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GPS Software as seen on Television - the AsOnTV page

Updated 1410 BST ( 1310z GMT/UT/GPS Time) Sunday 19th July 2020 UK time

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Robin has also appeared on TV a number of times, related to his charity web site www.NHSCare.info, set up in 2003 to provide advice on obtaining free NHS long term care. He appeared on BBCTV's "The Politics Show", BBC News 24, and Sky TV.

However, Robin was rarely the "front man" in these broadcasts: others, far more eloquent, appeared in many more broadcasts, including Steve Squires, Derek Cole, Ian Perkins, Bleddyn Hancock, and Pam Coughlan herself.

Robin simply maintains his web pages, and puts journalists in contact with the right people.

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List of TV broadcasts in UK, BBC Worldwide, and Radio across USA Networks and AFN ...

Utube video from 1992: the military origins of Robin's GPS Software: see the The Barossa Operation page and play the Barossa Operation video.
from May 1995: GPS Software on Meridian TV News : our first TV publicity. More detail is at the bottom of this "AsOnTV" page.
from October 1995: The London Motor Show : extracts of TV News coverage, from BBC and ITV, both National and Local.
from 1996: an extract from GPSS on Put It To The Test broadcast on ITV then BBC1 TV nationwide. Click on Youtube video -->
from 1998: not TV, but read "Into Tomorrow" interview, broadcast on 75 USA Radio Networks and Worldwide on American AFN.
Robin's December 2007 attempt at a promotional video: " GPS Software from Sunninghill " (10MB)
2008 until now: crazy Snoopy Sloop robot boat page. <-- Checkout the many videos, linked from here !
from 2008: amusing spoof video is on Robin effects USA Election result ? - what could have happened :-)
the Lovelock family take up dancing, dressed as elves for Christmas: checkout the video "here" :-)
All Robin's youtube videos are on www.youtube.com/user/RobinLovelock or, if that fails, here.

Frames from some of these TV broadcasts, are below. Enjoy! :-)

Robin's www.gpss.co.uk ASONTV page going back to the Nick Knowles broadcast of 1995 ...

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Robin This page shows the many times that GPSS has been featured in UK Television broadcasts - mostly years ago, when Robin had a moustache :-) Maybe this will give ideas to some of you outside the UK on how GPSS might appear on TV Networks in your own country. Sorry - this was written over 20 years ago :-)

The picture further below was from when the BBC used GPSS "for real", tracking people both in vehicles and on foot. This was for an internal "pilot" programme where pairs of people started 100 miles apart and there was a race to see which couple met first. They were all tracked in the studio. The detailed map is from Bartholomew, and discussed in detail on the UK download page.

Another programme, and in some ways both amusing and exciting development, was GPSS being used as special effects for "NCS Manhunt" - an action packed police drama starring David Suchet. Amusing ? - because this is where fact has preceeded fiction by several years. Exciting ? - even the trailer "knocked my socks off" :-)

Here are the known UK Television broadcasts that have appeared:

These pictures below are in reverse chronological order - those appearing first are from the recent BBCTV South news coverage of Robin's Robot Boat launch. Those at the bottom are from the news broadcast on Meridian local Television in May '95. Software appearing in this first broadcast was the original DOS prototype, and GPSS v1 released on PC Magazine CDs.

Snoopy-Sloop the Robot Boat. BBC TV South: 27th December 2012

Not GPSS, but it did include Robin, three GPS, some bespoke GPS software he squeezed into a picaxe - and Snoopy :-)

BBC TV South broadcast of launch, reported by Ben Moore, BBC Reporter

Snoopy was launched at 1130am Tuesday 27th November 2012, but something pulled him into Alum Bay, Isle of Wight. Snoopy last reported on the rocks at 1939 (7:39pm) in Alum Bay, then stopped reporting - water in his electronics ? Snoopy may have sailed over 5000 miles on Bray Lake this year, in winds over 50mph, but hard rocks are something else ! :-) Play the BBC TV South video of Snoopy's launch, filmed by reporter Ben Moore, then see our video of Snoopy's launch - with Ben getting wet too ! on youtube or here :-)

Sunninghill Geocachers on BBC World in 2001

Geocaching: Click-Online: BBC World Television: 10th-16th January 2002

Not GPSS, but it did include Robin and GPS :-) A television feature on Geocaching was broadcast into 200 million homes. Robin, Tony and friends helped BBC World make this "Click Online" TV feature. It was broadcast on worldwide TV networks nine times from 10th until 16th January 2002. Please visit TVINRAIN for the "inside story" and www.caching.info for more information on Geocaching.

Robin shows Sevan a GPS... Poppy & Sam find the geocache... Tony Wale explains...
Geocache Page

Radio "Fox-Hunters": Carlton East Midlands TV News

Monday 6th August 2001: Carlton TV 6pm News in the UK East Midlands area: A couple of guys in the Nottingham area of UK doing some Radio DF "Fox-hunting". That aerial on top of their car is whizzing round at about 1 rev. a second - no wonder they attract attention :-) This hobby involves them using radio to track down the "fox" - a radio transmitter. More is on the Radio Direction Finding Page.
DF Car DF Map Dave Bullock

"NCS:Manhunt" BBC1 9pm Monday 26th March 2001

Starring David Suchet, Samantha Bond, Keith Barron, Kenneth Cranham, Phyllis Logan and - of course - the GPS Software, GPSS :-)

NCS Manhunt Trailer The BBC paid for GPSS to be used as special effects within the covert tracking sequences of this "Crime Double" drama.

A National Crime Squad team tracking down Ricky Valesi, a particularly nasty villain. All mapping appearing was provided by Bartholomews and typical of that delivered on real police systems several years earlier. Sometimes fact preceeds fiction - see below.
Dave+LSD David Suchet Surprise

"Put It To The Test" with Carol Vordeman, Nick Knowles

Light hearted science programme made by Topical Television, showing GPSS being used in a Lexus Soarer driven by Nick Knowles. GPSS was also used in "chase" mode within a Thames Valley Police Vauxhall Astra. The programme was filmed in October 1996, broadcast on Meridian local Television in November, and again on BBC1 throughout the UK in January '97. More details are on the Car Security & "Chase" page

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"Tonight" on Yorkshire Television.

This was a "team challenge" with the three blind-folded contestents dropped in the middle of the countryside, with no paper map ("not computery enough is it") but a GPS and Laptop running GPSS. They had to find their way back to Yorkshire Television Centre.
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"Finding Falcons with Satellites"

Meridian Television News. Gary Morris gives demonstrations of Falconry, and uses the transmitters to ensure the birds do not fly off and get lost. Filmed by Meridian TV at Dorney Court near Windsor by Meridian Television, and broadcast on Friday 24th May.
More details are on the Finding Falcons with Satellites page Utube video
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"Technophobe's Guide to the Future"

BBC2 23rd April '96. Nick Higham and Tony Wale, MD of Silva (UK). Utube video
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"London Tonight" with Allister Stewart & Paul Larsman

Utube video Precious quotes from this piece, broadcast only hours after filming, were Allister's opening remarks of, "if you hate back seat drivers - you'll really hate this ..", and Paul Larsman's introduction of, "don't be fooled by the old banger - it's really a mobile laboratory for what is claimed to be the most advanced navigation system in the world..".

The Youtube video on right includes just this Carlton TV News piece. June and Robin "primed" Carlton TV with a fax, then, waiting outside their London HQ, Robin rang their newsdesk and suggested that they watch BBC TV News, with Chris Wain's piece filmed the day before, about to appear. Robin explained that they would wait outside for a few minutes, in case they were also interested in doing some filming. The film crew soon came running out, and Paul Larsmon took the wheel of Robin's "old banger". As we were finishing filming, Robin got a 'phone call from home to say Simon Montegue of the BBC was waiting to film us after we got home. Our daughters did not charge for the tea and coffee while they waited :-)

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BBC1 Lunchtime News with Chris Wain

Utube video We really thought we were living dangerously when Chris Wain came to Sunninghill : the Laptop PC was trained to recognise his voice and everything installed in his car - for some pretty hairy filming around local roads - and it all worked. See first part of the video.
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BBC Newsroom South East with Simon Montegue

Simon Montegue also came to Sunninghill, so that his piece broadcast from the London Motor Show could include something actually working, 'on the road'. Not so long after this, Simon went off on his 'round the world' sailing adventure, on 'BT Global Challenge' - and got back safely. See the news page for more on this under 'Knight Riders Kitt'. See video above.
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Meridian Television News with Nick Knowles

This Meridian Television news feature was broadcast on 5th May '95, having been filmed a month ealier. It was our first TV publicity, and was Michelle Lovelock's debut as a TV star - along with her friend Julie. Nick starts the programme asking where the nearest petrol station is, gives up asking the locals, and asks the computer instead :-) Utube video
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Other people appearing included Robin, Clive de Carle of Rare Imports, and Martin Dix of Intek. Carol Parks, next door, was heard speaking French from the 'mouth' of the computer - Carol teaches French at a local school. Software used was the DOS prototype and the very first version of GPSS, shortly before it was released for publication on PC Magazine CDROMs, for issue to the UK public in the summer of '95.

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