Motorbike used to track TV licence dodgers

**Bob** · 24th June 2005, 23:52

Up to now, TV licence dodgers in Yorkshire living in remote areas that are hard to get to have had some sense of security, away from the tracking vans. But no longer.

TV Licensing officials warn it doesn't matter how hard they are to get to, if people are watching the box without a licence, they can expect a visit from one of the new motorbikes equipped with handheld TV detection technology. The motorbikes have removable branding so they can either let people know they are in the area, or they can go undercover.

Sandrine Fletcher, spokeswoman for TV Licensing in the North, said "Of course we'd much prefer those who need a licence to buy one in the first place. But with the use of motorbikes, getting out to remote locations to track down evaders is even more straightforward for our enquiry office."

House names that include, barn, mill, castle, old refectory and windmill are to be targeted in the drive.

**N4CR** · 25th June 2005, 00:18

How the hell do those TV liscence checker machines work? Calculate where a signal drop of like 0.0000000000001w is coming from as the TV picks up the signal.

-Anyone explain how they work please?

**Waylander** · 25th June 2005, 00:22

What I wanna know is why the heck would you need a liscense to watch TV? Are they talking about stealing satalite feed or tapping into your neighbors cable? If it's something other than that then it just seems silly.

**Ixion** · 25th June 2005, 00:23

Originally Posted by Waylander

What I wanna know is why the heck would you need a liscense to watch TV? Are they talking about stealing satalite feed or tapping into your neighbors cable? If it's something other than that then it just seems silly.

Nope. In UK, and in NZ until a coupla years ago, you had to buy a licence if you had a TV set. Or a radio (wireless) for that matter. Revenue, lad.

**Waylander** · 25th June 2005, 00:26

Originally Posted by Ixion

Nope. In UK, and in NZ until a coupla years ago, you had to buy a licence if you had a TV set. Or a radio (wireless) for that matter. Revenue, lad.

And the people put up with that shite? WTF!!! Remind me never to go to the UK. And if they try to re-establish it here, I'm leavin.

**Mooch** · 25th June 2005, 00:30

I couldn't believe the letter that they sent here before we even had a TV, Basically stated that the outstanding license fee was being passed to a collection agency.
TV License here cost 144 pounds a year or 360 nz dollars ... Rip off for the shite that on TV here. Mind you, I'd like to see how well the MC's would work on the Thames River!

**Bob** · 25th June 2005, 00:41

Originally Posted by Waylander

And the people put up with that shite? WTF!!! Remind me never to go to the UK. And if they try to re-establish it here, I'm leavin.

Reason for the TV licence is that the BBC is a publically-funded corporation. They do not run any advertising (except they do advertise things like their own magazines... which to my mind is some kind of monopoly) - and are not allowed to by law.

All the other channels are funded by advertising (such as ITV, Channel 4) or by subscription, such as satellite and cable.

Of course, this means that a lot of people come over here, buy a TV... and then get a visit from the licence detection people. And they don't seem to accept "Well in my country we do not have licences" as an excuse.

Originally Posted by Tristank

How the hell do those TV liscence checker machines work? Calculate where a signal drop of like 0.0000000000001w is coming from as the TV picks up the signal.

-Anyone explain how they work please?

Not sure how these single machines work. I know the old system was based on triangulation - you'd get three vans to cover an area, which would then zero in on a single receiving site. Then they got clever and refined the technique so that they only needed two vans... and now, clearly, they can run it from one portable device.

Of course, there is a clue, in that the targeting for the new hunt is concentrating on certain address types. So, you visit them and then point your device at them to see if they are receiving.

**Biff** · 25th June 2005, 01:33

Those bstard motorbikers.

Oh - hang on. Sorry.

**bugjuice** · 25th June 2005, 12:16

i reckon those lisence catcher things are still a load of big smelly bs. If they could tell your TV was on (and not by looking in the windows to see the tv making the glow in the room, or using a listening device (which would be illegal anyway)), how the hell could it tell you are receiving a signal? If you're transmitting, then fine, but you don't, so it couldn't pick up any out-going frequencies. The only way they can check is by them looking up your address while they're sat outside your house on their computer, and seeing if your address comes up on the 'paid' list. How could they pick you from next door for a start..?? I've had them knock on my door once, saying (in a flat of 8) that I hadn't paid, when I had a few weeks before. Hadn't been loaded onto their systems yet..

What about if you don't want to watch 1 or 2? if you only watch 3 or 4, you still have to pay.. utter bs. If you get sky (another BBC product), you pay again.. for more bs.. and 'it's the unique way the BBC is funded by you..' bollox aswel. You don't get a choice to fund it. It's that or even more fines!!!!

The only thing a motorbike is going to help them with is a bike can scoot from one address to another, and instead of putting more gas in a van to do the same milage, they can put two bikes out for the same cost and get twice the revenue. Oh look, more bull crap..

fuckin bs all the way.

yet another reason I hate the UK.

**FlyingDutchMan** · 25th June 2005, 16:45

As far as i understand it, they don't detect drop in the signal due to it being gobbled up by the reciever (what would my lectures say now?). But rather TVs are increbily noisy devices in an electrical sense. With the right gadettery it is very simple to "tune in" on what a TV is displaying and watch it for your self from a little distance away. There is of course an incredibily easy way around the problem - throw the TV out and get a LCD screen or a projector. They make very little electrical noise in comparason, and what they do make doesn't relate to whats on the screen.

**Bob** · 25th June 2005, 22:00

Originally Posted by FlyingDutchMan

As far as i understand it, they don't detect drop in the signal due to it being gobbled up by the reciever (what would my lectures say now?). But rather TVs are increbily noisy devices in an electrical sense. With the right gadettery it is very simple to "tune in" on what a TV is displaying and watch it for your self from a little distance away. There is of course an incredibily easy way around the problem - throw the TV out and get a LCD screen or a projector. They make very little electrical noise in comparason, and what they do make doesn't relate to whats on the screen.

Interesting... thanks for that. Just learned something new... isn't the internet wonderful?

Originally Posted by Bugjuice

If you get sky (another BBC product)

No it isn't. Sky has nothing to do with the BBC. It is a private company, owned by Rupert Murdoch.

**bugjuice** · 25th June 2005, 22:02

Originally Posted by Bob

No it isn't. Sky has nothing to do with the BBC. It is a private company, owned by Rupert Murdoch.

thought it was.. or doesn't Murdoch have something to do with the BBC too..?? I remember hearing that they were linked somehow..

**SPORK** · 25th June 2005, 23:44

Originally Posted by bugjuice

thought it was.. or doesn't Murdoch have something to do with the BBC too..?? I remember hearing that they were linked somehow..

Dude, he owns everything...

**Jantar** · 26th June 2005, 07:49

The way the law as worded in nZ was that you had to pay a licence fee if you "owned a Television Receiver which is capable of receiving a signal".

Note that the set only had to be capable of recieving, they didn't have to show that the TV was ever used, or how it was used. This caught out a lot of elderly people who couldn't afford a licence, so they just stopped using the set. It wasn't good enough. They had to either sell the set or pay for it to be disabled.

I was one of the many people out there who refused to pay a licence to receive. I owned a TV set, but disabled the RF section so it couldn't receive a signal, then just plugged the video recorder in on AV. I was threatened with prosecution a number of times, but each time I was able to produce a certificate from TISCO (remember them?) that stated my TV set was not capable of receiving a TV signal.