Did the BBC 2 Test Card ever have the 1986 "TWO" ident?

Remember that in 2003, BBC Parliament was originated from Millbank Studios, which was a subsidiary of Granada (by way of Yorkshire TV) - it's possible they inherited kit from there.

A look on Google and I found an off-screen photo of the electronic TCF with the short lived basic captioning:

https://flic.kr/p/HGRFMc

I had heard about LWT using a PM5544, I'm not sure why they did this, rather than handing over to the IBA to show ETP1. It seems that not all ITV companies bothered with the ETP1 after closedown, as you mentioned colour bars or a black screen.

After close down the black or bars was just a holding signal before they pulled the U links to remove syncs to initiate the transmitters to automatically shut down.

The IBA normally woke up the transmitters with local ETP1 (at the transmitters) before switching the local ITV company back into circuit.

None of the ITV companies had their own ETP1, only C4 and S4C

Seeing as we are talking about transmitter switch ons and switch offs, a couple of back to basics questions:

At the start and end of each day, did each main transmitter have to be manually switched on and off, either from staff on-site or elsewhere? What about relay stations? Back in the early 80s, on BBC One, I noticed that there would be a period of black or some sort of test tone/bars on start up before Pages from Ceefax began about 8.30.This was when watching from Pontop Pike, the main transmitter for our area. However, when watching from Fenham, one of the relays, often this was completely off air until about 8.45 and “crashed” straight into the Ceefax pages.

Main stations switched on when they detected incoming sync pulses. Secondary main stations fed off air were the same, they detected when the feed signal popped up, and switched on. Relay stations were the same again, only they couldn't detect sync pulses, because they were dumb terminals, so they switched back on on detection of incoming RF from their parent. There were anti hysteresis measures built into the system to prevent power up and power down reacting too quickly, so it look about 20-30 mins for some remote stations on the end of long rebroadcast chains to come on compared with the main transmitter for each region.

Switch off was the reverse process once syncs had been removed, but syncs had to be continuously missing for 2-3 mins before the first station in the chain shut down.

Thanks Mark. So where would the initial sync pulses to “wake up” the transmitters be generated from, in each station’s case?

On the incoming feed coming from London, or picked up from another transmitter via RBS, they are part of the video feed. According to a discussion I'm reading elsewhere, it was sync pulses *and* sound that were required to start the transmitters up. And presumably the VBI ident to verify that the signal was legitimate.

Watching VHS recordings of closedowns, the point where the syncs were removed is very obvious because of how it makes the picture bounce all over the place.

You unplugged the input to the [DC] Sound in Syncs encoders ......
they put out line syncs only ..so there was a signal on the line ..
But the main station would see no field syncs and start to turn off.
Start up in the morning put them in and as has been said the stations would start to power up .... nothing was that fast ....
and yes there were means in the VBI to ident the source so the transmitter would accept the signal ...... very useful for RBS at main stations
as well as The normal RBL at main relays ..
and it told Douglas to take Manchester not Carlisle / Newcastle for the regional opt ... Caldbeck was a better signal than Winter Hill so was used for Network programmes

For ITV of course there were no Sound in Syncs used until 1989 and NICAM, so yes absence of analogue audio may well have also been required. As Mr T points out for the Beeb (and C4) the audio died with the SiS going. I don't think the IBA used VBI identing to the same extent as the BBC

I'm not sure the really tiny relays (just a few watts) ever actually switched off. Back then it was impossible to remote control them, or know whether they were even working. The BBC and IBA had a network of trusted individuals each in the service area of the relays who would report in if they noticed any problems. Since DSO all relays have a data link back to Arqiva's ops room at Emley. Either an ADSL line, or in the case of very remote realys a VSAT link

I'm sure this will sound completely irrational, but when I was very young the Test Card used to scare me somewhat. Not because of the clown, but because from my perspective I saw a "green skull, with 2 yellow eyes and a pink tongue" staring up at the girl.


Perhaps I had a disturbed childhood.