Test Patterns of Boston-NE-NYC- v2 

I remember that back in the 70’s KQED channel 9 in San Francisco CA used the round test pattern before they’d sign on for the day and maybe KBHK channel 44 used one too and when I was on vacation in Hawaii back in the 80’s the PBS stations over there used the round test pattern before they signed on for the day and in the 90’s to early 2000’s KGO channel 7 in San Francisco would sign off on early Monday morning for 1 or 2 hours then when they’d sign back on again they would use the round test pattern. I miss the days when stations would use the old test patterns. Thanks for posting.

VERY COOL! Especially for a TV/News Geek like myself. I remember a lot of these panels (especially the circle/cross pattern) growing up in the Boston area. Ahh, the early days of cable, when you actually could get Providence and NYC on the cable! :)

I miss test patterns. I remember them when I was little. Now they are replaced by boring infomercials.

Thank you, this reminds me of growing up in Brattleboro, VT where we had WGBH, WBZ, Channel 7 Boston, WMUR, Channel 27 before it became Univision, WSBK.

I love those old test patterns from the good old days

I grew up during this period in Fairfield County and still live here so I remember the test patterns for the NYC stations. It's too bad nobody has any for the Hartford stations.

When this appeared on an overnite here in 1987 it was surprising first considering WCBS had been years off our service, but also surprising that they were still using the vintage style TP, and not a more modern style slide..

I appreciate all your stuff, it's just too bad no one else saved these to share.

@MSTS1 - At least two people taped WTNH in New Haven, CT at sign-off time in the 1980's, complete with their color bars.

@MSTS1 - And a very interesting coincidence, at that. Now, I was apprised that, of the Boston stations, WBZ and WLVI used RCA TK-27 film chains (as did WJAR in Providence, RI), while WNEV (from its days as WNAC) and WSBK were equipped with General Electric PE-24/240's. (Can't say of the other stations.)

The following of the color test pattern of WPIX with the B&W TP of WPRI was interesting - as the TP design used by WPRI had actually originated with WPIX! Unless the timing was the intent. ;)

Also . . . it appears that on the EIA color bars shown on WQTV, the PLUGE was an add-on . . . its layout differed from the SMPTE bars.

Really Love this

0:00-2:35 I dreamed that tone came out of my mouth and throat. 400hz "In the beginning it was you You make me go "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I woke up VERY FREAKED OUT

Coincidence they ended up together that way; I just put them in the dial order, from Ch. 2 up to Ch. 68. This looks something like it actually looked at a certain hour of the night when clicking the channels up the dial, like very early Monday A.M., on a night when almost all the stations went off..

Nice

0:00-2:35 when I hear my family tone (400hz) I start head banging and fist pumping the air. I feel pride for the tone and I love it. 1000hz sounds like my soul mate and very Ohio sounding but I have a place in my heart for 400hz

@yuzuki120100 - The particular film chain/telop setup WSBK used for that TP clip evidently shows a host of vertical (and to a lesser extent, horizontal) linearity issues. That, and the green and blue vidicon channels apparently being weaker than the red, or wrongly calibrated, or whatever . . .

@wmbrown6 - Well they they are, and looks like they've been there for quite a while, too.. I'd be very surprised now to see any from ME or VT.. On a very rare occasion I got WGAN-13 Portland here on antenna, but never saw anything from CT or VT. I missed getting WCBS-2 since I didn't yet have the recorder, and also WTEV-6-WLNE-6 in RI for the same reason. All off our service by then..

@denelson83 There is a sign on in MSTS1 videos from WVCB in 1981. They use to shut down early Monday mornings then come back on a couple of hours later. Not sure when they went 24/7.

@kevin62387 - You're right, don't see any of these type from CT. But come to think of it, out of the 6 New England states, the only recordings at all seem to be from me..

Did New Hampshire pbs ever use any test patterns before?

@denelson83 - WCVB has always been a 24hr-day station, and I never saw them use a test pattern.

What's more, the way the WCBS pattern was calibrated (and its horizontal linearity) appears to be from the same time period as this other clip that was taped from a 3/4": watch?v=RC99c0eUIos

@kevin62387 - I agree with that. I haven't seen anything from Maine, Vermont or Connecticut.. Well, who knows- something might show up here someday..

Thanks. No, I never did imitate them; I can't remember the tune.. )

Did New Hampshire pbs ever use a test pattern before?

Didn't WCVB broadcast any test patterns?

2 WGBH Boston,MA (PBS) 2 WCBS New York City,NY (CBS O&O) 4 WBZ Boston,MA (NBC O&O Now CBS O&O) 7 WNEV Now WHDH Boston,MA (CBS Now Independent) 9 WMUR Manchester,NH (ABC) 10 WJAR Providence,MA (NBC) 11 WENH Durham,NH (PBS) 11 WPIX New York City,NY (Independent Now The CW) 12 WPRI Providence,MA (ABC Now CBS) 25 WXNE Now WFXT (Independent Now FOX) 27 WSMW/WHLL Now WUNI Marlborough,MA (Independent Now Univision) 38 WSBK Boston,MA (Independent Now MyNetworkTV O&O) 56 WLVI Cambridge,MA (Independent Now The CW) 60 WGOT Now WNEU Merrimack,MA (Independent Now Telemundo O&O) 68 WQTV Now WBPX Boston,MA (Independent Now Ion Television O&O)

I did see this photo of a TK-27 here at Flickr: flickr dot c o m/photos/7987212@N08/558124095