Heres the deal; I don’t currently have a TV licence, because, according to the Licencing Authority, i don’t have any equipment capeable of receiving a live broadcast TV signal. TV Licence inspector has been round, and I’ve been ‘signed off’.

But.

For some reason, my FM reception has become terrible. I was just using a bit of old coax, plugged into the back of my tuner, and that seemed to be fine. But the signal is really really bad (some recent structural work somewhere is interfering?), so I was thinking I need to plug it into an aerial. Now, I know that you can plug a tuner into a TV aerial socket, via an adapter/splitter socket (used to do live in a place with a socket marked TV/FM, running off the same aerial), but there is a problem.

My TV aerial cable isn’t connected to anything. There is a communal cable, which I Imagine a cable must be attached to. This could then be run into my flat. I can get my landlord to sort that out, as the Service Charge includes being able to use the TV aerial.

So, would I need to pay for a TV licence, to use a TV aerial for my FM tuner?

Any thoughts?

No

If you don’t have any equipment to receive a TV signal you don’t need a license.
So No.

no, because you still have no equipment capable of receiving a live broadcast tv signal.

Ah, I thought that, but was wondering if an aerial constituted a piece of equipment.

Ah, I thought that, but was wondering if an aerial constituted a piece of equipment.

no. Coz a bent coathanger rammed up yer’arris constitutes an aerial, and I’ll be damned if Im paying for a licence for mine…

according to a letter i got last week you need a licence if you have a colour or b&W TV, DVD or video recorder, digital box, computer or mobile phone!

Ah, I thought that, but was wondering if an aerial constituted a piece of equipment.

Only in the same way a plug socket does.

you need a license even if you watch bbc channels off the internet,

colande – rubbish.

you need a licence to watch LIVE broadcast from a UK broadcaster on the net. The only current channel doing that is BBC News24, although it’s coming to iPlayer soon. Watching timeslip programmes (i.e. stored programmes) on iPlayer will remain legal without a licence.

You also need a licence to watch Terrestrial TV decoded in a TV card in your computer – but again. Live broadcast only.

The situation is this – you need a TV licence if you have the ability to receive and watch a TV broadcast signal in your home. If your computer monitor has the ability to receive and display TV broadcast signals, then technically you need a TV licene, even if you never use the monitor for that purpose.

You DO NOT need a TV licence to watch web streamed content like iPlayer or the news via the BBC’s website.

However, you might find that you need to a radio only licence to receive and listen to radio broadcasts at home. As I remember though this is very cheap, like £20 a year or something.

Just found out that there is no separate radio licence.

geetee – quite a bit wrong there. you should at least a stab at checking things before posting…

You DO need a licence to watch live broadcasts from the BBC site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7459669.stm

you DONT need a licence to listen to radio.

you DO need a licence to re-broadcast radio stations to the public (its a royalty licence, not a technical transmission one) – i.e. in a shop, office or workshop.

Rudeboy, you just using a length of coax plugged into your radio, or a length of coax connected to an aerial?

If its just a length of coax, just replace it with normal wire. The coax is shielded to prevent the ‘clean’ signal from the aerial being degraded by interference on its way to the radio/tv, so it won’t be very good at picking up anything. Even a wire coat hanger will probably be better.

I corrected myself on the radio licence bit. Don’t remember mentioning anything about the re-broadcasting bit and i stand corrected on the live broadcast via the internet although it’s a bit ridiculous as it’s utterly unenforceable.

By the way, you’re a pompous ass but thanks for putting me straight.

Ah right, yes, got it cleared up now. Ta.

Stoner, does your anal-aerial (anial?) get good reception, then? Can I run a cable from yours, so’s I can pick up a good signal? Where do you live? 😆

I’ve made sure that I can’t get done for having ‘equipment’, I was just a bit worried that if I had an aerial fitted, I would start getting demands for £350,000 a year or something.

Apparently, any computer with internet access can be construed as ‘equipment’, but they can’t enforce the licence, as people can choose not to access the website. A bit of a grey area, apparently, but I’m told that if you block the web address of the BBC news stream, then you’re ok.

(clicks on Stoner’s link)

OH MY GOD!! WHAT HAVE I DONE???

(Cowers under bed, waiting for the Gestapo)

Here’s an interesting one: If I own a mobile phone capable of receiving BBC News 24 via GRPS, but I use it in a place with free internets, such as an airport, who is liable for the licence?

a right pompous ass, with an aerial in it.

preferable to a misleading one.

Rudeboy…I’m guessing you missed my post as you probably were typing your reply at the handbag swingers 😉

Spooky, just tried the coat hanger/bit of ordinary wire thing, and it hasn’t made much difference, tbh. Mind, the interference is a lot lower, strangely.

I’ll get the landlord to sort out the aerial thing, which should sort it.

Why, I hear you all ask, are you not using internet radio?

Because you’ve got to turn the PC on, and all that palaver. Just wanted to be able to turn the radio on, when I’m pottering around. Uses less leccy.

Stoner – Member

colande – rubbish.

you need a licence to watch LIVE broadcast from a UK broadcaster on the net. The only current channel doing that is BBC News24,

nope you can watch live bbc channels off the internet, not just news24
just go to bbc1
as long as there isnt any distribution issues, ie sports etc

was watching Ideal on bbc3 other night and it said you still needed a license

Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence
Licence

Not license, you morons (unless you’re using the verb “to license”).

Do They Teach Nothing In Schools These Days?

apparently not,
but school was erm……
11 years ago for me,

I spelled it rite! 😮

Hmm, BBC live streaming. I hadn’t noticed that before.

You know it’s just a ploy so they can try and now charge every computer owner in the UK the licence fee.

They can get fecked, tbh. If they want money, then they should introduce a subscription service, like all the other companies. Fecked if I’m paying for a licence just because I own a computer.

Bastards. Any **** little ruse to screw money out of people…

Well done, Fred. Have a gold star.

Owning the equipment without a licence is not an offence, using it to receive a signal without a licence is an offence. So i can quite legally own a TV without a licence but as soon as i turn it on to receive a signal then i need a licence. Same applies to mobile phones that can recieve TV.

I expect the BBC will soon introduce some sort of system to log in, if you want to watch live content.

My mobile can receive BBC News, live. I’m not paying a licence fee just for that, that’s outrageous. Besides, I never watch it.

I think the onus should be on the BBC to make it physically impossible to watch any live programs, unless you’ve got a licence. Until such time, they’re fair game, to anyone without an actual telly, I reckon.

Everything else on whole the internet, that is viewable without any special code or procedure to log in, etc, is free to view.

Except for BBC live programs. **** cheek.