1999 Halloween DF

Standing under the canopy at the club, sheltering from the rain, nothing was heard, so it was open the envelope time by the light of the fireworks across the road. 230 degress 5 to 15 km was the info. So off we troop down the M56. Chris Plummer dropped off the motorway just before the second transmission at the Altrincham turn, and heard a good signal roughly West, so looking at the map he decided to go to Lymm Dam for the third TX time. Chris heard the signals here, but far weaker, and the bearing was back just south of East. So he had a think (unusual that) and went to outflank the hidden site, going down to High Leigh. He got a bearing of just east of north from there and getting stronger, so he set off up the road back towards the traffic lights on the Lymm / Partington cross roads. Chris investigated a likely looking place at the end of a dead end next to the M56 just cause the bearing went through it, so he went there and found not a sign of a hidden transmitter. The next transmission took him back up the road, so he drove with the set out in the rain and turned back onto the Lymm road with the signal much stronger here, only to go 200 yards back to the lights and realised it was behind him. So pulling into the Wheatsheaf pub car park, Chris decided to beat up a few cars. Just then the signal came on and he beat on a car window to be told 'Hello Chris, I thought you'd be first' by Dave Bates I was.

Going into the pub Chris was joined by Chris Heys who bought him a pint and complained about not hearing the TX all night. Chris told him to go and investigate the car park. Ten or so minutes later he was back, cold and wet. Chris (Heys) had put on his gear, and waited for a signal, rather than walk up to a suspicious car with wire out of its window. Chris H then saw Dave Chippendale, who also complained of lack of signal, to be told that Chris had just been in.

Some time later, John Heath, giving a good impression of a wind blown Arthur Scargil, finally found Dave with Chris P's spare set, having lent his to Ron Smith before going on holiday. Johns excuse was that he couldn't find his DF stuff in his shed cause it was dark. Chris P had lent him, a set, compass, ruler, and protractor, and he provided a pencil and map. John then had the cheek to say the set had given him a bum bearing from only a mile north of the pub which sent him off to Lymm as well.

Later Dave, pint in hand, said he had intended to use the dead end road that Chris P had investigated, if only it had stopped raining, and would have left his car at the pub anyway. He had also had trouble in the dark with hanks of wire and ended up with a right tangle with only 20 foot or so being loaded. This doesn't give a good signal on top-band on a cold and wet November night, in fact he could be heard some 4 km away, but this confused two of the competitors who were not quite so determined as Chris and John.

Thanks again go to Dave Bates for struggling with the wire, and crouching in the back seat of his car for and hour and a half.

Results

1. Chris Plummer (again) 21:04

2. Chris Heys (opened envelope) (21:15)

3. Dave Chippendale (opened envelope) (21:17)

4. John Heath 21:24

Report by Chris Plummer