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I Have a Question - Volume 222 - Dynamic Dave

***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 223 *****


In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.

It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.

No Questions About PCs. Please use the current "computer Related Questions" thread instead.
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Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.

However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.

This is Volume 222. Previous Volumes will not be deleted,

A list of previous volumes can be found :-HERE

PLEASE NOTE:

When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 20/02/2008 at 10:25

T.v quiz question - billy25
Morning folks,
just had a discussion at the local, about a question that was asked on the T.V program " are you blah blah than a 10 yr old".

The question asked was " what is the true meaning of the word "Pharoah" "

I have checked several breeds of dictionaries, all of which agree with my understanding of the word, (Ancient rulers of Eygypt) but these do not tally with the answer that was finally decreed to be literally correct.

Answers on a postcard, virtual pint to first correct answer, anybody that saw that particular episode is excluded - barred - forbidden to even think of entering.

Good luck
Billy

Edited by billy25 on 08/02/2008 at 03:49

T.v quiz question - L'escargot
I googled for pharoah and it said "Did you mean: pharaoh" ;-)
T.v quiz question - Round The Bend
L'esc, - very sharp this morning!


....so I said to the pharaoh "Where can I hire a glifick?" .......etc
T.v quiz question - Rebecca {P}
King of royal blood?

Abraham 1 :20
T.v quiz question - drbe
Pharaoh:- The title of the ruler of ancient Egypt

Derivation "Great house".
T.v quiz question - billy25
"Great house".


Well! that seems to tie in with the answer that i was told was given! (Massive Building)
Seems a queer title to give your king! - unless he ran a Pub!
Take the pint !

Billy
T.v quiz question - henry k
Pharaoh:- The title of the ruler of ancient Egypt. Derivation "Great house".

>>
Another vote for this.
uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2006092615...s
"Pharaoh means "The Great House" or "The Royal Palace."

There is a lot lot more detail ( for those interested) in the above link from an Egyptian archaeologist.
T.v quiz question - Dwight Van Driver
.... an exclamation made by a male after seeing a curvy blonde woman at the road side...........

dvd
Digital Camera (cont) - cheddar
Following on from IHAQ 221 just to say that e-Buyer have the Canon A560 at £79.99.

www.ebuyer.com/product/128094
Digital Camera (cont) - BobbyG
Cheers for that Cheddar, got my email from ebuyer this morning saying same. Thats not the one with IS on it though is it?
Digital Camera (cont) - cheddar
No the 570IS has IS though not sure it is worth £30 more, the lens, chip etc are the same.

Edit: www.buyacamera.co.uk have the 570IS for £94.99.

Edited by cheddar on 08/02/2008 at 18:43

Digital Camera (cont) - rtj70
I think I posted that link the other day. But for about £20 more you get case and memory card from Amazon.
Best Internet Service Provider? - Orson {P}
Apologies if this should be in the computer thread, but thought I'd start here as it's not a computer-wonk question!
Bought a computer at Christmas, first one at home. Never had internet at home before. Signed up for Tiscali broadband, but they have been useless - failed to connect us, no router arrived. It is now 3 weeks since the connection date, and I can get no sense out of the call centre, whose computers are regularly down so they are unable to help me. It also takes, on average 30 minutes to get through to be told this! I'm going to cut our losses and run - if they try being funny about the contract, then they are also in breach by not connecting us on the due date.
So, for a computer at home, light usage, phone line can take up to 6 mbps, no games or videos other than the odd clip, just browsing and posting on things like this, who do people suggest?
Thanks
O

Edited by Orson {P} on 08/02/2008 at 11:30

Best Internet Service Provider? - jbif
who do people suggest?


I suggest you look at www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-broadband and pick the best one to suit your circumstances. For example, he recommends TalkTalk if you bundle phone + broadband.

Best Internet Service Provider? - Stuartli
I've been with TalkTalk since a year last April (eventually got shut of Tiscali despite the fact I'd been with it and the original WorldOnline days since 1998).

Best move I made, which is also the case for several friends and family members.

On the TalkTalk International3 package, which costs £20.50 a month, I get "up to 8MB" broadband (it's around 6.5MB to 6.9MB in my case), free AnyTime UK calls to all local, o1 and 02 numbers; free AnyTime international calls to more than 30 countries including Europe, the States and Australia and, on top of that, the £10.50 line rental is included...:-)

You need a BT line to be able to take the TalkTalk service and it's more than likely your exchange has been LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) equipped by TT. You can check here:

www.samknows.com/broadband/llu-league.php?type=cpw

(CarphoneWarehouse also owns AOL).

For details of TalkTalk's International3 package see:

tinyurl.com/nl8te

To date, nearly two years after TT introduced this and similar packages, no other ISP has come close to matching it, either on price or overall features.

Edited by Stuartli on 08/02/2008 at 11:49

Best Internet Service Provider? - oldnotbold
I've been with BT since I've had broadband. Only once have I called support, and that was for the Broadband Talk phone (free extra phoneline that uses the broadband, not the phone line itself, a BT service).
Best Internet Service Provider? - SpamCan61 {P}
I was a happy Pipex customer for a few years, unfortunately they were taken over by Tiscali, who recently decided to bandwidth throttle and port block my service to the point of unusability ( despite me not using vast bandwidth or P2P). I've switched to Plusnet, the changeover was painless and the service rock solid, so far: no LLU in my area, no cable eitehr, so choice was limited.
Best Internet Service Provider? - crunch_time
Only been with TalkTalk for three months (int 2 package @£16 pm) but they've done everything they said they would, when they said they would.

Except - charged me commencing over a month from when they they actually did the job - not complaining about that!

Best Internet Service Provider? - Stuartli
>>not complaining about that!>>

TalkTalk charges in arrears - how else would it be able to include phone costs that include 0870 and other non-AnyTime UK calls on your bill?
Best Internet Service Provider? - rtj70
My parents are with TalkTalk. Their experience is when it's working it's been fine but:

- Once the phones stopped working - someone had disconnected something at the exchange
- The phone was crackling - wiring problem at the exchange

But all working again now. Because they do not own the line to the house you still get BT engineers if needed.

Someone my wife knows is also with TalkTalk and they have had major problems with intermittent Internet. Eventually they had to agree for someone to come to their house to check router, PC, etc. If it was found that it was nothing to do with TalkTalk but a PC issue then they had to pay for the visit!

I am with Virgin Media (started with 512Mb broadband with Cable & Wireless which became NTL which became VM). Rarely gone wrong in 7 years but customer service can be frustrating. Especially the Indian call centres.
Best Internet Service Provider? - Stuartli
>>hen they had to pay for the visit!>>

This is usually the case with BT and is in its Ts and Cs - if the fault is not on its section of the line from the exchange to your Master socket, then you are very likely to receive a (hefty) bill.
Best Internet Service Provider? - Group B
My parents are with TalkTalk. Their experience is when it's working it's been fine but:
- The phone was crackling - wiring problem at the exchange



Were with TalkTalk and get this problem with phones, but only when its windy - the lines rub together (olde worlde overhead lines). More of a BT problem than TT though.

Getting through TalkTalk to request maintenance can take ages in the automated queuing system; sometimes get a quicker response by emailing them instead.

We've only had a problem with phones though, broadband has been fault free (touch wood).

Edited by Rich 9-3 on 08/02/2008 at 13:48

Best Internet Service Provider? - rtj70
Same phone line since before I was born and no problems with wind making the line crackly. Switch to talktalk and have a problem within a week... So no problem for 36 years but a problem when on talktalk straight away. It was a connection issue at the exchange as the BT engineer confirmed when he fixed it - he called from the exchange.

And the exchange is only about 200 yards from her home - I remember playing around it as a child and collecting "spare coloured wires"
Best Internet Service Provider? - crunch_time
"TalkTalk charges in arrears - how else would it be able to include phone costs that include 0870 and other non-AnyTime UK calls on your bill?"


I am aware of that. The first bill has arrived - showing a start date over a month after the initial connection.

Best Internet Service Provider? - Stuartli
Lucky you...:-)

Proves my point that no other ISP has yet come anywhere near the sheer value for money of the International3 or other packages...:-))

Edited by Stuartli on 08/02/2008 at 15:53

Best Internet Service Provider? - normd2
I'm another Plusnet user, it just works, no problems.
Best Internet Service Provider? - cheddar
I have some associates on Talk talk, all sorts of problems.

I am on PlusNet, have been for 4 years, no problems.

They are now owned by BT though no reason think that would make it detrimental, in fact they have started to publish std STD numbers for all of their depts thus making contacting them free if on an inclusive calls package.
Best Internet Service Provider? - Stuartli
I have some associates on Talk talk, all sorts of problems.>>


Surprising. All those I know on TalkTalk are very happy with the service and that includes me...:-)

Plusnet is good, but it has had its own problems in the not too distant past.

You can, of course, say that of all ISPs.
Best Internet Service Provider? - rtj70
All I can say is I am with Virgin Media (ex NTL/C&W) and can only say it has been very good but others will disagree.

I know of only three houses on TalkTalk and 2/3 have had issues. Most might not and my mother now happy (except email still not working properly on a new PC).
Best Internet Service Provider? - Stuartli
(except email still not working properly on a new PC).>>


This could be because some people get confused about the Username and Password for e-mails; you also have to get someone to actually send you an e-mail to open the account. If you already have another e-mail address, you can use this to do so.

The phonenumber @talktalk.net Username and Password of letters and numbers is to log on to TalkTalk; the e-mail Username and your chosen password are to get into My Account or WebMail.
Best Internet Service Provider? - JH
O
Try "ISP comparison" at www.dslzoneuk.net I'm with Zen and very happy after I got hacked off with "technical support" (don't make me laugh!) from BT and frequent connection down or slow.
JH
Best Internet Service Provider? - Orson {P}
Lovely, thanks - will do some digging this weekend (on the library computers!)
O
Best Internet Service Provider? - nick
I've found AOL to be good, I get my phone through them too. Geeks hate them but I've never understood why.
Best Internet Service Provider? - Robbie
I have been with Telewest - now Virgin Media - since they laid cables here. They are not the cheapest, I think, but the service is good. Very little down time since I have been with them and very fast. No noisy 'phone lines as I had with BT, and unlimited downloads.

I'm on the 4 Meg service which I learn is being uprated to 10 Megs later this month.
BT Telephone Engineer? - drbe
I have some problems with the telehone wiring inside my house.

I have asked BT to fix it and they suggested that I find a BT engineer and get him to do it, because they (BT) are so expensive!

Can anyone suggest a BT engineer in the Surrey area who could do a job for me?

I would prefer to use a BT engineer, rather than an 'ordinary' electrician because he should have the proper equipment and training to make sure that my Broadband works properly!

I can be emailed via the moderators.
BT Telephone Engineer? - JH
d
I'm a long way off so I can't help directly but I see ads for services by BT engineers as you describe in the local freebie paper. I suggest that you'll strike lucky in there.
Regards,
John
BT Telephone Engineer? - Mapmaker
Telephone wire is dead simple. Just two copper wires. Can't you do it yourself?
BT Telephone Engineer? - Stuartli
It's not quite that simple, especially for the sockets, without the proper tools...:-)
BT Telephone Engineer? - drbe
A fairly knowledgeable amateur had a go, but without any success. I would prefer that a professional did it, then I know that it's done right - if not I have some come back.
BT Telephone Engineer? - henry k
>>I have some problems with the telehone wiring inside my house.
>>
>>>>It's not quite that simple, especially for the sockets, without the proper tools...:-)
>>
If you just want to extend the telephone wiring then it IS very easy to do.
It is a a twin wire cable. The main effort is routing the cable.
The other job is a couple of rawlplugs to secure a box on the wall / skirting board.
The tool to pop the wires into the socket is a little plastic job. IMO a rip of price of £1.79 below but available in many places
www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=929&doy=12m2
..
>>A fairly knowledgeable amateur had a go, but without any success.

That really does surprise me.

Is it telephone wiring of something else that you require?


BT Telephone Engineer? - Mapmaker
Honest, it's the simplest activity ever. You don't even need a tool, you often just push the wires on with your fingers (a smallish child may help if yours are podgy).

Beware, there are 6 (generally) cables in a telephone wire; three pairs - orange, green and blue. Choose one colour pair, and connect at both ends.
BT Telephone Engineer? - drbe
We have two phone lines in the house - a business line and a domestic line. All the wiring is installed and is operational - up to a point (no pun).

When I had the PC on the business line, broadband worked fine. I have, for a variety of reasons, switched the broadband to the domestic line. I now have a very slow speed and the connection frequently drops.

I don't want to change the PC line back to the business number. I want the broadband connection to stay up at a reasonable speed.

That is why I feel that a professional engineer would be able to ensure that everything is done properly.

Does anyone know www.telecomengineers.co.uk or what their work is like?
Halstead Central Heating Boilers - Petel
Is there anyone out there please, who has experience of service and maintenance on the ( circa 1992 ) Bently 50, ballanced flue boiler?
If so, I will post further detail.
Thank you.
eBay "Make an offer" confusion - cheddar
Hello,

I use eBay fairly often though have not used "Make an offer" before, I was a little confused not helped by taking a phone call just after submitting an offer.

Firstly I did not expect an immediate response to my offer, rather I thought it would intialise contact between the seller and I rather like when one e-mails a seller through e-bay.

Secondly eBay appeared to give me the option of reviewing the offer, a button called "Review offer" appeared, I assumed this related to my initial offer and was not, in effect, a new offer.

Hence I made two purchases, doh!

I have paid for one immediately via Paypal and e-mailed the seller and eBay customer services, I trust that the seller will cancel the unwanted item.

Anyone else come across this?


Thanks.
Neighbour and fence problem - rustbucket
We had new nieghbours move in next door about a year now, the fence between us is mine as shown on the deeds.This has always been a four foot wire mesh fence with roses growing in / out of it at the rear of the properties the front by mutual agreement with the previous owners we removed the fence.When the previous owners left I replaced the missing front fence with a wire mesh and my wife grew climbing plants to make it pretty.So far so good,but now our new nieghbour has errected a 7foot wooden fence from the front of the property and is working his way down the garden.He has left my original fence in situ but put his so tight that any plants climbing the fence are damaged or will not survive.We did get on well but his wife seems to have a fear of not being enclosed hence the fence he will not take any of our considerations into account,I have tried to discuss with them perhaps to use hedging or at least an atractive fence combined with plants but they insist it must be a strong secure fence. I have also pointed out that the deeds of convent for these properties say 3 foot fences at the front and 6 feet at the rear but he just ignores this fact.The fence construction is horrible to look at so plant cover is an option but its a north face.Also if he does continue the lenghth of the garden it will almost certainly put an end to my vedgitable growing.Unfortunately comunication between us has ground to a halt and I am reluctunt to take legal action as it will cost.Everything we say they seem to take offence at ,excuss the pun.What would you do?
Neighbour and fence problem - Happy Blue!
The Royal Instituation of Chartered Surveyors (of whom I am one) offers a fixed price service for neighbour disputes. Look at their website (www.rics.org).

There are several issues in your story. It seems firstly that they have (fortunately) not erected this new fence other than either on the boundary or on their side of it. That is good news and if it is on their side, they have reduced the width of their plot.

Secondly, planning permission may be required for the first fence panel from the front boundary, as it is over two metres, so talk to the local planners.

Thirdly, the covenant is likely to be valid - how old are the houses? - and you could issue an injuction to stop him. That is your strongest point.

The issue of flowers growing and the vegetable patch is totally irrelevant.

You need to understand your respective rights - not just yours, his as well - and to have the matter dealt with by mediation, which an RICS member can do on an informal basis.

What I can tell you is that lawyers and surveyors love boundary disputes. We earn loads of money over arguments over a few inches. Advice - ignore the bloke - if his wife is so insecure, they won't stay long. If you have an argument, you have to declare it to a purchaser. Don't argue, nothing to disclose - life is too short, save your money etc etc etc.
Neighbour and fence problem - rustbucket
Hi Espada lll {P}
Thanks for the reply.
Yes the fence has been errected on their plot , my boundry and fence are in place.The houses were built 1939 to 1953 most of the deeds of convent have been ignored ie no telgraph poles,no aerials and a few more by most of the properties.The last thing I want to do is go legal as you say cost £ £ £ and can have future problems for latter sales ect.
The new nieghbours said when they moved in that where they came from nobody talked to them, we now know why.Lets hope they do move on,but it annoys us that they just arrive and up set all concerned.
I have little objection if the fence was in keeping with the surrounds and looked atractive,its painted black,I guess the best option is to hide fence with attractive plants and ignore their petty exhistance.
Neighbour and fence problem - Mapmaker
Take a deep breath and smile cheerfully at them whenever you see them. They won't stay long, troublesome neighbours never do.
Site required that alphabetically lists towns, etc - Martin Devon
Does anybody know of a site where I can get an alphabetical list of all of the towns, villages and possibly hamlets in Devon?

Tia MD

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 12/02/2008 at 00:42

Site required that alphabetically lists towns, etc - billy25
Few here to get you started!

genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/indexpars.html

Blly

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 12/02/2008 at 00:42

Site required that alphabetically lists towns, etc - Martin Devon
Thank you Sir.

VBR MD

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 12/02/2008 at 00:42

Site required that alphabetically lists towns, etc - daveyjp
If you need more than that the Ordnance Survey do an official gazetteer - now available online for a price, but second hand printed copies are available.
Site required that alphabetically lists towns, etc - PhilW
You will also find them here - it's population figures for all wards and parishes in Devon - and they are in alphabetical order for each district

tinyurl.com/yt7ecs
Digital portable phone indoors - Martin Devon
I have been suffering an old analogue 'walkabout' phone for years and now comes the time to improve matters. I have seen many of the digital sets where you seem to get 3 phones and cradles etc. Does anybody have any good reports on makes, performance etc.

Also I really could do with the ability to use one via a headset. Is a wireless jobby possible in this scenario?

Yours, electronically abitignorant.co.blahblah...........VBR MD
Digital portable phone indoors - Bromptonaut
I suspect DECT phones are much of a muchness but our Panasonics work fine in anywhere in our average late 20th century house/garden. Like a lot of things these days phones can have far too many features and end up bieng anything but intuitive in use.

One thing we've found is that since we got CLI the 20 number memory is not big enough to identify all our regular callers by name.

No idea on headsets.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 12/02/2008 at 20:17

Digital portable phone indoors - BobbyG
I have a set of Panasonic ones, probably about 1-2 years old and they are great. They show up caller id, you can record a "ring tone" for each of ten numbers (so in my case when the phone rings for one of these numbers I get a spoken message that previously recorded of who is phoning)

Sad I know but it then determines who in the house goes hunting for the phone to answer it!

Not sure about the headset option , would need to look further into that
Digital portable phone indoors - Stuartli
My analogue BT cordless suffered terminal battery failure the day before yesterday, but finding a replacement other than on-line proved impossible.

So I nipped into a local cut price store and bought a Philips C130 DECT phone for just £12.99; it works very well, has a wide range of feature and uses standard AAA rechargeable batteries. I suspect it's a just discontinued model in view of the price and source of purchase.

However, if you have a wireless broadband setup, then one of the Panasonic models is a good choice as, I'm assured, they cause no interference problems with the broadband connection.

Argos has probably the widest choice of DECT phones around and its new catalogue is now out - or visit the website.

Edited by Stuartli on 12/02/2008 at 20:18

Digital portable phone indoors - Archie35
We bought a Phillips DECT phone a while back - came with such an awful set of ring tones (all "musical", all hideous, and nothing resembling, even remotely, a normal telephone). In the end the shop let us exchange it for a Panasonic which has been excellent. However the Panasonic model which we have does not let you use a headset.

Digital portable phone indoors - rtj70
Many years ago had an analogue cordless phone and reception very poor. Put up with it as I only got it so my flat mate could have it in her room to answer when her boyfriend phoned at unreasonable time.

A few years later and moved to where I live now. Tried the old analogue and still very poor. Bought a DECT and clear sounds etc. Excellent really.

Still have it but swapped rooms for my office and instead of running cable I have two DECT's with a single base station. Cheapo Tesco I think but works just as well with more features than the original Philips Onis. But the original was £60 and the two new ones about £20.
Digital portable phone indoors - bathtub tom
I can highly recommend DECT (Digitally Enhanced Cordless Technology - IIRC).

Go for at least sixty number directory, believe me you'll probably need more, and backlight display, imagine using your mobile without illumination.

I don't bother with answering machines, I find 1571 far more useful, and it's free - presuming you rent your line from BT.
Digital portable phone indoors - Armitage Shanks {p}
I just get by with a 100 number directory! 1571 is available on OneTel/Talk Talk - same number, same service, just a different voice!
Digital portable phone indoors - Nsar
If you can possibly try it out before purchase do. We have a Philips one and it's complete pony. The handset is light but that means that it has nil sound-deadening qualities so if there's any noise going on in the room you're in you can't hear a thing. It is also non-intuitive so having lost the manual I have no idea how to store numbers, redial, anything.

Would change it but to what? If they are all as rubbish at transmitting sound into your ear there's little point.

Digital portable phone indoors - Martin Devon
I gathered that about the Philips Nsar, but from earlier posts Panasonic sounds (sic) 'The Bees Knees'. I hate the 'Dogs whatsits' expression.

Would still like to use a headset though so I can type whilst being lectured by my website guru.

VBR................MD
Digital portable phone indoors - Stuartli
IIRC the person calling you and who opts to use 1571 ends up paying the charge even if there's no actual ringing tone, just an immediate 1571 response...:-(
Digital portable phone indoors - drbe
an immediate 1571 response...:-(


Plus, you don't know that you are through to the correct number, because the answering voice does not give a name or number.

1571 is an abomination!
Digital portable phone indoors - defender
another vote for panasonic ,dont know about headset but it has speakerphone which might do your job
Digital portable phone indoors - jbif
1571 is an abomination!


Why? What is the problem? I just use it as a "voicemail" facility. If I want to ring the caller, I use the usual address book stored number.
Digital portable phone indoors - defender
as an edit to my above post the panasonic kxtg 8222 does support a headset
www.cordless-phones.uk.com/cordless-phones/multiha...n
Digital portable phone indoors - buzbee
Another vote for Panasonic DECTs. Originally I bought BT but they went back when I found that stylish fancy text was more important to the designer than its legibility. The Pans are much better and have features like being able to send the (updated) phone book from one hand set to the others.
How do electric showers and pumps interact? - Chris S
How do electric showers and pumps interact?

Turning my (Triton) electric shower on also turns on the pump. Increasing the temperature also seems to decrease the waterflow.

Is there some sort of resistor in the shower that inhibits power to the pump, or is there a sensor in the pump that detects waterflow?
How do electric showers and pumps interact? - nick
Temperature control with an electrically heated shower is usually done by varying the flow rate, the slower the water flows over the element, the hotter it gets. This is usually simply done by restricting the flow using a valve as you turn the temperature dial up.
How do electric showers and pumps interact? - Mapmaker
Do you have a separate pump?

An electric shower heats water and spits it out over you at a temperature you choose. There is a limit to how quickly the shower can heat the water. So e.g. it heats one pint of water by 50 degrees every minute.

So you have a choice as to how much water at what temperature arrives each minute:

1 pint 50 degrees hotter than the cold water supply

2 pints 25 degrees hotter than the cold supply

5 pints 10 degrees hotter than the cold supply


So if you (are a lobster and) like to shower at 75 degrees and it is summer, so the water supply is at 25 degrees, you can have 1 pint per minute. If you are happy to shower at 50 degrees, you can have 2 pints per minute.

If you shower at 50 degrees, but it is is winter, so the water supply is at 0 degrees, you can only have 1 pint per minute.

Your shower is clever enough to balance the flow of water so that the temperature coming out is as you wish it to be; flow is varied accordingly.
How do electric showers and pumps interact? - SpamCan61 {P}
>>Your shower is clever enough to balance the flow of water so that the temperature coming out is as you wish it to be; flow is varied accordingly.

You must have better electric showers than me, all the ones I've ever used just have a mechanical flow rate control, and a high / low switch for the heating control, as nick has described. I've never figured out how they are allowed to advertise these as 'thermostatic' when they appear to be nothing of the sort. I'm talking about triton / gainsborough units in the 100 -150 quid range.

In answer to the original query, I imagine the pump has a flow actuated control switch.
How do electric showers and pumps interact? - Mapmaker
I take it back.

Your shower operator has a thermostat that enables him to adjust the temperature of the water to that which he desires. In fact he has unknowingly varied the flow rate until the water is at the desired temperature.
Posting a drum kit - maz64
My stepson is in the process of selling his drum kit, and has had a good offer from someone in Scotland. We live in Reading, so what are the options for getting the kit to the buyer, apart from meeting them half way? Will we have to get a load of big cardboard boxes and lots of bubblewrap?

The kit is selling for about £500, and the buyer has said he will pay for postage, but I think that's only up to a point.
Posting a drum kit - Mapmaker
You can get couriers off eBay cheaply. About £10 (sometimes as little as £5) will buy you 24/48 hour delivery for a 30kg parcel anywhere in the UK. I guess you'll need several parcels?

search 'uk courier' on eBay. They buy up bulk capacity from the big couriers - Parcelforce, Interlink et al and you will be given a 6 hour window for pick up. Some of the eBay resellers are fly-by-night operators and you need to be a bit careful; they aren't that keen on compensation. Make sure the buyer inspects the parcels before signing for it. Parceltosend have been on eBay for years and a re a bit more expensive - say £15 per parcel.

Alternatively, a pallet is about £50.
Posting a drum kit - maz64
You can get couriers off eBay cheaply.


Thanks, I'll look into that.
Gilts Maturity - bintang
Interest on gilts is paid twice a year. When redeeemed, is this on the first or second payment for the redemption year? I can't find this precise information online
Employing some kind of project manager...? - PoloGirl
Bear with me on this one...

My nan is 90 and lives on her own in the Midlands, while we live down south. She's finally decided to have gas central heating put in and wants to get on and get it done. My dad knows what he's doing and how to get the right people for the job in terms of heating/plumbing etc so finding someone to do the work wont be an issue.

What we're worried about is, obviously my dad can't be there every day to supervise/check (not intrusively, just like you would if the work was being done in your own home) the work that is being done and the things that are being said to my nan if there are any difficulties (she's a bit deaf too, so tends to mishear things and worry).

We're wondering if it's possible to employ some kind of indenpendent local project manager to oversee the work. I think you can request a CORGI inspector to go and have a look when the work is done, but this is more about keeping an eye on things while the job is being done.

Does any of this make sense? Any suggestions?
Employing some kind of project manager...? - Jono_99
I think I understand the problem - my view would be to find someone that your Nan knows that has a smattering of understanding of what is going on with regard to the heating being put in (rather than someone who has a full grasp of heating)

She doesn't want an additional person she doesn't know coming into her house to 'worry' about - what she wants is someone she can trust to help explain to her what decisions she has to make, as and when this is required.

Does she have a tame handyman she uses, or even a retired friend who could come and visit a couple of times a day to check progress / be first line of contact in case of problem?

HTH

Jon
Employing some kind of project manager...? - Lud
Jono has it right. If possible, the helpful friend should be there when the contractor first arrives, so that the heating man understands his/her role of interpreter from the outset. The friend should be fairly bright and not inordinately fussy, as some diplomacy will probably be needed sooner or later.

Employing some kind of project manager...? - FotheringtonThomas
We're wondering if it's possible to employ some kind of indenpendent local
project manager to oversee the (gas CH installation) work.


This will cost far more than the work's worth, unless your Granny lives in a mansion. Your best bet is to get an estimate that specifies what work is to be done, and not to pay the whole lot, preferably not beyond that vitally necessary to secure the deal, before the job is completed, and the system has been running for 10 days, give or take.

Try to limit damage to floors, etc. in your specification, and make sure aesthetics (internal building works, pipeing - and external) are paid proper attention to.

In short, first sort out expectations of what is to be done, and agree the spec. That's the *major* part of the job.


>>I think you can request a CORGI inspector to go and have a look when the work is done

The work must be done by a CORGI subscriber, if he's paid. He will be very keen to ensure that his work conforms to standards, as if not, he could lose his CORGI accredition (and therefore become "officially" unemployed"), and/or become the focus of legal nastiness.

The fact that the work is legitimate, and conforms to legal requirements, does not mean that it will be exactly what you want, or that it will be aesthetically pleasing, or silent, or.... so - in the first place - make sure the spec's. fully agreed, *and adhered to*, etc., as already described.
Employing some kind of project manager...? - Lud
The word Corgi in this context always makes me choke with rage, but of course we are stuck with it and all that it means.

PG, it's quite important that yr father chooses the right person to do the job not just technically, but psychologically.

This sort of thing always has imponderables in it. That's why you need adaptable individuals involved when someone more or less helpless is the client. You don't want some backstreet prima donna messing your grandmother around. Impress that on yr father if he isn't already onto it.
Employing some kind of project manager...? - Clk Sec
It might be worth contacting Help the Aged or Age Concern.

Clk Sec
Camping in Provence/Vaucluse - Bromptonaut
Trying to locate an operator with Canvas Holdays type all in deals in the Provence/Vaucluse area. Intend to Eurostar to Avignon and hire a car. Nearest most companies offer is a site at Castellane but we've been there before and really want to go further west - Mont Ventoux etc.

Any suggestions of smaller(?) tour companies or reccomendations for sites that rent tents/caravans.

Thanks in anticipation.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 16/02/2008 at 12:38

Wide Screen LCD TVs: Worth £500 or £1500 - Lounge Lizard
I'm thinking of getting a Wide Screen LCD Television - about 40" screen.

I've shopped around a lot on the the Internet and on the High Street.

There seems to be 2 extremes of price:

£1500 for various major brands from the High Street (maybe a bit cheaper on the internet).

£500 for an apparently similar TV from Asda. Brand = 'Onn' (or something).

My question is: Is a cheap 'Asda own brand' TV going to be significantly worse than a very much more expensive 'major brand' TV?

What I would like is the highest-quality picture and highest-quality surround sound for the least money; but I haven't got enough experience to judge whether or not spending (much) more money will yield a worthwhile benefit.

Edited by Lounge Lizard on 16/02/2008 at 13:25

Wide Screen LCD TVs: Worth £500 or £1500 - cheddar
Is 37" enough, two good buys under £400:

tinyurl.com/2727jm

EDIT: TinyURL'd

Edited by cheddar on 16/02/2008 at 13:34

Wide Screen LCD TVs: Worth £500 or £1500 - henry k
Try:
www.richersounds.com/splashpage.php
www.richersounds.com/information.php?cda=static&cs...s

One price varient is just a HD ready TV or the full HD ready / 1080P TV
You will find the 1080P sets at the higher price range on their listing.
You may want to look into the spec re connectivity for the future.

There are tables of specs for each one of their listed TVs.
Wide Screen LCD TVs: Worth £500 or £1500 - adverse camber
the panel type is also a variable
there are TN, MVA, PVA, IPS panels all of which vary in their performance. Some manufactureers even put out supposedly the same TV but with different panel types - samsung have been criticised for this in the LCD monitor market. Two supposedly identical monitors have very different performance because an inferiour panel has been used in some.

One of the key things is viewing angle.

I would say consult the specialist forums avforums or similar www.avforums.com/

Wide Screen LCD TVs: Worth £500 or £1500 - adverse camber
Quote from avforums:

costco wholesale have the samsung le32r87bdx on special for £411 from the18 /02 untill the 24/02


although thats 32"


Wide Screen LCD TVs: Worth £500 or £1500 - rtj70
If I could have justified it I quite like the rear projection Sony Bravia 50" for under £1000 last year. But I could not convince myself of the real benefit. Prices are falling all the time too.

I'd personally go for around 46+" I think (way bigger than what I have) but future proofing. But LCD/Plasma has negatives hence my interest in the rear-projection Bravia's. They have their downside but blacks are black, LCDs bit can be replaced as can the bulbs.
Landline Dial Tone - Robin Reliant
Can anyone tell me why the dial tone on my home phone has suddenly gone "Two tone" in place of the normal continuos noise?

Everything works ok, I can still dial in and out but I wonder if there is a problem with the line or the handsets.
Landline Dial Tone - BobbyG
On the old telewest lines it meant that you had set up your number to divert to another number?
Landline Dial Tone - Robin Reliant
On the old telewest lines it meant that you had set up your number to
divert to another number?

Nope, not that. I can still ring home and the phone works ok.
Landline Dial Tone - Bromptonaut
Do you mean it's intermittent burr/silent/burr etc?

Usually indicates a waiting message on callminder. If you don't have the service perhaps it has been set up by accident.

What happens if you dial 1571?
Landline Dial Tone - Robin Reliant
Thanks Bromtonaut,

That's what it was, silly me!