Registation number
CNJ 423T
Engine
1.5 litre 4 cyclinder petrol engine
Horsepower
58 BHP
When television broadcasts in the UK were resumed after a break because of the Second World War, it was decided to introduce a television licence fee to finance the service. Since it was not possible to stop people without a licence from buying and operating a TV, it was necessary to find ways of enforcing the TV licence system. One of the methods used to identify TV use without a licence was TV detection equipment mounted in a van. Almost 30,000 Dodge Spacevans were ordered by the General Post Office and British Telecoms between 1970 and 1983, including some to be used by the Television Licence Detector Unit.
UHF (Ultra High Frequency) came to the UK in 1964, when BBC 2 was launched, bringing with it the possibility of colour TV programming. The two-ariel detection system, as seen on this model, was introduced to detect TV’s in this new era, with the twin set up helping to improve the range and directionality of the detection equipment.
