Jump to content

JohnM

Members
  • Posts

    821
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Everything posted by JohnM

  1. Pish. I wish I'd thought of the SD card option, it's so obvious when you think about it. I blame the hot weather.
  2. I've got an HTC Wildfire (and wish that I'd bought a faster one). I can synchronise my "phone" diary, contacts etc with Microsoft Outlook on the PC and vice versa. So, IF YOU CHANGE YOUR PHONE (to French, English or whatever) you should be able to do a synchronise to the PC and then back to your new phone. Alternatively, you should be able to move everything from your UK phone to the UK SIM, pop the UK SIM in the French phone and copy to the French phone, then replace the SIM with the French one and pop the UK card back in the UK phone.
  3. Well said Martin. For what it is worth, I have chosen to believe that PPP posts "obscure" comments in a quest for humour. I say this because some of his posts are very very helpful so I can not put him in the Troll category. Sadly, I do not get his humour, so I don't bother reading many of his comments. I am now ruing the fact that I responded to him on this subject. My excuse is that I was very annoyed by Comet and not thinking straight. Talking of Comet, on Friday just gone, their customer services promised to talk with their online team today.... I'm still waiting for a reply.
  4. I understood that bit of your more recent post and hope I've answered it for you by saying that you will need to compare the technical specs. What I didn't understand was the in the post prior to that.
  5. I actually try very hard not to use it. When I first started work my father said about my chosen profession.... "Oh yes, those are the people who do their best to use long confusing language to try to make you feel inferior" and I vowed that I would always try to communicate well and use language that my "audience" would understand. I don't always manage it, but I do try.
  6. I've got a lovely 120 twin lens reflex which I'd love to be able to find a good reason to use again, but I guess it will sit in it's case unused, but not unloved. I think it's a Yashica Mat (with some numbers that I can't remember).
  7. In fact, to add to the salesmen and technical spin comment.... I'd say be very wary of anyone who uses too much technical jargon when it is not really necessary. I realise that I have used a lot in the second part of the post, but I'm not sure how I could have answered a PPP without using technical speak, so I hope you'll forgive me for that.
  8. Sorry to all of you who think that this is getting unnecessarily technical, just remember that Digital Aerials are a marketing ploy and that all you "may need" is a "better" aerial. Don't trust any salesman who tries to give a technical spin in order to sell one. It's not as simple as which shape. For the optimum reception you need to ensure that i) the directors and reflectors are the right distance from the antenna. ii) the antenna, director and reflectors are the right length for the frequency you are hoping to receive. iii) it is well constructed. After that you can consider the "shape" of the 3 layer, but the claimed gain (based on the above points) will probably be more important. I suggest that you compare the gain the manufacturers are claiming, then see if you can find any independent analysis that you can compare (I'm sure you'll enjoy that) and then measure the bars and do the sums to make sure that they are the optimum length for you transmissions (I'm sure you'll enjoy that as well). You may even consider getting them a bit longer than needed and filing them to exactly the right length. You strike me as being the sort of person who would get great satisfaction from knowing that they had a finely tuned aerial. But I wouldn't bother doing any of that, if reception is that poor, I'd get a Sat dish. Now, what was the point you were trying to make in your previous post?
  9. I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make in most of your post. The only thing I can comment on is the reference to the Tri Nappe. As a Tri Nappe is essentially 3 layers of Yagi, it works in the same way. You'd get the same effect by just increasing the number of directors (and therefore the length). I think that by mentioning that variation on a theme you are diverting attention from the important fact .... You do not need a "special" aerial to get digital pictures. (But you might need a better one than you get in the DIY sheds).
  10. The amplifier is of course an option. The "best" solution is to ensure that the aerial is matched to ones situation, but there is no reason not to consider the easy solution. The trouble is, too many shops are pushing the "expensive and unnecessary aerial replacement option" because they are ly.... misinformed, about aerial types.
  11. That is true Will, but the shops should be saying "You need a BETTER aerial (at the moment)". My beef is that they are saying "you need a Digital Aerial" which, to the less well informed, suggests that there is something different about them. It's not even as if they are selling a different type, the tuned Yagi (just rehearsing "pompous technical speak" for next time I speak with Comet) is the best type for domestic TV. So why can't these people be open and honest?
  12. Thanks for posting the para site Martin, I will use that in my next round with the "experts" at Comet. They just will not concede that they are ........ misinformed. I wonder if I should pop into the local shop and try to get a heated debate doing on the shop floor. :-)
  13. Spot On Salty. That is the official advice from DigitalUK..... the only people pushing new aerials without checking are firms hoping to rip their customers off!
  14. Yeah, I am due to get a digital terrestrial signal. When I put the house aerial up I didn't even need to look at the map to point it in the right direction.... I could see the mast sticking up out of the tress about a mile away.
  15. Sorry to have confused. Many companies are trying to sell digital aerials. However, aerials used for digital signals are exactly the same as for analogue signals. It annoys me that firms are trying to capitalise on the change over by... lying.
  16. I know most of you know this (I know I've responded to a post about it) and many wont care because it concerns Terrestrial TV..... however, 2 mins on the keyboard may save somebody some money, so it's worth doing again, (I know I'm late but the Maurienne is switching in about 6 weeks which is why I was thinking about these things). I was looking at new TV's yesterday on the Comet web site. They have a question and answer service and there was a question about Digital Aerials, to which the Comet "Expert" had responded that Digital Aerials would improve the signal. Now, last year I spent a lot of time working with Digital UK experts and if I had a pound for every time I told punters that there is no such thing as a digital aerial, I would be very happy. So, I wacked a message off to them pointing out their error. Today, I received a reply saying that I was misinformed and if I'd care pop a URL into my browser I'd see that they do exist. It was a google results page. Well, bless my soul, 4th one down was Digital UK, bottom of their first paragraph....... "There is no such thing as a Digital Aerial". So if your bit of France has not converted yet and you are not sure if you will need a new aerial, have a look at Digital UK's web site.
  17. JohnM

    Naan bread

    After reading this thread I was going to attempt to make them, but didn't read the instructions bit of the recipe in time to allow for 2 hours in the airing cupboard :-)! So bought some Pitta Breads instead and they were nearly as good.
  18. I have told him that I expect at least a paragraph in his autobiography! :-)
  19. Also, I feel that I must step away from his achievement. I'm only the owner of his accommodation (and support team) for one week each year when he comes over. Still chuffed to know him though.
  20. Sorry, not trying to trump you, I couldn't do Alp d'Huez in your time, but I'm dead chuffed because our best boy did that bit in about 55 mins, that's after doing Croix de Fer..... he's only 16 (but he does train very very hard.... he was UK under 16 time trial champion last year and he "plans" to be in the tour when he's old enough)
  21. Oh, before you get me wrong, I'm not just about the Tat. On Wednesday I was support crew for a very keen teenager who "needed" to train by doing St Jean de Maurienne, Col de Croix de Fer, Alp d'Huez, in just under 4 hours.
  22. Well! We got some good stuff! Cake, Haribo, Washing Powder. Walked up half way for the Tat then went down to "just above" St Michel to see the riders go buy, then down a little further to watch the rest of Telegraphe on a Big Screen. Good day. Certainly have to take my hat off to Thomas V (can't spell his surname ;-) ). Not sure which hat I took off.... was it the Skoda one, the Carrefore or LCL..... Oh I know, it was my awful Union Flag Bobble Hat!
  23. As you will know if you saw the TV pics. The snow had almost all gone! We were dead lucky, we walked up from the Maurienne side (just outside Valloire) in relative peace, went through the tunnel to see hoards and no good standing places, so headed off in the wrong direction to the ridge, doubled back and, with about 30 other folk, were right behind the finish line, 30feet above the enclosure. Couldn't have hoped for a better view. Going to Telegraphe today to see what tat we can collect from the Caravan.
  24. Our "plan" is to walk up from "wherever we can park the car".
  25. The "error" that is winding me up at the moment is the use of "sat". I am sat, I was sat, etc. It just grates so much.
×
×
  • Create New...