Test Card F - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Davewantsone · 19th May 2020, 8:17 am

I hope these questions have not been asked before. I hope someone can answer them.
!, Why was the green body of the clown boosted to fluorescent green?
2, What is the bump half way up the girls arm?
3, On the blackboard the "X" is in the centre of the photo yet the girl seems to have just drawn an "X" in the centre of the game. Was this removed? The position of the hand indicates it has been drawn!

M0FYA Andy · 19th May 2020, 8:20 am

It would be useful if you included a picture of the Test Card to remind us what you are talking about!

Andy

Brigham · 19th May 2020, 8:57 am

I suspect that the picture was staged.
I don't think Carole drew anything at all. I think it was set up in advance.

Nuvistor · 19th May 2020, 8:59 am

Lots of information on test card F.
https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/test-card-f/

ms660 · 19th May 2020, 9:44 am

That card saved dragging out a colour or cross hatch generator, the X etc in the middle was just the job for static convergence/blue lateral adjustments.

Vivid colours were chosen as an aid to adjusting for correct saturation.

Like many, must have spent countless hours staring at that test card

Lawrence.

Ted Kendall · 19th May 2020, 10:43 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davewantsone

On the blackboard the "X" is in the centre of the photo yet the girl seems to have just drawn an "X" in the centre of the game. Was this removed? The position of the hand indicates it has been drawn!

Given that X marks the centre of the screen, you don't want a hand obscuring it.

Dave Moll · 19th May 2020, 11:16 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Kendall

Given that X marks the centre of the screen...

... or at least a point near the centre.

In a revised version, named "Test Card J" (and its widescreen equivalent, "Test Card W"), the picture of Carole Hersee was rescanned with the cross centred. See the bottom of this page.

Welsh Anorak · 19th May 2020, 11:41 am

I always preferred test card F to the electronic, though more technically accurate, cards. I also found that you could get easily misled with a crosshatch generator, and TCF used to make you concentrate on the centre of the screen which is where most people focus. It would take seconds to set up the static convergence and focus, even if the X wasn't quite at the centre (well, most TVs of the time wouldn't get it absolutely central anyway), and you could easily get the flesh tones accurate to the eye, if not to a vectorscope. Plus you got jaunty music!
The odd green of the clown is open to debate. I thought it was to assist in setting up CDA decoders and just stayed with us. Not sure why 'proper' green wasn't used.
But as to Carole's 'bump', I have no idea.

kalee20 · 19th May 2020, 11:51 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davewantsone

3, On the blackboard the "X" is in the centre of the photo yet the girl seems to have just drawn an "X" in the centre of the game. Was this removed? The position of the hand indicates it has been drawn!

It is good strategy to grab the centre square in the noughts and crosses grid, if that's what you mean, and neither Carole nor Bubbles have done that. But - they're only young, let's forgive them!

The photo, as has been pointed out, is positioned so that the 'X' is in the centre of the screen.

ms660 · 19th May 2020, 12:05 pm

The X is not at dead centre, it's to the right and below.

Lawrence.

Andrew2 · 19th May 2020, 12:14 pm

Blimey, is it National Pedantry Day? The cross is roughly central and is near enough to be used for static convergence, surely

?
As for the bump in Carole's arm, what bump?

ms660 · 19th May 2020, 12:22 pm

If the X was at the centre of the screen the picture would be off centre.

The only "bump" I can see is something protruding from the top of the girls forearm.

Lawrence.

Andrew2 · 19th May 2020, 1:27 pm

But we don't use the X to centre the picture, we use the edge arrows. I think we all know that the cross was not quite central, but it was fine for its intended use, which was static convergence.
Re the 'bump' - isn't it something behind her arm? It looks like a finger or thumb.

ms660 · 19th May 2020, 1:44 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew2

I think we all know that the cross was not quite central

And if not they do now

Centering the picture was easy enough, did almost everything with that card.

I've got a picture of an early one in one of my books.

Lawrence.

Brigham · 20th May 2020, 9:50 am

If X was at the centre of the screen, you would probably be an American!

Ted Kendall · 20th May 2020, 10:11 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by ms660

did almost everything with that card.

And that, surely, is precisely what Hersee intended. Job done!

Davewantsone · 20th May 2020, 10:30 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0FYA Andy

It would be useful if you included a picture of the Test Card to remind us what you are talking about!

Andy

This one has the "bump" removed and an extra "X" and an extra clown button!

ms660 · 20th May 2020, 10:34 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brigham

If X was at the centre of the screen, you would probably be an American!

Or not

Lawrence.

ms660 · 20th May 2020, 11:36 am

The one I have a copy of is an early one that indicates the frequency of the frequency gratings and has the four line colour bars.

Lawrence.

19th May 2020, 8:17 am	#1
Davewantsone Hexode Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 291	Test Card F I hope these questions have not been asked before. I hope someone can answer them. !, Why was the green body of the clown boosted to fluorescent green? 2, What is the bump half way up the girls arm? 3, On the blackboard the "X" is in the centre of the photo yet the girl seems to have just drawn an "X" in the centre of the game. Was this removed? The position of the hand indicates it has been drawn!

19th May 2020, 8:20 am	#2
M0FYA Andy Nonode Join Date: May 2007 Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK. Posts: 2,572	Re: Test Card F It would be useful if you included a picture of the Test Card to remind us what you are talking about! Andy

19th May 2020, 8:57 am	#3
Brigham Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Co. Durham, UK. Posts: 1,159	Re: Test Card F I suspect that the picture was staged. I don't think Carole drew anything at all. I think it was set up in advance.

19th May 2020, 8:59 am	#4
Nuvistor Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 9,516	Re: Test Card F Lots of information on test card F. https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/test-card-f/ __________________ Frank

19th May 2020, 9:44 am	#5
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,453	Re: Test Card F That card saved dragging out a colour or cross hatch generator, the X etc in the middle was just the job for static convergence/blue lateral adjustments. Vivid colours were chosen as an aid to adjusting for correct saturation. Like many, must have spent countless hours staring at that test card Lawrence.

19th May 2020, 11:41 am	#8
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 7,387	Re: Test Card F I always preferred test card F to the electronic, though more technically accurate, cards. I also found that you could get easily misled with a crosshatch generator, and TCF used to make you concentrate on the centre of the screen which is where most people focus. It would take seconds to set up the static convergence and focus, even if the X wasn't quite at the centre (well, most TVs of the time wouldn't get it absolutely central anyway), and you could easily get the flesh tones accurate to the eye, if not to a vectorscope. Plus you got jaunty music! The odd green of the clown is open to debate. I thought it was to assist in setting up CDA decoders and just stayed with us. Not sure why 'proper' green wasn't used. But as to Carole's 'bump', I have no idea. __________________ Glyn www.gdelectronics.wales

19th May 2020, 12:05 pm	#10
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,453	Re: Test Card F The X is not at dead centre, it's to the right and below. Lawrence.

19th May 2020, 12:14 pm	#11
Andrew2 Nonode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK. Posts: 2,070	Re: Test Card F Blimey, is it National Pedantry Day? The cross is roughly central and is near enough to be used for static convergence, surely? As for the bump in Carole's arm, what bump? __________________ Andy G1HBE.

19th May 2020, 12:22 pm	#12
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,453	Re: Test Card F If the X was at the centre of the screen the picture would be off centre. The only "bump" I can see is something protruding from the top of the girls forearm. Lawrence.

19th May 2020, 1:27 pm	#13
Andrew2 Nonode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK. Posts: 2,070	Re: Test Card F But we don't use the X to centre the picture, we use the edge arrows. I think we all know that the cross was not quite central, but it was fine for its intended use, which was static convergence. Re the 'bump' - isn't it something behind her arm? It looks like a finger or thumb. __________________ Andy G1HBE.

20th May 2020, 9:50 am	#15
Brigham Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Co. Durham, UK. Posts: 1,159	Re: Test Card F If X was at the centre of the screen, you would probably be an American!

20th May 2020, 11:36 am	#19
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,453	Re: Test Card F The one I have a copy of is an early one that indicates the frequency of the frequency gratings and has the four line colour bars. Lawrence.