Snowman DF Colchester

Position	Name	Station A	Station B
1	Rosie Merry	14:57	13:58
2	Andrew Mead	15:24	14:05
3	Peter Larbalestier	15:25	14:14
4	Graham Phillips	14:23	15:31
5	Tim Parker *	15:33	14:34
6	Ian Butson	14:31	15:51
7	Mike Hawkins	15:59	14:00
8	Philip Cunningham	(16:00:20)	14:23

* Winner of the coveted forjac internet award (can of lager!) for correctly identifying the ‘Christmas’ hidden station. It was of course Ian Butson hidden by camouflage net and fairy lights. The original picture featured minus the fairy lights on Friday June 27^th Chelmsford event. Study the site carefully (www.forjac.co.uk) to be ready for more stunning prizes during 2004!

Please let me have any pictures, anecdotes, reasons why a girl beat you by half an hour or MORE and I will do my best to create a report for posterity. (See below)

Thanks for running the event, and for the results.

Here are the first "lame excuses" why we were all beaten by Rosie...

1. It's all the TX operator's fault!!!

1a. Whilst hidden deep in the wood, he sneakily put an earth stake next to the footpath, so that when you ran down the footpath, the signal peaked up near the earth stake. Not only that, but you couldn't get a sense, leading to headless chicken impersonations round the earth stake. Transmissions carefully timed to ensure that ladies do not get similarly caught.

1b. Putting "wrong" end of aerial high up in a tree, thereby causing DF set to point to tree (once it had escaped the effect of 1a).

2. All DF'ers, especially in the heat of the contest are good mannered, polite, well spoken, perfect gentlemen, and therefore the old maxim "Ladies First" naturally had to apply.

3. Women's Intuition.

Andrew
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It is notable that the only report I received is the one above, clearly shame abounds. It is even rumored that Mike H. left the country a couple of days after the event!

Just a minute, what's that I see in his left hand, is male HRT within the rules?

We decided that, after the Christmas festerings, running was required not driving.

Richard G4KKR chose his site first to the SE, near Polstead . He reported that it had mud and hill to tone up the muscles but was a fairly short run in. I decided to try to find a spot at roughly the same distance (approx 12K) from the start with a nice long run in. Thorpe Wood to the NE seemed to fit the bill with a choice of paths offering 1.5 - 2K of precious exercise. Knowing that it is possible to have too much of a good thing, I decided to approach the land owner with a bottle of wine and get his permission to take my car down a private track to the opposite side of the wood from the paths.

Surprisingly inside the wood there is very little cover except by the footpaths. I decide that this is the place to put plenty of wire and an earth stake to add a bit of spice. Unfortunately the dense area is fairly small, can I pull of a bluff and just set up the TX in the open area of the wood?

14:57 and Rosie turns up ably supported by Colin. They are very chatty and don't seem in much of a hurry to run for their second station. After a while the truth dawns, this IS their second station - clearly I have had made it too easy! All that wire just hasn't fooled them.

15:10 More voices, I see Peter Mead following the aerial towards me but then Andrew calling him away, ah the wonders of the DF set! It is 15:24 before Andrew heads my way closely followed by Peter and then Tim.

So where are Philip and Mike? A few more minutes go by and young Ray is seen heading in my general direction. Fortunately he is also called back toward the undergrowth by a more knowledgeable parent armed with a DF set. Another 10 mins. go by and it is time for continuous transmission but this does nothing to encourage them my way. With 5 mins to go I start to give directions, I can see Mike clearly but my disguise as an out of work garage mechanic seems to be fooling him. Eventually he and Philip head my way to exchange the customary pleasantries with the operator.

When running a DF TX, make sure that you wear colours that blend into the background. I am thinking of opening an advice line for sartorially challenged operators.

Why is Philip looking so happy despite his position? Could it be he hasn't got to 'pay' another visit to the engravers?

Thanks to Pat for not only organising the 'bites' brought by everyone but providing hot soup AND chicken curry, enough to gladden the heart of every snowman and snowgirl.