Winners' Report

Five teams assembled at Bagshot Heath Country park, NGR 917621.

Two cracking signals could have been heard if they had arrived at the start. Signal B could be heard but nobody could get a bearing other than south-ish. Apparently Phil Arnold did hear both weakly from their in-car receiver.

Never mind, that’s what approximates are for. A station, 190deg and greater than 20km and B 165deg – no distance as a few could identify the signal.

Approximates for A and B

So, best guess was both transmitters were south of the Hog's Back (green road going east west at bottom of map above.

So, we are off. Down the M3 one stop, then south on the A331 to get to the Hog's Back and luckily we got to the exit we wanted at Puttenham for 2pm.

A station bearing 197deg and still a long way to go. B bearing 172deg and just coming into meter range so about 10km.

So we went between bearings on the A286 so we could go to either if necessary. We had gone about 9km and stopped near Wormley. We had just stopped and the signal came up.

B was a huge signal at 75deg and the set said about 3km. A station, 211deg, was still a way to go.

The B station could be near the railway or further over near the lake at Enton Hall. So into the car and off we go. First problem was that the Witley road was closed so wriggle around narrow lanes to get over to Wormley and up the A238.

We managed to turn right toward Enton Hall in front of Geoffrey driving south. Bottoms, have we given it away? No he kept going south.

Parked the car just under the rail bridge to the east of the railway and the signal was on and pointing to the left of the railway, so run back along the road and up the footpath. The set was saying almost along the railway.

We got to the house at the end of the footpath and turned right to the railway and just before fanning out to look for the station / wire we saw a flash of blue and someone ducking into the bushes. That’s got to be them so a bee line to the last sighting and sure enough Graham Phillips looking very surprised that we got there so quickly. Card in to the operator and off back to the car to try and vacate the area before other teams turn up. No such luck, Geoffrey had seen our car, but without a signal had gone into the woods to the right of the railway.

So now for A station.

Driving down the A283, the station came up and we stopped at Ramsnest Common (top, righthand side of map above with blue cross). Funnily, the signal was too weak to get a bearing on the DF set – could hear it but just. So ok need to get nearer. Dick commented that as we heard it ok up north at 2pm from much further away he suspected that the station was the other side of a hill to us and that put him to the left of Marley Heights and not the common to the north.

So we took the B2131 to Haslemere and the signal came up just before we got to the A286. This bearing said just to the left of Marley Heights and maybe in the southern part of the wood.

Dick suggested we drive to the Marley Heights road and go to the Southern end so we could enter the wood and run a contour so we aimed for that.

We got to Marley Heights, but the road was private, so what to do? Signal came up, so we took a bearing.

So, not as far down as we thought and a convenient car park at the top of the hill to leave the car, so up to there.

Getting there Matt recognised Justin’s car, so in the right place!

Took a bearing off the map from the car park to our cross. 200deg. Set that on the compass and followed it along a path going that way. Also seems to be 200 / 300metres from car park from map.

Matt counting steps as we went.

Halfway there the signal came on and after fifty steps the meter had doubled, so only 50metres to go. 20 more steps and the meter had doubled again, so counted 20 more steps and shouted “this is it, he is very close to here!” Apparently, Justin heard us as he was only about 15 metres away.

Dick found the wire across the path about 15metres down the path and he followed to the right and Matt and I went left.

Following the wire through the thick stuff, Matt soon stumbled over Justin in full bee keeping mode (to keep the insects off his head) and we were in.

To sum up. The set did its bit, all the members of the team were needed and we were lucky that the signals came up just when we needed them all through the afternoon.

Thanks to Graham and his team for all the effort in putting it on. (Next time wear a camouflage shirt)

Thanks, Paul, Matt and Dick – Torbay Tigers