WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Tizer]

The main front page story in The Times today is that we will be sending the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to be based in the Far East to `counter an increasingly assertive China'. The `strike group' will have `two squadrons of Lightning jet fighters, two destroyers, two frigates, two tankers and helicopters'. I'm all for countering an increasingly assertive China but I'm not convinced that's the way to attempt it. Better to form strong relationships with other countries around the world and `China-proof' the free world that way. It's time to reverse Brexit!

[plaques]

I thought gunboat diplomacy was a thing of the past. Has someone resurrected Antony Eden. ??

[PanBiker]

It's another example of the small dog or small bloke syndrome.

[Stanley]

And one missile would sink it.
Maz,I think he does it just to annoy me. I always think they are looking for a nutrient to I give him some Abidec drops and that generally stops it.
Just had a call from a nicely spoken lady who said I had missed a call from my 'internet supplier' and that my connection would be severed in 24 to 48 hours. Really? You can guess what I did, just put the phone down and reflected that the world is full of people who need to get a proper job.
Amazon inform me my keyboard will be here today and will be dropped on the doorstep with no contact. Seems to be universal now.

[Big Kev]

Just had a call from a nicely spoken lady who said I had missed a call from my 'internet supplier' and that my connection would be severed in 24 to 48 hours. Really? You can guess what I did, just put the phone down and reflected that the world is full of people who need to get a proper job.

Did you add the number to your 'blocked caller' list?

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Art ... -p/2204784

[Stanley]

Sorry but no Kev. I have an aversion to adding bells and whistles to services. That's right, I am a dinosaur!

[PanBiker]

I have an aversion to adding bells and whistles to services. That's right, I am a dinosaur!

That's not being a dinosaur it's just illogical.

It's a free built in service and only needs enabling which you can do online. It works very well, however you can lead a horse to water.....

[Tripps]

Isn't the problem that these scam callers fake the originating phone number to something credible, and change it to a different number for each call. That's what mine do. So the filter would still call you to ask if you if wanted the call - wouldn't it?

I like the lady who calls from Italy now an then to try to get me to buy facial moisturiser. She's very persistent, and nice to talk to. I've told he how old I am, but it doesn't deter her.

[Big Kev]

Isn't the problem that these scam callers fake the originating phone number to something credible, and change it to a different number for each call. That's what mine do. So the filter would still call you to ask if you if wanted the call - wouldn't it?

Mine asks the caller to identify themselves and, if they do, this is then put through to me to either accept the call or not. This first level of security usually deters them.

[Tripps]

Ah - I see. A machine would not reply so wouldn't be put through. That's OK.

[Big Kev]

Ah - I see. A machine would not reply so wouldn't be put through. That's OK.

[Tizer]

In one of the newspaper reports on scam calls it said that one offender had put out something like 680,000 calls in one week. It only needs a tiny fraction of them to be successful to keep these people rich.

[PanBiker]

Mine asks the caller to identify themselves and, if they do, this is then put through to me to either accept the call or not. This first level of security usually deters them.

Call Guard, were on the same. You can accept in which case the number is added to the friends list or reject which puts in on the barred caller list. Next time your friends call they don't get challenged so it's a filter system for the good and bad guys.

[Big Kev]

Mine asks the caller to identify themselves and, if they do, this is then put through to me to either accept the call or not. This first level of security usually deters them.

Call Guard, were on the same. You can accept in which case the number is added to the friends list or reject which puts in on the barred caller list. Next time your friends call they don't get challenged so it's a filter system for the good and bad guys.

Pretty much the same with Sky Shield, if the caller identifies their self the call is put through. The options are to accept the number once (1), accept it permanently (*) or reject it which will add it the the barred user list.

[Stanley]

The fact I got my drilling and tapping well nigh perfect yesterday. A minor miracle.
Asked a friend for a recent photograph, he sent me one of his face plus face mask! But, he was Special Branch for many years and I'll bet there are no pics of him anywhere!

[Tizer]

Our neighbour living opposite called last night to say that the little junction box (or whatever it is) on our TV aerial is hanging off and the tie must have broken. It hasn't affected our reception so it's not an emergency but I'll have to find someone who can fix it. It's not easy to reach, being at the top of the gable end and the garage is attached to that end and has a pent roof. I suppose an aerial fitter will be able to do it.

[PanBiker]

If it has lost it's lid you are likely to get water ingress into the coax. You will then need a new down lead. You may well end up with a new antenna, not many riggers will repair a dodgy one, if it's dropping in bits it is indicative of one at the end of it's life. Try and get it sorted as soon as you can, it may be cheaper in the end.

[plaques]

All may not be immediately lost. The aerial cable from your set and up the wall should loop downwards into a junction box and outward lead to your aerial should loop upwards into it, this last connection may not be visible from ground level. . As PanBiker has said if the loop has gone and its now a straight line from the aerial down the wall then water can run down to your set. Get the binoculars out and try to see what's happening. But one way or another it needs sorting.

[PanBiker]

Comes in handy on occasion having been a TV engineer for 20 years.

[Stanley]

When my aerial was about twenty years old I replaced it and the down-lead, they don't last forever sat out there in the weather.
I'm listening to Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO. I'm impressed. Why haven't we got politicians like this?

[Tizer]

Thanks for the aerial advice, very useful. I've had another look through the binoculars. The box looks intact and closed but the broken tie has allowed it to rotate backwards away from the pole. It must have been connected up differently to Plaques' recommended method. The upper tie on the aerial's lead has broken, the box has rotated outwards and now lies at right angles to the pole. Both leads come out of the same side of the box. The aerial from the TV rises up the pole and now turns through 90 degrees and enters the box on the horizontal. The lead from above comes downwards and does the same. There are no loops.

I don't know how old the box and aerial are and it'll probably be best to have the box replaced too. We're looking for an ariel fitter now. The one my cousin recommended has moved away from this area so we have to look elsewhere. At least the weather is good!

[PanBiker]

I am a little confused abut the "box" you refer to. In a straight TV aerial installation, the coaxial down lead is attached directly into the (usually round), connector block on the aerial. The lead then comes directly down into the property. Good practice would arrange a "drip loop" on the lead before it comes through the window frame or wall. If you have an extra box on the roof I would assume that may be a mast head pre-amp, used to boost the signal if you are in a weak spot from the transmitter.

I take it we are referring to a straight Yagi type aerial (10 elements or so, horizontal or vertically polarised) and not a satellite dish installation? If the latter it is a different kettle of fish.

Here is a standard 10 element TV antenna. you can see the connector block I mentioned.

10 element.jpg

[Tizer]

The digital camera on zoom is even better than the binoculars! Perhaps you are right about the pre-amp - most TV aerials in this neighbourhood have very tall masts and we'd wondered why ours didn't. We assumed that our reception was OK because we only watch the Freeview channels.

The question now, if that's what it is, do we just ask for it to be fitted back to the pole or should be get a replacement, as we don't know how old it is? I guess it might be more cost effective to have it replaced - knowing my luck we'd refit the old one and it would die next week!

LATER...we've got a fitter coming p.m. to have a look at it and he agrees it's going to be a pre-amp because the reception's bad here.

[PanBiker]

Aye, that's a higher gain antenna than the standard 10 element and that does look like a mast head pre-amp. The reflector looks a bit dodgy, (the flat plate type often fall off) which would weaken the signal. I would take the advice of a reliable rigger if you can find one. Go for an old established firm if you can. Antenna designs have come on quite a bit with the advent of digital terrestrial. You may not need the pre-amp with a new antenna. I see it is horizontally polarised this indicates that your signal is from a main transmitter and not a local relay. Not sure of the lay of the land down where you are Peter but you can tell a lot from the picture.

Personally I have not had terrestrial antenna for TV for over 30 years. Satellite dish and a Freesat box is the way to go. Nothing in the way on the signal path.

[Stanley]

I'd assumed it was a dish. My advice would still be to replace the lot, Ian is right Peter, so many of the reflectors dangle in the wind. (Lovely word!)
BA are retiring all their 747s. I'll be sorry to see them go. I saw their first one at Prestwick airport in the late 60s when they were training pilots in full load take-offs and landings. One of the most impressive things I have ever seen. I still remember the way the tyres squished over on the rims as it turned to line up with the runway.