU
> TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
> Sky Broadband / Easynet LLU
> Tiscali LLU
> Orange LLU (Formerly Wanadoo)
>
All the LLU options are not via BT..
Steve Terry
"Walt Davidson" <g3...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> premises. Therefore the maximum speed available is governed by the
> distance from the exchange and the quality of the BT cable.
> 73 de G3NYYand the greater speed of ADSL2 + modems
Of those, if i already had, or was thinking of getting a SKy subscription?
the SKy Easynet deal.
Or a need for unlimited downloads, Be O2.
Or already had a Orange mobile phone contract, Orange LLU
Or wiling to take a punt on cheap, but if unlucky could turn out crap,
Talk Talk
Avoid Tiscali, and AOL
Steve Terry
Dave Liquorice
>> They still use the BT copper pair to route to the subscriber's
>> premises. Therefore the maximum speed available is governed by the
>> distance from the exchange and the quality of the BT cable.
And it throws another level into the getting it fixed scenario. You don't
have a contract with BT on LLU so you are stuck with the chinese whispers
between your LLU provider and BT Openreach.
> and the greater speed of ADSL2 + modems
Once you are more than a mile or two from the exchnage ADSL2+ and ADSL2
are very similar in speed.
--
Cheers
Dave.
Steve Terry
"Dave Liquorice" <allsortsn...@howhill.com> wrote in message
news:nyyfbegfubjuvyypb...@srv1.howhill.net...
> Dave.
>
>
If you are more than a couple of miles from your exchange you could be
better
off with 3G BB if a 3G network is nearby
This sent with my new five quid ZTE MF627 on Three
Getting around 1.6Mbps D/L
http://www.3dongle4free.co.uk/ checkout discount code AK12BBF
Steve Terry
Dave Liquorice
>>> and the greater speed of ADSL2 + modems
>>
>> Once you are more than a mile or two from the exchnage ADSL2+ and ADSL2
>> are very similar in speed.
>
> If you are more than a couple of miles from your exchange you could be
> better off with 3G BB if a 3G network is nearby
Nearest 3G is probably 20+ miles away...
> This sent with my new five quid ZTE MF627 on Three Getting around
> 1.6Mbps D/L
About a third of my ADSL2... on the end of just over 2 miles of BT
aluminium pair. It drops off rapidly past me, another mile down into the
village and people are lucky to get 1Mbps if that. I don't bother looking
to see if there is any mobile coverage down there, it's iffy with us and
the village is several hundred feet lower and the wrong side of the hill.
> http://www.3dongle4free.co.uk/
Seen this else where but can't figure out 3's T&C's. It looks as if it's
not what I would call "Pay As you Go" as the 1GB you buy for £10 expires
after a month. Now if that 1GB doesn't expire I'd be tempted to get one
"just to have".
How ever with a 3 PAYG phone (£70 + £10 topup to activate doesn't expire
and gives free Skype to Skype) you can add unlimited (subject to AUP)
internet for £5/month, £2.50/week or 50p/day...
--
Cheers
Dave.
Dave Liquorice
>>>> They still use the BT copper pair to route to the subscriber's
>>>> premises. Therefore the maximum speed available is governed by the
>>>> distance from the exchange and the quality of the BT cable.
>
> I don't think Steve wrote that (spelling and grammar's too good). (:
He didn't, neither did you, but you both (and me) quoted it, that's why it
has multiple angle brackets before each line. B-)
> However, that factor is often forgotten. I can only get 6 Mb/s of the
> 8 Mb/s on offer due to this limitation even though I'm around 1 km from
> the exchange.
You will probably see some improvement at that distance, assuming that the
1km you quote is your line length not as the crow flies or shortest road
distance. Finger in the air at 3200' I'd expect 12Mbps +/- 5Mbps.
--
Cheers
Dave.