Jenny Priestley meets a group of enthusiasts who are working to preserve TV technology from across the decades, including cameras, OB trucks and telecine machines
By Jenny Priestley
Published: April 11, 2024 Updated: April 12, 2024
Jenny Priestley meets a group of enthusiasts who are working to preserve TV technology from across the decades, including cameras, OB trucks and telecine machines
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Jenny Priestley meets a group of enthusiasts who are working to preserve TV technology from across the decades, including cameras, OB trucks and telecine machines
https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/preserving-tvs-technological-heritage title=Share via Email class=share-email>
Since John Logie Baird made the first experimental television broadcast for the BBC in 1929, the pace of technological change within the TV industry hasn't stopped.
From SD to HD and UHD, satellite to IP and 5G, and film to digital, the TV industry is not backwards in moving forward.
But what's happened to all the technology that's fallen by the wayside? A group of TV enthusiasts is aiming to preserve the industry's heritage with the launch of a museum at Hemswell Cliff, just outside Lincoln.
The Broadcast Engineering Conservation Group (BECG) was set up five years ago, almost by accident admits chairman Paul Marshall. I've been collecting this stuff since I was about 14, and I've had three large outside broadcast vehicles for a long time, he tells TVBEurope.
We wanted to take my Southern one, which is the oldest fully operational outside broadcast truck in the world, to the last big Scampton Airshow and there were problems of getting into the RAF base without being a formal organisation.
Thus the BECG was formed and following further discussion, the group decided to make things formal by registering as a charitable incorporated organisation (ICO).
Marconi MkII camera Marshall points out that there is no other organisation in the UK working to save these engineering wonders for the country. And it's not just the kit that the BECG wants to preserve. We are trying to save all the knowledge base that goes behind it, he explains. This is analogue television with a smattering of digital on the end of it, and it's a skill set which has been lost. Analogue engineering is still very much in demand alongside digital.
It's not just TV anoraks' that are part of the BECG's remit. The Group wants to make the general public aware of the equipment used to create some of TV's most iconic moments. Among the kit on show at Hemswell Cliff is a Marconi MkII used to film Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953, as well as one of the four Link 125 cameras that shot the video for rock band Queen's hit, I Want to Break Free. All of our bits of kit have got a history and the general public do latch on to that, states Marshall.
The BECG is now in the process of expanding the Broadcast Engineering Museum at Hemswell Cliff, which will be home to all of its equipment, including multiple OB vans. They have taken over the 30,000 sq ft Sergeants Mess at the old RAF base, which had been derelict for over a decade. At the moment, the BECG is only able to hold open days rather than keep the building open all the time, with the next taking place on 25th and 26th May.
The Broadcast Engineering Museum before the BECG took it over And how it looks now All being well, we will progressively open more, says Marshall. We hope to be able to get more volunteers together that will help make it possible. We're trying to create a fragrant nosegay' of what a television station would look like back in the 50s 60s 70s and 80s.
We've got some of the first digital equipment designed in the UK and sold all over the world, including DICE, Digital Intercontinental Conversion Equipment, which was the means of converting American pictures into European and vice versa. It was designed in 1972 by the Independent Broadcasting Authority, who looked after ITV years ago. There were only 18 sold and they were about £250,000 a pop in the mid 70s.
As well as being able to open more often, another key priority for the BECG is to catalogue its equipment, as Marshall says they currently have no idea how much they actually have.
I think it's fair to say we've got the largest collection of Telecine machines in Europe, possibly in the world, he adds. I think we've got about six at the moment, with one more to come.
There are at least five outside broadcast trucks currently active, with the same amount in restoration mode. The most challenging has been the restoration of a former BBC OB Unit MCR23, 390 EXH, also known as Project Vivat. We started with a vehicle that was seriously derelict and it was really fit for the scrap yard, explains Marshall. The equipment that we decided to put in it is from the mid-'50s. We fitted it out with equipment that has come from all over the world. The principal monitors, transmission and preview, came back from Australia.
Project Vivat' We were on the cusp of going fully operational when the prospect of the Hemswell Cliff building came up, which was just short of three years ago. So sadly, Vivat didn't reach a conclusion, although to the lay visitor, it is complete, because bits of it work .
Other trucks that have been restored by the BECG or are in maintenance mode include a 1969 Bedford VAL used by Southern Television, a 1953 BBC Generator, and one of the Yorkshire Twins that opened the broadcaster's service in 1968 when its studios weren't ready. Marshall says the BECG is also open to housing trucks from more recent times. For instance, last year we took on a 2005 ex-BBC satellite truck. That's history, it's nearly 2
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
21/08/2026
Hardware-style timing shifts for software instruments
Following on from the release of Omniclock, Rapid Flow have launched a new sequencer plug-in that can ...
21/08/2026
Highly anticipated synthesizer ships in October 2026
Iceland-based Love Synthesizers have announced that their highly anticipated synthesizer is now availab...
21/08/2026
Masterpiece PBS The Forsytes has expanded its cast as its begins production in ...
21/08/2026
The BBC has unveiled first-look pictures from The Witch Farm, a new ghost story and mystery set in the Welsh countryside, coming soon to BBC iPlayer and BBC One...
21/08/2026
The BBC and BritBox have revealed the first look of Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot in the forthcoming six-part series Hercule from Mammoth Screen and Agatha C...
21/08/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
21/08/2026
** MEDIA ALERT **
VIZ Media Takes Over Anime NYC with BLEACH, BLACK TORCH, M...
21/08/2026
Tell us a little bit about your job I'm a Marketing Manager and work across a mix of clients and projects. No two days are ever quite the same, which defini...
21/08/2026
Beat The Lotto dives into the plot behind the 1980s National Lottery scandal
24 August 2026 at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
Beat The Lotto is the story o...
21/08/2026
The countdown to the most wonderful night of the year has officially begun!
Host Patrick Kielty is gearing up for another unforgettable Late Late Toy Show nig...
21/08/2026
Meet puppet duo Bellie and Whizz, who are about to explore all the big feelings ...
20/08/2026
Set up your own private remote collaboration infrastructure
SoundBridge have recently put together a tutorial video that provides users with a step-by-step ...
20/08/2026
New V-Control Pro features restore basic functionality
Neyrinck's V-Control software has long been keeping older Avid control surfaces compatible with n...
20/08/2026
TV, BritBox and Mammoth Screen have announced that filming is now underway on th...
20/08/2026
Thursday 20 August 2026
Nina Sosanya, Rizzle Kicks, Roman Kemp and Paul Whiteho...
20/08/2026
Wuppertal August 20, 2026
Transformation Church Elevates Production Communicat...
20/08/2026
The music between the notes Coming together In the middle of 2026, as conversations around artificial intelligence continue to raise questions about how musi...
20/08/2026
Arvato Systems Brings Together Digital Transformation Leaders in the Manufacturi...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support for their ...
18/08/2026
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...
18/08/2026
Wuppertal August 18, 2026
Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...
18/08/2026
Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...
18/08/2026
THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...
18/08/2026
Stunning Irish performances at European Athletics and Swimming Championships rea...
18/08/2026
The two-part series begins Sunday 23 August at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player
...
17/08/2026
New MIDI processor & macro controller revealed
SHIK have announced that they have opened pre-orders for the S32, a standalone MIDI processor and macro contr...
17/08/2026
Cover extended on innovative motorised pot system
Melbourne Instruments have just revealed that the innovative motorised pot system used in their synths and...
17/08/2026
Latest firmware version now available
1010music have just released a free firmware update that brings some nice new features to their renowned Bluebox digit...
17/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases integrated defense and test solutions at DALO Industry...
17/08/2026
Calrec's ImPulseV Virtualised Audio Mixing Engine joins NEP Platform, the industry's largest ecosystem of trusted production software, bringing scalable...
17/08/2026
Visitors to IBC 2026 will see how FilmLight is reshaping the modern post pipelin...
17/08/2026
Visitors to Stand 1.C41 can explore innovations in areas such as addressable advertising, hybrid distribution, managed services and operational simplification.
...
16/08/2026
Virtual drummer joins line-up
The latest release from Gospel Musicians adds a virtual drummer to the company's line-up, combining a pair of meticulously...
15/08/2026
In-ear monitoring line-up gains new universal models
In-ear monitoring experts JH Audio have just announced a significant expansion of their Universal-Fit r...
14/08/2026
Latest instalment delivers disco-inspired grooves
The latest addition to UJAM's virtual drum line-up has been designed with contemporary pop, disco, dan...
14/08/2026
Elite range gains giant 24-inch powered sub
The latest expansion of Yorkville's Elite range introduces what the company say is the world's first act...
14/08/2026
Friday 14 August 2026
Breaking news! Sky releases trailer for The Paper, return...
14/08/2026
It's been one year since our client, Cotswolds Designer Outlet, opened its doors and we've loved seeing the scheme come to life. Together, we've hel...
Jenny Priestley meets a group of enthusiasts who are working to preserve TV technology from across the decades, including cameras, OB trucks and telecine machines
