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Old 24th May 2017, 5:31 pm   #1
Panrock
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Default Pre-war television aerial spotting

One of my odder hobbies is to 'travel back in time' and peruse old films on YouTube, particularly the Pathe ones - from the late 1930s (and early '40s of sadly bomb damaged houses) - looking for television aerials on the chimneys.

I haven't yet seen one! Maybe in suburban London the signal strength was so strong it didn't justify an outside aerial - or they were all at the end of the garden!

Then again, with only 20,000 sets in use (or was that 20,000 viewers?), not all of them in London, perhaps there was only the occasional aerial to be seen and usually only in the better off districts.

Anybody ever spotted a television aerial in an old film? To count, this must be pre-1946.

Steve
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Old 24th May 2017, 6:41 pm   #2
peter_scott
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

There's a drawing of a real early DX one just before the Alexandra Palace coverage map that I nicked from you in my website.

Peter
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Old 24th May 2017, 7:38 pm   #3
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

It's not very clear but I think there might be a large one in this photo.
https://goo.gl/images/kF808D

Sorry, I tried to copy a link with my phone.
Try Getty Images, Crewe House
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Old 24th May 2017, 8:02 pm   #4
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

How many EMI "tilted wire" aerials were supplied and installed to customers homes before 1939?

DFWB.
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Old 24th May 2017, 8:37 pm   #5
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Quote:
Originally Posted by peter_scott View Post
It's not very clear but I think there might be a large one in this photo.
https://goo.gl/images/kF808D

Sorry, I tried to copy a link with my phone.
Try Getty Images, Crewe House
Peter
I couldn't use your link, but think I have found the picture to which you are referring HERE.

"The imposing facade of Crewe House in London's smart Mayfair district. Once the residence of the Marquis of Crewe, the building is now the property of Messrs. Tilling. Original Publication: Picture Post - 80 - Mayfair - pub. 1939."

There does seem to be some sort of contrivance on the right chimney but it doesn't look like a television aerial to me. During my pre-war 'time travels', I also occasionally spotted 'things' on chimneys but came to the conclusion they were radio aerials.

Steve
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Old 24th May 2017, 9:09 pm   #6
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

I wondered if it might be a multiple array.

Peter
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Old 25th May 2017, 7:58 am   #7
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

I think the only thing I can't eliminate as a more probably a tree branch is a single vertical pole - and there seem to be a number of other vertical poles on other chimneys. I wonder whether they might be lightning conductors.
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Old 25th May 2017, 10:03 am   #8
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Having blown it up I must admit that what I was seeing as horizontal members could easily be extensions of the tree branches. I don't think it's a lightning conductor, too tall. It could be a flag pole but it's not well located on the building for that.

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Old 25th May 2017, 11:32 am   #9
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Here it is, larger, with sharpness and contrast enhanced.

To me, it looks like this is a simple vertical pole. The other features are tree branches and twigs in the foreground.

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Old 25th May 2017, 12:17 pm   #10
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Do we know the approx date of the photo?
Crewe House was used as a base for propaganda in the First World War, possible a receiving station.
https://archive.org/details/secretsofcreweho00stua
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Old 25th May 2017, 12:42 pm   #11
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

The site states 1939.

S
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Old 26th May 2017, 1:50 pm   #12
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

I have been looking through the RIBA image archive. One off architect designed houses are I think prime territory for pre-war televisions. I think this Connel, Ward and Lucas house has a TV aerial. Not a very exciting one I'm afraid.

https://www.architecture.com/image-l...RIBA58660.html

..and not really what you're looking for but you'd expect the HMV shop to have an effective receiving aerial:

https://www.architecture.com/image-l...RIBA71549.html

Peter.

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Old 26th May 2017, 2:13 pm   #13
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Thank you for going on the search for this Peter.

However I think I must have missed something here. In neither of these cases can I see clear evidence of a television receiving aerial. The house exhibits a 'pole' that disappears from view at the top. This could be a radio 'whip' aerial for example.

The HMV shop has that mock-up of the AP transmitting aerial. Does anybody know whether it had any function beyond the decorative?

Steve
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Old 26th May 2017, 2:14 pm   #14
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Quote:
The HMV shop has that mock-up of the AP transmitting aerial.
Could it be the real on in the background?
 
Old 26th May 2017, 2:47 pm   #15
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Also visible in this shot if you enhance it a bit.

https://www.architecture.com/image-l...RIBA11615.html

Looking at other period photos of the interior of this house I didn't spot a television so it might simply be a radio aerial.

Peter
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Old 26th May 2017, 3:05 pm   #16
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Yes, but what lovely architecture and how 'up to date' it must have seemed, though only for a privileged few.

If we take a magnified peek into the shop window of the pre-war HMV Shop shown earlier we see some television receivers on display... "His Master's Voice" ones no doubt! Worth a special trip up to London just to see.
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Old 2nd Jun 2017, 6:54 pm   #17
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Spotted in "Television & Short Wave World" Nov. 1936

Demonstrations at South Kensington

Peter
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Old 2nd Jun 2017, 8:44 pm   #18
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

See also Feb. 1937 and Jul. 1939.
In the latter it shows an installation for block of flats. I had seen quite a few period photos showing two masts with a wire strung between them and dismissed them as radio aerials but perhaps I should have paid more attention to the masts.

Also Apr. 1938 and the Belling Lee works.

Peter
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Old 2nd Jun 2017, 9:50 pm   #19
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

This one dated 1936 was erected on the roof of the Tivoli cinema in London.
[Television Today and Tomorrow]
One of my elderly customers had a very similar aerial on the back wall of their house in Balham London. It was originally connected to an HMV 900 that Mrs Gibson had purchased for her husband in 1936. I managed to rescue the large outlet box that was still screwed to the skirting board. There was a length of thick cable connected to the aerial but it was a tall Victorian house and I had to let it go. It was just junk back in the late 70's, the interest in vintage receivers was just around the corner. John.
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Old 3rd Jun 2017, 8:53 am   #20
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Default Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort View Post
This one dated 1936 was erected on the roof of the Tivoli cinema in London.
[Television Today and Tomorrow]
John.
Hi John,

Could you post a photo of the Tivoli aerial?

Thanks,

Peter
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