Dartmoor Gliding News-Sunday 11th July 2021

Despite a forecast of low cloudbase and poor horizontal viz, today’s Sunday Soarers exceeded themselves today by going even higher than before whilst maintaining contact with the ground in “Atom-2*: The Antennae”.  After early arrivals had signed the COVID-19 List, enjoyed a tea/coffee courtesy of Rich Roberts, and swapped their entire repertoire of gliding jokes (ie. by about 0830) he decided that our contact with the airwaves should be continued by adding the three antennae to the mast previously attached to the clubhouse roof in “Atom 1” (see blog for Sunday 20 June).  

 Operation Atom (2): the first two aerials are fitted
(Rich Roberts offering advice with the screwdriver)…

…and now the third one in the middle.

And so the ‘hi-hos’ were re-mustered, but today with tallest first: safety always being at the forefront it was decided that Ray Boundy (former tall electrician) and Ed Borlase (closest resemblance to a flagpole) should go up the ladders (both because they had better reach than the others, and to save on scarce upper ladder rung life).  Before they could even begin to ask, “Isn’t there a set on instructions” (to which, of course, the answer would have been “Yes, we’ll tell you what to do..!”) up they went, almost as far as the summit of the west end gable (approx. half a hectopascal).  

Peter Howarth giving some encouragement
(“Your tea’s gone cold, now..!”)

The tricky part was not in attaching the antennae to the cross piece (this had already been effected at base-camp ‘QFE Zero’ in a classic piece of “Here’s one I prepared earlier” groundwork) but in getting the many clamps, brackets and nuts located and tightened, at well above head height, using the club’s only (non-BSF) correctly sized adjustable spanner (which was, of course, attached by a line to the waistband in case it dropped out of someone’s hand, ahem…)  In this case, Ray and Ed worked like a pair of men’s tennis doubles (“Have you got it?” “No, I thought you did…”) despite an uphill stream of advice, with Ed providing the spanner-work, whilst Ray put his electrician’s experience to good use, almost resembling Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear in reaching “To Infinity, and Beyond” (see photo).

 “To Infinity, and Beyond...!”
Former Chairman Ray Boundy resembling Buzz Lightyear
in his vision for the club’s future.

The finished article: a masterpiece of modern electrical architecture.

After the antennae and cross piece had been fitted, and the mast re-raised near flight level altitude, there remained just connection of the cables to the cable box - which had been fitted inside the clubhouse by Rich (‘Measure Once – Why So Often?’) Roberts - to finish the job.  Except that, of the three cables, two were exactly the same and, although one fed the ADS-B aerial and the other FLARM, a bit like chives, it was impossible to tell one from the other.  Back up the ladder went our sleuths and, with cable ties attached to identify one (but not the other) cable, Peter Howarth eventually concluded the marriage to planet earth.  Does it work?  Well, following prior direction, we left a ‘synaptic gap’ twixt the cable box and the breaker in the Tech Office so we are unable to confirm or deny whether BRT has joined the FLARM and ADS-B networks – let’s hope that some future blogger will be able to deliver electronic transparency on this.

 Move over Jodrell Bank: BRT is now in connection with the universe
(well, those with FLARM or ADS-B at least…)

And so, with a steadily darkening sky, it was time for a quick look around the hangar (including a flick of the battery switch in the K-8 to the ‘off’ position), and return to our loved ones (or telly on for Wimbledon/Wembley).  Thanks go to foreman Rich Roberts, clerk of works Peter Howarth and on-site technicians (ie. blokes up a ladder) Ed Borlase and “Buzz” Boundy for some sterling teamwork today, all done without a single plan, instructions or back of a fag packet (a rare sight these days) to draw upon.

Martin Cropper

* Atom: a station to re-transmit FLARM and ADS-B signals received from aircraft within range to aid electronic conspicuity and coverage provided by various apps