Economy 7 and ending of RTS (Radio Teleswitch Service)

Ildhund

inspectorperez said:
They must have been really special or maybe didn't fit a particular agenda.

Really special. Here's one undergoing routine maintenance:
  


They have a special trolley to move them around; 34.5kg is a bit much to manhandle. If you'd like to help the Beeb (or rather Arqiva, since they run the show now) out by constructing one, here are the basic specs:
  

inspectorperez

inspectorperez said:

Qyburn said:

inspectorperez said:

If the valve build quality is anything like the old analogue meters which never blinked, one imagines the RTS system will be operational for many years to come. 

It was 14 years ago that the BBC stated that the transmitter uses a pair of valves with a service life which could only be a few years each. Round about that time it was stated that only ten spare valves of that type existed in the whole world. It was also reported that the BBC had managed to acquire all that were still available. Now we hear that all their spares have been used, when either of the current pair fails it cannot be replaced.

That's amazing.

And yet with the right skills you can go online and learn how to construct radio valves.

They must have been really special or maybe didn't fit a particular agenda.

Many thanks to those who responded to my post with helpful and informative comments.

inspectorperez

Ildhund said:

inspectorperez said:
They must have been really special or maybe didn't fit a particular agenda.

Really special. Here's one undergoing routine maintenance:
  


They have a special trolley to move them around; 34.5kg is a bit much to manhandle. If you'd like to help the Beeb (or rather Arqiva, since they run the show now) out by constructing one, here are the basic specs:
  

Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to post that image with detailed narrative. I wonder how much it would cost to construct and commission such a valve in terms of today's money values? That's always assuming of course that the skills which were available when these were originally designed and built are still available

Qyburn

As well as finding the money you'd also need a good reason for wanting to spend maybe millions recreating spare parts for a really expensive to run transmitter which is no longer required for its primary purpose.

RTS meters are well past their sell by date in any case. As noted they don't have anything like the capabilities of a smart meter. I don't believe smart meters can interoperable with RTS units either. So all that investment would do is prolong their life for a few years until they're replaced anyway.

Intoodeep

My Meter on a house built in 1980 is as follows
Elster /Abb/ GEC/ EE C11B2-R

Phase - 1
Wire - 2
Elements - 1
Rate - Multi
Approval No. - 628
Certification Period - 25

Still works perfectly according to Engineer who visited last month to view possibility of smart meter and said we were not suitable

Will the proposed change make any difference to our readings ?

Phones4Chris

Qyburn said:

PHMAL said:

My MP tells me Ofgem have confirmed nobody will be cut off from having electricity. if their RTS meter hasn't been replaced. The signal will not just totally be shut off on 30 June, but there will be s 'phased' shut down up until Seprmber. 

Did he say what he means by "phased"? Surely the transmitter is either running or not.

Not quite! See my post  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81467451/#Comment_81467451

Phones4Chris

Intoodeep said:

My Meter on a house built in 1980 is as follows
Elster /Abb/ GEC/ EE C11B2-R

Phase - 1
Wire - 2
Elements - 1
Rate - Multi
Approval No. - 628
Certification Period - 25

Still works perfectly according to Engineer who visited last month to view possibility of smart meter and said we were not suitable

Will the proposed change make any difference to our readings ?

I'm afraid we've come across many cases where these "smart meter engineers" haven't had adequate training when it comes to installations that aren't the simplest straight forward cases. To give you a better assessment whether your installation is RTS and/or whether it is easily suitable for a smart meter we'd need some pictures.
Pictures of the meter and any associated switchgear ie. the meter and its tails and clear photo(s) as the where those tails go and the switchgear/consumer units they are connected to. You may have to post more than one picture.

matelodave

inspectorperez said:

Ildhund said:

inspectorperez said:
They must have been really special or maybe didn't fit a particular agenda.

Really special. Here's one undergoing routine maintenance:
  


They have a special trolley to move them around; 34.5kg is a bit much to manhandle. If you'd like to help the Beeb (or rather Arqiva, since they run the show now) out by constructing one, here are the basic specs:
  

Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to post that image with detailed narrative. I wonder how much it would cost to construct and commission such a valve in terms of today's money values? That's always assuming of course that the skills which were available when these were originally designed and built are still available

I note that the guys who are doing the maintenance also have to wear special multipatterned woolly jumpers as well  Perhaps those are also becoming extinct

UncleK

I note that the guys who are doing the maintenance also have to wear special multipatterned woolly jumpers as well  Perhaps those are also becoming extinct

Whilst I think this conversation has somewhat drifted into a fairly pointless vein in that these valves are not going to be manufactured again in this universe IMHO, my mum could probably help with the woolly jumpers.

matelodave

UncleK said:

I note that the guys who are doing the maintenance also have to wear special multipatterned woolly jumpers as well  Perhaps those are also becoming extinct

Whilst I think this conversation has somewhat drifted into a fairly pointless vein in that these valves are not going to be manufactured again in this universe IMHO, my mum could probably help with the woolly jumpers.

If I get the wool, would she knit me one