Paul TC

20 minutes ago, Bryson said:

 - it looks like designed frequency is 868MHz for that system - so it appears you're getting some kind of unintentional signal, maybe?  Your guitar pickups shouldn't be picking up anything beyond the Khz range really.

One possibility is that you are picking up an intermodulation frequency from the addition / subtraction of two signals that are close in frequency giving an output in the KHz range.  Have you any other short range wireless devices in use as 868MHz is used for these.  Link to intermod webpage

One comment if using in a small number of rural areas, that the LTE radio site may be using satellite back haul which will add delays to the voice transmission in addition to any other latency in the solution.

5 hours ago, Tomo said:

Though quite what you're supposed to do if you don't have decent mobile coverage after the switchoff is beyond me.

Also there is a limit to the time a mobile phone base station will still operate in a power outage, starting from 0 min, upwards.

Google the term "passive repeater".   

Simply an antenna in coverage connected to an antenna in the area where coverage is required by low loss coaxial cable.  

However, where the source radio is not a base station may be difficult to get it to work reliably.  

Th IET magazine published an article that suggested "black start" of the UK supply from total failure would take several days and longer if it failed first time.

6 hours ago, Stuart91 said:

My impression was that this was an intentional move by the authorities, to preserve bandwidth for emergency services?

 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTPAS

14 hours ago, adam2 said:

. A slow text message by satellite is probably quicker than driving to seek help.

A large urban venue should firstly have an Inmarsat phone, and secondly should plan on sending runners to the nearest fire station or police station.

 

SMS text services are not an instant delivery, cross network can have long delays or even non-delivery.  Having at one time dealt with international roaming on Mobile networks, the ways SMS text sending could fail are numerous. And where would you direct your text to, to ensure it got a response?

Given that local 24/7 manned Police Stations are becoming rare items, you are dependent on the infra-structure at these stations providing a "running call" phone to control.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Jivemaster said:

During the tube bombing emergency, the landline network was rock solid even though the mobile network was unusable.

The issue was that the mobile networks became overloaded with calls and call attempts at the base station level. 

The landline network can also be overloaded in a similar way, E.g., if too many calls are offered to a particular number that cannot accept them.

For interest current Ofcom guidlines re VOIP Phones can be found here. Ofcom guidance document

 

There is also a more general Ofcom consultation on telcos compliance with Security duties currently open.

The webpage can be found here  Consultation: General policy on ensuring compliance with security duties

 

3 hours ago, themadhippy said:

was how the old police radios worked,control in our area was at the top of the fm broadcast range,and the coppers in the field was on,from memory around 140Mhz

146-148MHz could be a return link from a Hilltop site to a repeater station, not a mobile radio. - See

Ringbell web page on HO Wireless Schemes

Some years ago, (mid 1990's), attending a college course run at night and only two other courses in building, found that all the escape routes bar how we entered the building to 3rd floor were locked, probably to make a "quick finish" for the care-taking staff at 9.00 PM when we finished.

A Duty Fire Officer attended that same night in response to someone's phone call, not sure with the changes in Fire Safety law since then, that it would elicit same response today.

On 12/21/2021 at 9:40 PM, vinntec said:

 So cues were multi-people hands, knees, feet, and bits of wood affairs - more fun when girls joined the team a few years after I started in 1968! This was in a tower SL in a nice old fashioned way. We loved it and understanding tracking was no challenge, as that was every cue (changes circled in red on cue sheets).

 

At my school, 3 x Junior HA board, with lengths of wood, some with slots to leave channels out of group fades,  plus 4 rotary triac dimmers mounted in a box (used rubber bands to gang them),  located on a gallery in the wings SL accessed by a ladder.

 

 

1 hour ago, themadhippy said:

From the ingrained sensibility hammered into us from a young age, instead of being wrapped in cotton wool and not allowed to do anything.

Ours left us to it,including building   the scaffold tower,the only teacher intervention was being told to turn the radio down as it was disturbing  other lessons. 

Same type of school setting, allowed to do everything, use tallerscope, (and had to unearth the out riggers), wiring leads and lanterns, even built 8 foot high staging platform out of scaffold bits that we had lying around. 

14 minutes ago, Jivemaster said:

Remember that detailed skills learned now will be ancient history by the time you actually need to make money to live on.   e.

True, in 1980's I was working with valve PMR transmitters / receivers, in 1990's I was working with Kilosteam Multiplexers & DEC Servers, 2000's, GSM (2G) phone networks, 2010, Command & Control Systems based on Win XP machines, all now technology  that is either gone or going.  2020's, 4G LTE.

There is a need to continually update skills, even in the profession you are working in, crossing between industries unless you are at CEO / Director level is difficult.

30 minutes ago, kerry davies said:

Are you "interested" in it as a hobby or do you want to pursue a career? My advice to those who say career is simply "don't", it is too hard, too badly rewarded, the conditions are lousy and most people throw in the towel in their 30's in order to eat regularly/have a family/live somewhere other than a  tour bus among other blokes socks (and worse!).

One item of advice that comes up here in response to these queries, if you are looking at lighting, or technical theatre as a career, is that you should consider what qualifications you are aiming for, have they any value when you need to make that career change in your 30's ? 

Someone who loved lighting, but decided at 18  it was better as a hobby and got a job outside the industry.

 

 

The other system in the building doesn't have batteries fitted in the power supply.

 

BT SDH Equipment on customers premises relied on the Customer connecting the alarm contacts of the PSU's including back up battery feed to a customer's local alarm system, no reporting back to BT. And the customer had to check the "replace by" date on the battery and request BT to replace it.

VOIP does not necessarily fail with power outage, if IP phones are powered over their ethernet connections then a strategically placed UPS to run the internet router and the PoE switch is all that's needed to keep it all going in a power fail. Of course this does require a certain amount of pre-planning.

 

Also assumes your provider of choice has power resilience after the connection leaves your control.

I was working at Bush House and managed to destroy a Zener diode [given wrong advice on what a devices connexions were]. I phoned a friend who sometimes worked in the area and he gave directions to the nearest component store [even checked stock on line for me]

 

Working on a VHF "hilltop" radio site many years ago. Identified equipment fault and required a couple of transistors.

 

As the site was at top of town centre block of flats, quick trip down in lift and round corner to Tandy, (remember them ?)sourced replacements at the premium price.

 

When I put in receipt for £2 against expenses was asked why I did not drive a 50 mile round trip to the nearest detachment to get them from local stores.

Would one of these Penn Double Gang 8 Way XLR Plate on a suitable back box work ?

He's said it's a nonconformist chapel which I assume is independent of any church denominations, so there will be no rules from the church side and no venue licensing or anything like that.

 

Non-conformist does not mean independent of regulation, it is usually defined as a Protestant Church which dissents from the established Church of England, hence the Baptist, United Reformed, and Methodist churches fall into this category as well as the "independents".

 

There is oversight by insurers and the denominations of the buildings in most denominations.

 

However liability for any issues will remain with the local managing trustees, e.g. Church Council.

The helicopter museum at W-S-M might be a possibility or be able to direct you somewhere.

 

Helicopter Museum - Weston Super Mare

 

 

Or closer, but wrong colour probably :) Midlands Air Amb POD

For wire antennas on VHF belt packs, I have used "extra flex" normally used as test equipment leads, e.g. Link, which stands up to flexing quite well. Bolt, nut, couple of solder tags and heatshrink sorts out the attachment to the beltpack.