Telly?

[Moo]

Alternatively, you could subderivate a left-handed snib valve on to the chromendulator and parboil a doobrie-ferkin.

Good old Penners - got it in a nutshell.

For that I'll accept your (and Mike's) excuse earlier in the thread.

(Fancy asking an Igor to stand up straight - that's racial discrimination of the worst kind.)

 

[Flyfisher]

At least the entire thread is off-topic; it's not as if it was an in-depth timber-framing discussion we've dragged off kicking and screaming. Scant defence, I admit.

My improvisation was only going to extend to unscrewing the telescopic aerial and finding a suitable ground connection inside somewhere (yes, I'm quite adept with a soldering iron). I agree that the coax feeder is not strictly necessary but it makes it easier to mount the dipole in as high a place as practical - which itself should help reception.

However, I can't find a bit of 75 ohm coax at the moment - or a left-handed snib valve. :lol:

 

[Penners]

Fancy asking an Igor to stand up straight - that's racial discrimination of the worst kind

I'm not sure about racial, but it certainly has more than a hint of spineism about it.

 

[Penners]

However, I can't find a bit of 75 ohm coax at the moment - or a left-handed snib valve.

Shame on you. You obviously haven't got a Bits Box. Mine has, in fact, grown over the years into a Bits Box, a Bits Sack and two large Bits Drawers. They're stuffed full of bits, pieces, wotsits, thingummies and gizmos, all of which fall under the general heading of "will come in handy one day".

That day doesn't seem to have arrived yet.

But it will.... it will......

 

[Flyfisher]

Ah, but I only said "I can't find a bit of 75 ohm coax at the moment", which is not quite the same things as not having any. In fact, I'm fairly sure I have a whole reel of the stuff somewhere.

I wouldn't dare to question the depth of your "bits box" but I'm pretty sure mine would be a close match and is also distributed far and wide - and that's the problem: finding stuff! In this case it's just a mild nuisance but when I'm really stuck for something it's infuriating to have to go and buy something I know full well is in "the stores" somewhere.

Only last week I had to buy another gas canister for my blowlamp even though I know I have about half a dozen somewhere. I can even picture the wicker picnic basket they are stored in, which I thought was a in a big box of miscellaneous camping gear. I found the big box but not the wicker basket within, so that's another mystery. It's not a "bits box" I'm lacking, it's a decent filing system.

 

[Penners]

Phew - I'm not the only one! I shall show your post to Mrs P with relish. :wink:

 

[MdB]

My filing system fails me too. Quite often 5 minutes after I put down whatever it is I now want.

One solution that seems to work is to ask Mrs MdB if she has seen the item in question. She rolls her eyes and then comes in and points at where it is sitting in plain sight.

 

[Penners]

Another shared experience, MdB.

You know, of course, that behind the facade of eye-rolling and sighing, the female of the species actually loves those moments.

 

[Flyfisher]

That's because it confirms their superiority, as if there was any doubt.

 

[AMc]

Another example of the waterfall effect by the sound of it - same principle for digital radio as for television.

We've got a couple of DAB radios and I seem to notice more distortion these days than when I first bought them but I'm not sure if that's a transmission thing or bad positioning at our end. Sometimes, according to the reception meter, I can only just get a good enough signal wherever I place them, suggesting bad reception, but other times it's OK, suggesting bad placement. I've also discovered that adding various lengths of wire to the aerial makes no real difference at all, unlike with FM.

But I do like the totally noise-free audio from DAB. Perhaps the powers that be will increase DAB transmitter power when FM is switched off (and sold off!), but that doesn't seem to be talked about as much as with digital TV. I suspect the take-up of DAB is significantly less than digital TV.

FWIW recently I've noticed serious problems with DAB reception in Norfolk out Acle way. We used to get perfectly decent reception on XFM (my preferred listening) and Radio2 (J Ross on Saturdays). Radio2 is now just a bubbling mess on 1 portable and one HiFi connected to THE ROOFTOP DAB aerial. It's is on top of the 'digital cliff' in the other identical portable upstairs and works fine. Bizarrely both the affected radios show Radio2 as having about 80% signal strength so I suspect a transmitter problem.

I also get a weird problem with the roof top connected tuner on XFM (NOWNorwich transponder) - something interferes with the signal, possibly a farm vehicle passing and it goes silent and won't come back without being retuned. Very odd and a great way of accidentally leaving it switched on all day

DAB sound quality is dreadful 128Kbps MP2 should be almost unlistenable so it's surprising its as good as it is. I only used DAB because in London because FM was so pirated you couldn't listen to legitimate stations and out in the sticks now I can't stand the FM stations available.

AFAIK DAB doesn't share airspace with FM so even if they turn FM off there will be no improvement.

 

[Feltwell]

Only last week I had to buy another gas canister for my blowlamp even though I know I have about half a dozen somewhere. I can even picture the wicker picnic basket they are stored in, which I thought was a in a big box of miscellaneous camping gear. I found the big box but not the wicker basket within, so that's another mystery. It's not a "bits box" I'm lacking, it's a decent filing system.

I can relate to that. Had a clear up a while ago, found I had 4 part-full cans of WD40 and 3 part-full bottles of PVA glue, amongst many others.

It's got worse of late - since I knocked my old garages down, all the contents have either been palletised and sent to my work (where they reside some 40' in the air, not exactly convenient....) or are in the house - which means the cellar is so full I can hardly find anything, as is the attic.

And of course I need those tools & bits and bobs to finish building the new garage. I tried to plan carefully so that what I would need was accessible, I've been about 95% successful.... but the 5% is a total pain in the rear!

I need my new garage!!! Sort all the stuff out and put it in one place, it at least narrows down where to look....... Got the doors trimmed & frames fitted at the weekend, I am now shattered, the doors are SO heavy. They're back off now so I can glaze and decorate them inside, once that is done I will finally have a secure dry shell, even if no electrics are in yet and many other finishing works need doing.

 

[Penners]

I need my new garage!!!

Be very careful about your nomenclature, Feltwell. In the female mind, the word "garage" still carries ridiculous connotations of a place to keep a car. Whereas we chaps know that it is, in fact, a workshop, tool store and - most importantly - an assessment* centre.





*Author's note: for a full definition of the word "assessment", please see my post in this thread: http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10957&start=15

 

[Flyfisher]

Well, if you're having problems with a rooftop DAB aerial then there must surely be a transmission problem somewhere; nearby tall buildings and reflection problems perhaps (although I thought the DAB protocol was supposed to be immune to such things).

DAB sound quality is dreadful 128Kbps MP2 should be almost unlistenable so it's surprising its as good as it is.

I've read similar complaints about the audio quality, particularly considering DAB was originally claimed to be superior to stereo FM and "CD-like". I find that 256Kbps is fine when converting my CDs to MP3s and there's no reason for DAB not to support such bit-rates . . . except commercial considerations to squeeze more channels into the available bandwidth.

AFAIK DAB doesn't share airspace with FM so even if they turn FM off there will be no improvement.

I agree about the non-shared air-space but I thought it might be an 'adjacent channel' interference thing, meaning that digital transmission power was being kept low until the analogue transmissions are switch off. Rather like TV. But I'm not entirely sure about the DAB arrangements.

 

[Flyfisher]

In the female mind, the word "garage" still carries ridiculous connotations of a place to keep a car. Whereas we chaps know that it is, in fact, a workshop, tool store and - most importantly - an assessment* centre.

Indeed. I've had a few 'garages' in my time and I don't recall them ever housing a car. Fortunately, a) modern cars seem to be built quite well regarding inherent protection from the elements, and b) Mrs FF doesn't seem to care where the car is parked.

 

[Feltwell]

Be very careful about your nomenclature, Feltwell. In the female mind, the word "garage" still carries ridiculous connotations of a place to keep a car. Whereas we chaps know that it is, in fact, a workshop, tool store and - most importantly - an assessment* centre.

Ahh, no such danger there Penners, Mrs F is fully aware of what a "garage" is for, after I built one at a previous property that you couldn't actually get a car to! OK, that was more of a posh tool shed than a garage, but she knows that the only vehicles that will grace the inside of the new garage are my motorbikes and eventually an old car for sunny days, a Rover P5B Coupe most likely.

Assessment - yes, that's definitely what it is going to be used for. Lots of it. I have a water supply in there, a sink will be going in. All I need is an old kettle and the tea-making area will be complete. My neighbour even reckoned I should put a toilet in there, but I thought that really was going to far - the downstairs loo for the house is just inside the back door, which is only about 15 feet away, I think I can make the effort!

Mrs F's dedication to car maintenance and care stops at putting petrol in. Occasionally. After driving around for a week with the warning light on. I make sure I drive her car occasionally, and I often come back saying something like "does it always make that noise?" which is usually replied to with "Yes, it's been doing it for ages, don't know what it is - kept forgetting to mention it, nothings fallen off yet though". To her the idea of putting the car inside the garage would be an alien one, it's easier if it's left outside and the rain helps wash the muck off.

To capture the other off-topic thread that's wandered here - my DAB radio signal is weak, in the garage for example my little portable radio won't work at ground level but will if sat on the bench. I often find it struggles to find the station initially, but once it's got it then it's OK. It was the same at my last house so maybe it's the radio itself, the hi-fi in the lounge has always been OK.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Our garage/ workshop is certainly not for a car. It has a pink toilet, an inner workshop with extraordinary panelling, a hoist, old beams, a pile of pre-loved broken 19th C furniture, and boxes of Georgian glass. Oh, and three phase electric power. To add to this cornucopia, there will soon be an incubator and a lot of baby chicks.

Garages are where dreams happen.

 

[Flyfisher]

Oh, and three phase electric power. To add to this cornucopia, there will soon be an incubator and a lot of baby chicks.

You'll be able to run a hell of a big incubator on 3-phase power. :wink:
And there's now a gap in the market: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8477437.stm

 

[JoceAndChris]

:shock: :lol:

But I do like the thought of all these ever increasing numbers of turkey chicks runing round the dilapidated grounds of Great Witchingham Hall!

Mrs F's dedication to car maintenance and care stops at putting petrol in. Occasionally. After driving around for a week with the warning light on. I make sure I drive her car occasionally, and I often come back saying something like "does it always make that noise?" which is usually replied to with "Yes, it's been doing it for ages, don't know what it is - kept forgetting to mention it, nothings fallen off yet though". To her the idea of putting the car inside the garage would be an alien one, it's easier if it's left outside and the rain helps wash the muck off.

Highly sensible, we women have more important things to run, like you men. I hate it when the men in my life point out the dents however, it's terribly rude of them.

 

[Flyfisher]

But I do like the thought of all these ever increasing numbers of turkey chicks runing round the dilapidated grounds of Great Witchingham Hall!

And all for just £3000!
Though not quite so dilapidated nowadays.
http://www.bernardmatthewsfarms.com/history/
http://norfolkcoast.co.uk/curiosities/cu_duelstone.htm

 

[Penners]

a pile of pre-loved broken 19th C furniture

Now you're just trying to provoke me, aren't you? :evil:








:wink: