Colchester Multi-Tx DF
15/04/2012
Start
Eight Ash Green Map 168, TL 944 262
(51.900 N, 0.825 E)
Operator Tim M0BGE
Ten transmitters: Maxi,
five Minis
and four Micros |
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Some
of us spent a very long time trying to park the correct
side of
the rivers and railway - we needn't have bothered!
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You may want to print this out and throw darts at it.
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I just can't run anymore
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Some kept going a bit longer
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Bewildered of Brightlingsea
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Top man
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Guess who came second
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How
did our winner do it? Over to Steve:
A
seriously challenging event made difficult by the lack of direct
access to
the TXs without a lot of leg work. I decided to park at the northerly
end of
the area initially at the eastern end of the footpath. This turned out
to be
very lucky in one respect but not in others as what I thought was a
good area
with easy access turned out to be large flood plain. I could hear micro
Z and
basically ran this down first, passing L without realising it. Mini K
was next
and from here I knew that most of the others were South. I then spent
ages
trying to see if there was a way across the river. Eventually decided
that I
had to go back to the car and drive South. Surprised to discover that L
was
also on this path. So picked up 3 x 40, including my joker.
|
| Now
my big mistake occurred as I took Tim's words too literally in that
there
was no need to cross the railway line. I assumed that the railway
bounded the
area and all TXs were North. Eventually parked the car and was
surprised to
find signals heading South. Went down to the railway and decided that
the power
lines were broadcasting the signals from further along. Having no idea
now I
decide to head for the MAXI. Crossed numerous fields and ditches and
came out
onto the main track right beside H. From there picked up Y.
Met Rosie
by A who
kindly said don't go to far way. |
|
Hidden
station I just to the right of a
not-so-hidden Manningtree station (view from A) |
Tim
was on walkabout, so headed for W.
Still
picking up the 3 missing TX's pointing South and with no obvious way of
getting
there quickly decided to call it a day. As everybody came in was glad
to hear
that all were finding it hard.
Great effort by Phil in picking up 9 TXs, and only a couple of minutes
late
back, and congrats to those who chose to run from the middle to the
North and
back, a serious effort. Thanks to Tim for organising the event, a lot
of work
setting that up.
Steve (PS. Roy, if there's
a spare date this year, or if not next year, I'd like to have a
go at running a Multi event, using a map midway between us. )
Well
done Steve and thanks for the offer - sounds good to me, especially if
the map has no rivers or railways.
|
If you
are puzzled as to why Philip got a total of zero - unfortunaely he
didn't bother to bank any tickets when
he visited the Maxi early in the event and then just failed to
get back in time with nine tickets in his pocket. A hard
lesson
in this case (he would have won easily) but this is all part of the
excitement of Multi DF - the rest of us were all very excited
as the machine gun sounded with Colin, Larby and Philip all coming
along the path. Of
course we all showed the usual amount of DF sympathy ..... 0!
Relevant bit of the scoring system:
Poetic justice - those feeling that young Tim had gone over
the top on the 'evil b...... factor', may be amused to hear
that at 8pm that evening I had to phone him with instructions to return
to the site to retrieve Micro W, sometime later I received a mobile
call from a heavy breather - "I've got the Micro ... and a puncture in
my bike, ....and it's dark, ..... and I'm surrounded by bulls".
Multi Tx just keeps getting better and better.
|
Now
you
wouldn't want Philip to suffer alone would you ... so
read on:
Here
is the big losers tale of pain.
This
multi TX was an object lesson in how to run a long way, collect lots of
points then loose them all in the last two minutes of the contest.
There
is nothing in the rules suggesting a contestant has to find all ten
stations, but it’s a challenge some of us find irresistible – right?
It
all started really well, weather not brilliant but bright between the
showers. A straight drive back to Manningtree as the Minis
started coming in, then a micro on 1901 clearly heard on top of Cox’s
hill, down towards the Station, or perhaps the river. By the time I
drove down to the White bridge over the Stour, the Micro had faded but
Minis clearly up the river towards Flatford. So decided to use
Manningtree Station car park, popped £1 into the vile parking meter and
started off across the farm track and up the hill towards Lawford
Church for X, which I could hear again, followed by Rosy and Colin.
Half way up the hill met Gary coming down finding he had got the
maximum points so collected 32 points, the order of the day. Paused
then to try and find the Mini to go with it and when ‘I’ came up,
assumed this was it, and as it was my joke, ran swiftly back down the
hill to find it right by the car park, still with the 40 points, Rosy
right behind me.
|
 |
 |
Completely
missed J at that point, which was the mini on the hill, as had Gary.
The
bulk of the minis seemed to be the other side of the railway so set
off after Gary past Lawford Hall and under the bridge towards the sea
wall. Again met up with Gary just after he had taken the 40 points at
‘Y’ but we both struggled to pin down ‘H’, with Larby, Richard
&
Colin joining us in the hunt, with Peter taking forty so another 32
points. During this foray Gary and myself had been looking
for L
and noticed it was in the other side of the river, I thought no more
further than Judas Gap perhaps.
So
‘A’ was next along the sea wall, another 32 points and a smug looking
Tim!
My
mother had always wanted me to work in Barclays and I should have taken
her advice and been a ‘Banker’ but there was plenty of time and Tim
said we were finishing at 3.35pm due to problems with the start, so
whilst I would have to go back for J, the others all sounded really
close by, which they were if you were a Crow, or had a boat.
Unusually
a bit of a struggle with micro ‘W’, which was linked to the bottom
fence, radiating out all along it, got ahead of Larby to find 32
points, again Gary was having a really good day. So
set off in company with Richard chasing after Colin. Gave the little
peninsula by Judas Gap weir a look, but met by Colin coming back out,
it was going to be a long run round Flatford! |
On
the other side micro Z
had lost it’s strength but picked up K and ran straight for the copse
Tim had used before, just as it went off. Scouted round but failed to
find it before Richard and Colin pounced.
We
all then set off for Z, with Colin leading Richard down the dry route
and myself going via the muddy ditches. Found 32 points left with
Richard right behind, same with 'L' further along assuming Colin had
picked up the 40 before shooting off towards Cattawade. Discussed with
Richard the best way back and decided to follow Colin right round via
the A137, leaving the option to go via the railway Station and pick up
J.
By
the time I was crossing the White Bridge at about 3.00pm there seemed
plenty of time so pressed on for the full ten stations. Got back to X
half way up the hill, but J seemed much further.
|
 |
I
laid on a bridge for you but it looks like
someone trashed it; shame !
|
Started to realize I
was running out of time and could not wait another five minutes, so set
off for A, meeting Colin at the car park. Met a number of dog walkers
who had passed us earlier in the afternoon going the other way round,
and started to struggle with cramped legs, with the run to ‘A’
painfully much farther than I thought with time running out fast.
Ditched my set for one last effort, all to no avail, finding Tim
already taking the Tx down two minutes after the gun. The next problem
was getting back to the Car, Tim asked if I might collect a
transmitter, but I was in no shape to do anything more than limp
painfully all the way back again. Fortunately was close to home and it
only took a good soak in the bath to free my calfs up, the alcohol
dispensed at the Wooden Fender also helped.
So
blew it all in the hunt for J, sad, but a lesson for all - be a
‘Banker’ not a ....
Philip |
We really need a happy ending -
Every cloud has ... a
silver lining ..... I didn't come last,
despite:
paying for parking - running miles to my joker A, also finding H, Y and W
then finding parking slip in my pocket, hence ........
trotting miles back to the car, finding X and I but still
missing J ......walking miles back A to hand in
tickets and discover K, L and Z were a swim too far .........
crawling
m.i.l.e.s.
back to collect the southerly Txs and finally ........ falling into car.
The good
news - we can do it all again on Sunday May the 27th
........ the bad news - Philip is running it and .......
Thanks to
Tim for everything and to Philip for
taking pictures while he wasn't banking.
Roy |
 |
Where
have 'the boys' got to? I
may as well play the harmonica while I'm
waiting
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The
final, final, final word must go to our host for the day - our beloved
Tim
Report
from Multi -Tx operator.
This
event was set up with the aim of not choosing Highwoods again, to
be near to home, to take into account that "cover" had not grown, and
to make it a bit harder for competitors to find all 10 Txs.
The
location of the Txs was considered to give four different entry
points, with 3/4 Txs close to each, to try and spread out competitors,
to avoid parking congestion, and to make competitors stop and consider
tactics and routes around the site :
would
it be best to go for your own "joker" first or bag 40 points on
someone else's ?
I
was hoping that everyone would be able to bag 6/7 Txs and then the
brave would seek out the more distant ones. |
I
began to set up at 8.00 am and finished at 12.30 - a lot of walking
involved. Things which went wrong this time were :
Knocking
the switch off on "I" so the timing had to be reset.
People
standing for ages where you want to set up a Tx
Starting
the timer for "A" incorrectly, but only realising when I was
at "L", so having to run back to "A" to reset it (hence the late start
at 1235).
Falling
down the steep embankment near "Y" (later re-enacted by Larby)
Forgetting
to collect micro "W" after the event so having to get out of
the bath and bike it back to the site.
|
 |
Joker in pocket, machine gun ringing in the ears ...... ahhhh bless! |
Apart from "A", everything else fired up at 1230 as planned. Worn out
legs meant that I stayed around "A" for the event, taking photos as
competitors arrived, and views across to the Txs.
Gary arrived first and found W quickly; he could have been in first at
A, Y and H too. Others followed at irregular intervals. At the end of
the event, most had arrived back at A in time except for (unexpectedly)
Colin, Larby and Phil.........but they had already posted their
tickets, hadn't they....?
Congrats to Steve and Rosie for 1st and 2nd places. Hope you all
enjoyed the exercise; apologies for the misleading start instructions;
I just didn't want anyone on
the railway track or in
the river. Also congrats to Phil for nearly getting all 10 and nearly
getting back
to A in time. |
So the only person who visited all 10 Txs
was ................me !
The "correct" way to do this event was :
Park at Lawford Church (30min travel)
JXI (30min)
A137 (10min)
HYAW (30min)
cross river at Flatford Mill
KZL (50min)
then back to A (20min)
Total 2h 50 min so 10 min spare !!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you all had fun ?
Tim |
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