Gearhouse Broadcast Gulf's new Iveco 70C17 is fully 3G and HD compatible and accommodates six Hitachi SK-HD1300E cameras with two optional Vislink RF cameras. Built by Hitachi Kokusai Electric Turkey, the new vehicle measures approximately 4m (h) x 8m (l) x 2.5m (w) with an expanded fully operational total width of 4.5m and is now available to rent throughout the Middle East.

Designed for use both as a small production vehicle and in the field newsgathering, Gearhouse’s new van excels on productions where a larger OB truck would be impractical or cost prohibitive. The state of the art van comfortably seats a crew of seven and is available to rent across the region on a dry hire basis or complete with a crew of skilled and experienced operatives. The seven-ton Iveco truck is fitted with a 62,000 BTU air conditioning unit, to combat the hot Middle Eastern climate.

The new production truck features a wide choice of lenses and is equipped with a 36- input switcher with 2ME channels, 48x48 video router and Imagine Communications modular products that include frame syncs, audio de-embedders and embedding facilities. A multiviewer and a Sony HDW-M2000P digital recorder and player are also installed in the vehicle and an EVS XT3 live production server can be added on request. The vehicle comes fitted with a Yamaha DM1000VCM 48 input 18 fader audio desk and a 32 port talkback system

The vehicle’s built-in rooftop satellite is a fully motorized, redundant 400w DSNG 1.5m 1+1 Ku band 2 port system that features an encoder/modulator to support SD and HD MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and AVC codecs in 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 8 or 10bit sampling rates. To support the truck’s facilities an on-board 15KVA generator has been fitted.

Eamonn Dowdall, managing director of Gearhouse Broadcast Gulf, said the new OB van is privately owned.