19-01-2018, 11:41 AM
A corollary to the above: the events described took place a couple of years before the severe winter of 1963 when there was a repeat performance. However, this time it didn't just affect the small area around our shop but the entire country as the CEGB resorted to load shedding to maintain supplies - if you drop the mains voltage, the current demand is also reduced, reducing the overall power consumption.
If I went out at night, I left my cheap multi-meter (I couldn't run to an AVO!) across the mains.
When the doorbell rang - as it inevitably did - mum would check the mains voltage before answering the front door. Invariably it was someone asking "Can you ask your son to pop round and look at our TV?"
Mum was well versed in all the possible fault conditions* and would tell the caller exactly how much the mains had fallen and suggest that, if they tried the TV during the day (but not around lunchtime or after 4.30) they would [probably find it was working OK!
They never returned ...
* As well as the obvious no ITV, no pictures at all, reduced height, cramping etc. you can add flickering or dancing picture because the load shedding resulted in a severe drop of mains frequency with the result, particularly on older sets, that the normally invisible traces of hum became highly visible as soon as they started moving!
If I went out at night, I left my cheap multi-meter (I couldn't run to an AVO!) across the mains.
When the doorbell rang - as it inevitably did - mum would check the mains voltage before answering the front door. Invariably it was someone asking "Can you ask your son to pop round and look at our TV?"
Mum was well versed in all the possible fault conditions* and would tell the caller exactly how much the mains had fallen and suggest that, if they tried the TV during the day (but not around lunchtime or after 4.30) they would [probably find it was working OK!
They never returned ...
* As well as the obvious no ITV, no pictures at all, reduced height, cramping etc. you can add flickering or dancing picture because the load shedding resulted in a severe drop of mains frequency with the result, particularly on older sets, that the normally invisible traces of hum became highly visible as soon as they started moving!
