Wendy Windblows Everything for Paragliders and Hang Gliders
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Tel: 0114-287-8936Mob: 07972-697-408Email: office@wendywindblows.com
Wendy Windblows Service Information
How Wendy Works... Wendy is very time-consuming in regard to repairs. It involves LOTS of travelling. To repair, say, Devils Dyke, it's 4-5 hours on the road from my home in Sheffield, then a load of work, then a return 4-5 hour drive back.
The cost in diesel alone for my 4WD is around £150, and a complete day is taken up. Sometimes I leave home at 4am, and don't get back till midnight! Wendy doesn't provide a living - it just basically covers its costs, so I have to attend to it in my spare time. I have a TV aerial business that pays the bills. And I can't always take time off from that instantly if faults occur - I often have jobs booked which can't be put off. So, faults a long way from Sheffield can sometimes take a little while to put right, and I ask you to bear with me on this. |
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Weather Problems Delay Repairs Sometimes...
Especially in winter. Weather conditions for outdoor repair work are often impossible! Snow, ice, rain, or continued high winds often prevent me from fixing things immediately. Most of the stations are in extremely exposed locations, and I have to wait until winds die down, and I can get dry, calm, and reasonably warm weather before it is safe to climb the mast to repair/replace things...
Some stations (such as Wether Fell involve a perilous drive for a mile or so over boggy moorland without even a track to follow - and if it's too wet, I can't get to it, even with the 4WD I have. It isn't unknown to get bogged down completely and have to get a tractor to rescue me!
Sometimes, landowners limit access to the stations until the fields/tracks have dried out - and I have to abide by their wishes, as they mostly allow the Wendy stations on their land as a favour to me, and you.
Some stations (such as Wether Fell involve a perilous drive for a mile or so over boggy moorland without even a track to follow - and if it's too wet, I can't get to it, even with the 4WD I have. It isn't unknown to get bogged down completely and have to get a tractor to rescue me!
Sometimes, landowners limit access to the stations until the fields/tracks have dried out - and I have to abide by their wishes, as they mostly allow the Wendy stations on their land as a favour to me, and you.
I try to keep out-of-service, and anticipated return-of service data on this page up-to-date.
If you need more information, please contact me.
Latest Service Information - 5th May 2013
Apologies For Slow Start To The Year's ServicingLynn had a mini-stroke on Feb 14th, and I managed to dislocate my artificial hip on 26th Feb - and it took a while to get it back in! I am hobbling around and trying to get mobile again, but this has delayed the usual round of spring servicing and repairs a bit. As has the crap weather. As well as Carlton re-siting (see below) I have been waiting for good weather to tackle Wether Fell, the only remaining major repair outstanding. Please bear withme... this getting older is a bitch! I'm due to see the consultant ion 7th May about a repair operation. Carlton Re-SitingI have Carlton Bank nearly ready to go back up, but my intended plan to have it re-erected on Monday May 6th has slipped a few days, due to technical problems, and some of my kind volunteer helpers being away on holidays stuff. Target now is the weekend of 12th-13th May. Anyone who can come and lend a hand - please get in touch - all offers welcome! (It's quite a big job to erect one of these things). |
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As you will be aware, we had to remove the Wendy from the gliding club hangar, which was being demolished.
If The Website Crashes.....
Remember, if the website goes down for any reason, you can still gain usually gain access to the Wendy data by calling the Central Phone Server.
Details of the new Central Phone Server are at: Subscribers' Phone Help Page
Devils Dyke
27th Jan 2013. I went to replace the wind heads on 15th Oct and to move them up to the top of the mast. Steve Greenwood kindly came along to help. However, the winds got up so strong that once again we were unable to climb the mast all the way, so had to leave the wind heads half way up. This results in lower wind readings, so I have cranked up the software calibration a bit to compensate. Please give me feedback on the current setup, and I will tweak it for best results. I am planning another trip down when weather allows to move the new heads up to the top of the mast.Firle Beacon
This station appears to be working normally.Mercury
This station is operating normally..Compton Abbas
12th April 2013. This station was overhauled and fresh computer hardware fitted today.Westbury White Horse
12th April 2013. A two way radio aerial on the radio mast had broken loose in high winds, and swung into the Wendy wind sensors, smashing them to bits and damaging the cables. I repaired this lot.Combe Hill
12th April 2013.The station at Combe Hill was repaired yesterday - the fault was rather annoying, heavy-footed aerial riggers climbing the comms tower had ripped out the sensor cables from our junction box, and further damaged the cables where they enter the equipment building. This sort of nonsense is all too common onshared sites like this. Apologies for the delay in repairing this - I had to wait for the weather to get warm enough and light enough winds to enable me to get up the tower.Nympsfield
This station is operating normallyShining Tor
17th March. The station appears to be disconnected at the mains. I have got the OK from the Pub management to go out there and redo all the wiring on Tuesday.Bradwell
2nd April 2013. The Wendy has been removed from the Woodbine in Hope, due to telemetry problems and the cafe changing hands soon. Everything is now up at the airfield. There is a display in the clubhouse. The upgrades to the airfield equipment were completed (in a freezing wind!) on 1st April. The station should now run continuously.Pule Hill
This station is operating normallyLobden
This station is operating normallyParlick
28th Jan 2013. This station had been over-calibrated at 20% or so exaggeration at the request of one or two locals in an attempt to compensate for the height difference between Parlick and Longridge (where Wendy lives on the radio tower near the Golf Course). However, it seems to have been exaggerating the top speeds and gusts too much, so i have cranked it back down to standard calibration. See how that goes - feedback welcome.Wether Fell
5th May 2013. Repair trip Wether Fell has been delayed by weather, illness, and vehicle probs, but I hope to have it serviced and back in full operation shortly. First priority is to re-erect Carlton though.Carlton Bank
5th May 2013. At last, the weather is warming up, so I hope to be able to re-erect Carlton Bank in the next week or so, probably in the week beginning 12th.Eyam Edge
3rd Jan 2012.As the rough hill edge and stone walls rob the station of some of the wind force, compared to the smooth ridge at Eyam takeoff, I have upped the calibration by about 20% today. See how that reads for takeoff, and let me know, please.The Blorenge
This station appears to be working normally.Long Mynd
22nd March 2013. This station appears to have non-functioning wind cups. It might be because they are snowed and frozen up - the weather is atrocious at present. Wait and see if they thaw out when the weather improves. Can't do anything till it improves, anyway.Moel Accre
31st Jan 2013. This station is suffering from lack of charge of the batteries, due to winter gloomy conditions (the solar panels are having a tough time keeping pace. It works when there is reasonable sunshine, though. I plan to install a new battery, but it will need the snow to melt, and the hill to dry out before I can get up there with the 4WD and all the tools and stuff...Calshot
This station is working normally.Marazion
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.No more faults that I am aware of.... if you know of any, please tell me!
Winter Gloom!
Several stations rely on Solar Panels to power their hilltop sensors.
- Westbury
- Compton
- Moel Accre
- Bradwell
- Eyam
- Wether Fell
- Carlton Bank
In the winter half of the year, prolonged clag on the hills, and generally gloomy weather means the solar panels might not supply enough electrical power to keep these stations running, so they may intermittently show 'Head Link Failure' messages.
It is difficult in winter - there's 8 hours of (often weak) daylight, and 16 hours of darkness, so the solar panels really struggle to keep the batteries up.
However, a brief bit of sunshine is enough to power things up again - once charged, the battery can run the station for up to 2 weeks. Not a lot I can do about this, other than wait for the weather to improve - and, bearing in mind that if the weather up there is that bad, you're not going to be flying anyway!
Contacting Me About Faults and Other Problems:
- For fastest response, Text Rod on 07972-697-408
- Next Fastest....... Call: 0114-287-8936
- Or, if it is not urgent, then........... Click Here to Email
the way, if you want to know the sort of stuff I have
to do to keep all this running,
here
I am refurbishing the Dyke and Firle Wendy
stations....
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No other problems we are aware of. But if you know of any, please contact us