From Newsgroup: uk.tech.broadcast

This programme just been telling the story of the BBC Old Man of Hoy
Outside Broadcast.


DOCUMENTARY: Rewinder
On: BBC Radio 4
Date: Saturday 31st January 2026 (25 minutes left)
Time: 10:30 to 11:00 (30 minutes long)

Greg James digs into the BBC's archives of audio, video, vinyl,
photographs and documents, using current stories to examine ones from
the past.
(New Series, Series 14, Episode 1)

Starring: Greg James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marked By: 'Category: Documentary' marker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=7346

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.
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From Newsgroup: uk.tech.broadcast

On Sat 31/01/2026 10:40, JMB99 wrote:

This programme just been telling the story of the BBC Old Man of Hoy
Outside Broadcast.

DOCUMENTARY: Rewinder
On: BBC Radio 4
Date: Saturday 31st January 2026 (25 minutes left)
Time: 10:30 to 11:00 (30 minutes long)

Greg James digs into the BBC's archives of audio, video, vinyl,
photographs and documents, using current stories to examine ones from
the past.
(New Series, Series 14, Episode 1)

Starring: Greg James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marked By: 'Category: Documentary' marker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=7346

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

I don't remember the original but I do remember watching Joe Brown
repeat it in the early 80s!

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From Newsgroup: uk.tech.broadcast

On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:40:29 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:

This programme just been telling the story of the BBC Old Man of Hoy
Outside Broadcast.

DOCUMENTARY: Rewinder
On: BBC Radio 4
Date: Saturday 31st January 2026 (25 minutes left)
Time: 10:30 to 11:00 (30 minutes long)

Greg James digs into the BBC's archives of audio, video, vinyl,
photographs and documents, using current stories to examine ones from
the past.
(New Series, Series 14, Episode 1)

Starring: Greg James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marked By: 'Category: Documentary' marker >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from >http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=7346

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

They probably didn't mention it in the radio broadcast but I remember
this as being one of the earliest, or maybe *the* earliest
implementations of the BBC's Natlock system being used in slavelock
mode.

This was a system for controlling the timings of synchronising pulse
generators to ensure that video signals from a remote source were
synchronous with local ones at the inputs to the mixer so they could
be switched, faded etc without picture disturbances. There were two
fundamental ways it could be used, either the local SPG could be
brought into sync with the incoming signal, or it could send error
tones over an audio circuit to control the SPG at the remote site.

It was an ingenious system and could work very well, though not always suitable. For example, the regional centres didn't like being slaved
to Lime Grove while they were playing recorded material to their local transmitters, because while the timings were being adjusted the signal
was just far enough out of spec to upset videotape recorders. In the
worst case it could take several minutes to bring a remote source into
sync, so if a region had a contribution to make to a London programme
such as 'Nationwide' (remember that?) in the first couple of minutes
it couldn't be guaranteed that there was enough time to make it synchronous.There was an unavoidable element of chance that the
incoming signal would be synchronous, and if it wasn't, all they could
do was make a non-synchronous cut and hope it was close enough not to
be too noticeable.

Rod.
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From Newsgroup: uk.tech.broadcast

On 01/02/2026 08:30, Roderick Stewart wrote:

On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:40:29 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:

This programme just been telling the story of the BBC Old Man of Hoy
Outside Broadcast.


DOCUMENTARY: Rewinder
On: BBC Radio 4
Date: Saturday 31st January 2026 (25 minutes left)
Time: 10:30 to 11:00 (30 minutes long)

Greg James digs into the BBC's archives of audio, video, vinyl,
photographs and documents, using current stories to examine ones from
the past.
(New Series, Series 14, Episode 1)

Starring: Greg James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marked By: 'Category: Documentary' marker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=7346

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

They probably didn't mention it in the radio broadcast but I remember
this as being one of the earliest, or maybe *the* earliest
implementations of the BBC's Natlock system being used in slavelock
mode.

This was a system for controlling the timings of synchronising pulse generators to ensure that video signals from a remote source were
synchronous with local ones at the inputs to the mixer so they could
be switched, faded etc without picture disturbances. There were two fundamental ways it could be used, either the local SPG could be
brought into sync with the incoming signal, or it could send error
tones over an audio circuit to control the SPG at the remote site.

It was an ingenious system and could work very well, though not always suitable. For example, the regional centres didn't like being slaved
to Lime Grove while they were playing recorded material to their local transmitters, because while the timings were being adjusted the signal
was just far enough out of spec to upset videotape recorders. In the
worst case it could take several minutes to bring a remote source into
sync, so if a region had a contribution to make to a London programme
such as 'Nationwide' (remember that?) in the first couple of minutes
it couldn't be guaranteed that there was enough time to make it synchronous.There was an unavoidable element of chance that the
incoming signal would be synchronous, and if it wasn't, all they could
do was make a non-synchronous cut and hope it was close enough not to
be too noticeable.

Rod.

For many years there needed to be a return audio path from TVC to the
Outside Broadcast. It wasn't always possible. Eventually, the control
signals were sent via Ceefaz, so as long as the Ob could get off-air
pictures - all was fine.
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From Newsgroup: uk.tech.broadcast

On 01/02/2026 11:00, Charles Hope wrote:

For many years there needed to be a return audio path from TVC to the Outside Broadcast. It wasn't always possible. Eventually, the control signals were sent via Ceefaz, so as long as the Ob could get off-air pictures - all was fine.

When they did a climbing OB from Glencoe, they used an off air (sound
only) signal from Ballachulish (or Torosay) and fed it up to the OB
point over a VHF or UHF link for cueing as no TV reception in Glencoe.

Some local guides were used as porters and overnight security on the
hills.

They had a helicopter on hire so someone the night before had an idea
(after a few drinks presumably). They got their hotel to make up a
cooked breakfast for the guides up on the hill and it was flown up with
full 'Silver Service' and waiter.

(Though they might have preferred a waitress).

They had one of the BBC's first satellite uplinks in Glencoe but it was
still experimental (and not approved by the unions?) so rigged OB links
back to some point in Central Scotland.


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From Newsgroup: uk.tech.broadcast

On Mon, 02 Feb 26 12:15:02 UTC, Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk>
wrote:

On the BBC Staff magazine (Arial)

That'll be Ariel, Chuck.
The other one's a typeface.
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