ITQ8 Mt Isa was the city's first taste of things to come and it took the talents of Mr Lilburn to bring the technology to the outback and prove the naysayers wrong.

Mr Lilburn's abilities to tailor the right equipment to suit the specific needs and budgets of regional television stations made him instrumental in the setup of many regional TV stations, and at the time, Mount Isa was considered so marginal that only a novel and inspired approach could commercially sustain local services.

The first broadcast was in 1971, moving to colour in 1975 and integrating with city network operations though the mid to late 1980s and into the 1990s.

The station was proven to be commercially viable by the approach taken with early operations, all as a result of Mr Lilburn's approach and dedication .

Mr Lilburn's son, Peter Lilburn said his father had a passion for providing a service to people who were overlooked because they were seen as being economically unimportant in the eyes of the large television network providers, seen as somewhat "off the radar".

"Herb was ahead of his times in many ways, " Peter said.

"He was using solar panels for outback transmitters before it had become environmentally fashionable.

"Herb was a true television and broadcast pioneer."

Herb Lilburn had Parkinson's disease and died at age 78 at Brentwood Aged Care in Geelong.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lois, and their three children, Peter, Jennifer and Kerry and nine grandchildren.