Comment on Warning RTS electricity meters in 300,000 homes could stop working
tal@lemmy.today 1 week ago
Warning RTS electricity meters in 300,000 homes could stop working
I think that it’d be more likely that electricity companies that don’t conform to their mandated deadline get fined — surely there’s some form of penalty attached to the deadline? — and the funds used to continue this longwave service for a second extension, or the same happen with just government funds, as has already apparently happened once.
ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 week ago
The issue isn’t the funds, it’s the practicality. The transmitter needs two obsolete valves to operate, and the BBC bought the entire world’s supply in around 2010, which still amounted to less than ten. When one of the final pair blows it’s the end regardless of money.
tal@lemmy.today 1 week ago
Hmm.
en.wikipedia.org/…/Droitwich_Transmitting_Station
en.wikipedia.org/…/List_of_longwave_radio_broadca…
According to this, there are only three other longwave transmitting stations in the world at least as high-power as this station: ome in each of Morocco, Algeria, and Poland. So I guess that it’s a pretty esoteric sort of hardware.
tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 1 week ago
Wouldn’t it be possible just to replace the valve transmitter with a digitised version that sent out the same signal?
ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 week ago
It would cost millions to design and build it and, as it would be the only one in the world ever built, it would again rely on bespoke components, for a service the BBC has been wanting to close for nearly 20 years anyway.
tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 6 days ago
Surely cheaper than enforcing mass installations. (Although it’s customers doubtlessly picking up this cost.)