AWTV Magazine – Retro Tech, TV Repair, Photography & Cultural History

  Amazingly, New Brighton on the Wirral Peninsular once had a tower that was taller than Blackpool Tower. It stood 576 foot high and provided spectacular views of Merseyside, North Wales and beyond for those who ascended up the lift to the viewing platform. The tower opened around 1900 and was an instant tourist attraction for New Brighton. Sadly, the upkeep was too much for the owners which resulted in the tower being dismantled around 1921 and the metal sold for scrap. What a shame it was short lived as it would have been an iconic landmark today rivalling Blackpool Tower. How It Looked - New Brighton Tower Tower Ballroom Although the tower had gone, at it's base was the Tower Ballroom which was a very popular venue for decades, right up until the late 1960s before it was completely destroyed by fire. This Historic England photo from 1920 shows the New Brighton Tower with the top already dismantled. The ballroom at its base remained as a popular venue until the late 1960s. Th...

 I recently got my hands on a Road Angel Halo Pro dash cam system which also has a rear camera for full coverage. The main unit comes in a fancy box along with the rear camera, extension cable for the rear camera and a power lead that plugs into the 12v auxiliary socket, or the ''cigarette lighter socket" as it used to be known. You also get a tool that helps you to run the power cable behind the rubber trim so that you can hide the cable as it runs from the main camera behind the reverse mirror on the windscreen to the 12v socket somewhere around the middle console. You just have to remember to plug it in each time you start your journey and unplug it when you have finished otherwise it will be on all the time possibly draining the battery and taking up unnecessary recording space on the SD card, although with most vehicles, the 12v will only be live when the ignition is turned to aux or when the ignition is on. Dashcam Hardwire Kit With the Road Angel, as well as other d...

 Home Made Drone In 2014, I built a homemade 4 propeller drone, before they were mainstream and easily available as they are today. You can now get yourself up and running with a drone for less than £20. The purpose was to send it up and get a bird’s eye view of some parts of Liverpool. Once I had it working and could control it reasonably well, I attached a camera. I didn’t have a gimble to stabilize the camera, so as you can see in the videos, the picture is a bit shaky and introduces some blur, but you can still easily make out landmarks such as the Boating Lake and the Palm house in Sefton Park Video captured by the camera fitted to the DIY drone in 2014. You can see the fields in Sefton Park along with the Boating Lake. It is interesting to see what’s behind the houses on Mossley Hill Drive. Second drone video capturing aerial views of Merebank, Rutland House, York House, Buckingham House, Sydenham and Brompton high rise. You can also see the Sefton Park Cricket ground, swin...

  Drone captures some stunning photos of Sefton Park  Liverpool which was opened in 1772 The Palm House Sefton Park Sefton Park Fields Towards The Mersey Tennis Courts Within Sefton Park Mossley Hill Drive Lark Lane Liverpool Lark Lane and surrounding area If you follow a straight line along Lark Lane, Moel Famau is directly along that line in the distance. Bridge over The Dell in Sefton Park Merebank high rise block Ever wondered what's on the roof of a block of flats?  The drone reveals what the roof of Merebank looks like. Mostly home to telecommunications equipment, including mobile phone antennas View looking towards Mossley Hill Time Lapse Around Sefton Park Click on the image below to watch a time lapse video around Sefton Park. Click the image below to see the difference between now and 1985 The Jolly Roger In Sefton Park In 1972, to coincide with Sefton Park's bi centenary, a pirate ship was placed in the upper Jordan watercourse. The ship was known as the Jolly ...

  Drone Photography showcases AWTV’s collection of aerial images captured across Merseyside, Liverpool, and beyond. From sweeping coastline views to sunset skylines and detailed top‑down shots, this section highlights the unique perspective only drones can provide. Each gallery is curated for clarity, colour, and atmosphere, giving readers a visual break from technical content while exploring the world from above. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Llangollen

 If you already have solar panels, that's great! But if you don't have batteries, you are loosing out.                                        To benefit fully from the energy generated by your panels, you would need to be at home all day using the power as it is being produced, but in most cases, that is not practical as we have to work and do other things away from the home during the day. It is safe to say we will be away from home at the time when the solar panels are producing most of the power. So where does that power go? All is not lost as the panels will be powering the refrigerator and other things that are plugged in such as Wi Fi routers and chargers as well as other devices left on standby. These will only draw a few hundred watts at most, where's the rest going? /> Grid tied Inverter If you've got solar panels, then you will almost certainly have a grid tied invert...

  Home Energy & Tech explores the fast‑moving world of modern home technology — from solar battery storage and smart meters to energy‑saving gadgets and practical upgrades that cut your bills. This section breaks down complex systems into clear, real‑world advice, helping you understand costs, benefits, reliability, and long‑term savings. Whether you’re curious about solar batteries, planning a home energy upgrade, or just looking for ways to make your home more efficient, this category gives you straightforward guidance backed by hands‑on experience and practical testing.