BBC RBS Test Transmission 2010 / BBC Two - Pontop Pike

Programmes were interrupted in the early hours of Sunday 18th July 2010 to allow BBC engineers to perform their annual* tests of the emergency rebroadcast standby, which meant a rare appearance of the once commonly seen testcard.

The process affects only analogue television signals and involves temporarily removing the feeds connecting BBC One and Two to the transmitter sites, leaving only a radio link between the Crystal Palace transmitter and TV Centre. The remaining analogue transmitters (post-DSO regions could not receive the test) then rebroadcast the signal from their nearest transmitter.

Here's what happened on BBC Two from the Pontop Pike (Tyne Tees) transmitter. The test began at 4.10am and concluded just under 1 hour later. If you keep watching to the end of the video you'll see that after rejoining Pages from Ceefax, transmission briefly cut back to the testcard as the clock ticked over the 5am mark, before returning to the Ceefax reel once again.

*This year's tests were originally due to take place in January (as is the norm) but were postponed due to the heavy snowfall.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• bbc
• rbs
• test
• tests
• transmission
• transmitter
• analogue
• rebroadcast
• standby
• signal
• system
• emergency
• annual
• one
• two
• pontop
• pike
• testcard
• girl
• pages
• from
• ceefax
• tent
• beach
• ident
• continuity
• junction
• closedown

[Danielfartface]

RIP headphone users

[williamg209]

does any one know a vid for test card f

[jx866]

The final RBS test, now rendered obsolete by the ongoing digital switchover and the resulting holes in the analogue network.

[wildphoenix1984]

Just like that creepy little girl to pop back up and scare me just when I relaxed again!

I think it's only made creepier by the speaking clock, too.

Srsly though, thats a really interesting explanation. Thanks for teaching me :) Shame it's going out with Analogue though - even if it has scared me to death since kidhood!

[TeamBlackDragons01]

The Album for the music on Ceefax played at the begining is called Moments in love but the artist or the actual name is yet to be discovered.

[TeamBlackDragons01]

I have a bit of information on the music at

w w w . t e s t c a r d c i r c l e . o r g . u k and go to ceefax page.

[TeamBlackDragons01]

Is the music from 0:28 - 0:42 full anywhere?

[zazzko5]

She didnt Announce the bloddy rbs test

[jayrox40]

I missed this, thanks for the upload, possibly the last ever RBS.