The digital rip-off: your help needed
Bill Wright
Bill Wright here. Please have the patience
to read this! You could really help us achieve something worthwhile.
The digital rip-off: your help needed
There's a lot of public confusion about the switch to digital TV, and
many elderly and vulnerable people are getting fleeced as a result. The
official information campaign is trying hard to make sure that people
won't be left without TV when the analogue broadcasts finish, but we're
not convinced the right information is reaching those who need it most.
As a result some people are panicking and making rash buying decisions.
Of course there's always someone ready and waiting to take advantage
of people's confusion and make a killing. There have already been many
instances of people (mainly elderly) spending many hundreds of pounds
on unnecessary aerials or new TV sets.
In areas where analogue was switched off last year the rip-offs became
an epidemic and a lot of people subscribed to pay TV (£500 per year?), under
the impression that they had to do this or they would lose the BBC and
ITV channels.
A group of us have set up a website that attempts to correct some of the
misunderstandings and present the essential information in a way which
is simple and easy to understand. The website is totally non-commercial
and is designed so that people with internet access can print off the
information and hand it to those that might benefit from it.
After analogue switch off the majority of people will find that their
present aerial will work fine, even though it might not do so in the
lead-up period. This simple fact is being ignored. Our message is partly
'Don't spend money until you are certain you need to' and this
contradicts the official message, which is 'you must act now'. It seems
that a certain amount of rip-off has been deemed acceptable.
The main broadcast media are unlikely to address the rip-off problem
seriously because this could detract from the 'you must be ready for
digital' message. Of course we accept that people do need to be ready
for analogue switch-off, but the official line is all about being ready,
with little or nothing about avoiding rip-offs or unnecessary expense.
So, having set up the site, the problem now is publicising it. The task
of spreading the word is enormous, and frankly we just can't do it
alone. But if enough of you help us we could really achieve something.
Newsgroups like this one have readers all over the UK, and that is our
strength.
Firstly, would you please send the letter (below) to the letters page of
all your local newspapers? It's easy to do this by email. (But if
analogue has already finished in your area it's probably too late.)
If you know of any local organisations in your area that could pass on
the information to vulnerable groups such as the elderly or the adult
mentally handicapped, please pass on this message, with the website
address. What about the local Age Concern, Help the Aged, Derby and
Joan, Townswomen's Guild, WI, and even the bowling club? What about the
library or your place of worship? Do you have any contacts in Social
Services or other relevant council departments?
Please email the message to your local radio station (including
community stations). It could work to send the message direct to a presenter
who does a 'topical talk' slot in between the music.
Please go through your email address list and send this message to
anyone you know who is in a position to pass it on to where it's needed.
Finally, do you know anyone personally that is a rip-off risk? If so, please
go
to the site and print off the information and give it to them.
The website address is
http://www.paras.org.uk/01-intro.shtml
Could you email Bill at
wrightsaerials (first part)
the 'at' symbol (second part)
f2s (third part)
dot com (last part)
to let us know which organisations you have contacted?
Cheers,
Mike Brown
Mark Carver
Bill Wright
LETTER TO EDITORS, RADIO STATIONS, ETC (areas that still have analogue)
The digital rip-off: your help needed
Some time soon our analogue TV signals will disappear forever. The
official information campaign is trying hard to make sure that people
won't be left without TV, but unfortunately this can come across in a
slightly panicky way and it is causing some people to make rash
decisions. Elderly people, especially those who are housebound, are very
reliant on television and many are really scared that they will be cut off.
Of course, there's always someone ready to exploit these fears. The
result is that a lot of money is being wasted by those who can least
afford it. There have already been many instances of people (mainly
elderly) spending many hundreds of pounds on unnecessary aerials or new
TV sets.
Crooked aerial installers are having a field day, and unscrupulous TV
salesmen are telling people that they have to buy an expensive new set
or they will have no reception. A lot of people have already subscribed
unwillingly to pay TV (£500 per year?), under the impression that they have
to do this or they will lose the BBC and ITV channels.
There is now a website - http://www.paras.org.uk/01-intro.shtml - that tries
to cut though all
the guff. It's been set up by trade insiders who are sickened by the
rip-offs. Its totally non-commercial and the idea is that people with
internet access can print pages and hand them to those that might need
them. It would be great if your readers would take a look at the site
and pass on the information to any vulnerable people they know.
Yours faithfully,
Xxxxxxxxxxx
This message posted by Bill Wright
who are you?
> Hello everyone,
>
> Bill Wright here. Please have the patience
> to read this! You could really help us achieve something worthwhile.
> The digital rip-off: your help needed
>
Welcome to the debate between Capitalism and Socialism!
Do you regulate the industry to keep free TV?!, or are we using
capitalism as a tool of communism once the industry is consolidated to
one or two world-wide corporations under republican control?
Van Chocstraw
--
<<//--------------------\\>>
Van Chocstraw
>>\\--------------------//<<
JB
news:gtSdnRwMBfmIVgfU...@giganews.com...
> Nobody will die from lack of TV. They just want you to think so.
>
the digital transition is completed. Cops cite interference as the reason,
so if they have it all to themselves they can complain about themselves.
Not a good time to be a radio tech.
joeturn
> "Van Chocstraw" <boobooililili...@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
Your almost there JB..Antennas will have no effect on APCO25 but the
micro surface mount technology will stop a tech in his tracks! Cheaper
to replace than to repair$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
After a short season the technicians will come up with a newfound
technology and return C4FM back to where it is now at NFM and the
bandwidth will stop being overwhelmed by strong signals!! Just be
patient The FCC has got it in writing and must follow suit else it
will appear to be a brainfart!!
The cops dont know where 800 mhz is its not a cell-phone thingy at
all!! They would like to converse in private but this will need to be
a scrambled code allowed by an individual reciever IDof a DSS design!!
I expect Motorola already has the patent and a gob of new radios in
transision??
dave
>
> The cops dont know where 800 mhz is its not a cell-phone thingy at
> all!! They would like to converse in private but this will need to be
> a scrambled code allowed by an individual reciever IDof a DSS design!!
> I expect Motorola already has the patent and a gob of new radios in
> transision??
Cops converse in private all the time. They use their cell phones.
joeturn
> Cops converse in private all the time. They use their cell phones.
Dear Dave the problem is they have soo much bleed over from AP25 that
it covers 850 to 950 mhz the whole cell band!!
Cell Phones are not private they are worse than a party line!!
Go back to sleep I'll call you when dinner is ready<I;-)
AP25 can be descrambled clearly by simply adding a spotter am carrier
to the signal!!
You
<5f524377-6eae-4dc9...@j39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
joeturn <joetu...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Cell Phones are not private they are worse than a party line!!
>
> Go back to sleep I'll call you when dinner is ready<I;-)
>
> AP25 can be descrambled clearly by simply adding a spotter am carrier
> to the signal!!
Hey Joe, your knowledge of the CellPhone Technology is only a Couple of
YEARS out of date.... Analog Cellphones do NOT Exist anymore and unless
you have the "RIGHT" (Expensive) Equipment your not going to be
listening in on ANY GSM or TDM Cellphones any time soon.....
Albert Manfredi
> Hey Joe, your knowledge of the CellPhone Technology is only a Couple of
> YEARS out of date.... Analog Cellphones do NOT Exist anymore and unless
> you have the "RIGHT" (Expensive) Equipment your not going to be
> listening in on ANY GSM or TDM Cellphones any time soon.....
Agreed on analog.
But AT&T mobile, for example, uses GSM. And GSM, at least through
2.5G, uses TDM as its RF physical layer..
Bert
You
<ddc58d14-382d-4a14...@a5g2000pre.googlegroups.com>,
Albert Manfredi <bert...@hotmail.com> wrote:
So, The OP still isn't going to be listening in on any conversations....
UNLESS, he has some fairly sophisticated, and EXPENSIVE receivers, more
on the NSA's capability.
joeturn
to C4FM/digital
The old split systemTX/RX radio gear had a vfo and a spotter to
pinpoint the intended frequency!!
The TX spotter created a sample am carrier that allowed a null in
sound to sycronize the two TX/RX
Well this small am carrier gives C4FM the same ability to be
descrambled as it did SSB it provides the path through the
discriminator or does it not??<I;-)