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But back to the topic of cameras....what were used where and what are known to exist and where last seen??
Victoria - Australia
ATV0/ATV10 Melbourne
(RCA Kit Station)
Prior to 1975:
RCA TK-60's, RCA TK42?- was on loan as an NTSC model for color test in late 60's from a usa station.
1975 to approx 1995, RCA TK-45's, (main studio) RCA TK46's (drama studio)
TK76's for some location material in the early days but mostly 16mm film prior to around 1983/4 when BETACAM arrived.
Known to have survived?
- no known tk60's survivors today although one appears to exist as late as 1994 as a sad looking prop on a tv special, most tk45's from anywhere else in australia were were sent as spare parts to atv10 melb in the early 90's to refurbish their cameras when they moved...story goes there was a whole skip piled 3 or 4 deep of cameras, a couple "May" have been rescued by staff but most were trashed. Same goes for the TK46's it is assumed they were also dumped in the early 90's when neighbours (drama/soap) upgraded to newer cameras.
BTV6 - Ballarat, Victoria (RCA kit station)
Station "May" have opened with RCA TK-12's (rather than tk60's) as early photos show the tell tale signs of no "chimney" and other slight design differences, the date the station opened also points to being too early for the TK60's official release. However in all other photo documentation and station literature, (as of early 70's) they boasted of 2x TK-60's and two EMI-203 4.5" orthicon cameras, and an EMI 201 in the news studio.
1974-75 onward, RCA tk45's, one or two TK76's for location (but primarily film) at least one TK760 used for sports OB's or extra studio cam.
Late 1990 to 91, saw the TK-45's retired as spare parts to ATV10, and over a million spent on 3 new BVP-370 3CCD Cameras and peds.
What exists today?: No known TK-60's, someone thought they may have been donated to the school of mines, but i have never found any trace of what happened. Similarily the EMI cameras fate is unknown, in mid 90's techs talked of a camera head still sitting out the back, but when i looked there was nothing there. Its unkown why a primarily RCA kit station was doing with EMI cameras...possibly they were cheap UK purchases after they went to color.
GMV6 - Shepparton
Station opened with two Marconi B3095 vidicon type cameras
which lasted them through until color, after which time they appear
to have also had the popular RCA TK-45's and TK76's
- what survives today?
Thankfully the two marconi cameras were rescued by a private collector and exist today and are being lovingly looked after in their retirement, unfortunately the ccu and support gear is long gone as were the lenses and a few parts missing inside. The TK45's were likely also sent as spares to ATV10 melb and mostly trashed.
BCV8 Bendigo
Similair Marconis were also used here according to old photos, but some photos suggest even a fernseh orthicon camera may have existed at a later stage. From color onward its sketchy what was used due to lack of any history surviving from the station. Some photos suggest in the mid 80's marconi mk8's were in use, and later years ikegami's. Nothing is known to have survived at this stage (to my knowledge)
GTV9 - Melbourne
The station opened using PYE MK3 cameras, and i am told there was a total of 8 across the whole station. By roughly 1962, they had upgraded (at least in the main IMT studio) to MK5's - there was also at least one known fernseh IO camera in use in later years.
From the color era onwards, Bosch KCU-40's seemed the stations staple, as well as at least one KCN type portable used for some of the don lane show hand held segment shots outside in the late 70's. The KCU-40's were in use as late as 1992/93 in studio 9, and then when replaced with the sony BVP375's, they were demoted to the nearby smaller "whats cooking" studio until finally being phased out.
what exists today? - well some of the PYE MK3's exist (albeit in a sorry looking state) and were last seen at the ACMI tv history exhibition, having being under the care at the bob philips museum. Its unkown where they are now, last reports were these were sitting out the back of GTV9 degrading further. The KCU-40's are unkown, some may have been donated to bob philips, but someone claimed some were still under the gtv9 building, some say they were thrown in the dumpmaster, at least one similair looking model was on display at the acmi exhibit, but no ccu or cables...just a prop.
HSV7 - Melbourne
They were mostly marconi, starting with the giant marconi MKIII and MKIV
later for their color demo in 1968 they bought (a couple?) of philips type plumbicon cameras (sold under norelco in the US) - from the official intro of color they used the marconi MK8's which werent phased out until the very early 90's.
What exists? - well some of my cameras came from here, one of the philips exists as just the camera head and was last seen at the ACMI exhibition (on the wrong tripod and scratched & scuffed and appeared to have damage to the lense housing) its unknown about the MKIII's, and storys vary wildly about the MKIV's, apparently one was seen in a collectables store for a wild price many many years ago, and another story says one was spray painted white? and used as a prop in a play and later trashed. Another still exists in a private collectors hands but needs some TLC, one was also donated in perfect working nick to the bob philips museum, and was seen as part of the acmi exhibit some years ago, although looking worse for wear as well.
ABC - Melbourne
Marconi MKIII's very early on, and then EMI-206 or 207's, then in 1974,75 philips LDK5's...in the late 80's to 90's it looks like ikegamis were substituted in the studio..even as late as 1999
the emi 206, 207's were owned by an ex employee? and at some point he had to clear space and they were trashed, so none exist. Unknown what happened to the marconis...or the philips ldk5's...possibly were sent interstate to sydney and sold at auction..as the abc did with a lot of its gear.
other stations:
Sydney:
channel 10
Marconi MKIV's for number 96 etc, later for color MK8's
some MKIX's were also apparently used.
ATN7 - Marconi MKIV's & MKIII's seemed common as were MK8's for color
TCN9 - appeared to use very early fernseh type camera and then the philips ldk5's through the color era into the mid 90's
other stuff
AMPEX BCC1 or BCC10 was apparently used at some mildura station?
Sydney Film and TV School had bosch KCU-40's and other models in their studio
RMIT melbourne had at least one PYE MKIII
EMI-203's were used for some places at WA ABC?
EMI-2001's were never in australia..however...
NBN television appears to have been using the EMI 2005 cameras
for studio and OB use in the 70/80's ...not known what happened to them
however a lense turned up recently in a scrapyard for an exhorbitant price!
PYE MK 4's were used at TWV7 WA
SES-8 MT GAMBIER - appears to possibly have had an TK-44 bought very early on to get in on arrival of color tv, before the tk45 was released.
TK-11's were used at QTQ-9 Queensland
TAS-TV used tk-45's in the color era
9 Perth had PYE MK5
more as i think of it...or people jog my memory
by the way i am only just over 30...so most of all this was before i was born!!!
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