In which case... hey, I just picked up Aussie TV crystal clear in my bomb shelter 60 feet below ground using the old Jew's harp that my grandmother's uncle used to play
And that is about as serious as most of the other postings in this thread! There's nothing wrong with a bit of humour but some of crazy things posted here some people might think were real.
In which case... hey, I just picked up Aussie TV crystal clear in my bomb shelter 60 feet below ground using the old Jew's harp that my grandmother's uncle used to play
I was told you needed a "digital" wide-band Harp that had to be played by a qualified musician in order for this to work.
The explanation as to why the sat dish will not work reveals how it could be made to.
There are separable things here. First the parabolic dish. This will focus EM waves at the focal point largely irrespective of frequency, so this bit will work at 400-600MHz ( Freeview) or at n GHz (Sat). At the focal point a Sat dish will have a head-end unit which includes an aerial and a down converter. This will absolutely not work for Freeview. If you change the head end unit ( get rid of it altogether) and replace it with a dipole off of an old TV aerial (correct Group or wideband) and wire it up as a normal aerial then the whole thing will work, to a greater of lesser extent, e.g. the gain of a parabolic dish is inversely proportional to the wavelength squared ( for a given size) and so, because Freeview is transmitted on a much lower frequency ( much longer wavelength), the gain will will be vastly reduced and you'd certainly be better off using an ordinary Yagi ( standard TV ant) or alternatively get a really big dish!
The principles are OK, but for one thing. 600MHz has a wavelength of about 50cm, which is the same size as a Sky dish. There isn't much chance of a 50cm parabolic dish focussing 600MHz signals, the dish isn't going to be enough of a parabola at that frequency.
What a pity that a phased array of dipoles a la 'squarial ' does not use or need an LNB. Insufficient knowledge spoils the sarcasm really!
The main part of a (satellite) LNB is a frequency changing amplifier - only a small part of it pointing at the dish is the 'Aerial'. I suspect that the 'Squarial' had the frequency changing amplifier built in somewhere - perhaps we can find it on the net..
http://www.colin99.co.uk/bsb.html - halfway down the page there is a diagram of a 'Squarial' showing the 'LNB' on the back of the aerial 'panel'
BTW an LNB contains a very high gain, low noise amplifier.
A lower gain amp with similar noise characteristics to an LNB would be helpfull in a masthead amp.
PS it doesn't look like the Squarial is a phased array from the diagram - anyone know how they work ? - maybe those flat aerials for putting behind sofas are the same thing for DTT ?
Thanks SimonBlackham, I stand corrected. I guess I was thinking in terms of a 'detachable' LNB. In the squarial it is integral and not easily accessible or replaceable. In a phased array, each dipole contributes signal and thus gain. When you join the feedpoints together, depending on just how you do it, e.g. with or without crossovers, you get phasor sums that reinforce directivity either broadside or end-fire. My guess is that the squarial combines a broadside phased array with a grid reflector something like what used to be called a sterba curtain array. They were made by Matsushita and everything was implemented in solid state at these frequencies. Check out //brown.nord.nw.ru/agcor.htm for constructional details. There are good technical analyses/models of some of these arrays...Google Cebik and find the practical HF antennas section ( Sterba near the end of the list as I recall).
Will this mean my existing harp-recorder is redundant or can I get a string upgrade to make it compatible?
Yes, Sainsbury's have an organic new improved active direct limited edition fairtrade designer low fat free-range high-fibre Jamie Oliver Manchester United replica David Beckham digital widescreen father's day HD Ready plasma vegetarian vegan kosher halal extra super-duper expensive harp string, washed and peeled and individually wrapped in cellophane. Hewlett Packard part number HP30456568321, code number 77448022193, quick reference number 55693214569320125C094821A05224c, re-order number 556932108432.
Yes, Sainsbury's have an organic new improved active direct limited edition fairtrade designer low fat free-range high-fibre Jamie Oliver Manchester United replica David Beckham digital widescreen father's day HD Ready plasma vegetarian vegan kosher halal extra super-duper expensive harp string, washed and peeled and individually wrapped in cellophane. Hewlett Packard part number HP30456568321, code number 77448022193, quick reference number 55693214569320125C094821A05224c, re-order number 556932108432.
Not as far as I know but there is a celebrity edition coming out next month which might have. It's easy to spot, the Microsoft product name on the box is HarpString 2012, inside the box the disk says it's StringHarp 2006.4.3667 for Internet Explorer V7 for Windows XP Home Edition SP2, the version number displayed by the program is 2001.4567.0000001a, the help file tells you it's V42.x and the build number is 3999232. There's a mandatory security patch documented in Microsoft KnowledgeBase article 99956843 and Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-4565. I really don't know why some people get confused.
Sorry I made a mistake... I think you'll find HarpString Express has a (non-working) SCART socket - to be fixed in an update (its a critical security update - so won't be distributed untill the security hole has been well exploited - and you will then be suitably grateful when it is finally plugged in a few weeks time) - you need the full version for the HDMI socket.
So to clarify; HighDefinitionHarps have to have either 1080 or 720 strings to give a true HighHarp sound.
I think there's been allot of confusion regarding high street retailers such as Comet who have wrongly been branding and selling Standard 576 "Upsounding Harps" as HighDefinitionHarps.
Jew's harp? String? Eh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew%27s_harp This finally proves that subscription pay-per-listen interactive harps are part of DTT, not Freeview!
I know it's forbidden to discuss on this forum, but I've heard whispers of a StringCam that let's you listen to encrypted subscription melodies, in particular saucy foreign HardcoreHarp channels.
Comments
And that is about as serious as most of the other postings in this thread! There's nothing wrong with a bit of humour but some of crazy things posted here some people might think were real.
John
I was told you needed a "digital" wide-band Harp that had to be played by a qualified musician in order for this to work.
http://www.colin99.co.uk/bsb.html - halfway down the page there is a diagram of a 'Squarial' showing the 'LNB' on the back of the aerial 'panel'
BTW an LNB contains a very high gain, low noise amplifier.
A lower gain amp with similar noise characteristics to an LNB would be helpfull in a masthead amp.
PS it doesn't look like the Squarial is a phased array from the diagram - anyone know how they work ? - maybe those flat aerials for putting behind sofas are the same thing for DTT ?
Will this mean my existing harp-recorder is redundant or can I get a string upgrade to make it compatible?
John
Does it have a SCART socket?
And can you use it to get freeview?
John
I think there's been allot of confusion regarding high street retailers such as Comet who have wrongly been branding and selling Standard 576 "Upsounding Harps" as HighDefinitionHarps.
John
It goes on.
I think so, just make sure you subscribe to the chinese food channel and have signed up for the pay-per-meal service.