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BBC R&D engineering reports

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,278 ✭✭✭Thurston?


    Stasi 2.0 wrote: »
    ... They used to index them by decade but there doesn't seem to be anything now

    You mean this?

    Or are you thinking of how it used to be possible to look at each year?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 295 ✭✭Stasi 2.0


    Thurston? wrote: »
    You mean this?

    Or are you thinking of how it used to be possible to look at each year?

    Yup there used to be a list for each year with the subject for each paper in chronological order.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,278 ✭✭✭Thurston?


    Yeah, it was certainly less of a slog to pick out & download the papers of interest to oneself the way it used to be ...


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Could you check the Wayback Machine to see if it's cached on there?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 295 ✭✭Stasi 2.0


    Karsini wrote: »
    Could you check the Wayback Machine to see if it's cached on there?

    Tried that but couldnt find it but maybe I was doing it wrong ???


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,844 ✭✭✭Banjoxed


    Stasi 2.0 wrote: »
    Is there an index for the BBC R&D engineering reports such as this one
    http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/reports/1964-27.pdf

    They used to index them by decade but there doesn't seem to be anything now :confused:

    That is a fascinating article. I remember receiving Divis Channel 1 off air in the early 1970s in North Kildare, and BBC1 was prone to slipping both horizontally and vertically. Was that a result of asynchronous reception, I wonder? Doesn't the Republic have a very slightly different AC voltage to the UK as well?


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Banjoxed wrote: »
    That is a fascinating article. I remember receiving Divis Channel 1 off air in the early 1970s in North Kildare, and BBC1 was prone to slipping both horizontally and vertically. Was that a result of asynchronous reception, I wonder? Doesn't the Republic have a very slightly different AC voltage to the UK as well?
    Same field rate (50 Hz) but the voltage was different at the time - 220 in the Republic and 240 in the UK.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 295 ✭✭Stasi 2.0


    Not now both countries are 230v @ 50Hz although back in the 1970's Ireland (including NI) was 220v while mainland Britain was 240v.

    Although its phase/frequency rather than voltage which gives rise to this issue.

    When Colour TV was introduced broadcasters started operating independently of the mains power grid as the frequency tolerances requirements were tighter.

    Wonder if there were problems with asynchronous reception in Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man ?


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Stasi 2.0 wrote: »
    Not now both countries are 230v @ 50Hz although back in the 1970's Ireland (including NI) was 220v while mainland Britain was 240v.
    Yes, they standardised at 230V in the mid 90s. I remember a yellow booklet from the ESB from the 80s which advised that not all UK spec products would work properly on 220V and to get a written confirmation from the retailer!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,844 ✭✭✭Banjoxed


    Stasi 2.0 wrote: »
    Not now both countries are 230v @ 50Hz although back in the 1970's Ireland (including NI) was 220v while mainland Britain was 240v.

    Although its phase/frequency rather than voltage which gives rise to this issue.

    When Colour TV was introduced broadcasters started operating independently of the mains power grid as the frequency tolerances requirements were tighter.

    Wonder if there were problems with asynchronous reception in Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man ?

    Interesting - I wonder was running our brought in from London telly the reason why it ran with vertical and horizontal hold issues for the five years we used it in Ireland? It was a miracle it lasted as long as it did, from 1964 to 1975.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 295 ✭✭Stasi 2.0


    You didn't live in rural Ireland by any chance ?

    Ive heard from more than one person that the electricity voltage in many parts of rural Ireland tended to be rather unstable back in the 1960's to the extent that official figures for voltage were pretty meaningless.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,844 ✭✭✭Banjoxed


    Stasi 2.0 wrote: »
    You didn't live in rural Ireland by any chance ?

    Ive heard from more than one person that the electricity voltage in many parts of rural Ireland tended to be rather unstable back in the 1960's to the extent that official figures for voltage were pretty meaningless.

    I do now - but lived in a North Kildare commuter town then. Power cuts were relatively frequent then as well.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 19,252 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sam Russell


    Up until the 1980s, TV design was pretty basic with little by way of stabilised power supplies and crystal controlled frequencies. As most TVs were built for dual standard (405/625) with dirty big multi-pole switches to go from one standard to the other, then it was a wonder they lasted any time at all.

    It was only when integrated circuits started being used routinely that TV design became reliable and picture quality became reasonable - but nothing like we expect from HD Saorview.


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