BBC OB van out on display.

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We will be taking our restored 1963 OB van out on public display at the Alton Car Show, Anstey Park, GU34 2NB on the 13 July 2025, 11 to 4 pm.

This is an ideal opportunity to come and have a look round at the work done and see the history of BBC OB van MCR21. The Car Show is free to enter and there is lots to look at as well. A nice day out if you are in the area. .

More about MCR21 at www.mcr21.org.uk and we look forward to seeing you.

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Just a quick reminder with a couple more pictures

see you there!

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Our restored 1963 BBC Outside Broadcast Van will be on display at the Camberley Car Show this Saturday the 9th and you are most welcome to visit and be shown round. We will be in Albert Road by the entrance to the Mall.

Our BBC OB van has played an important part in TV programmes, like the World Cup, Wimbledon, Winston Churchill’s Funeral, and more, it recently appeared on the BBC’s One Show. The video link below shows us in action.

Wimbledon/Amberley/The One Show. https://vimeo.com/751648900?share=copy

Do try to drop by if you can, there are no admission charges and the show runs from 11am to 4 pm. and make yourself know to, Brian, Jeremy, Steve, or Andy.

Picture shows the recently installed Tek 515A scope.

[Craig Sawyers]

I would love to see this beautifully restored piece of history. Did I say history? In the early 70's at Southampton University, the Nuff theatre hosted University Challenge. And a mate and I got the opportunity to have a look inside the OB van before the show started. Must have been very similar to this.

And what a wonderful condition the Tek 515A is in. Where did you get that BTW?

Craig

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Yes a 1970s van would have been built on the same principles. Looking over the history of OB vans you can see the "genetics" at work as the new ones have many of the characteristics of it's predecessors (parents?)

MCR21 has two Tek 515A scopes both are in good working order and we have a third one as a spare. The two installed ones came from ex BBC sources and, as a dead giveaway, have been fitted wit the EP4 mains connector that was widely used in the 1950-60s, so there is a reasonable probably that they were actually used on MCR21 or one of it's 9 sister vans.

Attached picture is of the other 515A in the technical area. The arrangement with the PL259 TEE and angles is so that the feed from the matrix output "T"s past the scope input ( Hi Z) on its way to the adjacent picture monitor were it is terminated (75ohms)

[Craig Sawyers]

The EP4 is the big Cannon metal shelled lockable connectors with four really chunky pins?

Craig

[turretslug]

That's the one Craig, it was used as a mains input connector by a handful of other UK organisations as well as the BBC- unfortunately with differing standards as to which pins were allocated to L, N and E.... Replaced by the EP-LNE, essentially a larger, higher current rated version of the well-known XLR-LNE. Unfortunately, the early versions of the EP-LNE had poor dimensioning leading to marginal contact overlap, with consequent scorching, softening insulation and arcing- I recall a spate of Otari multi-track reel-to-reel recorders whose series regulators had succumbed to repeated mains splats until this was sorted.

Colin

[McMurdo]

What a labour of love, I'm a great fan of the MCR21 youtube channel!
You must have great memories.

Brings back (sort of) my mental images of the huge BBC CMCR vans seen at the Royal Show I used to visit with Dad through the early 1980's, sometimes you'd get an excited glimpse of a familiar presenter having a quick smoke or a sandwich. Also the portable cameras with the great thick cables.

[Pamphonica]

Whew! - it was certainly a hot day out but we were able to show hundreds of people round MCR21. Many were families, with children who were only too happy to try twiddling knobs and faders or pretend to be camera operators. Some visitors had been involved in outside broadcasting in some way and were interested to see the older technology in operation. Others were just amazed to see such a large, shiny green vehicle right outside the shopping centre!
Always worthwhile. Now on to Amberley Museum in Sussex at the weekend.
-Jeremy

[Pamphonica]

The Amberley Working Museum weekend was lovely, if rather warm and exhausting. Saturday was a normal open day, and Sunday was a special "Communications" day so we fitted right in, along with a large number of immaculately restored post office (posts and telecom) vans, many complete with all their original equipment. We had lots of family groups through the van at Amberley and the accessible knobs all got a good twiddling by the yougsters. Two period cameras were on display, one fully functional, so a series of tiny cameramen had a go. And BBC South TV came and filmed a small piece on MCR21 for future transmission.

I also bumped in to Sean Williams of this forum. He was setting up and demonstrating the fascinating i-Telex display in the Communications building, where I was able to contact ChatGPT via a Telex/internet gateway in Germany - who knew? Amazing.

Next outing for MCR21/BTTT is a slot at Brooklands in October. Watch this space.

MCR21 is currently based in Camberley and if anyone would like a personal tour (no charge), just contact me via email or PM and we can set it up.

-Jeremy

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Just a quick reminder that our restored BBC OB van will be out on display at the Brooklands "Transport Fest" this coming Sunday, the 19th.

It's a "Bus" day with the London Bus Museum

If you plan on going please come and visit us and we can explain all the sound and vision systems.