#WWWD Wireless Village DC31 Wardriving Contest Last Day.

Driving an hour before work and several hours after the coverage has been good. 7 out of 8 foxes found but the last one remains elusive !

It wasn’t until the competition had started and my grid was committed that I realised that location, grid size and previously discovered networks was everything. Looking at the leaderboard it was clear to see the skill was in the choosing of the right grid.

I not going to win but it has been good fun and I have learnt a lot. Next year I will make better choices !

Update : The contest has finished and the scores are in. I have improved on last year’s ranking.

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.

Incorporation of Optical Attached Cable and Conductors Carrying Optical Fibres into the Existing Overhead Line Network: Design and Construction

Installation of Fibre Optic Cable(s) on Steel Tower 132kV Circuits (including Fibre Wrap Method)

Cut Throat Lane Switching Station
Cut Throat Lane Switching Station