Training Manual - Pull out: drawing of the desk

Training Manual - Appendix 1

Now you can check whether or not your station has (or had) the Point 13 Mod.

Training Manual - Page 18

Training Manual - Part 3: Glossary

The Neve Mark 3 Desk

Most of the Mark 3 Local Radio Desks were made in house by the BBC, but some were made by Neve.

This picture shows Dave Bussey at the faders of the Neve Mark 3 at BBC Radio Lincolnshire. Apart from all the bits being squashed closely together it looks largely similar to the layout from the BBC design. Moving the cart machines out of the frame of the desk has obviously helped to narrow it down a bit.

I always thought the space around the controls was one of the things that made the desk so user-friendly, especially for self-op work, so I wonder what this was like to operate?

Training Manual - Page 16

Training Manual - Page 15

Of all the phone-in systems I've come across, the telecaster is my least favourite.

Training Manual - Page 14

Going Underground

Here's one that got away. This picture is of a Mark 3 Desk in the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker. The bunker is in Cheshire, but I believe the desk in one from BBC Shropshire. We've already seen a desk from Shropshire on the blog, and although they are very similar I don't think it's the same one.

I'm pretty sure that no Mark 3's were ever installed in cold war bunkers; they're too bulky, complex from an engineering point of view, and don't work without some of the gubbins usually hidden away in the apps room. This Wikipedia article has more information about the BBC's plans for a Wartime Broadcasting Service.