It turns out that while some test patterns were merely a studio camera trained on a printed card, most were generated by a special tube called a monoscope. But thanks to and his monoscope restoration project, we can all share in the retro details. Unknown to most viewers was exactly how that test pattern and others like it were generated. It was affectionately known as the Indian Head test pattern, for the stylized Native American, resplendent in a feathered headdress, that featured prominently in the graphic.
Night creatures and insomniacs of a bygone era may fondly recall a TV test pattern appearing once or had had their say and the local TV station’s regular broadcast day had concluded.
