Web Page No 2760 20th February 2021 1st Picture: ‘X’ ariel

2nd Picture: ‘H’ ariel

3rd Picture: Rod ariel

4th Picture: Indoor aeriel

‘H’ or ‘X’ Do you remember back in the early days of television, before the advent of satellite and cable TV we were all reliant on various forms and shapes of television ariels? Looking up at the rooves of the houses around us in the 1960’s there was always a selection of ariels attached to chimney stacks by various companies. During 1952, the first homes in the UK were offered television aerials in the shape of an ‘H’ that remained positioned on the top of roofs and set up as high up as possible. These odd aerials would be connected to very big and heavy television sets that were the first in wireless signalling transmission. As I remember the two commonest ariels were those in the shape of an ‘H’ and those in the shape of an ‘X’. I have no idea which one was the best and I do not think that many people did. Then along came the long straight ones with a baffle at the end, it also had little perches along the length of them something which always seemed to delight the birds no end. Then along came the indoor ariels many of which were installed in the loft or roof space of the house. The installation involved father setting it up in the loft, running the cable downstairs and into the tv set. The fun part was when father was in the loft moving the ariel about to get the best reception whilst mother watched the set in the living room and reported back on the quality of the picture. Not good, better, worse, try moving it the other way, no the other, other way, this could go on for hours!!! In our house my father originally trained as a radio engineer first starting his apprenticeship in Martins the electrical shop next to Cosham station and then he went to work for HMV in Reading before finally joining the civil service. So, when our first TV arrived, we were told that there was a three week wait until the installer could fix an ariel on the roof so we would have to wait. This is where my fathers’ radio knowledge came in useful. He rigged up a temporary ariel using a length of wire and eight foot of brass curtain rail. It looked very odd but it gave us a good enough picture to watch. Then there were the indoor ariels, some rod shaped, some circular, in fact they came in all shapes and sizes. The one common thing with all of them was that they only worked really well when someone stood and held it usually in the most awkward position, in the doorway, over the set or by the window. Again, it took hours to get the ariel set in the right position only to find that later in the day granny came along with her duster and moved it to clean under it. Luckily most of us have progressed beyond these primitive methods and rely on Cable, Dish or satellite. How things have changed during our lifetime! Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com You Write: News and Views: On this day 27th February 1960 – 1965 On 27/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was BBC asks for second TV channel On 27/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada). On 27/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 27/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 27/02/1964 the number one single was Anyone Who Had a Heart -Cilla Black and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. On 27/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.