On Saturday 1st October, The High Sheriff, Kay Marriott, will officially ‘open’ Vectis Radio‘s new Outside Broadcast (OB) unit with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Riverside Centre in Newport.
Affectionately named OB-1 the conversion of a small domestic caravan has been a year-long project for a team of volunteers at the Newport-based Community Radio Station.
Converting OB-1
Vectis Radio Director, Kelvin Currie, said,
“We were donated a caravan prior to Lockdown, but when we started work on the conversion it was found that the floor was unsafe.
“Another caravan was obtained and the team set about removing some of the fittings to make room for the technical equipment needed for Outside Broadcasts.”
He continued,
“We did retain some original features of the caravan like the cooker, fridge and loo to make things easier for us when out and about.
“I would like to thank all the team who donated their time and skills to this project and made it the success it is.”
A highly visible advertisement
After the caravan was wrapped in the Vectis Radio Logos, by local printers Biltmore, which was funded in part by WightAID, it has become a highly visible advertisement for the station.
Fellow director and Station Manager, Ian Mac said,
“When I first saw OB-1 after it was wrapped, my first reaction was Wow!”
He continued,
“Vectis Radio has pioneered OBs from our early days, evolving them as the technology advanced. Previously, this involved the transportation of a lot of equipment and a lot of connecting up.
“OB-1 will enable us to do OBs without anything like the set up time previously needed and help us to serve the community better by supporting local events and to expand our 4Ps training to include OBs and the technology that goes with that. In fact we are aiming to get OB-1 into schools to show just how radio can improve the confidence and communication skills of young people.”
News shared by Kelvin on behalf of Vectis Radio. Ed
