Is there such a thing as a TV detector?

S

shnaek

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A friend of mine was told he had a TV and would need a license. He doesn't have a TV. In fact, he is the most anti-TV guy I know. The inspector had already called to his house and confirmed this, but a second inspector called recently and said he 'detected' a TV on site.

I have heard rumours of these 'detectors' before. Are they myth or reality?
 
I remember back in the 80s (or maybe it was the 70s) RTE used to run adverts about these vans. Many's the TV ended up smashed as owners ran down garden paths to conceal the offending apparatus in sheds and haystacks:D when a unusual van came down the street.
 
If your friend is anti-tv and doesn't have a tv, then the alleged 'detector' obviously isn't working very well. Next time get him to invite the inspector in to satisfy himself there isn't a tv on the premises.

As an aside, god knows I'm not a techy, but surely it'd want to be a pretty sophisticated piece of kit to detect an individual tv signal in say a heavily built up urban area which could have thousands of tvs per square mile? Given that An Post can't even deliver the bloody post within a reasonably time frame, what are the odds they have such a wonder detector?
 
:D After all the tecchie stuff..........

so if you're not on their supposedly exhaustive list, they nip round, listen really carefully at the door and bust you if they hear Anne Robinson's voice.

Love it!
 
Maybe the detector detected the Iron in his blood.

It seems far easier to assume that everyone has a TV, and to do a search for addresses that don't have a licence.
It's next to impossible to remove your name from the TV licencing database if you do not have a TV - I wonder if this contravenes data protection laws.
 
AFAIK, an post does not use a TV detector, but uses it's database of addresses to chase. i would imagine, checking NTL / Chorus or sky customer lists against their tv licence list would be very effective, or simply driving around looking for sat disks or aerials would work. Does a neighbour have a sat disk or aerial on a shared chimney?
 
NiallA said:
, checking NTL / Chorus or sky customer lists against their tv licence list would be very effective,
Click to expand...

...surely a breach of the Data Protection Act, using (NTL/Chorus/Sky's) data for a purpose other than that for which it was collected.
 
Maybe they don't depend on access to customer records of broadcast service providers but rather depend on the [broken link removed] on TV dealers to notify certain transactions to the appropriate authorities?
 
I would guess that they just assume that everyone has a TV.

Turn up at the door and declare that they have evidence that there is a TV in the premises. I doubt that most people in this situation would challenge this assertion. Instead I think the likely reaction of the houseowner is to try and buy time ('can't seem to find the licence right now - can I ring in with the licence No. later once I find it") and then run out and buy a licence as soon as the inspector is gone.
 
Hi guys,

Many discussions AAM regarding the tv licence have covered the vexed question of 'tv licence evasion'.

Im hoping that this thread can stick to the original technical question posted by shnaek : Are tv detctor vans an urban myth?

If people wish to post on the general issue of the 'tv licence' and 'tv licence evasion' I suggest that they resurrect one of the many threads on this topic which have been raised over the last few years.

Thanks

aj
 
My friend has a pc monitor. Maybe that is what they were detecting. He has phoned them in the mean time and invited them to take a look around the house. Judging by this thread I would say the chances of them having reliable TV detectors are slim.
 
the van detector is propaganda.... there are so many house in close proximity these days it would be hard for them to say for sure there is one in your house...they use address's to check if u have a licence me thinks ! there was talk about rte trying to get the customer listing from chorus, ntl etc to see who had a tv..
sorry mod's, no more on the tv licence thing
 
scuby said:
the van detector is propaganda....
Click to expand...
Not according to the links that I posted. I'm not saying that the technology is effective in detecting unlicensed TVs but it does exist.
 
shnaek said:
My friend has a pc monitor.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately shnaek, it would seem that your buddy has a pc and according to this constitutes a device capable of receiving a tv signal through a card or webstreeming and therefore in need of a licence. Sorry!
 
Only if he has a TV card in his PC though? The wording of the legislation is clumsy but I would assume that in practice the "capable of receiving a TV signal" really implies having a device that can tune into and demodulate a broadcast TV signal. A PC without a TV tuner card would not be such a device.
 
Gunnerbar said:
Unfortunately shnaek, it would seem that your buddy has a pc and according to this constitutes a device capable of receiving a tv signal through a card or webstreeming and therefore in need of a licence. Sorry!
Click to expand...

Whaaaaaat?!?!??!

Does the one license per TV not per addess rule apply to monitors then too?

Does anyone actually have more than one license.
We have 3 TVs at home :eek: One license.
 
Yes - at most one license per household. No license if it's a PC without a TV tuner card as far as I know. I don't think that webstreaming falls under the remit of the legislation but I am open to correction on this. If I had no TV and a PC with no TV tuner card then I would feel perfectly entitled not to buy a license. Would I be correct? Would I be setting myself up for one of those terribly embarrassing situations outlined in the TV license ads?
 
AFAIK it is one license per TV set not per home but I'm wondering does anyone actually own more than one license for their home?
 
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