Howard

I think a lot of the updates have migrated to WhatsApp. It's definitely used by the organising team to keep thing coordinated and I think that there was an unofficial chat group for entrants as well. The bad weather caused a lot of challenges and multiple cars had to divert or were badly delayed. Cheers Howard

For future Coast to Coast events and we are planning to create them using Open Source Routing. This allows us to create the route as a map that can be accessed by anyone and printed off as they want, but also allows a direct export to Garmin / Tomtom units as .gpx files. Still testing it, but the if you have a smart phone or pad the route can be used as a fully zoomable map, ranging from the whole UK to a single street. This should be the best of all worlds. Cheers Howard

I didn't expand on it in my last message but creating a SatNav file to follow a specific route can be a serious challenge for a number of reasons. You have to be very familiar with the software you are using it to create the route on your computer - a few meters error will have a way point on the wrong side of a motorway which will send your route in circles & even worse when its loaded onto your Satnav it will be recalculated which can often result in a completely different route. I fully accept that this shouldn't be the case but auditing the route files takes significantly longer than creating them to avoid issues like these & like stripping an engine not everyone has the skills to do this (I for one don't) so I feel its quite reasonable to use a route file prepared by somelse Cheers Howard

I have driven on five continents without using a SatNav, but these days I normally use one for driving in the UK / EU for a number of reasons, in no particular order. Keeping track of continually changing speed limits and breeding fixed speed cameras is an increasing challenge and while not perfect a SatNav assists in those instances if you lose track. Garmin provide a good Speed Camera warning add on for a few pounds, which could save you a few points! Whilst most navigation on the RBRR is straightforward & can be driven from memory for regular entrants there are a few locations that are not so easy to find. I suspect a number of teams will overshoot the penultimate control point this year. Creating SatNav routes that align with the road book requires some work - for example by far and away the quickest way from the Falls of Shin to Gartcosh is via the A9 missing out entirely on the superb Caledonian Canal section but that is where your SatNav will route you unless you are very careful. (PS For anyone running late this is one of the few places where you can catch up easily & it saved me about 1 hour when I had a problem) Most SatNavs have a facility to automatically reroute you around obstructions and closed roads. Garmin Drive is their free app which works if you have a smart phone and one of their more recent SatNavs. It does allow your co-driver to relax and sleep and since we are all 50 years older than when it was first run I find sleep is essential. Cheers & hope see you all at Wetherby Control Point. Howard

Have done it both ways in my 7, but never with the top down. Usually we encounter some bad weather along the route so my top is always up - some hardy folks drive the whole route with the top down so take your choice.

Be cautious with Google since phone reception is poor in mid Wales particularly and it can get gloriously confused. H

Well done 👍

Well done.🙂o You should have three routes loaded on your Garmin H

Garmin Computer connection instructions V7.docx

For those of you who haven't installed a route on your Garmin SatNav previously I have attached the notes I prepared for the last Coast 2 Coast run which explain how to do it & a few points you need to be aware of before setting off. The one major difference is the Waypoint names which for the RBRR are simply two digit numbers as shown on the route map. Cheers Howard

If the RBRR teams have circulated them by WhatsApp, you will need to download them onto a computer then load them using either the Garmin BaseCamp program or for Tomtom users, I think its Tom Tom My Drive. If you get stuck PM me & I will try to assist. Howard

Hi Jos, I just checked this location and it appears that the level crossing at Blythe Bridge is currently closed according to Open Route Service, so it has taken the shortest alternate route before rejoining at Longton. The One Network road site shows the road as being shut from 23/9 to end of month and Google currently shows all traffic across the crossing as a single track, so probably better avoided right now. It's always good to hear about problems to understand better how to minimise them in future. Thanks Howard

In the latest Club Torque I promised to post a link to the 2023 OSR routing for anyone to try.: Open Route Service When you click on the link the following page will open:- Next click on the three horizontal bars in the "Find a Place" box & the following menu will open. Click on the Import File (shown by green arrow):- Then this menu will open:- Click on the white box and import a GPX file - one is attached to this message & a series of waypoints will appear joined by a series of straight lines. IMPORTANT NEXT CLICK ON THE RED CAR SYMBOL TO FIX THE ROUTE. If you don't do this the route may vanish, in which case just re-import the file and start again. The uploaded route will now display on your screen & can be zoomed right in and the waypoints can be moved by dragging. You can also access the route on a pad or smart phone using the same procedures. Cheers Howard C2C 2023a Mablethrope to Services.gpx

Yes. Garmin / TomTom .gpx files will be available.

50w bulb will draw less than 5A so a 40A relay is an overkill. Hope that helps Howard

And better !

Jason, this Virgin (NTL) problem seems to have effected a lot of people - there are people on other non car groups reporting the same issues. H

I just spotted in the local news that there has been a serious fire in the building complex which included A&R Pound https://www.thecomet.net/news/23649512.live-updates-baldock-industrial-estate-fire/ From what I can understand the building has been totally destroyed and anyone waiting for their seats to be recovered will have a very long wait. Howard

Hi Tim, I am available to marshall if you still need anyone. Cheers Howard

if your car is fitted with the standard headlamp flash unit needs a simple modification or it won't work ! A single 6.8 ohm 50W resistor must be (available from RS Components for less than 10 pounds) connected between the dip headlight feed & earth. This provides the earth connection for the Pektronic flasher unit which is earthed through the headlamp.

There is a head removal tool available which does help. Pm me if you want to borrow one.

Jos Way came to our rescue by lending me his spare wheel after an incident on last weekends C2C and I now need to get it back to him. Is there anyone who will be travelling in the Forest of Dean direction in the next month or so from the Beds/Herts/Bucks areas who could deliver his wheel for me? Thanks Howard

Matt, Disconnect the battery then wind the pods to the fully up position. With the light switch in the on position they should should stay up when you reconnect the battery. Then switch the main light switch off which should cause them to move to the down position. This will prove if the motors are working or if there is a common problem e.g. thermal overload relay as the down signal does not depend on the Pektron. Let us kow the result. Cheers Howard

Check your earth connections first. Cheers Howard

The relays are DRC1820 which are standard and still readily available.