UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Television and Video

Notices

Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 24th Oct 2021, 1:41 pm   #1
Dutchsteam
Triode
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Leiden, Netherlands.
Posts: 11
Default Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

Greetings!

I found these 3 1" open reel video tapes with Apollo 11 labels at an online auction, grabbed them up immediately. The seller says he got them a few decades ago but doesn't remember anything else.


Each tape holds 1 hour of video and was recorded on an Ampex type A machine. I have yet to play them back to verify if the labels hold true.

What could be on them? Lost television broadcasts? behind the scenes studio footage?! I Love Lucy?


Hope to give them a spin somewhere in the Netherlands the following months. Exciting!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	DSC_1807-HD.jpg
Views:	407
Size:	57.4 KB
ID:	244103  
Dutchsteam is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 2:00 pm   #2
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,787
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

Type A wasn't a professional broadcast format. I suspect these are off-air recordings made at a university or college.
paulsherwin is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 2:13 pm   #3
Dutchsteam
Triode
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Leiden, Netherlands.
Posts: 11
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
Type A wasn't a professional broadcast format. I suspect these are off-air recordings made at a university or college.
If they are recordings of lost portions of broadcasts that could be very interesting. Candidates are NBC, CBS and ABC. Not all of those channels preserved all their broadcasts.

Maybe BBC or Australian broadcasts but very unlikely...

An other possibility is that an university or library requested a video tape dub from NASA. But then I don't see why they would have the landing too, because that didn't have any TV, only 16mm!
Dutchsteam is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 2:41 pm   #4
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,787
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

As the timings are given in GMT, this is likely to be a British recording, probably off-air BBC live coverage. The writing on the boxes has rather a 'British' look to it too. The '7' is British/American in style rather than continental European. However, the date format is American rather than British.

It will certainly be interesting to see what's on the tapes if you can find a suitable machine.
paulsherwin is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 2:52 pm   #5
Dutchsteam
Triode
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Leiden, Netherlands.
Posts: 11
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

The BBC Apollo 11 broadcasts are entirely lost (Expect a minute or so of telecine), finding those broadcasts would be truly historic.

There is a company in the Netherlands that has Ampex type A PAL and NTSC machines. I have asked them and hopefully I can give my tapes a spin on their machine to verify contents.

The tapes did come from the USA however, so would need to have made quite the journey...

Digitization is going to be very expensive unfortunately , 450 Eur per tape at their place.


What video broadcast standards were used in 1969 Britain?

Last edited by Dutchsteam; 24th Oct 2021 at 3:13 pm.
Dutchsteam is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 2:52 pm   #6
Dutchsteam
Triode
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Leiden, Netherlands.
Posts: 11
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

This Google Drive link has much more photos in higher resolution.

Last edited by Dutchsteam; 24th Oct 2021 at 3:15 pm.
Dutchsteam is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 3:24 pm   #7
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,787
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

If you bought the tapes from the US then that obviously makes it more likely that they were recorded there. The GMT timings are a puzzle though.

British broadcasters were still using 2" Quadruplex in 1969 (as was everybody else). Transmission was dual standard 405 and 625 lines, but all studio operations were 625 PAL. I don't know if the BBC had an electronic 525-625 standards converter for Apollo 11 - they may have used optical conversion.
paulsherwin is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 3:53 pm   #8
cheerfulcharlie
Heptode
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 708
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

It may save you some money by asking the transfer people just to try and find an identity clapperboard at the beginning and then just spool through, picking out some random.. say 30-second shots on the tape..This will give you some idea if they are in good condition and the material actually match what is written down.
cheerfulcharlie is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 5:01 pm   #9
McMurdo
Dekatron
 
McMurdo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

Quote:
I don't know if the BBC had an electronic 525-625 standards converter for Apollo 11 - they may have used optical conversion
According to the British TV History website, the BBC received the satellite link from Australia in NTSC through Goonhilly Cornwall, it was then electronically converted to PAL and distributed to the BBC, ITV and Eurovision networks. The BBC later received the Queen's Award to Industry for its efforts.

(source: https://web.archive.org/web/20110723...on_tv_cov.html)

https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/...h/moon-landing
__________________
Kevin

Last edited by McMurdo; 24th Oct 2021 at 5:09 pm. Reason: added extra link
McMurdo is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 5:11 pm   #10
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,787
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

They had 625->405 analogue electronic converters, but NTSC is more challenging because of the different frame rate, so they may have converted optically. I know digital standards converters arrived around 1980, but I don't know if there were earlier analogue designs that could handle 525.
paulsherwin is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 5:40 pm   #11
bluepilot
Heptode
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Duffort, Gers, France
Posts: 714
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
The GMT timings are a puzzle though.
Different time zones have different times and who knows what time it is on the moon? It's quite common to use GMT, or UTC as it's known nowadays to have some sort of absolute reference.
__________________
Stuart

The golden age is always yesterday - Asa Briggs
bluepilot is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 5:49 pm   #12
Dutchsteam
Triode
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Leiden, Netherlands.
Posts: 11
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

NASA used GMT time during the Apollo missions including all announcements.
Dutchsteam is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2021, 10:07 pm   #13
Snarf81
Heptode
 
Snarf81's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Rogiet, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.
Posts: 615
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

If you get in contact with Chris Perry at Kaleidoscope, they will probably have the machines to check the tapes for you.
You could very well have lost footage.
__________________
Richard
https://youtube.com/user/MrBetamax
Snarf81 is offline  
Old 25th Oct 2021, 1:40 am   #14
Graham G3ZVT
Dekatron
 
Graham G3ZVT's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,676
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutchsteam View Post
The BBC Apollo 11 broadcasts are entirely lost (Expect a minute or so of telecine), finding those broadcasts would be truly historic.
Exactly!

The studio presenters included James Burke, Patrick Moore, Cliff Michelmore, David Frost & Alastair Burnet.

The title music was the epic opening bars of Richard Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30"

In UK TV terms, this is gold-dust if it's what's written on the tin.

The British Film Institute (BFI) have a project called MBW (Missing Believed Wiped).
__________________
--
Graham.
G3ZVT
Graham G3ZVT is online now  
Old 25th Oct 2021, 1:17 pm   #15
lightning
Heptode
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 710
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

This is very interesting

Please keep us updated, hopefully you will be able to view the tapes soon.
lightning is offline  
Old 25th Oct 2021, 9:38 pm   #16
cheerfulcharlie
Heptode
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 708
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

LOL can't say it would be that interesting, just Patrick Moore et all waffling and ad-libbing away, trying to keep the momentum going with the help of the tatty models and graphics that the BBC were good at in those days.
cheerfulcharlie is offline  
Old 25th Oct 2021, 10:04 pm   #17
dave walsh
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,814
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

I don't know about that Charlie. Patrick was and is still very popular. Defenders of the archiving policy [if there was one] often point to costs and that "You can't keep everything" but the Apollo Missions It was hardly the un-regarded and undervalued new fangled "pop" music, considered entirely disposable by some but a world wide event!

Dave W

Last edited by dave walsh; 25th Oct 2021 at 10:10 pm.
dave walsh is offline  
Old 25th Oct 2021, 10:13 pm   #18
Richard_FM
Octode
 
Richard_FM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,999
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

I was more incensed by hearing the BBC had wiped their tapes of the moon landing than I was with episodes of Dr Who!

This was probably because it was one of the biggest events of the 20th century & one that was shown live all around the world.
__________________
Hello IT: Have you Tried Turning It Off & On Again?
Richard_FM is offline  
Old 25th Oct 2021, 11:44 pm   #19
jayceebee
Heptode
 
jayceebee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Durham, County Durham, UK.
Posts: 640
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

interesting info about Apollo TV just appeared today on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3DfWR3CVlc

John.
jayceebee is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2021, 5:31 am   #20
Mr Hoover
Hexode
 
Mr Hoover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Faro, Portugal
Posts: 269
Default Re: Apollo 11 1969 1" open reel video tapes

The camera was developed by Stanley Lebar and his team at Westinghouse. There's a fascinating
interview with him here at the Early Television
Museum in 2009,sadly he passed away not long afterwards.It's a long video and the interesting parts are towards the middle/end from memory.Sound quality isn't great at times.
Westinghouse were chosen as they previously had made a miniature camera for the CIA!
https://youtu.be/Hjxi6r6TPr4
Mr Hoover is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:04 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.