Smart meter con ?

[Scruples]

Just for the record the old style disc meters were fitted with reverse running stops years ago. Any disc meter still in service without one must by now be at least thirty years past its certification date. We were coming to the end of finding them when I was working for SWEB in the mid 1980s. The reason for fitting the reverse running stops was to prevent thieves using devices to run the meter backwards, solar panels were virtually unheard of at that time.

Ah, SWEB. I remember it well. I did 10 years in the Plymouth SWEB. Looking back, there were some good and bad times...

 

[woodieallen]

Proops in Tottenham Court Road was a mecca of Army surplus of all things electrical if I remember correctly, it was about 1969 or thereabouts whilst I was working for Ove Arup's in Percy Street.

Interesting as I’m reading Peter Rice’s book ‘An engineer imagines’. Did you know him?

 

[Blackswanwood]

I remember visiting Tottenham Court Road with my dad in the seventies and have always wondered why those shops all congregated there? On one trip we bought all the components for a Crystal Set Radio - the days before iPads!

 

[woodieallen]

I remember visiting Tottenham Court Road with my dad in the seventies and have always wondered why those shops all congregated there? On one trip we bought all the components for a Crystal Set Radio - the days before iPads!

A couple of interesting threads from elsewhere

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/...lisle-st-tottenham-ct-rd-in-their-prime-(uk)/
https://oddsnsods.net/blog/?p=204

 

[woodieallen]

Trying to remember the name of that company that sold mail-order all sorts of nails, screws, bits and bobs....Whiston's ? Google suggests that is wrong

 

[MikeJhn]

Interesting as I’m reading Peter Rice’s book ‘An engineer imagines’. Did you know him?

I met him on a number of occasions as I worked on the Sydney Opera house design and construction.

 

[woodieallen]

I met him on a number of occasions as I worked on the Sydney Opera house design and construction.

Working on that must have been fascinating. Reading his book sounds like Arup are/were a good company to work for.

 

[HOJ]

it could be used in some way to either retard or reverse the electricity meters of the day. I've no idea if it worked or was just a myth

Having worked for Eastern Electricity many many moons ago I was part of a team that went out looking at "alleged" meter fraud, (the tamper squad!)

And disconnected quite a few hot wired transformers from supplies, along with finding other methods that people had adopted, to include the pin through the side, and the back, which wasn't so obvious, and in those days the coin meters which were rusting out, where they had made and used ice moulds of coins.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Having worked for Eastern Electricity many many moons ago I was part of a team that went out looking at "alleged" meter fraud, (the tamper squad!)

And disconnected quite a few hot wired transformers from supplies, along with finding other methods that people had adopted, to include the pin through the side, and the back, which wasn't so obvious, and in those days the coin meters which were rusting out, where they had made and used ice moulds of coins.

Ice coins is fantastic. Leaves no provable evidence

 

[JefL]

Having worked for Eastern Electricity many many moons ago I was part of a team that went out looking at "alleged" meter fraud, (the tamper squad!)

And disconnected quite a few hot wired transformers from supplies, along with finding other methods that people had adopted, to include the pin through the side, and the back, which wasn't so obvious, and in those days the coin meters which were rusting out, where they had made and used ice moulds of coins.

My guys were called the "tamper team". If they got a good one they used to call me in to take evidential photographs with the office Pentax for possible prosecution. This was rare though as Board policy was to let them off with a warning if they paid back the estimated arrears. Most did but their names also went on a blacklist.
One of the favourite "foreign object" devices on our patch was a knitting needle through a hole strategically drilled in the side. They would then carefully peel off a cert sticker from the front and stick it over the hole when the needle was out, replacing the needle when they wanted to use anything high powered, the oven for instance, craftily trying not to reduce consumption by enough to raise suspicion. The scratches on the disc were a dead giveaway though.

 

[artie]

Magnets were the thing in this vicinity, apparently they slowed the meter down.

Digital meters left a lot of long faces.

 

[MikeJhn]

Working on that must have been fascinating. Reading his book sounds like Arup are/were a good company to work for.

It was an honour to work for them, throughout my working life saying I trained with Ove Arup had a cachet that others did not have, it was in the days when Structural Engineers and Architects had to spend at least six months on site to learn what construction really involved to join their respective institute/association.

 

[Diver Fred]

Getting off topic a bit now, but I did some "research", the sort that begins with "Goo", a few years back when a mobile phone operator offered to install floodlights at the tennis club on whose committee I served at the time. Their benefit was to be installing a phone mast atop one of the light poles. The club was next to a primary school, and the letters we received from concerned parents were as scientifically uninformed as they were vitriolic. You'd have thought we'd suggested vivisection of their children. In vain we tried to reassure them, and point out that in areas of weak signal, mobile phones ramp up their output power, and that the radiation from a phone held next to your ear was vastly higher than that from a mast 20m away... It was a non starter.
I did, however, read enough at the time to convince me that the risks were imaginary, but I think I know better than to try and change anyone's mind on the subject.

In a former career I was 'Device' (mobile 'phone handsets) manager for my then employer - a not so well known UK cellular phone operator. In my section of the company we commissioned an independent body to do ICNIRP research* on handsets. In the late 2000's we had a number of cell sites questioned due to their placement (along with the big 4 operators). I, along with with engineers from those operators gave presentations on why we chose those locations for the Cell base station sites - the 'Masts'. Most of the objections we had to counter were from concerned parents when the selected site was either a school or close by.
At the time I had access to the handsets 'engineering & faulting' tools so could demonstrate how the handsets transmit power varied with the received signal levels. Also as part of the presentations I/we explained basic antenna performance so when close to a site the majority of the transmitted signal is directed above the user (see https://www.researchgate.net/figure...a-typical-Mobile-Tower-Antenna_fig1_370338276)
so actually having the cell site at or very close by the school was a benefit and not just for the service performance. That really went over many of the more argumentative objectors heads !

A few memories from those meetings;
The number of people who didn't know, and on 2 occasions disputed, that a mobile 'phone and for that matter cordless 'phones are transmitters as well as receivers;
The number of kids who had expensive 'Smart' phones (read, very much that years model);
The most intelligent questioning was from the pupils and staff at a 'public' school.


*this link is a current document on ICNIRP not related to the one my employer commissioned in 2001.
https://www.icnirp.org/cms/upload/publications/ICNIRPrfgdl2020.pdf

Or a 7 minute presentation
https://www.icnirp.org/en/activities/news/news-article/rf-guidelines-2020-published.html

 

[John Brown]

In a former career I was 'Device' (mobile 'phone handsets) manager for my then employer - a not so well known UK cellular phone operator. In my section of the company we commissioned an independent body to do ICNIRP research* on handsets. In the late 2000's we had a number of cell sites questioned due to their placement (along with the big 4 operators). I, along with with engineers from those operators gave presentations on why we chose those locations for the Cell base station sites - the 'Masts'. Most of the objections we had to counter were from concerned parents when the selected site was either a school or close by.
At the time I had access to the handsets 'engineering & faulting' tools so could demonstrate how the handsets transmit power varied with the received signal levels. Also as part of the presentations I/we explained basic antenna performance so when close to a site the majority of the transmitted signal is directed above the user (see https://www.researchgate.net/figure...a-typical-Mobile-Tower-Antenna_fig1_370338276)
so actually having the cell site at or very close by the school was a benefit and not just for the service performance. That really went over many of the more argumentative objectors heads !

A few memories from those meetings;
The number of people who didn't know, and on 2 occasions disputed, that a mobile 'phone and for that matter cordless 'phones are transmitters as well as receivers;
The number of kids who had expensive 'Smart' phones (read, very much that years model);
The most intelligent questioning was from the pupils and staff at a 'public' school.


*this link is a current document on ICNIRP not related to the one my employer commissioned in 2001.
https://www.icnirp.org/cms/upload/publications/ICNIRPrfgdl2020.pdf

I'm sorry, but that pdf really is a case of too long, didn't read!
But I do remember trying to explain that sitting the antenna in the roof of the school would be safe.
But hey ho, nobody believes in science these days...

 

[user 36867]

Having worked for Eastern Electricity many many moons ago I was part of a team that went out looking at "alleged" meter fraud, (the tamper squad!)

And disconnected quite a few hot wired transformers from supplies, along with finding other methods that people had adopted, to include the pin through the side, and the back, which wasn't so obvious, and in those days the coin meters which were rusting out, where they had made and used ice moulds of coins.

In my opinion I don’t think there is any difference in the metres. The reason they want everyone to change to the new ones is theft. John brown and HOL have hit the nail on the head. We used to call in an auto electrician for cars on a regular basis and he once showed us a devise made from a battery charger that made the metre go backwards and he was selling them. No I didn’t buy one.

 

[woodieallen]

......
The most intelligent questioning was from the pupils and staff at a 'public' school.

....

Don't anyone tell Jacob that