BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

Our project is to restore MCR21 the BBC black & white 405/625L scanner (OB Van) to as near its original 1963 condition as possible, it will then be made available for public display at various museums and events.

The Trust's project is well underway and the object of this post is to raise awareness of MCR21 and to gather support and funding.

Our Trust has 4 trustees and we have formed a “CIO”, a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, and more information is on the MCR21 website.

As NVCF is soon, it forms a convenient meeting point to discuss and explain this project. This forum has a wide and knowledgeable readership (blatant plug) and it is hoped that information about the early BBC history of MCR21 (1963-1975) could be obtained or even original bits of equipment found! Wish List Link.

We also need to raise funds and to this end donations of unwanted equipment, that is unrelated to broadcasting, would be welcome to be sold at later events.

I should state, to clarify my position, that at the NVCF event I will be working on the bring and buy stall to raise funds for the BVWTM in Dulwich. Whilst our CIO, the Broadcast Television Technology Trust has similar objectives in the broadcast field it is unrelated and independent organisation.

Brian Summers

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

I have a WG/71 Ferguson but not the 63, also a possible mike receiver with an Eddystone dial. Not sure of the model, about the size on an EC10.

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

I know the Pye TVT audio limiter was excellent, but not sure why the PPMs are at +7 ?

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

The zero for them is 7.

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

Love the sight of all those closely spaced quadrant faders ! The only proper audio/video faders ever made and sadly impossible to get now !!


Andy

PS. they even used them in lighting desks in TV Centre - heavenly !

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

How do the operators look at the lower monitors, can't work it out from the pictures.

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

Or to put it another way, old PPM's used right-hand-zero meters.

Re: BBC MCR21 Outside Broadcast Van Restoration
 

Thank you for the interesting replies,

The PPMs in the picture are unpowered and as Merlinmaxwell states they are right hand zero, the opposite to a conventional meter. In the early days with valve PPMs a right hand zero was better circuit wise and although the PPMs in MCR21 are transistorised the meter is still a right hand zero design.

The engineering crew sit in front of the mixer desks, the production crew sit at the mixer desks and look over the top of the engineering crews heads. This transverse layout was the norm at the time when MCR21 was made and for that size of OB van the transverse layout was used until recent times and for some applications is still a current layout.

I'll PM HamishBoxer about the Eddystone.

Keep the information flowing.