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  #16  
Old 09-04-2008, 12:57 AM
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it is true many models TK 41 were exported abroad, below the two photos will see 3 who were employed by RAI in Italy in 1968 for the first transmission experiments in color.

Last edited by firenzeprima; 03-10-2009 at 03:20 PM.
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  #17  
Old 09-04-2008, 03:35 AM
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I'm personally trying to track down a TK-41 in Australia though only mainly have the internet as an info source to work with. My mate James found this pic of a TK-41 http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/hwtports/0...hp004692.shtml . According to the source of info http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-pa-HTTP%253...HP004692.SHTML this photo was taken at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria in 1965. I've noticed this TK-41 type camera has a modified tilt adjustable Marconi MKIII type viewfinder.

Apart from that the other early colour cams we had in the 60s was an EMI-204 3 tube vidicon colour camera which was for demos at Powerhouse Museum in 1965 http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...se/?irn=249192 and on 15th July 1967 ATV-0 used TK-42s for an experimental colour broadcast of a horse race in Pakenham, Victoria http://www.oldradio.com/archives/har...tk42(atvo).jpg .

I can imagine that TK-41s were used over in Philippines as they started colour in 1966 and TK-41s were the main colour camera back then alongside with Norelco/Philips PC-60s, so I tend to wonder how many may be in existence over there.

Lastly I hope Chuck will be able to get his TK-41 going, will be awesome to see one in action again and be compared with a modern CCD camera, will be interesting to put two side by side and and do a comparison hey.
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  #18  
Old 09-04-2008, 05:40 AM
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Just curios, what made this cameras so relaible?
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  #19  
Old 09-04-2008, 10:06 AM
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TK overkill

This was an all tube color camera just like the TK11/31 B&W camera which was a workhorse in the industry for all of the '50's and '60's. Their problems were well known and most of the time an easy fix. Tubes are also forgiving under critical moments unlike transistors. These cameras were built to be serviced and easy access to all componets was engineered in an overkill design.

TK42's were designed with plug in modules with a lot of germanium transistors which by todays' standards are terrible. The edge connectors on the boards also gave some trouble. Current surges in supply power were common and seemed to bother the '42 whereas the '41 was not as succeptable. Any engineer who worked these cameras will pretty much tell you the same thing. However the '41 was bothered by heat buildup so the later ones had a blower system inside them. The TK60 B&W had a chimney on top of it for good reason.
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  #20  
Old 09-04-2008, 02:03 PM
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What critical moments?
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  #21  
Old 09-04-2008, 08:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007 View Post
What critical moments?
It was late and what I meant to say was at certain times if you had some kind of power surge or something bumped the camera, the '42 would seem to react to it. A 42 could have a color drop out, sometimes suddenly no color, adjusting focus or zoom and cable would jump, and other assorted video problems due to the nature of the edge connectors on the modules. Excessive humidity sometimes would find its' way to the camera (we couldn't figure that one out either) closing the side hatch could sometimes knock it out of whack or an intermittant we could never find. Yup, any institution who had one didn't keep it around for long. They didn't seem to get any better with age either. I know of some who had '42's who wished they had their '41's back until the '44's came along.
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  #22  
Old 09-05-2008, 12:57 AM
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My dim memory reminds me that NBC never bought any TK-42's. They kept the old beasts until the 44's came along.

I was behind a 42 one day and the talent in front of the lens started moving so I panned with him...I thought. It was the complete horizontal in the camera drifting to the side of the frame. The talent was not moving but started leaning to the side when he saw me pan. Just about the the time he was ready to fall over, we figured it out and quit for the day.
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  #23  
Old 09-05-2008, 03:45 PM
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TK42 woes

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Originally Posted by Dave A View Post
My dim memory reminds me that NBC never bought any TK-42's. They kept the old beasts until the 44's came along.

I was behind a 42 one day and the talent in front of the lens started moving so I panned with him...I thought. It was the complete horizontal in the camera drifting to the side of the frame. The talent was not moving but started leaning to the side when he saw me pan. Just about the the time he was ready to fall over, we figured it out and quit for the day.
Tee hee hee, I rest my case, yes they did some strange things and time didn't help them either. Since NBC and RCA were together, I sometimes wonder if it was a known problem (early on) regarding TK42's and NBC wouldn't touch them? It is well documented that they waited until the TK44 Plumbicon cameras were a worthy replacement. After all, these are production cameras, were used pretty much 24/7 and down time costs thousands. It was in the later '60's when NBC used their colorful station ID's and I especially like my favorite-the one where it states "THIS HAS BEEN A COLOR PRODUCTION OF THE NBC TELEVISION NETWORK" and a cameraman in the background wearing a red shirt dollying a TK41 through the NBC "snake" in the foreground. This ID ran for a long time too! The "New Look" equipment had long been in production when this ID was made. It still impresses me how a true "hands on" piece of equipment like a '41 could be used day in and day out for nearly 20 years and work sucessfully and perfectly that is all tubes! Remember, this is 55+ year old technology that we can't even claim today! What a masterpiece!

Check this out and watch carefully: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e2xb...eature=related

-Julian
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  #24  
Old 09-05-2008, 07:15 PM
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We have Sony DXC-3000 cameras in our studio that were installed in 1989. They're still plugging away. I'm not sure its unusual to have television equipment for a long time. Its not the same as consumer equipment. In fact I think the only reason there's been a big wave of replacement of studio equipment is due to HD coming in. Otherwise a lot of places would still be using their mid 90's (or earlier) vintage cameras.

David

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  #25  
Old 09-05-2008, 07:40 PM
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That's interesting about the 41s-I would have thought that since they were pretty much a "leading edge" product, that they would be pushing the technical limits of what was possible back then, & as such would have been troublesome, balky things. YetI remember seeing them in TV shows into the '70s, when they wanted to show a "TV camers", it was always one of those big battleship gray, humpbacked beasts. Guess the engineers REALLY did their homework when these things were designed, & told the bean counters to go pound sand if they wanted to use cheaper components in them.
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  #26  
Old 09-05-2008, 07:52 PM
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I have a question, where are all of the obsolete sdtv studio cameras going to go in feb 2009? I know most of them have been already pulled from service, but there should be a huge pile already of working videogear, ready for the dumpster or better yet Audio Karma video collectors. Is anyone here making contacts with their local TV stations for the surplus stuff? Logan
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  #27  
Old 09-05-2008, 08:49 PM
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Don't confuse the broadcast analog shut down date with changeover to digital SD or HD studio gear. The changeover at studios has been going on for some time, both to digital routing/switching and to HD. The final digital transmitter can be fed from an analog studio and vice versa.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mr_fixer View Post
I have a question, where are all of the obsolete sdtv studio cameras going to go in feb 2009? I know most of them have been already pulled from service, but there should be a huge pile already of working videogear, ready for the dumpster or better yet Audio Karma video collectors. Is anyone here making contacts with their local TV stations for the surplus stuff? Logan
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  #28  
Old 09-05-2008, 08:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by firenzeprima View Post
it is true many models TK 41 were exported abroad, below the two photos will see 3 who were employed by RAI in Italy in 1968 for the first transmission experiments in color.
Thanks for the pictures!
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  #29  
Old 09-05-2008, 10:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by old_tv_nut View Post
Don't confuse the broadcast analog shut down date with changeover to digital SD or HD studio gear. The changeover at studios has been going on for some time, both to digital routing/switching and to HD. The final digital transmitter can be fed from an analog studio and vice versa.
Yes i Know, but still there should be thousands of old Low D cameras, vtrs and switchers laying around somewhere, shouldn't there? did they all go to the dump?
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  #30  
Old 09-06-2008, 12:00 PM
bozey45 bozey45 is offline
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Tk-42's

the TK-42 had myraids of problems as mentioned previously, in addition they sucked up light like crazy; we had 2 of those at WEDU in Tampa in late 60's-early 70's and had to light the sets at 1000-1100 ft. candles for those things. But they were the stations first local color cameras and were donated by another local channel so they were put to good use anyway. We had a great engineer there who worked and worked and mangaed to get very good video out of them most of the time. Don't know when they got rid of those things. When I left the station in '71 they were still in use. We did an annual auction beginning in 1968 and used remote facilities of BIG13 in Tampa who used GE pc70's on their truck---what a difference!
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