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Detecting a CRT television isn't remotely difficult - any decent radio amateur could do it with the equipment they have at hand. The intermediate frequency and

Detecting a CRT television isn't remotely difficult - any decent radio amateur could do it with the equipment they have at hand. The intermediate frequency and the CRT deflection signal are emitted at detectable levels, particularly on cheap sets. Frankly, I think it's implausible that detector vans were a complete hoax. The BBC undoubtedly had the technological capability to reliably and quickly locate TV sets. I do think it's plausible that the actual use of detector vans was overstated for PR purposes.

TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
There are exactly zero records of prosecutions obtained using evidence collected by a detector van. It would be one thing to detect an analog TV IF signal, another to triangulate its position precisely enough to identify a specific house in a street or room in a block - given that every other TV in the area would be generating exactly the same IF oscillator signal - and a third to prove the TV was tuned into a program and not being used for pong, a computer, or watching a video. And it would be unnecessary. The licensing enforcers have always kept a record of addresses without a license. If - like me - you don't have a TV, you get a regular stream of letters threatening prosecution anyway, and an occasional knock on the door. If you're an enforcer, the easiest way to check if someone has a TV is to look at a house after dark. Most living rooms in the UK are visible from the street.
- DanBC 11y ago
  > There are exactly zero records of prosecutions obtained using evidence collected by a detector van. How did you check?
- jdietrich 11y ago
  >There are exactly zero records of prosecutions obtained using evidence collected by a detector van. TVL say they use detector van evidence as grounds for a search warrant, which seems perfectly reasonable. Why argue the technicalities of RF triangulation in court when you can just get a warrant, search the house and collect incontrovertible evidence?

TheOtherHobbes 11y ago

There are exactly zero records of prosecutions obtained using evidence collected by a detector van. It would be one thing to detect an analog TV IF signal, another to triangulate its position precisely enough to identify a specific house in a street or room in a block - given that every other TV in the area would be generating exactly the same IF oscillator signal - and a third to prove the TV was tuned into a program and not being used for pong, a computer, or watching a video. And it would be unnecessary. The licensing enforcers have always kept a record of addresses without a license. If - like me - you don't have a TV, you get a regular stream of letters threatening prosecution anyway, and an occasional knock on the door. If you're an enforcer, the easiest way to check if someone has a TV is to look at a house after dark. Most living rooms in the UK are visible from the street.

DanBC 11y ago
> There are exactly zero records of prosecutions obtained using evidence collected by a detector van. How did you check?
jdietrich 11y ago
>There are exactly zero records of prosecutions obtained using evidence collected by a detector van. TVL say they use detector van evidence as grounds for a search warrant, which seems perfectly reasonable. Why argue the technicalities of RF triangulation in court when you can just get a warrant, search the house and collect incontrovertible evidence?