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Old 12th Aug 2006, 9:21 pm   #1
chipp1968
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Default Pre=war television reception at Chippenham

I am interested if anybody knows whether TV reception would have been possible in Chippenham before the war ?
My mum grew up there and has insisted since i was a child that they had a television there in the late 30s. My grandfarther Stan Alves was a radio engineer at Bulsuns shop and so its possible that they picked up a TV at Radiolympia or when in London.
Mum said she remembers the lords mayors show and that the picture used to fade in and out, and that there was a very large aerial in the garden.

Also to confirm that they had the set before the war as I kept asking questions; she said that they used the radio in it to listen to lord Haw-Haw on shortwave in the war.
She said the set had a small tube to one side , so I showed her pics of HMV Marconi sets and she seems to think it was the simpler Marconi cabinet table model. Don't know what tube size.

Last edited by Mike Phelan; 24th Aug 2007 at 10:02 am.
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Old 12th Aug 2006, 9:43 pm   #2
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

Interesting...

If you go HERE and look at the picture at the top of the page, you'll see the regular service area, as it was, for the Alexandra Palace transmitter.

You'll see reception was possible well beyond Oxford and Newbury virtually to Swindon. Chippenham is only another 14 miles or so further west so yes, it should have been possible on favourable occasions, given a good high aerial and a sensitive receiver.

I once managed to receive Crystal Palace Ch1 here near Evesham with a pre-war receiver in the last days of 405, when (it is believed) the radiated power was well down on the figure stated officially - and I'm 100 miles away. Mind you, this was freak reception during fog.

So I'm sure your Mum's telling the truth.

Steve
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Old 12th Aug 2006, 9:54 pm   #3
ppppenguin
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

Just demonstrates how much further signals travel at 45MHz as compared to UHF. Even under normal atmospheric conditions.

If the commemorative transmissions from AP ever happen then it may be possible again but only with a good modern solid state pre-amp. Provided the interference levels are low the pre-amp should give a much better s/n ratio than an early valve set ever could.
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Old 12th Aug 2006, 10:04 pm   #4
chipp1968
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

Jeffrey , out of interest as I'm a bit on electronics unfortunately, I remember as a small child that my grandmothers TV had a small plastic transistorised box connected in line from the aerial to the set; it had a small 9 v battery.
I remember playing with it. I assume it to be some sort of booster.
I think this was on a 405 line set but at that time she was given our dual standard set when we went colour about 1972
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Old 12th Aug 2006, 10:06 pm   #5
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

Quote:
Originally Posted by ppppenguin View Post
Just demonstrates how much further signals travel at 45MHz as compared to UHF. Even under normal atmospheric conditions.
45MHz is really shortwave rather than VHF as we now think of it, and the signals could travel a long way in the right conditions. They got to the east coast of the US on occasion, so Chippenham should have been easy with a large aerial array mounted high up.

People in Dublin used to watch BBC signals from Home Moss in the 50s (channel 2 I think), a very long distance, though the sea path helped. Some of the huge band I arrays were still there along the coast south of Dublin in the 80s, but they've gone now.

Paul
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Old 12th Aug 2006, 10:13 pm   #6
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

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Originally Posted by chipp1968 View Post
I remember as a small child that my grandmothers TV had a small plastic transistorised box connected in line from the aerial to the set; it had a small 9 v battery.
I remember playing with it. I assume it to be some sort of booster.
That sounds about right. In those days of valve tuners with relatively poor sensitivity and s/n ratio a booster could often help. Rarely does so much good now as a lot of sets have decently low noise and sensitive tuners. The best place to put an amp is at the masthead where it will overcome cable losses. The other sensible use for amps is for feeding multiple sets.

The pre-war set your are talking about sounds like either the 5" HMV 904 (Marconiphone equivalent is 706) or the 7" HMV 905 (Marconiphone equivalent is 70?) .
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Old 12th Aug 2006, 10:23 pm   #7
chipp1968
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

Jeffrey
Yes the Marconi equivalent is 707 for larger tube according to the M B Levey book.
I don't know what model they had, though.
She said grandad had it to bits on the kitchen table to follpw the circuit to see how it worked.
I suppose the idea was to learn as much as possible so they would know what they were doing as TV became more popular; the war stopped that, of course.
In the war my grandad was allowed to carry on with his work as the servicing of radio was seen as important.
He had an enormous stash of valves in the front bedroom, apparently.
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Old 13th Aug 2006, 7:30 pm   #8
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

Hello Chipp,
I would certainly agree that it was perfectly possible to pick up the A.P. transmissions at Chippenham. As a young lad we used to spend our holidays at my Grans house situated in Thornaby on Tees. As you travelled up the 'Great North Road' [A1] the television aerials gradually got larger and as you passed through Bedford they were fantastic affairs. Pye were situated at Canbridge and received a very good signal. Regular reception was reported at 80 miles under favourable conditions. I think your mum was spot on!
Regards John.
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Old 14th Aug 2006, 8:14 am   #9
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Default Re: PRE WAR televiosion reception at CHIPPENHAM

I can't speak for pre war (no fault of mine being born in 1965!), but when I lived in Chippenham between 1977-1982 Crystal Palace ch1 was received very well, despite a Wenvoe ch5 "X" aerial being used.

Brian
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