Heron Corn Mill

Hello folks,

If you want to view more detail in an image, clicking once on an image will enlarge it, a second click will enlarge it further hopefully giving more detail)













(This image produced by the staff at Heron Corn Mill)

Its not long now before (National Mills On The Air Weekend) and Sands Amateur Radio Contest Group have the privilege of taking part in this event for the first time from Heron Corn Mill in Beetham. The event takes place on Saturday the 8th and Sunday 9th of May and the mill will be open between 11am and 4pm each day.

Lets take a look at the mill and whats on offer!











Heron Corn Mill and Barn

The picture above was taken by me earlier this year when construction of the Hydro Electric Turbine housing was nearing completion. Don't let the bland looking buildings put you off, there is a treasure trove of things to explore inside the mill and a fascinating history to discover.

To the left of the picture you can see a newly renovated barn where you will be able to buy tea and coffee etc, and to the right is Heron Corn Mill itself. You will also find many but not all of the exhibits that Sands will be offering over the weekend, more on that later in this blog.

The mill is powered by water from the River Bela in Beetham











Looking upstream

As you look at the tranquil waters upstream its hard to imagine the power of the river that drives the water wheel in the mill











The Fish Pass was developed in 1990 by the Environment Agency to allow Sea Trout and Salmon to reach and breed in the River Bela.











(Diverted water coming down the Fish Pass)











(Turbine Housing under Construction)

The water flow down the fish pass is nothing compared to the water that falls over the weir just a little way beyond the swans.











Displays by Sands Amateur Radio Contest Group

The Mill

Both floors of the mill are full of exhibits and interesting information on the history of Heron Corn Mill that has an operational history going back to the 18th Century .

The first of our two radio stations will be operating from the top floor of the mill where the radio operator will hopefully be talking to more distant stations in Europe and around the world. Its also hoped that a demonstration of data communications will be set up to show some of the digital mode of communication we use.

The Callsign for the weekend is GB4HCM

Our second radio amateur station will be operating at ground floor level in the Barn on the 40m and 80m Amateur Bands. The operators will hopefully be talking to stations at other mills around the country and radio amateurs who would like to work us. There should be somebody near the station who can explain what is happening.

The Barn will also contain:

• A video showing images of other events we have been involved in and will be running throughout the day. Pictures of other special events we have done like "The Abolition of the Slave Trade" and DX-Peditions to the Isle of Mull, and the Isle of Jura will be included in the program. (A Dx-Pedition is formed when a group of radio amateurs travel to distant places and run radio stations in that area where radio is rarely heard)

Special Event at Sunderland Point GB7AOS
(artwork by G0RDH)

• A display covering what you need to do to become a radio amateur along with information about the Radio Amateur Foundation, Intermediate and Full Licence courses will be available along with a member of the group you can talk too and may be able to help out on courses local to you.
  

• A Display of Radio Equipment of the type used at Bletchley Park and the Y stations during WWII and a little on the SOE in the form of a Replica Code Hanky etc.
  

If you would like to see some great video detailing the building of the Micro Hydro Electric plant there are two excellent video's made by R.G Parkins/IHT. The first was made 5 months ago showing the embryo of construction of the turbine housing and the second was taken just one month ago showing the arrival of the Turbine.

http://vimeo.com/7568245

More on the history of Heron Corn Mill at Beetham can be found on their excellent website including the links listed above. http://www.heronmill.org/mill.shtml

Heron Corn Mill Blog http://heronmill.org/blog.shtml

You may have noticed a lack of images from inside the mill, I don't want to spoil your experience if your able to visit Heron Corn Mill, but I will publish them in the future.

If your within traveling distance of the mill pay it a visit, you will not be disappointed. The mill will be open to the public between 11am and 4pm each day. if you would like to try and work GB4HCM on air, we hope to be active from around 10am each day.

Best 73
G0RDH

M0SCG taking part in the April RSGB CC SSB

Hello Folks,

The April (RSGB Club Contest SSB leg) took place on the 14th of April and Mark and I used the group callsign for the event running 100w from the FT-1000 into a trap dipole and a Heil headset with the HC5 mic insert.

Band conditions were very good here with MM & MW stations being worked without problem. I was a little concerned that the band conditions would be poor after the high pressure that had been hanging over the UK this last week and little signs of moving.

The contest started fine with us establishing a working frequency and contacts were coming in at a steady pace, I started the contest and then passed over to Mark around 10 minutes in, we usually split the operating between us.











Mark M0DGK

Last month we encountered a problem that lost us 30 min with the radio overheating. This was caused because the (10" Squirrel Blower fan) failed to kick in and cool the transceiver down for normal operation. WE let the set cool down for half an hour and then returned to contesting at a reduced power running search and pounce instead of a spot frequency

The fault was repaired a few days later and a Mod to the blower was conducted (more on this later)

However the transceiver fan failed again in the April contest around 25 minutes in, and we lost a valuable 35 minutes or so whilst we let the set cool down along with stripping the set down to locate the fault.... This turned out to be a new fault although still related to the blower. After the last failure we added a modification to the way the (Squirrel Cage blower) worked. During reassembly after the mod a thin insulated wire had been snagged on an internal heat sink and as the set heated up the wire was broken. It was an easy repair but time consuming mainly in the number of screws plugs and connectors that need to be taken out and replaced again after the repair. The snagged wire could not be seen or felt when putting the set back together again, but we learned from the experience and any loose wires were secured during reconstruction.

Turning a negative experience into a positive one, we both learned from the mistake and no damage was done to the transceiver.

We joined the contest again at 9pm and I went to search and pounce for the last 30 minutes. We made 51 contacts in total and aim to do a lot better next time.














Mark M0DGK removing the heatsink cover.

I think others could benefit from our experience and that's why I've entered details in this blog. So lets go back to where this story started.

Last month we encountered a problem that lost us 30 min with the radio overheating. This was caused because the (10" Squirrel Blower Fan) failed to kick in. A few days later Mark and I set too work locating the fan and heat sensor both were tested and found to be working. It would seem that it was down to a dirty connector or loose plug.

This Blower is poorly described in the service manual but eventually it was found in the heart of the transceiver. There are numerous screws and plugs to be disconnected and we found it useful to take a few pictures of the set as parts were disassembled and unplugged, to help with the re-assembly of the set. ( a useful technique picked up from Ian G0VGS)

Squirrel Cage Blower Modification

Whilst looking for information on the (Squirrel Cage Blower) We came across a the site of K6JRF who had a number of modifications for the FT-1000D, one them concerned noise with the blower and a suggested a modification which in effect causes the blower to cut in and run slowly when the set is switched on it builds in speed as the set gets hotter.

To me this seems an approach that makes sense, the blower runs a lot more smoothly and the components cost pennies. Try this at your own risk all I can say is it works for me. The site contains all the instructions along with photographs

(Thanks James)











http://www.k6jrf.com/FT_Fan.hmtl


If your interested in Radio and Audio his site has loads of information and photographs based on his own experiences.

A second mod was done whilst we had the screws out that can be found at http://n1eu.com

This mod greatly improves strong signal IMD in the FT-1000

n1eu.com has a whole range of mods for different makes of Transceiver and is well worth looking at.

In closing I would like to thank all the contesters out there who contributed to a truly enjoyable contest.

I hope this has been an interesting blog on more than one level.

73 Brian G0RDH

(The Reluctant Contester)

Sands Contest Group at The Norbrek Rally 2010

Setting up

Hello folks

Sunday the 11th of April was the date of this years amateur radio rally held as in years past at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool. As many who have attended this event regularly will remember the event always took place in March on or around Mothering Sunday which caused a bit of a problem for some within the Sands group. The move to an April date seems to have been better all round.














Ready for when the doors open

Ian G0VGS put his Elecraft display on showcasing the K3 which has been the workhorse of the Sands Contest group since it was built not long after the K3's official release and Kev G6FKE took his K2. As always a great deal of interest was shown in both transceivers and both Ian and Kev were able to talk about their experiences in both building and using the radios.

Some members of the group were able to help out with stewarding at the rally including Steve G1TLQ who will be infamous in the eyes of one of the attendees but I'll say no more about that!

As with all rallies it was good to be able to meet friends old and new, none more so than the members of (Workington & District Amateur Radio and IT Group) who we've had contact with practically since our group was started.... It was good to meet up with Paul M1PAF, Steve G0MTD and Peter M0IFF to name but a few.














The Workington Stand

In 2008 Paul, Steve and Mark M0WCR joined us for what was a memorable DXpedition to the Isle of Jura and it will be good to have them join us again for our 2010 DXpedition to the Isle of Arran in September.

It was a great rally and our thanks go out to NARSA and all the Radio Amateurs who made this rally such a success.

Best 73

Brian G0RDH

WPX Contest "Tales from Hancocks Hut" March 2010

Hello Folks,

(All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them)

It does not seem all that long since members of Sands Contest Group were taking part in the WPX last year and hoping that we missed the strong winds and rain we were greeted with in 2009. In that contest we were operating a patched up spider beam..... and using our contest callsign G1T.

For anybody wanting to learn more about the "Great Storm of 2009" go to March on the side menu and scroll down to near the bottom of the page.

So how did this years CQWW WPX start?.... Well as with any contest group, it started with a dedicated team of members erecting antennas and setting the station up. In this case it was Ian G0VGS, Kev G6FKE, Hughie G4UME and Frank G8BME.... Without their sacrifice and efforts the contest would not have been possible. I say sacrifice and and efforts because the weather was unrelenting with a mixture of icy wind and heavy downpours of rain and on occasion, hail. The meadow tends to retain water and conditions under foot were poor with the grass acting like a sponge when you stepped on it. Regardless they worked late into the early evening and did not give up until the job was done.

Station Details:

Our callsign for the contest was (G1T) Golf One Tango

The most popular radio equipment the group uses is the Elecraft K3, and a Ranger 811 Amp running up to 400w dependent on Contest/Band regulations. Audio is supplied via a Heil Headset with the HC-5 insert.














The graveyard shift consisted of Kev G6FKE (Pictured Here), Mark M0DGK, and Brian G0RDH who operated the station throughout the night, handing over to Hughie at 7am

Taking health and safety into account, we make sure there's no chance the operator will suffer from dehydration. Whoever is on the station is kept well lubricated with tea, coffee or their favorite choice of the amber nectar; which I might add is never taken to excess.... mainly because I cannot find the route any where on my TomTom.

Mark and I took over from Kev, taking it in turn to operate. Our aim was to get a minimum of 200 stations logged before the rest of the crew arrived to take the morning shift. We worked some good DX during the night and plenty of multipliers to help boost our score.

On the funny side was the a station from the USA or Canada, sorry I cannot remember his callsign, who called for stations to wait a minute.... He came back quite quickly and apologized..... His chair had broken during a contact and I think he landed on the floor.... We wish him well and hope nothing more than his pride was hurt.

Hughie G4UME arrived around 7am followed a little time later by Ian G0VGS. It's hard to believe the difference in the WX between the harsh conditions faced setting up the antennas up and what turned out to be a beautiful morning on the first day of the contest.














This shot top right shows the nest of dipoles for 160m, 80m and 40m. Below that is the Spiderbeam for 20m, 15m and 10m and then we have the 80m Vertical with its capacity hat which works very well.

Other antenna's used are verticals for 20m, 40m and 15m.














Ian G0VGS took control of the station and the log entries picked up quickly. The casual observer may think that Ian's asleep on the job but I promise you he was concentrating trying to get details from a weak station which was not easy because of qrm from stations on adjacent frequencies.














Whilst Ian was operating a fault developed with the Spiderbeam not being resonant and after some investigation the fault was traced to the balun. Sadly this put the Spiderbeam out of commission for the rest of the contest. The thought might strike you that group members may be looking for divine intervention but in reality they are checking the balun out. Sadly we did not have a spare with us.














On a lighter note it was great to see the newborn lambs in the meadow who were both playful and inquisitive, especially around the radials of the verticals but neither the lambs nor the radials came to any harm. We did however have to pop out a few times to reset them. We even had a trainee Guard Sheep!














Ian gently herding the sheep on away from the 80m mast on Sunday afternoon.














One of the great views from Oysterber Farm













We were joined in the afternoon by Frank (shown operating here) and Steve who gave members who had operated already a welcome break.











Steve G1TLQ

.












As the daylight draws to a close, if it's not pelting with rain we are treated to a fantastic sunset and what a beautiful one this was














The group are always looked after well by the owners of Oysterber Farm, Barrie G1JYB and his wife Kathy M3YOG and Stephany G1LAT. From the first time Barrie and Kathy invited us to use his meadow and site our station in "Hancocks Hut", they have also been fantastic in treating us to a two course meal on the Saturday Night.

At the International DX contest we had a Mexican themed meal and for WPX we were treated to Individual Cottage Pie cooked and served in earthenware pots, with homemade Mushy peas and red cabbage. Our sweet for the evening was a choice of either homemade apple or rhubarb pie served with double thick cream.














A quality wine always flows freely throughout the meal and the meal is finished with a choice of tea or coffee. Stephany G1LAT was our chef for the evening, ably assisted by Barrie who's a wizard with a potato masher. This is always a great time where we can chill out in the company of friends chatting on what ever subject comes up. It would be remiss of me not to thank Kathy who quietly slopes off to the kitchen, dons her marigolds and sets to work on the washing up.

As you can imagine it's a struggle to get back to the radio and the contest but we radio amateurs are a hardy breed who in the true spirit of amateur radio say one and all "Well I guess we'd better get back to the contest then!"

Saturday night / Sunday Morning was very good with Brian G0RDH working through the Wee Small Hours until Kev took over at around 04:45. I was ready for a break! I'm sure there are many contesters / Special Event operators and those great people who trek out and put DXpeditions on for us who will know that time when your tongue goes AWOL and fails to connect with the brain.... I had reached such a point and welcomed Kevs return from "Hancock's Pit", a place once occupied you're reluctant to vacate.














Access to "Hancock's Pit" is all a matter of timing and as usual I was running late!

Sunday was great although the weather was not as good..... I set to making the breakfast on the "George Foreman Grill and Hotplate". "A masterpiece of culinary delight" was about to be created: Irish Sausage, Danish Bacon, Mushrooms and a fried free range egg were all delicately cooked to perfection and then slapped into a large teacake to create the Sands Breakfast Special.... The only cry of dissent was from Hughie "Why's there no butter on these teacakes". I told him straight "Cos butter's fattening and not good for you!"














Around lunch time Andrew G0LWU arrived with his son Graham M3OBM and it was good to see Graham's enthusiasm asking his dad if he could operate the station.














Graham did really well contesting at an event that can have grown men withering at the thought of talking live into a mic.














Sadly one of our group, Chris G4LDS was unable to be with us because he had just been released from hospital after surgery.... He is a man for all seasons (usually wet) and never far from our thoughts, especially at contest time.














Welcome back Chris














Gary M0RGB made a welcome return to contesting after lunch on Sunday and stayed until the end of the contest helping to notch our score up. He's a natural operator who has held run frequencies and managed them with ease.

One of the stations worked in the contest is one of our members. Mike (M0PRL) joined the British Antarctic Team late in 2009 and works at Rothera Base on Adelaide Island, Antarctica. Mike's callsign is currently VP8DMH and was able to make contact with our station although conditions were difficult.












You can see one of Mikes reports on his radio activity a little further down on the blog site. I'm sure Mike will be looking forward to IOTA in July where he will be a very popular station to work with his IOTA No. AN-001.

This has been a great contest and the band conditions have been favourable with the world as our oyster. It's still a little on the chilly side but the WX has been good to us, at least during the time the contest was running. Having worked all the stations they could the remaining members of the team bugged out half an hour before the end of the contest. All were beyond tired and made home to a warm and comfy bed for a few hours sleep.

And so ended the CQWW WPX Contest for another year. Although very tiring, everyone who took part enjoyed themselves and the bands were kind to us with few areas of the world not worked.. A heartfelt thanks to all the stations we worked, both for the contacts and occasional humour.

The WX forecast was poor for the first two days of the coming week with wind and rain forecast for Monday and more wind rain and snow forecast for Tuesday, a decision was made to take the antennas down on Monday morning. It was a good call. The wind was just a little stronger than a breeze and the rainfall was light.

Best 73
Brian G0RDH

RSGB Club Calls Contest 80m

Hi Folks,

What a great contest... I was joined by Mark M0DGK and we split the operating between us.












I started the contest with a run frequency and although contacts did not drop in one after the other we had more than beaten previous scores in the first 30 minutes, with half our final score being made in that time.

We had a slight hitch that required us to close down for 15 minutes but when we were up and running again the contacts poured in.

Ian and Kev still hold the crown as best group station but I am more than happy with the final score of 72 contacts that included 2 PA station and a number from Scotland and Wales.

How did everyone else do in the contest?

Best 73
Brian G0RDH

ARRL International DX -- Antarctic Edition

Hello from Adelaide Island!

Coming from an active contesting group, one of the things I'd looked
forward to trying out while down South was getting involved in a
contest, and being that rare DX! The summer season at Rothera is very
busy radio-wise, involving a lot of time running our Aeronautical Radio
Station (like Air Traffic Control, but we only make 'suggestions',
instead of telling people what to do.) Evening are taken up either by
late-night flying, or a round of skeds with each of our field parties,
with the result that there isn't much time when the radios aren't in
use. Fortunately, Rothera's summer co-incides with the off-season for
contests!

The ARRL International DX phone contest, the first major phone contest of the season, fell on a weekend towards the end of the summer season with a good chance of there being no flying out of base, so I decided to dust off my K3, hook it up to an Acom 2000 and one of the base antennas, and see how I did.

After finishing work on Friday, I started converting the tower into
a contest shack.



The shack, pre-setup



The shack, ready to go



Close-up



There's nothing like starting a contest with a fully-stocked fridge!

I started calling on 20m a few minutes before the start of the contest to warm up, and worked W3LPL and LU1EEG. The first half an hour of the contest proper was quite slow, only yielding 5 contacts. However, patient calling (and the K3's voice keyer!) paid dividends eventually, and at 00:30 the pile-up started. I couldn't stay up too long, owing to work the following morning, but 178 Qs were logged before I finally called it a night.

Saturday dawned bright and blustery, and was taken up by a training session for Winters in the morning. The weather had calmed down by the afternoon, and I decided to take a break from base to head up to Vals, our local 'ski resort' for a few hours.



Looking down towards the ski hut from the top of the run



Skiing back to base



Rothera Station

After formal dinner on Saturday evening, I sneaked off to the tower for another stint. I discovered that searching-and-pouncing was a complete waste of time for me, since no-one in the States seemed to be beaming in my direction (oddly enough!) I tried running again, but really struggled to find a frequency. Eventually I found a suitable spot and started calling, and before long was inundated again -- at one point working at a rate of over 200 Qs/hour, and finishing the evening with
379 contacts logged.

Sunday was a quiet end to the contest, with lots of other activity on base. Propagation didn't seem to be in my favour earlier on in the day, but I'd set myself the goal of 500Qs, and sat down for another stint in the evening. Unfortunately, 20m had turned into a bit of a zoo by that point, with everyone anxious to squeeze out a last few contacts. Without enough room to work split, and with everyone frantically calling, my Q rate was significantly down on Saturday's.

Final result: 524 stations in the log, in just over 5 and a half hours total operating.

All in all, not a bad start for a casual contest entry from down South. Unfortunately, CQWW WPX falls on the weekend of Last Call---the final ship visit to Rothera for the season. The RRS Ernest Shackleton is due to depart on the 28th, ushering in the official beginning of Winter, and no more contact with the outside world until late October, so I might not get much operating time!



One of the antennas in use, with a very rare Antarctic rainbow.

73 from Sands Contest Group, VP8 section!
--
Mike, M0PRL / VP8DMH

ARRL DX Contest Saturday's Report!

Just a few of our group operating G1T in the ARRL DX Contest on Saturday

Hi All,

Here's some pics I took on Saturday.... Kev and I worked 70+ overnight on topband, 40 and 80m contacts were hard won during the day, when I left they had not much over the 230 mark but everything that could be worked was worked. It was nice to have so many of our members able to find time to take part.

Barrie, Kathy and Stephany did their magic in the kitchen and provided a main meal with a Mexican theme and a lovely sweet in the form of an Raspberry and Cream Pavlova. I left around 9:15 with Ian Kev and Damien providing cover for the graveyard shift which I believe was very busy indeed!

Best 73
Brian

WWII Astro Compass Mk2

Hello Folks

I thought we could step back into WWII History and take a look at an item I have just added to my collection.

Over the last 20 years I have put a display on at the Norbrek Radio Rally in Blackpool. Although I refer to the items I have as a collection, they are not something hidden away never to be seen by anyone but close friends, but rather, something that can be touched and examined by people.

Many of the items would not normally be seen unless you visited a museum. Nothing pleases me more than when two or more people gather around an exhibit and get into a discussion about it, many times its an older radio amateur explaining how something works to a younger family member of new amateur.

Ok enough waffle lets get down to business.

You may have noticed that this item has nothing to do with radio communications and everything to do with navigation.

The British Version of The Astro Compass

Until today I had trouble finding any information on the British version of the Astro Compass but found the following information on Ebay supplied by "Wing, Rutland, United Kingdom" on the British Version of the Manual and a little history.

(This is a re generated print (not a simple photocopy) of what I believe to be the original handbook issued with the Astro Compass Mk II and IIA ( RAF ref 6A/1174) during and after the last War. There is a serial code on the original suggesting Canadian printing in 1942. The original had no illustrations so I have, for clarity, added two of my own at the back. Several points suggest the original may have been a very small booklet similar to the Bubble Sextant's but untill I know the correct size I am printing it as A5. There are 16 pages A5, black and white with two illustrations. Subjects covered are:- Principles of operation, Construction and field re tensioning of pivots, Checking true heading by Sun, Moon, Planet and Star. Steering a course. Obtaining the true bearing of a distant object. Methods to check alignment of the compass. In fact, after reading the booklet you will probably assume everyone should have an Astro Compass, they are so usefull. I even have an article on converting one for use as a simple Dumpy Level! There are other, American versions of the Astro Compass, the original being the British version developed by Mr. PF Everitt of H Hughes and Son. I have manuals for only one of them, the Sperti Company . If you suspect you have an American version mail me for identification. For a more detailed view of the Astro Compass I would recomend reading AP 1234D, I do a reprint of the Astro compass section. Postage (UK) £1.50)

W.W Boes Co. & Sperti.Inc

There was two company's who made the Astro Compass in the USA, W.W Boes Co. and Sperti . Inc.

So far the only difference between the two companies has been that

1. W.W Boes.Co housed their compass in a Bakelite box
2 They used a transfer type name plate
3 The operating instructions were printed in colour with a little artwork on the front cover




















Bakelite box











Transfer type Nameplate



















The Operating Manual was blue in colour with graphics depicting a plane. If you cut & paste the link below into your internet Browser the manual is available free in pdf format.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3856694/AstroCompass-Manual

Sperti Inc.
1. Came in a wooden box in my example the box is painted RAF Blue with a white canvas strap with the words Astro Compass MkII stenciled on the front side of the hinged lid and "Delicate Instrument to be Handled with Care" Stenciled in red on a while background in the front of the box.

Here's some pictures I have taken of my Astro Compass MkII












2. The name plate containing information on what the item was, Its parts and serial number and AM indicating the instrument was made for the "Air Ministry" was stamped onto the chassis of the instrument and highlighted as white lettering.












3. The front of the manual was plain without graphics, but there were pictured inside along with the operating instructions identifying the various parts of the compass.







































Sperti.Inc
In 1942 Sperti changed its name from "Sperti Products" a company that made sun lamps, to "Sperti Inc." a company that made products for the US Airforce and Navy. One of the products made was the Astro Compass which went into service in 1942.

If you would like to learn more about the company up to the present day, use the link below.

http://sperti.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=88

The link below will allow you to download the manual

http://myjunkshop.com/astro/astronew.html

It would seem that the manufacture of equipment like the Astro compass followed a similar road to that in the UK where manufacturers were given defense jobs unrelated to there civilian production line.

Here are some more of the pictures of My Astro Compass starting with the boxed unit and then working top to bottom starting with the sight. The unit was not supplied with the base for mounting to an aircraft etc, this stand was bought separately.












Boxed Astro Compass






















Sight used for both Sun and Stars












































Bubble levels











Socket that took the base and screw adjusters for leveling











Once the Astro Compass had been aligned an Air Almanac could be used to successfully plot your location













http://aa.usno.navy.mil/publications/docs/ord_info.php

I have seen reference to the Astro compass being fitted to the Lancaster Bomber, The American Liberator,and the B25J Bomber shown below.














An Astro compass fitted in a B25J Bomber. For more information on this aircraft and the Astro Compass please visit the site below where you can see this image along with many others. A really interesting site.

http://www.maam.org/airshow/b25_cockpit.htm

The RAF Millom Air Museum is well worth a visit if your ever in the area. It's very deceptive from the outside looking rather small but once through the door it's like the TARDIS as you walk from room to room that's full of interesting exhibits, including photographs and information on RAF Morecambe.

Take a look at the sites listed below, which include reference to the Astro Compass MkII. It's time well spent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/19/a4638819.shtml

The second site is a great document covering an excavation conducted by Tony Robinson and Time Team.

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/lait/site/Time%20Team.htm

Although not on communications I hope you have found this blog interesting, and its not long before you visit us again.

One might think that the Astro compass was last used in the far and distant past, but nothing could be further from the truth. Area's of the world that have a strong magnetic field render normal compasses useless and in some cases it has been made law that an Astro Compass is carried.

Best 73
Brian G0RDH