Round 2 - November 2003

Pos	Name	Time	Points
1st	Chris Plummer (with Roger)	11:00	6
2nd	Chris Heys (with Dave Holland)	11:24	4
3rd	Dave Chippendale (with June)	11:25	3

Organiser: Dave Peacock
TX: 697158, Charters Moss Plantation, above Egerton
Pub: 675158, The Black Dog at Belmont

The site was chosen for two reasons, the first; my darling new wife Donna largely determined the decision this year for where the transmitter was to be hidden. I had tried to stay away from my humble abode in previous years so as not to make it too obvious which direction I was to hide. This time, as Donna was driving me around to possible sites and she wasn’t up to much travel, we chose the Charters Moss Plantation. The second reason was because it was very dense pine trees, as well as very wet under foot which I hoped would hinder the would be hunters.

The transmitter and I were squeezed under the tree roots of a fallen tree surrounded by lots of vegetation making it difficult to see me until up close.

After the first transmission I phoned for a report. Only Chris Heys had heard it. It was explained to me later that it could be because of the dense trees and the fact that it had been pouring with rain for a few days. The approximate bearing and distance was given which helped the hunters find me sooner than expected. On the second transmission at 10.42am Chris Plummer had, once again managed to be in the right place at the right time, as he was parked along side the road which encircled the plantation, unbeknown to me he was trudging down the signal which was for a good four minutes.

I had decided to wait till 11am for the next one, which I am glad about because about a minute before the switch on, a pair of blue jeans were seen from my hide (Chris’s assistant Roger). I turned the transmitter on and heard CP cracking through the bushes straight at me, so I made it a short one, determined that I wasn’t to be found so soon. As I turned off the transmitter CP bellowed “that’s not long enough turn it back on”, reluctantly I did hence the 11am finish next to his name.

I had more joy when Chris Heys and Dave Holland showed up, the transmitter being off at the time, they had a bit of time on their hands for bush beating. When I turned on, he circled me a number of times before Dave spotted what seemed to be a log under the fallen tree (me). Rumbled again! Dave Chip followed suit soon after, explaining that he had followed the bearing into the site and that he now had soggy feet.

The pub was The Black Dog at Belmont. This was chosen because I had been there a couple of weeks earlier for work purposes and it seemed to be a well-established place.


Dave P sets the site up	da-dit, dit-dit-dit-da...


Thumbs up for TX operator Dave. No Hayley to put up with this time!	Dave Holland crossing the most uneven field in existence anywhere


Adam - "I'm out of nappies now"	"Here's your pudding Roger..."


The proof of the (treacle sponge) pudding...	...is in the eating!

Reminder of "opening the envelope" rules!

It is appropriate at this juncture to remind competitors of rule 4 of the official British Top Band DF Association rules, relating to the opening of envelopes at the start of the event, in particular part (c) whereby opening the approximate distance envelope is not permitted if any competitor has managed to take a bearing on the hidden transmitter!...

4. Signals
(a) After the first transmissions, competitors who are satisfied with their bearings may leave the start at their own discretion.
(b) If any of the competitors fail to detect signals from any of the transmitters they will be given a bearing(s) which, when drawn on the appropriate 1:50,000 OS map, will pass within 4km (8cm) of the transmitter(s) they have not detected.
(c) If none of the competitors detects a signal from any one or more of the transmitters, the starter, in addition to providing the information above, will state whether the transmitter is:
- less than 10km, or
- more than 10km but less than 20km, or
- more than 20km
from the start location.

Official punishment for the offender, whose request for anonymity has been granted, is yet to be decided. Perhaps a round of drinks for everyone after the next event and a verbal warning would be sufficient for now ;-)