Aerial

[peter scott]

B.T./Openreach  have stated that copper phone lines will be phased out by 2025.

Interesting! Perhaps I could now put a ladder up the pole in our neighbour's garden and re-purpose our phone lines as a radio aerial??

   

Peter

[BusyBee]

It's an idea which has been mentioned among broadcast and shortwave listeners time and time again. Wire fences too! It's not something I have tried (my line is underground anyway) but I do wonder how many people with their crystal sets etc have thought about lightning and other possible issues. Do they mean all lines as fibre connection is but a dream out in the countryside.

Tracy

[ppppenguin]

My friends who have FTTH are in rural Derbyshire. In a group of about 5 houses, about a mile from the nearest village. They used to get 2Mb/s ADSL on a good day and there seemed no hope of anything better. Then, rather by surprise, they were promised FTTH and it actually happened.

I've seen fibre joint boxes on poles up remote lanes in the Lake District too. I've seen a self help group bringing fibre to a small village in the wilds of Shropshire.

So yes it's happening even in rural areas, if you're lucky. In the meantime there's a "not spot" just over a mile from me in a London suburb. There are a few streets that seem to have missed out on both FTTC and Virgin cable.

[peter scott]

It looks like my plans for an aerial may be thwarted:

Openreach has appointed contractors to install fibre cables throughout the Grange as part of its programme of FTTP (‘Fibre to the Premises’) enhancement of broadband services, which Openreach has been publicising recently.

The fibre cables replace the original copper telephone cables and will generally follow the same routes. Many properties in the Grange host telephone poles in their gardens and the contractors will be seeking access to enable them to run the new fibre cables to those poles, on which new fibre junction boxes will be fitted, alongside the original junction boxes for the copper cables. This will require the new fibre cables to be run underground, through the same ducts that carry the existing telephone cables, from the street to each pole in a garden.

If the contractors are unable to route the fibre through the same duct, or if the property owner declines permission for them to do so, the contractors will erect a new pole in the street and connect the fibre overhead from that to the original pole in the garden.

Peter

[Murphyv310]

It would greatly help me having fibre overhead cables. Qrm would diminish and reduce the chance of me interfering with analogue phone lines.

[Pye Man]

It looks like with the new Ofcom ‘harmful emission’ regulations that have dropped in to every licenced amateur’s in box (check your spam folder if you’ve not seen them) that with an antenna running over your neighbour’s property your plan would be thwarted in any case.

[peter scott]

Would they notice? Would they care?

Peter

[Murphyv310]

Hi.
The email from Ofcom says nothing about neighbours property as far as I can see and many Amateurs have gentleman's agreements re antennas and that is nothing to do with electromagnetic radiation nor Ofcom, if anything its more of a planning issue.
I've used the RSGB calculator and also a US version and I have no issues with my emissions being outwith the specified fields. As yet the final regulations are not in force anyway, but I have printed out the results and they are pinned to the shed and Ofcom can inspect my equipment, antennas etc at anytime, plus I'd even given them a cup of tea and some cake.

[Pye Man]

I would have thought that if an aerial runs over a neighbouring property, gentleman’s agreement or no, then it is an issue if those in that property might be considered to be at risk as defined by the proposed parameters.

I agree that planning is a different issue and that the Ofcom notice is not dealing with a planning issue per se.

It is pleasing to learn, Trevor, that you have found no issues in your case. It would be interesting to know something of your particular operating circumstances (always bearing in mind this is a public forum).

Of course, these outcomes will depend on many factors: the type of property, the amount of the land it stands within belonging to the property (or not at all as it could be a flat), proximity of neighbours, public highways and footpaths, etc., band in use, amount of power from the transmitter and mode of transmission, type and construction of antenna and associated gain or losses, etc., etc. One thing that is certain: no two cases will be alike.

My situation could be problematic though I will be pleased to be proved wrong.

On the subject of telegraph poles, some work was done at the base of one in my street. It appears it was fibre installation of some sort. Then a couple of weeks later a crew turned up to replace the entire pole. I had a chat to one of the guys who had already found the overhead cables that were out of use. One was a cable to my property and he happily got up his ladder and removed it. One less bit of copper wire that could radiate some QRM has to be a good thing!

[boater sam]

I bet these will go soft in the rain......................................

on which new fibre junction boxes will be fitted,

Never did work!