This is a private site for me to record stuff of interest in an easy to find place. You are more than welcome to browse if it also interests you.
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CEB SE England Scheme – 1940
Tower 4VK423 – Biggleswade
Todays “stop and shoot” tower on route 4VK whilst driving to a site in Biggleswade. Scaffolding was being erected to install a safety net to protect the road. Two new circuit colours to add to the collection also.
Tower PNA57 – Bedford Industrial
Last one of the day today on route PNA over one of Bedford’s Industrial Estates. The two circuits split off into different directions terminating in the local substations. Two more circuit colours to add to the collection.
Tower ZA372 – Marston Moretaine
Another one in the middle of a supermarket car park. This time on route ZA where the towers pass over Marston Moretaine. Two circuit colours to add to the collection. There are some odd objects mounted on this tower ?
Tower 4YJ34 – Leighton Buzzard
First one of the day, in the middle of a supermarket carpark, on route 4YJ where the towers stride through Leighton Buzzard. A couple more circuit colours to add to the collection. Lots of buzzing under this one !
Tower Circuit Colours
Started a thing collecting circuit colours. On every tower there is a coloured plate that identifies the circuit(s) carried above. On a dual CCT (circuit) tower there would be two plates, one for each circuit.
Tower PAA10 – Bedford
This originally caught my interest because it all looked wonky. After posting on Twitter it was highlighted as a phase transposition by @DiverTomJG
“The majority of double CCT lines are transposed by having different phasing on each CCT. Line transpositions are only really seen on the original 1930’s 132kV grid lines which were predominantly long distance single CCT.” @DiverTomJG
“This DC tower was built at a later date and is an addition to the original line. I would guess its addition was to increase the ground clearance to allow them to build the housing estate below.” @DiverTomJG
Tower POA143 – Great Denholm
This tower caught my eye because of the attachments. After posting on Twitter the attachments were identified as Optical Attached Cables (OPAC) by @Neil_Hardiman
I later stopped at Cut Throat Lane Switching Station, Bedford, on way home from work where you can see the OPACs terminating.
Installation of Fibre Optic Cable(s) on Steel Tower 132kV Circuits (including Fibre Wrap Method)
Pylon & Playground !
Every time I drive by this I think Pylon & Playground ! Who’s idea was it to put a playground there ?!
War Driving
I have been using the Wigle Android app for a while now but wanted to build a Kali/Raspberry/Kismet device. I have a spare Raspberry Pi3B and GPS unit so just needed a battery pack and some USB WiFi dongles.
First attempts were recorded to USB memory stick but later replaced by configuring the device as an access point and using SSL to login and retrieve files.
Flight Cases
I have replaced and combined the Radio Cabinet and the Radio Bag with flight cases.
The cabinet took up a lot of space and was near impossible to move around due to weight. I can now divide the equipment, and weight, up into several flight cases. Change is frequent and its now a lot easier to move the cases around and modify the configurations etc.
The current three sections are Mesh, Radio and Network. “Mesh” at the top has the AREDN Node and the Raspberry Pi Servers and the Mesh Mikrotik Router. “Radio” in the middle has the SIMOCO radios and the Yeasu FT-857D. “Network” at the bottom has the Main Mikrotik Router, the Dev Servers and the switches.
MESH Box
I needed a go box of mesh stuffs that could be deployed quickly and contain some PIs, an access point and an AREDN node.
I am quite fond of the Really Useful Box series and have a number of them with project parts and tools in etc. So I choose a 9L box to try and fit some bits in.
Testing External PtP MESH Nodes using Ubiquity Nano Stations
Battery Box
I have always wanted an ammo battery box, so it was time to build one. Requirements were a volt meter, USB charging socket and connections for radios etc.
RAF Ventnor R1 ROTOR Isle of Wight
Abandoned Isle of Wight – Beneath St Boniface Down, lays a cold war nuclear bunker, this secret underground structure has remained undisturbed and buried for many years.
Local BT Exchanges
Just an exercise to locate the local exchanges in my area.
Grass Area 1/2 mile from Fenny Exchange / Bletchley (MK) bRAS near Bletchley Tesco roundabout.
A number of fibre cables from the Exchange and bRAS start to run North from this small grass area just down the road towards the Centre MK and SMBA Bradwell Abbey Exchange.
A fibre cable running to the Bank of England runs under one of these network chamber covers using dark fibre provided by Zayo (formerly Geo). 186k was taken over by Geo Networks and further by Zayo, so it’s most likely under those 186k covers.
Radio Cabinet
Replacing my FT-857D Selector Encoder
I have had my Yeasu FT-857D for a long time and the tiny, fragile selector knob had been getting worse over the years until it finally broke off ! Time to replace it.
The replacement selector switch was easily available from Yeasu UK and arrived the next day.
A house that isn’t a house.
Cable landing stations come in various forms. Mainly industrial buildings but here is one on a housing estate hidden inside two houses. The inner walls and floors have been removed to house the fibre terminating equipment. The four large air con units outside give it away. The garage houses the backup generator.
