GB2MB
Saturday 25th April 2015
Marconi Belvedere
Haldon Exeter
MARCONI COMMEMORATIVE STATION
Saturday 25th April 2015
Marconi conducted radio experiments in the grounds of Haldon Belvedere (Lawrence Castle), highest point of Exeter, in the late 1890s, prior to his ground-breaking trans-Atlantic transmission from Cornwall to Newfoundland in 1901. The first car ever seen in Dunchideock, the nearest village 1 mile distant, was driven by the famous Marconi whilst on a visit to Haldon House and Belvedere. In his memoirs, local Dunchideock man, A.N. Winckworth (1917-1997), states he knew another local man who worked in the Haldon Gardens as a boy and had cut canes to support Marconi's radio aerial.
2015 is the 114th anniversary year of Marconi's transmissions from Poldhu, Cornwall to St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, and is the 28th anniversary of International Marconi Day (IMD). IMD this year marks the actual birth date of Marconi - 25th April 1874.
Depending on call-ins, unless we experience a pileup, we are happy to spend time with contacts. We prefer to keep the frequency warm with conversation rather than incessantly calling CQ or giving inane 5 & 9 reports. Break-in will be welcomed. Don’t be shy – you will be most welcome. This year we will mainly concentrate on 7MHz (40m) with the possiblity of 3.5MHz (80m) operation.
AERIAL VIEW
Use of Castle facilities and Grounds by kind permission of Devon Historic Buildings Trust.
TX/RX: Kenwood TS450S and Icom IC-706Mk11G 100W
ANTENNAS: Horizontal Monoband Dipoles for 3.5MHz and 7MHz @ 9m (30ft).
NOTE: GB2MB IS ATU-FREE ZONE!!
LAT: 50° 39' 50" N (50.664° N) LON: 03° 35' 34" W (-3.593° W) ASL: 252m (825ft)
IARU LOCATOR: IO8Øep ORDNANCE: SX875861 WAB: SX88 ZIP: EX6 7QY ITU ZONE: 27 CQ ZONE: 14 IOTA: EU-005 Great Britain
STATION MANAGER: M1OOO Iain STATION TECHIE: G7FEK Mike
EVENT CONTACT E-MAIL: meteorscan@gmail.com
High Quality Personalised QSL Card: Send your Card + UK SAE or $1US, 1 Euro. SWL Reports welcome.
QSL 
MARCONI VIDEO
Iain (M1OOO) and Mike (G7FEK) are active astronomy members of the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth, Devon, located 10 radio miles south east of the GB2MB Station, and where both are telescope and night sky presenters. They promote awareness of the Observatory and Amateur Radio in general through Special Event Stations and other portable operations. For Observatory Website, click here.
Info on Haldon Belvedere History 1 
CASHOTA Participant (Castles On the Air - G246)
In addition to its Marconi connection, the local village of Dunchideock is famous for its TREACLE MINE. Read on:
Dunchideock Treacle Mine near Exeter is one of two Devon mines and the most famous of all the treacle mines in England. The other is Tamerton Foliot, near Plymouth.
Dunchideock Mine’s history was carefully recorded by members of the National Union of Treacle Miners and whilst most treacle mines date back to the 17th century, an entry in an old leather account book - "To ye purchasing of five Wadkinnes for Donsedoc (the old name for Dunchideock) Treacle" mentions a Wadkin being sent to London for the use of Regina Elizabetha. This is the oldest recorded evidence that treacle was mined at Dunchideock in the 16th century.
The Dunchideock Treacle Mine was certainly active in Cromwellian times when the consumption of treacle had certain viagran attributes, showing a marked increase in fertility. Sir James, owner of the Dunchideock mine had 16 children! However, treacle mined at Rushford Treacle Mine, near Liverpool and the Bodiam mine on the Sussex/Kent border had laxative properties, which upset some of the Cromwellian armies that were being fed on treacle.
The tax of 1781 was a tax on the quantity of treacle stored in Vats (8.5 Wadkins to 3 Vats). The tax was at the very high rate of 42 shillings per Vat. There is no tax on treacle now, as it is considered a food substance and medicine, but today’s tax term V.A.T. is derived from the vat tax of old.
Devon treacle has its origin in the remains of a moss-like plant which lived about 300 million years ago and was compressed into a treacle-bearing, or theriaciferous, rock which is found in large quantities in the Devonian Red Sandstone of the area around Dunchideock, with especially rich seams running up to ground level beneath Dunchideock House and the redundant stone quarries above the village.
At Dunchideock, treacle-bearing matter is detected nowadays by its fluorescence under ultraviolet illumination. It is extracted then crushed or ground with various organic solvents, then concentrated by vacuum distillation (Tamerton miners use the gravitational drip process). The resulting heavy liquor is layered into wooden vats, sealed and left to mature for up to 10 years (12 years for Tamerton). It is at this stage that the distinctive flavour of the treacle emerges. After maturation, batches are usually blended to give added smoothness of taste. Tamerton Treacle and Dunchideock Treacle have to be tasted to appreciate the difference.
Dunchideock treacle has a strong following in Cambridge, Massachussetts where there is a thriving treacle tasting society; they enjoy their treacle cookies. Tamerton treacle is popular in New York where it is used in the making of Brooklyn Fudge.
A particular blend of Tamerton treacle - "Thunder and Lightning" is very popular; the secret is the mixing of Tamerton treacle with equal portions of whisky or cider. German visitors on tasting it exclaimed "Donnerundblitzen!!", hence the adopted name. Children have their own treat of "Thunder and Lightning" by spreading a layer of Devonshire cream on bread or a scone and allowing the treacle to drip slowly onto it.
All the details of the discovery of the original find by Zacchariah Rose of the theriaciferous rock at Dunchideock and Tamerton and the escapades and romantic life of the famous Lady Tamerton, the beauty of the Court and paramour of Charles II, can be read in the book by Mervyn Madge - "The Tamerton Treacle Mines and other tales of Cornwall and the West Country” published by Marshalle Publications, Chelfam House, Saltburn Road, St Budeaux, Plymouth, Devon PL5 IPB.
Treacle Mines of the UK here
In Barwick, Somerset, there is a monument to “Jack the Treacle Eater”, a local runner who carried family messages to and from London and reputed to have trained on Dunchideock Treacle due to its high energy and protein content. OS Grid Ref ST5614
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2012 ARCHIVE
TITANIC COMMEMORATION
15th April 2012
Titanic strikes iceberg on 15th April 1912 at 0240hrs GMT (British Time). Titanic Ship Time was 14th April 2340hrs.
Titanic sank 2hrs 40 minutes later on 15th April 1912 at 0520hrs GMT. Titanic Ship Time was 15th April 0220hrs.
GB2MB is located Belvedere Castle, Haldon Hill, Exeter.
Station Details as below.
A big "Thank You" to all who participated. The PileUp on 7.103MHz/7083MHz lasted from 11:00UT to 22:50UT (11hrs and 50 mins) with a 2 minute break in transmissions at 18:00UT to answer the call of nature and grab a quick drink! 322 QSOs were conducted, each lasting approximately 2 minutes. We prefer a more human approach rather than the 5 & 9 wham, bam, thank you ma’m impersonal approach where callers are treated as mere “cannon fodder” just to fill up the Event Station’s log book.
Thank you for your extreme patience, and well done those who made it, especially the QRP and Foundation Stations. Typical RF received from you all was S9++. Furthest contacts were V01SA and UA3AHA. Anyone who missed making a contact, we would love to hear from you as a SWL and will supply the QSL Card marked as SWL.
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Saturday 21st April 2012
Haldon Exeter
MARCONI COMMEMORATIVE STATION
Saturday 21st April 2012
A big "Thank You" to all who participated in 2012. The PileUp on 7.138MHz lasted from 12:00 to 22:27 UT (10hrs and 27 mins), with a 2 minute break at 18:15 to answer the call of Nature and grab a quick drink! 291 QSOs were conducted, each lasting approximately 2 minutes. Thank you for your extreme patience, and well done those who made it. There were several QRP segments during the PileUp when we switched to 10w. Exceptional QRP contacts were MI3LDO (1w) G1KVQ (1w) HB9FDH (2w) PD0FSB (2w). ALL QRP STATIONS WERE RECEIVED S8 MINIMUM. All other stations were typically 9++. Furthest contacts were VO1SA, VO1MRC and VE1REC.
CASHOTA ACTIVATION (G246)
(Castles On The Air)
April and May 2012
Marconi conducted radio experiments in the grounds of Haldon Belvedere (Lawrence Castle), highest point of Exeter, in the late 1890s, prior to his ground-breaking trans-Atlantic transmission from Cornwall to Newfoundland in 1901. The first car ever seen in Dunchideock, the nearest village 1 mile distant, was driven by the famous Marconi whilst on a visit to Haldon House and Belvedere. In his memoirs, local Dunchideock man, A.N. Winckworth (1907-1997), states he knew another local man who worked in the Haldon Gardens as a boy and had cut canes to support Marconi's radio aerial.
2012 is the 111th anniversary year of Marconi's transmissions from Poldhu, Cornwall to St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, and is the 25th (silver) anniversary of International Marconi Day (IMD). 2012 ia also the Centenary of the loss of the Titanic, when Marconi Radio played an important part in the rescue of survivors.
Depending on call-ins, unless we experience a pileup, we are happy to spend time with contacts. We prefer to keep the frequency warm with conversation rather than incessantly calling CQ or giving inane 5 & 9 reports. Break-in will be welcomed. Don’t be shy – you will be most welcome.
AERIAL VIEW
Use of Castle facilities and Grounds by kind permission of Devon Historic Buildings Trust.
TX/RX: Kenwood TS450S and Icom IC-706Mk11G 100W
ANTENNAS: Horizontal Monoband Dipoles for 3.5MHz and 7MHz @ 9m (30ft). Monoband Vertical for 14MHz - ATU-FREE ZONE!!
LAT: 50° 39' 50" N (50.664° N) LON: 03° 35' 34" W (-3.593° W) ASL: 252m (825ft)
IARU LOCATOR: IO8Øep ORDNANCE: SX875861 WAB: SX88 ZIP: EX6 7QY ITU ZONE: 27 CQ ZONE: 14 IOTA: EU-005 Great Britain
STATION MANAGER: M1OOO Iain STATION TECHIE: G7FEK Mike
EVENT CONTACT E-MAIL: meteorscan@gmail.com
QSL 
High Quality Personalised QSL Cards: Send your Card + UK SAE or $1US, 1 Euro, or 1 International Reply Coupon (IRC). SWL Reports welcome.
About IMD: Participating Stations Award Details
Titanic and RadioTelegraphic Cabin. 2012 is the Centenary of the Titanic loss.
MARCONI VIDEO
Iain (M1OOO) and Mike (G7FEK) are active astronomy members of the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth, Devon, located 10 radio miles south east of the GB2MB Station, and where both are telescope and night sky presenters. They promote awareness of the Observatory and Amateur Radio in general through Special Event Stations and other portable operations. For Observatory Website, click here.
Info on Haldon Belvedere History 1 History 2 CASHOTA Participant (Castles On the Air - G246)
In addition to its Marconi connection, the local village of Dunchideock is famous for its TREACLE MINE. Read on:
Dunchideock Treacle Mine near Exeter is one of two Devon mines and the most famous of all the treacle mines in England. The other is Tamerton Foliot, near Plymouth.
Dunchideock Mine’s history was carefully recorded by members of the National Union of Treacle Miners and whilst most treacle mines date back to the 17th century, an entry in an old leather account book - "To ye purchasing of five Wadkinnes for Donsedoc (the old name for Dunchideock) Treacle" mentions a Wadkin being sent to London for the use of Regina Elizabetha. This is the oldest recorded evidence that treacle was mined at Dunchideock in the 16th century.
The Dunchideock Treacle Mine was certainly active in Cromwellian times when the consumption of treacle had certain viagran attributes, showing a marked increase in fertility. Sir James, owner of the Dunchideock mine had 16 children! However, treacle mined at Rushford Treacle Mine, near Liverpool and the Bodiam mine on the Sussex/Kent border had laxative properties, which upset some of the Cromwellian armies that were being fed on treacle.
The tax of 1781 was a tax on the quantity of treacle stored in Vats (8.5 Wadkins to 3 Vats). The tax was at the very high rate of 42 shillings per Vat. There is no tax on treacle now, as it is considered a food substance and medicine, but today’s tax term V.A.T. is derived from the vat tax of old.
Devon treacle has its origin in the remains of a moss-like plant which lived about 300 million years ago and was compressed into a treacle-bearing, or theriaciferous, rock which is found in large quantities in the Devonian Red Sandstone of the area around Dunchideock, with especially rich seams running up to ground level beneath Dunchideock House and the redundant stone quarries above the village.
At Dunchideock, treacle-bearing matter is detected nowadays by its fluorescence under ultraviolet illumination. It is extracted then crushed or ground with various organic solvents, then concentrated by vacuum distillation (Tamerton miners use the gravitational drip process). The resulting heavy liquor is layered into wooden vats, sealed and left to mature for up to 10 years (12 years for Tamerton). It is at this stage that the distinctive flavour of the treacle emerges. After maturation, batches are usually blended to give added smoothness of taste. Tamerton Treacle and Dunchideock Treacle have to be tasted to appreciate the difference.
Dunchideock treacle has a strong following in Cambridge, Massachussetts where there is a thriving treacle tasting society; they enjoy their treacle cookies. Tamerton treacle is popular in New York where it is used in the making of Brooklyn Fudge.
A particular blend of Tamerton treacle - "Thunder and Lightning" is very popular; the secret is the mixing of Tamerton treacle with equal portions of whisky or cider. German visitors on tasting it exclaimed "Donnerundblitzen!!", hence the adopted name. Children have their own treat of "Thunder and Lightning" by spreading a layer of Devonshire cream on bread or a scone and allowing the treacle to drip slowly onto it.
All the details of the discovery of the original find by Zacchariah Rose of the theriaciferous rock at Dunchideock and Tamerton and the escapades and romantic life of the famous Lady Tamerton, the beauty of the Court and paramour of Charles II, can be read in the book by Mervyn Madge - "The Tamerton Treacle Mines and other tales of Cornwall and the West Country” published by Marshalle Publications, Chelfam House, Saltburn Road, St Budeaux, Plymouth, Devon PL5 IPB.
Treacle Mines of the UK here
In Barwick, Somerset, there is a monument to “Jack the Treacle Eater”, a local runner who carried family messages to and from London and reputed to have trained on Dunchideock Treacle due to its high energy and protein content. OS Grid Ref ST5614
