This Nationwide Skylift unit helped to beam coverage of a top Scottish football match to homes throughout the country by perfectly positioning two satellite dishes at a height of 34 metres.

The dishes had to be lifted high above any buildings that could get in the way of the signal and then be perfectly aligned to beam coverage of the CIS Cup Final at Hampden Park to Scottish Television's receiving dish on the top of a 34 metre tower five miles away at their Glasgow studios.

David Storey, Scottish Television's production manager for sport, said: "Powered access is widely used throughout the broadcasting industry. We hired a Nationwide Skylift because we needed a unit with a firm and stable platform to minimise any movement and we needed a skilled operator who could help to position the dishes exactly. We also needed a very reliable service - you can't afford to have anything going wrong in the middle of a live broadcast."

To align the dishes, a Scottish Television engineer went up in the Skylift platform and made adjustments via voice contact with the studios. The engineer returned to the ground and the exact height and angle of the boom were then marked on the base of the boom. The Nationwide Skylift operator then raised the boom again to the pre-marked position.

The Skylift unit, supplied through Nationwide¹s Glasgow depot, carried two 4' diameter link dishes which weighed a total of 120 kilos. They brought all the action from the Celtic v Kilmarnock final and were also used to provide coverage of the semi finals.