Colchester & Chelmsford Snowman DF Competition 28/01/2007 Map 169 Notes: Click on an image to enlarge it. This report is optimised for 800 x 600 display. If you are viewing in a higher resolution you may wish to use a Zoom factor of 125% or more. For example, if using IE7 select - Page - Zoom ... or press the wheel on your mouse and roll to desired effect. OR if your name is not P. Larbalestier zoom to 1% to avoid trauma. |
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HOW TO WIN AT RADIO DIRECTION FINDING by Larby G4TEB On a cold windy, but bright Gt Bentley Start, I joined 8 other teams. |
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Bearings were taken on Phil Cunningham 30 degrees and Richard Witney 44 degrees.
Phil was the strongest. Richard was also prone to drift between 40 and 44 although his actual bearing was 49 degrees. |
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A steady drive up to Brantham finally settling at 169 / 129347 on the B1080 just off the Ipswich Road.
With a few minutes to spare, I was joined by Daphne and Andrew for the 2 o'clock transmission.
Two strong signals were heard and I settled on 91 and 104 degrees. For a brief moment, having drawn the bearings, Phil was in the River Stour and Richard was up at Shotley.
Now years of experience "suggested" this was wrong ! I then realised 91 crossed 30 not 44 as that was Richard.
NO changes were made other than to drive to Harkstead where the cross was on Phil. |
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The intention was to park in Harkstead but he came on at the blue/white P. There was his car, so time to leg it. The signal conveniently came on as I approached the riverside clump of trees and was drawn to his site.
Andrew had arrived and saw me leaving, for some reason asking " have you been in? " No was the reply but it always is isn't it !
Several others were met on the run back to the car notably Roy. He was convinced Phil was on the hill but he was " over the hill and far away ... "
He was the other side of it and running around was easier. |
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The 'Lucky Larbarst... is acknowledged by a Tx B official.
Time to find Richard. The bearings crossed in the river, just North of the area between Wrabness and Parkeston.
The usual tortuous drive through Brantham / Cattawade / Manningtree and Mistley was ahead. I managed to find a bus to follow ( yes on a Sunday ) until the end of the 30 MPH at Mistley. He stopped to turn around and the signal came on at the next gateway. (131314).
With a bearing of 85 now giving a cross on the P of Parkeston I decided to drive straight there. |
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The plan was to do it quickly, but there seemed to be a National Speed Limit of 27 MPH for other road users.
I had noticed a small green bit with a dotted red line so went as close as possible by road.
I parked above the n of Parkeston and as if by magic, Richard came on !
The set drew me forward, left, up the side of the embankment to the top, I turned left but the signal faded significantly, I turned back and noticed this heap of scrap. (There was no scrap at Erwarton Ness and you found a much better class of DFer there Ed.) |
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Now we have all looked under bags, in rubbish, inside old sheds but they are never in there are they? But today the bluff hadn't worked, well not on me anyway! I was home and dry, standing next to a kitchen sink and 4 alloy VW rims. |
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Andrew was soon about and was also in OK but 1 or 2 ( names withheld to save their reputations ) went anywhere but to the TX. |
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As usual a fine spread was to found at the Cunningham QTH. There was Champagne around, not for me but for Phil's significant year birthday. |
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I was able to toast the eventual winning of the Snowman Event with Champers. The title is amended to: HOW TO be lucky and WIN AT RADIO DIRECTION FINDING |
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No. |
Name. |
A Station |
B Station |
1 |
Peter Larbalestier |
3.12 |
2.23 |
2 |
Tim Parker |
2.35 |
3.22 |
3 |
Ian Butson |
2.37 |
3.28 |
4 |
Andrew Mead |
3.32 |
2.28 |
5 |
Colin Merry |
3.44 |
2.30 |
6 |
Graham Phillips |
4.10 |
2.34 |
7 |
Roy Emeny |
4.15 |
2.38 |
8 |
Geoff Foster |
4.20 |
2.56 |
Tim and Garry were 2nd and Daphne received the 'First Lady' prize. Many thanks to the operators Philip and Richard, and to Caroline for the splendid tea. |
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Meanwhile in a parallel blue universe Andrew gets his say .... ..........With both bearings crossing the Rivers Stour and Orwell (and even the River Deben if you projected Richard’s bearing far enough), it was important to be in a position at 2 o’clock to split the rivers. Dragging up through the notoriously slow Brantham, we passed Colin & Rosie parked up at Cattawade, literally looking up the river. Heading towards Stutton we drove over a hill, down over the stream at the bottom, then up the other side. Looking at the map we thought we were getting too close to the start bearing on B, so turned round back up the hill and found Peter already in a pull-in at the entrance to a field. The 2 o’clock bearings put Phil in a little wood on the North (our) side of the river, and Richard somewhere in the River Stour off the Parkeston coast. |
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We headed for Harkstead, and a track that led down to a footpath to the wood on the shore line. A mile or so short of Harkstead the signal came on, and we pulled into a convenient public car park to take a bearing. Taking the bearing on the footpath leading to the river, I saw Peter running ahead. However the bearing was almost 90 degrees to the footpath, so perhaps the station was further along the coast. Plotting the bearing confirmed the nearer end of the little wood we had seen near Harkstead. The run in from here would be longer, but it would take time to drive round to our original place, so I decided to run, as it would be fairly flat along the shore line. Another signal on the way, and into the end of the wood. See Andrew's Map |
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Heading down through the wood towards the river bank I met Peter coming the other way. “You been in yet?” is the usual greeting of DF’ers. Stupid question really. “No, not yet” replied Peter. Now why did I not believe him? Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he his headphones round his neck and not on his ears! Then he proceeded to confirm it by legging it away from the wood. Right, where’s Phil, he can’t be far away. I look either side of the path - a bit thorny, but there’s an aerial. Down on to the beach and look amongst the fallen trees and detritus, nothing, but there’s a ledge on top of the bank - that’s worth a look. I climb up the bank, look around, and see Phil by a bush, shielded by the thorns above him and out of sight from the beach. |
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Leaving the wood I see Colin and Rosie running down the path, then Colin climbs over the fence I have just come over, so he won’t be long before he finds Phil. I hike it back to the car, passing other DFer’s coming the other way, to find a multitude of other DF cars now in the car park - but no Peter. As I come out of car park, Colin and Rosie go past on the main road. How the ......? It seems the track down from Harkstead was the shortest way in, about half the distance I had just run, and Colin didn’t even go down to the beach before finding Phil.Colin and Rosie are obviously heading our way, so we follow them following the world and his wife observing the National 25 mph Sunday speed limit, especially through Brantham! Heading towards Harwich, we had no idea where we were really going, then Richard came on, and a bearing in a convenient lay-by confirmed he must on his boat half a mile off Parkeston. |
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Nothing obvious on the map on the coast, where could he be? We see a sewage works on the map, reached by a track so give it a look - Private - not down there then. See Map. Another track goes right up to sewage works, more luck this time, but the signal says well inland now - perhaps a small wood at the back of a housing estate? Down to the end of the road on the edge of the wood, and there’s Peter’s and Colin and Rosie’s cars. As we get out, so does Peter, nonchalantly holding a cup of coffee - no need for stupid questions now - it’s painfully obvious I won’t be taking the trophy home tonight! (But Tim still has a hope, he went to Richard first and has just found Philip -Ed.) |
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I run onto the playing field, then climb (straight) up the steep railway embankment, to meet Colin already thrashing around on top. Up comes the signal, and pulls us through the blackthorn thicket and out into the open. Often there are fallen trees and other obstacles on the ground that you just have to have a look at, in case the station is behind. So there is this pile of rubbish in the bushes, might as well have a look. Just as well I did. “Hello”, says Richard, “nice to see you”. “Not as nice as it is to see you” I reply.
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Colin and Rosie are still thrashing around the gorse bushes, so I slope off to get Daphne and her camera. Find a nice little path down this time. Daphne records Colin and Rosie finding Richard, then Roy, Graham and Geoff. (Could this be a sign from yet another parallel pink universe? - Ed.)
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By now it’s getting a bit chilly and the light is fading, but we take down the aerials before heading off to Phil and Caroline's for a warming turkey curry and other goodies. Daphne gets the First Lady Prize Well done Peter, you ole ******. 3.12 is a good time. Ah well, there’s always next year! |
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Peter gets the last word ................ This DF report started off as a quick account. With the updates, extra pictures, editors comments, secondary contribution, reference to IE7 and WWW coverage it has transformed into an Award Winning Documentary. There has been so much interest that I have been approached to open Fetês, Carnivals, to Guest Speak at the Guild of Jammy Sods, to appear on Parky and there is even talk of a Mini-Series and of course a book! It is amazing how a stroke of luck one Sunday Afternoon can transform one's life. I would like to thank; the operators, my parents, my fellow competitors, the cameramen, Lady Luck, other road users that held the others up, etc. etc. (please see appendices 1 to 12) available from Amazon.com at £12.99. Lucky Larby (The Interminable Snowman .......................................... |
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