Latest Panorama is about smart meters

[Rodders53]

That is consistent with what I reported in post #10 above.

Clever old you. More points to you then.
EDIT I could/would not read that out of focus text so missed that information

What are the Variant 450 using?

 

[JohnW2]

Clever old you. More points to you then. EDIT I could/would not read that out of focus text so missed that information

What exactly were you trying to read it on - a phone perhaps? On my laptop screen, it's just as clear as the rest of the text of my (and everyone else's) post(s) !

As a matter of interest, did anyone else have any problem reading the content of the image I included in post #10?

 

[SUNRAY]

What exactly were you trying to read it on - a phone perhaps? On my laptop screen, it's just as clear as the rest of the text of my (and everyone else's) post(s) !

As a matter of interest, did anyone else have any problem reading the content of the image I included in post #10?

It's blatantly a screen print of lesser resolution than your written text, however it's adequately readable on my 15" 2016 laptop (26mm).
If I print screen and paste into 'paint' then shrink to 50% I'm unable to read it but the rest of the page is still legible (13mm).
On my inexpensive 6.5" Samsung phone I have to expand the page (40mm) before your paste is comfortable to read. However your comment is clear to read at 17mm native in my screen with visible width of 68mm.
Width/length of the word 'communication' in your written text

 

[Mister Banks]

How does your bill compare to three or four years ago?

I dont have figures that far back but comparing the last 12 months to the previous 12 months I have saved financially about 33% in electric and 43% in gas despite using slightly more kWh electric and gas.

 

[JohnW2]

It's blatantly a screen print of lesser resolution than your written text, however it's adequately readable on my 15" 2016 laptop (26mm).
If I print screen and paste into 'paint' then shrink to 50% I'm unable to read it but the rest of the page is still legible (13mm).
On my inexpensive 6.5" Samsung phone I have to expand the page (40mm) before your paste is comfortable to read. However your comment is clear to read at 17mm native in my screen with visible width of 68mm.
Width/length of the word 'communication' in your written text

Interesting. On my screen here,the text I typed (top row in the following bit of screenshot) and that of the text in in the image I pasted (bottom row) are in a very similar (perhaps identical) font, of a similar size, the only real difference being that the latter appears to be bold - and both seem more-or-less equally readable to me ....

In any event, I'm not really sure that I deserve criticism or sarcasm. Had the text of the material been 'copyable as text', I would have done that, in which case both my typed text and that from the article would have looked identical. However, since I couldn't do that, I had no choice but to post a bit of a screenshot.

 

[aveatry]

I have been banned from the other smart meter thread so I promise not to talk about what SM - in theory can do as it seemed to upset someone.

But there is little use is there ? in comparing bills from this or that year as it depends on the weather for that year. I have my consumption down to as low as it can be without eating cold beans or walking around with candles and some years I use more than others - but so far this year thanks to global warming I have used less than the previous few years.

 

[ericmark]

We use UFH on our local heritage railway, it was telephones in little huts, over the 8 miles line, but modern phones need power, and the little huts had no power.

Only 8 miles, but we do from time to time, in spite of the repeater around the centre of the line, have problems from time to time, and have to revert to mobile phone.

I have in the past used packet radio, on VHF, and know the problem when many stations are trying to pass info to the same BBS, so it does not surprise me that there are problems using a UHF radio system, which asks if I as an amateur realise there will be likely problems, how is it a professional did not realise there would be problems?

 

[ericmark]

But there is little use is there ? in comparing bills from this or that year as it depends on the weather for that year. I have my consumption down to as low as it can be without eating cold beans or walking around with candles and some years I use more than others - but so far this year thanks to global warming I have used less than the previous few years.

I have only had solar for just over the year, and a smart meter for even less time, I have looked at the bills, and I can see the stages where the bills have dropped.

1) Fitting solar only to be expected massive drop in power used.
2) The smart meter was fitted to start with on a single tariff, when the off-peak tariff was put in we saw another drop in cost (not use just cost)
3) The second battery going from 3.2 kWh to 6.4 kWh also saw a drop in peak power used, so also a drop in cost, but not been in for long enough to really have good data to go on.

Energy used year to year will not vary that much, but one only have to look at the charts to see in real terms this is not really the case. There is no good reason why each month consumption varies so much. Note this is consumption, not import to user as shown here where you can see the summer reduction, and cost wise without standing charge clearly Jan the month when smart meter fitted, and Nov not a full month, but Sept and Oct last year, compared with this year (Sept to Dec shown) it is rather similar, usage wise, but since no smart meter in 2023 can't show costs.

 

[SUNRAY]

Interesting. On my screen here,the text I typed (top row in the following bit of screenshot) and that of the text in in the image I pasted (bottom row) are in a very similar (perhaps identical) font, of a similar size, the only real difference being that the latter appears to be bold - and both seem more-or-less equally readable to me ....

View attachment 362645

In any event, I'm not really sure that I deserve criticism or sarcasm. Had the text of the material been 'copyable as text', I would have done that, in which case both my typed text and that from the article would have looked identical. However, since I couldn't do that, I had no choice but to post a bit of a screenshot.

I trust you are not reading my reply as a criticism, it would not have occurred to me to complain. However it is definitely dificult, but by no means impossible, to read it on my phone due to having to expand it and then moving the image back and forth across the page.

Ironically trying to copy and paste this into paint, expanding it to 200% to roughly get to the size of yours then copy and paste it here looks very different to what I see on the screen but I'm sure you have to agree your copy/paste here looks 'worse' than your written text (that of course assumes this looks the same on both our screens):

I think all this is doing is highlighting the different devices resolutions, formats and processing, especially comparing laptop to phone where there appears to be a bigger difference.

 

[JohnW2]

I trust you are not reading my reply as a criticism, it would not have occurred to me to complain.

Not at all. You certainly were not the culprit (scroll back a bit!)

However it is definitely dificult, but by no means impossible, to read it on my phone due to having to expand it and then moving the image back and forth across the page. ... Ironically trying to copy and paste this into paint, expanding it to 200% to roughly get to the size of yours then copy and paste it here looks very different to what I see on the screen but I'm sure you have to agree your copy/paste here looks 'worse' than your written text ...

I'm not sure that I do agree. Certainly on my screen if I juxtapose the image and my typing, and embolden the latter, I really see little difference! ...

I think all this is doing is highlighting the different devices resolutions, formats and processing, especially comparing laptop to phone where there appears to be a bigger difference.

Quite so - and it's not my fault if someone choses to view my messages,and images within them, on the tiny screen of a phone. I'm afraid that I am far too old to regard a phone as anything but something primarily intended for make 'telephone calls'

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

I had not realised that gas causes smarting, must be careful not to get new gas near my eyes. But since the old gas was so dangerous for other reasons, I would not really allow gas around my body anyway, so smarting was not a problem.

 

[fixitflav]

As a matter of interest, did anyone else have any problem reading the content of the image I included in post #10?

I could read it fine on an iPad.

 

[Rodders53]

What exactly were you trying to read it on - a phone perhaps? On my laptop screen, it's just as clear as the rest of the text of my (and everyone else's) post(s) !

Nope but I don't strain my eyes to read such stuff. My screen is already on a 150% Zoom and I found the blurry text very difficult so ignored it. The link was also less than helpful as I didn't spot it was the same planning application pdf file..

BTW The text from that pdf can be copied and pasted, just like this, below. Or one can retype the salient bits.

Hint: Google Lens

3.2. `Smart gas and electric meters within premises will connect to Arqiva's network by means of the Communications Hub, which will be installed separately from the Smart Meter unit. The system uses Long Range Radio in the UHF band at 412-414 MHz for the uplink and 422-424 MHz for the downlink, using licensed spectrum. The network equipment is provided by a US company, Sensus and operates over a proprietary radio protocol, which has been customised for utilities messaging services. This solution is ideal for covering the varied terrain and building types of the UK, and is in wide deployment in the US.

3.3. The typical operation of the Smart Metering system consists of meters sending readings to their Communications Hub by a pre-set schedule e.g. every hour or every four hours, etc. (Communications between the meter and the Communication Hub are typically in the 2.4 GHz or 870 MHz bands). Also on a pre-arranged schedule, the base station sends a message to each Communications Hub (at 424MHz) to request readings. The Communications Hub then responds (at 414MHz) with its stored readings. Each message is typically of the order of several hundred bytes sent for durations of less than half a second.

 

[JohnW2]

The link was also less than helpful as I didn't spot it was the same planning application pdf file..

The same as what - the file you subsequently found?

BTW The text from that pdf can be copied and pasted, just like this, below.

Interesting. Needless to say, that's the first thing I tried, but it wouldn't let me copy the text!

Or one can retype the salient bits.

One could, but I have far better things to do with my time, particularly when the screenshot seemed perfectly readable to me!