Can TV licencing really tell if you are receiving broadcasts?

They send all these threatening letters out, make you fear spot checks, spread the myth of "detector vans", but in reality do they really have any means of telling whether you are using a TV to receive broadcasts? It seems all the threating letters they send you are based purely on whether or not you are registed on their database as paying for a TV licence.

I understand that you do not have to declare whether or not you infact own a TV to them, and that they have no right to enter your home to search for one. So, how feasible is it to own a TV and watch broadcasts on it without ever paying for a TV licence?

Thanks

The amount of people in this thread that are wrong is hilarious.

Of course TV detector vans exist and work. We can send a man to the moon and split the atom but can't pick up a simple broadcast?

Your TV contains a local oscillator. High frequency 'TV' signals are first interpretted by the oscillator in order to lower the frequency and make it more manageble to the visual and audio equipment on your TV.

The oscillator emits an electromagnetic signal, which can be readily picked up by someone in the vicinity (I.e. in the street).

Not only this but the oscillator signal frequency is always 39.5MhZ higher than the requency of the channel you're watching.

Not only can they tell whether the TV is on, they can tell what channel you're watching.

Last year they caught 440,000 people with the technology.

Edit: Obviously the address is taken and sent back to the main database, where it will quickly tell them you don't have a license.

The amount of people in this thread that are wrong is hilarious.

Of course TV detector vans exist and work. We can send a man to the moon and split the atom but can't pick up a simple broadcast?

Your TV contains a local oscillator. High frequency 'TV' signals are first interpretted by the oscillator in order to lower the frequency and make it more manageble to the visual and audio equipment on your TV.

The oscillator emits an electromagnetic signal, which can be readily picked up by someone in the vicinity (I.e. in the street).

Not only this but the oscillator signal frequency is always 39.5MhZ higher than the requency of the channel you're watching.

Not only can they tell whether the TV is on, they can tell what channel you're watching.

Last year they caught 440,000 people with the technology.

Edit: Obviously the data and address is taken and sent back to the main database (called LASSY), where it will quickly tell them you don't have a license.

Edit 2: They can also just measure the EM radiation from your timebase scanning coils. Doesn't tell them what channel you're on but it does tell them you're watching a broadcast.

Where did you get those figures from?

Proof, please

But then how would they be able to tell where said frequency is coming from? How do they know if they are picking up the signal from a television in my bedroom from a foot away in the next house. Yes it is possible but in actual fact they don't.

It's not exactly impartial evidence is it. Clearly the bbc wants everyone to think they have majoc vans and men in black to give you a sound beating when you don't pay up but they would, it's where they get their funding.

Oh and by the way, I don't not pay my tv license because I don't want to, I don't pay it because of the heavy-handed and threatening ways they go about collecting the money.

If you're living in halls it would be very hard for them to prove the broadcasts are coming from your room.

Also, it's ironic that TV liscence propaganda can be found on the BBC website.

AHAHA ha too funny.

My evidence is all over the internet. Use google.

Till there is some undeniable proof (not put out by the beeb) then I am perfectly happy to assume they are a scare tactic and a silly deterent.