Whatever happened to TV deflectors?

Snickers Man

Sorry but we city slickers never had much call for this inferior technology that got people in the Western seaboard so hot under the collar a decade ago that they actually elected a mumbling moron into the Dail so that they didn't have to pay the cable companies for their TV.

I just noticed a poster called Deflector on this board and was wondering whether this technology is still in use, whether you have to pay a fee to use it and if so what the hell are you going to do when the Brits switch analogue signals off in a couple of year's time?

Will it be another election issue? Say no to Digital Only Broadcasts?

Just curious.

mike65

Deflectors went the way of the 8 track with MMDS introduction as far as I know.

Mike.

flogen

probably best in another forum...
I'll try Broadcasting...

Snickers Man

mike65 wrote:

Deflectors went the way of the 8 track with MMDS introduction as far as I know.

Mike.

My memory is that it was because of the refusal of many rural folk to pay for MMDS subscriptions that the deflector issue arose in the first place. Maybe prices have come down to the extent that it is now affordable but I am just curious. I haven't heard about them for a while and was just wondering whether they still exist.

byte

There are still a few deflectors active in Donegal.

Mossy Monk

I am almost positive that there are still a few operating in Co. Waterford.

homah_7ft

Definately one active here since I get reception from it.

Ulsterman 1690

COMREG eventually agreed to licence them.

In its day it was a good system (better and far cheaper than that awful microwave system) but digital satellite has rendered it somewhat obsolecent

Still quite a few around Ireland (mostly in Cork Waterford Mayo Donegal) although I can see most of them shutting up shop over the next 2-3 years

they actually elected a mumbling moron into the Dail

Gosh like the place wasnt full of them already :rolleyes:

Mayo Exile

Still in Mayo as well, at least in the Castlebar and Westport areas. The Westport one was threatening to shut down last year due to lack of funds. Dramatic drop in people paying them etc. Sky Digital and FTA satellite doing them considerable damage i would say. If Channel 4 goes FTA next year, plus those BBC/ITV Freesat boxes becoming available, it could be the end for them..........

icdg

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

COMREG eventually agreed to licence them.

Only because the aforementioned Tom Guildea was supporting the government. Even then, the licences were supposed to expire on the introduction of DTT or after two years, whichever came sooner. The two years came soon and Comreg then allowed a further two years. Apparently the licences are still in existance and are renewed on an annual basis. Comreg used to have a list of licencees on their website, but it seems to have been removed.

Sponge Bob

GALWAY too.

watty

BBC & ITV both FTA on satellite in short term made it easier to feed the beasts, but in longer term has made it hard for the operators to raise cash. Also Sky's pay TV having somewhat of c4 now.

The licenses were on website recently. I might have done a backup.
SCTV is the most brass necked having objected to MMDS and now mysteriously gets a Ku band "MMDS" licence from Comreg in the TVRO satellite band.

In the 1980s in Co. Clare after moving from the North we just made our own entertainment and watched Bosco instead of BBC/ITV/C4. We added C5 via Analog Satellite (no sub) and then the 1st week Sky on sale got Sky digital which in our house worked fine on BBC, ITV, C4 & C5 at the time.

Nowadays we make our own entertainment on DVDs as there isn't even Bosco on RTE and UK TV has gone down the drain.

barnicles

SCTV still have an active network.

Mossy Monk

The thread is now complete. It took over a year but now it is finished.