TV Sign Off Question

[A. Joseph Ross]

On 10 Feb 2009 at 12:59, Dale H. Cook wrote:

> The "12 o'clock" Indian head test pattern was most commonly seen in
> the RCA TK-1 series of monoscopes. A monoscope is a modified TV camera
> incorporating a test pattern in the pickup tube. The "mono" in
> "monoscope" comes from the fact that it can display only one image.
 
That test pattern was used for awhile by the old WHDH-TV 5 when it 
first came on.  I remember that it was expected to come on earlier in 
November than it did, but apparently the weather didn't allow the men 
to get up to the top of the tower to connect the antenna.  Finally, 
one day, I came home from school, turned on the TV to channel 5, and 
saw the Indian-head test pattern.  I wondered what it was, but every 
so often, a voice would interrupt the tone and announce that it was 
WHDH-TV channel 5 in Boston.  According to the news at the time, the 
station got authority to start programming around the news hour.  At 
that time, the station actually signed on and began programming with 
the local and then the network evening news.  The Indian-head test 
pattern was used for at least a few weeks after that, maybe longer, 
before the start of the broadcast day.  Then they finally got a new 
test pattern that looked just like the one WGBH-TV was using, except 
that it had the WHDH-TV call letters and channel number on it.

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
 92 State Street, Suite 700                   Fax 617.507.7856
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