Diary of an Ordinary Van

[Vee4]

It's over when it's OVER

No fat ladies were heard to sing during the making of this journey.



Here is the evidence: the Cromarty Firth in the background.

The journey was 1210 miles, mostly highway but with some running around for collection and drop off at each end.



On the way up: 41.11 MPG
On the way back: 43.67 MPG
Average: 42.31 MPG

This Ordinary Van Economy Run gave much better results than the Run in 2010 but this time it was a clear run without any of the problems encountered on the 2010 journey. We ran just ahead of the snow storm in Scotland last Monday, which probably helped with the very satisfying MPG figure for the return journey. Also, I know the OV better now, and there is a fine line to drive between the MPG figure on the trip computer going up or down.

[Altransit]

That's quite impressive MPG

The best I seem to be able to get in the MK6 so far, is around 30mpg, which is not as good as I was getting in the Mk5 But then I do use both the aircon, and the impressive acceleration , neither of which do I have in the Mk5

[transitandy]

:shock: That's quite impressive MPG :

That is indeed very good

[Vee4]

On the way up: 41.11 MPG
On the way back: 43.67 MPG
Average: 42.31 MPG

That's quite impressive MPG

It should always be better on the way back because it is downhill, isn't it?



But seriously, both ends of the journey were near sea level, so no significant difference in elevation. There was a north wind (which brought the snow) and more HGV traffic on Monday, so the average speed (road and wind) was slightly lower.

[ake]

What is your average speed to acheive these rather good mpg figures

[Vee4]

What is your average speed to achieve these rather good mpg figures?

Of course, I would never go faster than the national speed limits for the Ordinary Van's vehicle type. The journey in prospect was 600 miles, for which I would normally allow 12 hours total, if the time at destination was not critical. It took less than 12 hours in both directions anyway, just taking it steady and with one brief stop - more haste less speed, etc. I didn't record exact times and distances to calculate the overall average speed, but from the above it was over 50 mph including the stop in the total journey time.

Target highway speeds:

• Motorway: <65 mph indicated (approx. 62 mph on GPS)
• Dual carriageway: 60 mph indicated
• Single carriagway (mostly the A9): 50 mph on GPS

Sometimes slower, sometimes faster, depending on conditions.

It can be difficult to maintain 50 mph on single carriageways because of impatient car drivers who haven't read their Highway Code or have forgotten the speed limits. In the same way, they seem not to know that HGVs are limited to 40 mph. There was a 'speed trap' on the A9 on the northbound leg.

On the way up, traffic reports indicated an accident in the Preston area (M6, Jct 31 and 32), so we diverted onto side roads which must have affected the fuel consumption. On the way back, the wind was from the north, and there was more commercial traffic which kept the speeds down, particularly on the A9. These fuel consumption figures are in near-ideal conditions - a long run and no big hurry. The overall average since purchase (total miles/total gallons) is currently 39.28 MPG.

[Vee4]

It wasn't broken, but they tried to fix it anyway ... *

I haven't been on the trail of Lord 'Lucky' Lucan this time. I've been trying to fix a broken T0mT0m [Note: using zero instead of 'o' so that the site's automatic advertising software won't pick it up].

**

T0mT0m's recent Navcore (firmware) 'upgrade' to V9.430 upset many of their customers, including me. There were many bugs and errors in the first release, some involving failure of paid-for services. Some of these bugs remain to be fixed, such as the one that annoyed me the most: the 'disable voice' preference is not stored. I had to sign up to the T0mT0m Discussion Groups so I could establish that it was not just me, and convince T0mT0m that it was their problem:

http://discussions.tomtom.com/t5/TomTom ... d-p/170695

I never use the voice guidance so it is annoying to have to select a voice and then turn it off every time I switch on the T0mT0m.


*One of the first things you learn from your 'elders and betters' when you start real work is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I also learnt Murphy's Law and the First Law of Subcontracting: "If they possibly can get it wrong, they will."

**A classic Spear & Jackson Brass Back Tenon Saw and a Jorgensen clamp.

[Vee4]

Infrastructure Watching in 2012

I still haven't found Lord Lucan. I don't know if it's the same for other members, but I seem to be working more hours for less money this year - that's my excuse for a two-week absence from these pages. Then there's the person from Porlock ... (of whom, more later).

Here it is - more eagerly awaited than the arrival of the Mk8 Transit - this year's infrastructure project:



I decided to take a look at wind turbines. The topic is bound to be controversial because some people love them, some people hate them and some people think they are a useful part of a balanced energy supply strategy. The idea came from reading about the controversy surrounding the construction of a 'wind farm' on the Ordinary Van's home turf. Away from the OV's humble environs, there is even more controversy surrounding a proposal to erect turbines on 'Wuthering Heights'.



Pylons are necessary too, but most of them have been around for so long that we are used to them being there.

In January, I found myself in the wilds of rural north Buckinghamshire in the Ordinary Van. I didn't know Bucks still had any 'wilds' but on the way to the job, I spotted some wind turbines on the horizon:





This is known as The Milton Keynes Wind Farm. The turbines are Vestas V90 using permanent magnet generators.

Engelbert update: Engelbert (a neighbour of the OV) is on tour, putting in loads of practice ready for his Eurovision bid.

[Altransit]

At last I get to put up a picture of my van on the infamous OV thread ......................

[Vee4]

At last I get to put up a picture of my van on the infamous OV thread ......................

Excellent! A fully qualified entry with no fewer than three Transits in shot (same rules as for pylon pictures), by the look of it. Any idea of the make and model? The turbine, not the Transit.

Is it one of the Tesco wind turbines? They are Enercon 800 kW, I believe.

[Altransit]

That turbine is slap bang in the middle of the Ford Plant in East London, as for the type ................... not a scooby

[Vee4]

That turbine is slap bang in the middle of the Ford Plant in East London, as for the type ................... not a scooby.

Wikipedia to the rescue yet again. In that case it is probably an Enercon E-70 1.8 MW!

[Vee4]

Eurovision Special

With the world in turmoil, serious decisions have to be made: will it be Engelbert or the Russian grannies?

While the policy wonks at Transit Towers agonise over this and other matters crucial to the future of the planet, the Ordinary Van has been tirelessly (but with tyres) going about its business. On a recent journey, it chose a route which took it past the Low Spinney Farm wind turbines near Gilmorton in Leicestershire:



You will see the four Low Spinney turbines to the east as you drive your Transit along the M1 between Jct 20 and Jct 21. The turbines were commissioned by Broadview Energy in September 2011 and the site was sold on to Infinis in May 2012. From the clouds in the sky, you can tell that these pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, but I've been just too busy to post them.

The turbines are REpower MM92, each with a nominal power of 2.05 MW. There is a 'time lapse' video of a turbine being built on REpower's home page.

Engelbert update: will it be Eurovision triumph or nul points? Watch this space ...

[Vee4]

Full Moon Tonight



There's a full moon tonight, and I will be out in the the moonlight (assuming there is no cloud) and the Ordinary Van. Although not visible in the UK, there is a partial lunar eclipse today. To remind yourself of the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse, see Mr Eclipse's Lunar Eclipses for Beginners.

Since we haven't had a featured poet for a while, I offer this suggestion from Robert Frost: The Freedom of the Moon

Thanks to Mary Van Deusen for the well-chosen list of Frost favorites [sic].

[Vee4]

The Transit of Venus

We seem to be having a week of events classified as 'once in a lifetime' and of astronomical significance. The Transit of Venus may be seen in the early hours of Wednesday (06 June 2012). In the event that:

• it is cloudy
• you don't have a view of the horizon at 0446 (sunrise in London)
• you don't have the requisite equipment to safely view the Sun
• and/or you didn't get out of bed early enough,

our graphics specialists have produced this preview of what you will be missing:



A small object will be seen to move across the disc of the sun. This will be the last chance to observe the Transit until 2117, by which time it will be considerably more rusty. However, the Ordinary Van will remain visible on the streets of the UK for a few more years.

What is the significance of the Transit of Venus? In the 17th century, it was known that observation of the Transit could provide data enabling the calculation of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Many observations were made of the 1769 Transit (a very early prototype), enabling the distance to be calculated to a fair degree of accuracy. Famously, observations were made by Captain Cook while in Tahiti as part of his circumnavigation in the Endeavour. Tahiti had been discovered in 1767 and identified by the Royal Society as an ideal location for the observations.

Further reading:

• HM Nautical Almanac Office
• Guardian article
• NASA
• Second rock from the Sun
• Solar System