Saving a UK OB (remote) truck - Videokarma.org TV - Video

ppppenguin · #1 06-30-2019, 03:29 AM

Paul Marshall has led a team to rescue another British outside broadcast (remote) truck.

https://becg.org.uk/
https://becg.org.uk/category/projects/abct-news/

This truck has an interesting history. It was built as a monochrome truck for ABC TV, one of the ITV companies in the UK. When the ITV franchises changed in 1967 it passed to Thames TV who converted it to colour using Marconi MkVII cameras.

Then its history becomes a little less clear. c1986 it was bought by Sony and became one of the first (the first?) HDTV demonstration truck.

It's last owner converted it into a mobile home (RV) and used it for about 25 years. Finally it came to the BECG and will be restored to an OB truck.

A couple of weeks ago a team of us spent a happy weekend stripping out the mobile home to prepare it for restoration. Please see article, photos and video on the BECG website above.

There is a sister truck that is believed to have ended up in a scrapyard in New York where these 2 photos are believed to have been taken.

Is there anyone here at VK who has any information on this truck. Or indeed on GNF951E, the one we are restoring.

ppppenguin · #2 07-01-2019, 10:40 AM

Assuming our information is correct and it is indeed in the USA, it would have been an expensive job to get this truck from the UK to the USA. Especially as it still bears its UK license plates and so was probably never (legally) used on the roads in the USA. This is why we have some doubt about our information. If anyone in the US can identify the locations in the photos or the other vehicles it might give us some clues.

Even the tiniest bits of information or even rumour would be good to know.

In the meantime, we are starting to piece together its history with Sony. We know it went to Italy for a while in the late 1980s and was used to make some early high definition programmes. But we still have very little information about that period. We'd love to know why on earth they fitted a massive false floor to part of the truck. Weight was always a problem with OB trucks so half a ton of steel and wood wouldn't have been a welcome addition.

We're also thinking about the restoration process. The vehicle mechanics are basically OK. The bodywork isn't too bad but will need a full paint job. Expensive. We need to decide whether to go for Thames or ABC period paint job. I've joked that we should do one side in each or a split screen effect:-) We have both Marconi MkV monochrome kit and Mk VII colour kit available so we may end up with a hybrid techncial fit using elements of both. I think we have only a few fragments of early HD kit so that period isn't an option for the techncial rig.

Chip Chester · #3 07-01-2019, 04:41 PM

The false floor was often step one in 'land-based' studios, to allow both wiring and air ducting to be combined in a flexible manner. But yes, weight would be an issue.

If it is stateside, I have some gear that may be appropriate for it. Racks, patchbays, GrassValley video DAs and Amplifiers, and perhaps intercom and a small production switcher. Depends on original equipment, of course... and not all of my stuff will be PAL capable, like the switcher. And if the target is the Sony era, none of it will be that brand -- though the patch bays and racks would still work. But let's see how it plays out.

ppppenguin · #4 07-02-2019, 12:59 AM

There was already cable duct space under the original floor. The design of the false floor made it impossible to route cables under it.

Thanks for the offer of kit. We have quite a lot of kit suitable for the ABC/Thames eras. Not much analogue HD. Much work to be done before we decide if any HD era kit will be fitted.