Wendy Windblows Everything for Paragliders and Hang Gliders
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Tel: 0114 - 287 - 8936 Mob: 07971 - 846 - 153 Email: office@wendywindblows.com
Wendy Windblows Service Information
General Service Stuff... 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. Apart from MY schedule, it is not always possible to get a damaged or otherwise off-air Wendy back on-air immediately. Especially in winter, when weather conditions for outdoor repair work are often impossible! Access problems, 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 before it is safe to climb the mast to repair/replace things... 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. |
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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.
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
Latest Service Information
Devils Dyke
This station is working normally, as far as we are aware.Firle Beacon
Updated 19th Jan. This station has a faulty daylight sensor. Rod went down from Sheffield to fix it on Weds 18th Jan, but un expected bad weather (the hilltop was WELL above cloudbase, and it was raining heavily, the cold front had moved down much faster than predicted) prevented any work from being done on it. It will be re-scheduled for the next time we go down south.Mercury
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Compton Abbas
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Westbury White Horse
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Combe Hill
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Nympsfield
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Shining Tor
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Bradwell
This station is now working normally. The temperature sensor was fixed on 1st FebNont Sarahs
Updated 19th January. The Nont Sarahs pub, which housed the Wendy equipment has now closed for the foreseeable future, so we have had to remove the station. I am urgently seeking a new home for it - any suggestions welcome.Lobden
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.Parlick
This station was repaired on 14th Jan after the gale damage.Wether Fell
Update 1st Feb. This station was repaired on 16th Jan after the gale damage. However, conditions on the hill were VERY difficult - temperatures well below freezing, and a strong wind, so a full service was impossible. I got lots of the major work done, but there appears still to be a problem resulting in temperature errors. I will be back up there to complete the overhaul when weather permits. It is very exposed up there, and I need a reasonably warm dry day with light winds to work on it. I have been up several times in recent weeks, but conditions prevented me from doing a proper overhaul. Please bear with me, I'll get it sorted before the season starts properly.Carlton Bank
This station appears to be working normally, as far as we are aware..Eyam Edge
this station is operating normally, as far as we know.The Blorenge
This station appears to be working normally, as far as we know.Long Mynd
This station appears to be working normally, as far as we knowMoel Accre
This astation is working normally, as far as we know.Calshot
This station is operating normally, as far as we know.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 07971-846-153
- 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