mezzoman253

8 hours ago, Hroth said:

The main problem with BTs conventional telephone exchanges is that they're all very elderly.  They're also all digital electronics and many of the electronic components are obsolete, not manufactured any more and are consequently impossible to replace.  "Soon" it will be impossible to maintain a functional conventional telephone system.

 

Its cheaper to install full fibre and implement VoIP over it than to find someone to develop a completely new digital/analog exchange system that won't contain creeping obsolesence due to electronic parts becoming unobtainable as the system is brought into service...

 

The other factor is that full fibre is cheaper to power than the old copper wired system.  Yes, BT has to power the exchange computers at the other end of the fibre optics but they don't have to provide the 60v* or so that powered the subscriber telephone at the end of the copper.  The consumer now has to power the fibre terminating equipment and the router box** out of their own pocket 24/7 as well as pay for the call package.

 

* Can't remember the exact voltage, but I remember it was something like that!

** A plug PSU for each - I'd have to look to see how many watts each consumes🤔. Not that many, but it all adds up. When the power is on, that is...  🙂

 

Close, 50V

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

What is that PBY livery?

 

After contact was lost with Bismarck it was a PBY of RAF Coastal Command (purchased before lend-lease) with an USN (ret)* attaché / instructing copilot at the controls which located Bismarck.

 

* The US was not at war (May '41) so the training flying officers provided with the aircraft temporarily "retired" their commissions, but were flying combat missions.

 

I think it's Danish AF.

Ah! Pipped at the post. 😃

I get an email from E.ON Next telling me my energy prices are set to fall from April. Three days later I get another email from them telling me they are increasing my DD. My usage is the same as it always is, so not sure how they work that one out.

I think you are right about spamming all as a cost saver.

BBC reporting a derailment, see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68738960

Yes a variable DD option would be a good idea although a fixed one lets you manage your finances better, as you know what's coming each month.

It seems the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing with E.ON Next. 🙄

EON Next sent me an email stating " good news our prices are falling" and I'll pay approx £18.50 a month less from April.

3 days later I get another email telling me to INCREASE my DD based on their algorithm! That would have me paying an extra £16.50 a month.

Needless to say they got a stern email advising them to leave my DD as it was. Cheeky monkeys.

Look at the road surface. Recent rain. A contributory factor I think.

Is this of any help?

21 hours ago, DCB said:

Am I right in assuming the supression issue went away with the change to Digital TV?   I remember our Bachmann B1 interfered with the bloke over the road's TV.nothing else did,  and my Hornby Dublo which absolutely blotted out my parents 405 lines black and white TV 60 years ago no longer raises a flicker on our Digital TV.
The B1 gained some ceramic capacitors but I think we just parked it in the end.
 

60 years ago there was no legal requirement for equipment to have suppression, although the effects were known, and, to a greater extent, equipment did have it fitted. 20 or so years ago the Legal requirement to have it fitted was introduced. Hence all the gubbins round the motor.

Also electronic equipment it better protected from interference now. It has to legally conform to standards that allow it to work under certain levels interference AND not produce interference above certain levels. Unfortunately many imported products do not conform to these standards. Mainly cheap knock offs and Far Eastern imports.

The main issue, in the modelling world, lies with DC or DCC ready loco's, they need suppression components. If DCC fitted or retro fitted, the decoder takes care of that (onboard components).

22 hours ago, hayfield said:

 

 

This is not just about double glazing or solar panels, its in everything we use or buy. Last week I witnessed a person who was offering both a will and power of attorney writing service, coming from an insurance background I had a slight of these type of firms as I know a couple of people who went down this route, the chap admitted to once being an IFA, which made me more interested in what he was doing. Certainly the power of attorney will be officially registered, so there may well be some form of checking. Then we had the rise and fall of property conveyancing firms (one of my granddaughters had a narrow escape when the firm they used realized they had made a mistake), sadly its a fact of life 

 

But the way I read your take on solar power, in my opinion is way off the mark.

 

Yes please be very careful who you choose, especially if like me you know little about the subject. So I agree with you on this point

 

But I have found Solar Panels the best thing I have ever brought excluding the properties them selves. £ for £ its the best use of my savings ever and on its own is preserving my savings better than anything else (like turning down the temperature).  A local comparison site claimed my electricity usage is 40% of the other houses close by, and I doubt if that takes into consideration what I am paid for exporting excess power.

 

My DDI payments for both electricity and gas has stayed the same for over 4 years, my investment was just under £2700 and well on track to have paid for its self much earlier than anticipated and performance and returns are better than projected. All down to having been advised what to buy and from whom. Solar Together is backed by quite a few County Councils and ideal for buyers like me who lack the knowledge to make informed decisions. Like insulating your property its another energy saving facility.  

My comment wasn't about solar as a means of saving money. It's about people seeing an opportunity to make money at the expense of others, and leaving them to pick up the pieces when it all goes wrong.

Anyone can set up a company and claim to be an expert in whatever field they choose, and as most of us are not conversant with whatever the technology, it's very difficult to find those that are experts and will do a good job. Solar Together seems a better way to go about things in this regard.

We seem, as a country, to have a surplus of these individuals, who, with no experience in the chosen field, will gladly take your money and run. These emerging technologies are food and drink to them.

16 hours ago, Ian Smeeton said:

I agree, the industry seems to be full of 'Fly by Nights'

 

The company I dealt with has gone into administration without registering our installation for the MCS Certificate, which means that I get no payment for exported electricity.

 

MCS, themselves have been unable to help, the subcontractors who did the work won't speak to me. 

 

All good fun.

 

Regards

 

Ian

Solar is the 21st century equivalent of the 20th century double glazing boom. Many chancers saw an opportunity to fleece unwary members of the public. Set up a company, install poor equipment badly, and then disappear.

Heat pumps is the next "big " thing.

Caveat emptor.

This may help, although it's for a DCC conversion.  https://loco-updates.uk/oldclass-158-01/index.htm

Rob

It was 1958 and a school friend suggested going to Romford one evening to see the "Hook Continental". At the time I had no idea what that was, but it seemed like a good idea, so I went along. The rest is history.

In the picture you can see a footbridge over the GE main line. This is where we went that evening and many, many times after. We'd stand on the wall and hold on to the railings to watch the trains go by. I still go there if in the area with time to kill. It still smells the same, ingrained smoke.

I've just been out to pick my daughter up. At the shops at the end of our road there's a pedestrian crossing with ziz-zags. Some clown had parked half on the pavement, behind where the blue car is in the picture.  Parking is tight up there, but there were spaces in the lay-by outside the shops and opposite the post box.

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Interesting, it says it must be a minimum of 250MB

My recovery partition is already 603MB, which is way over the minimum, so it must be more involved than it says.

Yes, there are several threads where people have increased the size and it still didn't work. So possibly something else in play.

Will await the MS "fix" if and when it appears.

Three out of 4 machines updated this OK, the oldest failed. It's something to do with a partition not being big enough to accommodate where this update should go.

This link gives some background.  https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-kb5034441-security-update-fails-with-0x80070643-errors/

Hopefully a fix will appear in due course.

May be of interest to some. Tonight at 6:30 to 8:00 via Zoom.

You can register here https://events.theiet.org/events/the-introduction-of-digital-block-control-on-the-romney-hythe-and-dymchurch-railway/

Rob

The art of "reading the road" is, sadly, lacking nowadays. Although some make you wonder what an earth they are trying to achieve with their manouvers. 🙄

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Thanks for reminding me, I was involved in an accident last Saturday that resulted in my car being written off (no injuries fortunately). The accident took place at a mini-roundabout painted on the road that was almost worn away. I will be notifying my insurers first thing in the morning.

It doesn't help that these mini roundabouts have some with give way lines and others double "stop" ones. There seems no logic as to which you'll encounter or where. Apart from due care and attention, which seems to be lacking. Some drivers think they are all give ways, but in their favour only.

5 minutes ago, 298 said:

Eurofighters from Coningsby, ZJ914 and ZK378 on FR24

I discounted those as not going in the direction suggested, but possible as they went back around 1500. ZJ914, ZJ947 & ZK321, COBRA 11, 12 & 13 on ADSB exchange. Sometimes the data is different on different sites.

27 minutes ago, GMKAT7 said:

Hello Mezzoman253,

 

Apologies, I have only just picked up your message, it was over Derbyshire today.

 

I was dog walking in Derby but on both occasions the flight formations were to the South West of me, heading WNW.

 

Cheers, Nigel.

Hi Nigel,

I've had a look around those times, but can't see anything conclusive. I checked on https://globe.adsbexchange.com/  

which is better for military than the more commonly used trackers. Again nothing conclusive, but not everything shows up.

That area does have a major airway traversing it, it's also possible they were going to the military training areas in Wales.

Best I can do.

2 hours ago, GMKAT7 said:

Good afternoon folks,

 

Has anyone been monitoring Flightradar today?

 

I spotted a formation of 3 aircraft flying West/north West this lunchtime well clear of other flights and assumed that they were military rather than airliners. Possibly North America bound or going the polar route.

 

A similar formation was seen at around 1500 this afternoon, again 3 aircraft flying closely together and well clear of arliners, etc.

 

TIA.

 

Cheers, Nigel.

 

Where was this, please??

You don't need MS Office, there are at least a couple of free programs such as Open Office & Libre Office, that will do most things for you.

On 03/01/2024 at 18:12, rab said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404722386950?

 

A new colour here I've never heard of - Amethy

The listing picture shows a Pullman coach named "Amethyst".

Looks like the vendor either though that was the colour, and/or the word got truncated in the listing.

Rob

Initially I couldn't find a Xmas card thread, so had put it in the ""Merry Christmas" to All" thread here https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/183382-“merry-christmas”-to-all/#comment-5375475

Of course immediately after posting I spotted this thread! So have transferred my card here, but left the greeting there.

Have a peaceful festive period and a happy and healthy New Year for 2024.  Rob