Navitron Party 24th August

[northern installer]

cant attend myself,owing to holiday with mrs and baby installer,but have fun everbody!!

[Shay]

I would love to be there but due to connecting multiple balls and chains of various sizes I'm unable too.

Have a great time one and all!! 

[wookey]

So, what's the latest on this slightly vague party? Is it mostly an afternoon or evening thing? Is anything provided beyond a field? I'm guessing I'll turn up sometime on Sunday afternoon and go home on monday morning, but some clue as to whether most are staying for sunday evg rather than treating it as a day trip would be useful in sorting out familiy logistics.

[MR GUS]

We've got to day-trip it due to having awful dogs to look after!
..anticipate getting there around 11 am (ish)
 

[Ivan]

you can arrive anytime after 11am. Progress will depend on weather - I assume most people will be there for afternoon (hopefully barbecue if weather's good, and some solar cooking) and evening (beer festival). A few people are bringing some demonstrations, which should be interesting (me included).

[billi]

I promise next time i will come and show you how Bavarians drink Guinness 

One reason is to see you... the other one is ... that is so boring here today   

Any solar cooking  out their ? wind powered music ? pv driven icemaschines  , stirling ventilators ?, a waterturbine running from the sinks / urinals 

A  roofmounted windturbine driven by the ventilators of the soundsystem 
A groundsource heatpump taking the heat from people sitting in the field 

airsource heatpump out of my lungs ?

poopower perhaps

Any how me couldnot come have fun  , see you in Ireland one day



Billi

[MR GUS]

 Just got back, & must say a big thankyo for such a pleasant, friendly & informal gathering,...with hardly a beard in sight!

 Has been so good to get some sun, food & chat today (my first day out in a long time) & thanks all for putting up with my little one! (child that is) 

 Was really good to at last touchy feel, Q&A, all the doo-dahs & widgets I've heard mentioned ver here in the months since joining., & to be frank just a few minutes playing with the simple Navitron controller in the Demo-wagon is enough to convince me that I can get to grips with solar hot water without a degree (or 3rd degree burn) & inspired in me confidence that I could basically put together my own array & then have a few bits plumbed & secure! ..so definite savings to be had.

 Loved the Gasifier, ..I reckon that'd sell in the likes of Argos if anyone cares to think about promoting it!
 & superb to see the fabled Nav-showers in the flesh, photo's really don't do them justice!

 The missus also came away knowing that an IBT wasn't bowel inflammation.
 Once I've actually caught up on the "NAG list" i'll have points to get some tubes in ..so incentive & productive day all round!

  Nice to meet everyone & chug a few beers & burgers! ...lets make it soon for another, lovely location, weather & day!
 
 

[Twenty4Seven]

Some pics.......

Mrs 24/7, Sam-dog and two Sterling engines




Ken (with propane assistance) lights the Sun Stove




The sun shone, the barbie sizzled and a Pope was elected




Chug's finely crafted, glycerol powered, patio heater

Good to put a few faces to names.... thanks Ivan... and all.

Cheers

Nick

[PEMTEK]

Hi,

just got back 20 mins ago,

I had an interesting and fun day meeting some like minded and interesting techies.

Hope to meet again soon.

Phil

[Ivan]

I've put a quick news page together with my pictures of the day - http://www.navitron.org.uk/newsdetail.php?id=35

[KenB]

Ivan, List,

Thanks must go to all who helped to make such an enjoyable day, and apart for a few spots of rain in the early evening, the weather was held at bay. 

It was certainly good to meet everyone in person - many for the first time, and be able to put faces to online names.   Thanks especially to the several partners who came along - possibly with some initial intrepidation.

Thanks also to the Navitron staff for providing the facilities and of course the food and refreshments, all of which created a relaxed, barbeque atmosphere to the afternoon.

We all had fun with the various demonstrations, whilst I am sure that some of the partners felt that it was just a bunch of overgrown boys, enjoying setting fire to various, less that completely flammable fuels. 

It all goes to show - especially from the pictures of billowing yellow smoke, that not all goes quite to plan, and damp pine-cones were perhaps not the best fuel of choice at that particular moment! 

The propane torch has been safely put away, and I'm off to but some "CO2 indulgences", to offset my carbon and smoky contribution to the event.

Let's hope that its the start of a regular annual gathering.   Judging by the size of the pallet pile, Navitron should perhaps be planning something for November 5th!




Ken

[Chug]

Likewise as said, it's great to meet other nutters and put faces to forum handles, and sorry the Turk was a little tempramental but he is a little shy in public.
 
I blame Ivan's battery for being too well charged and making my Turk burner blower turn too fast and blow the flames out...LOL!

Mon morning we had to lift Clarke's bicycle over the fence as we got locked in so thanks to Steve for coming on the electric bicycle to unlock the gate to let my van out.

junk and disorderly
Chug

[CeeBee]

Mon morning we had to lift Clarke's bicycle over the fence as we got locked in so thanks to Steve for coming on the electric bicycle to unlock the gate to let my van out.

Thanks for the help Chug. I made my escape just to the right of the 'Transco shed' - to the right if you were on the foyer steps. Only bit of the Navi perimeter defences that we found to be in a dodgy state (if you want to get it fixed). A security man did drive by just after I'd made my escape - don't know if he'd come in response to reports of two blokes (and Chug's daughter) acting suspicously on site and then making off with a bicycle! We assume we got locked in by the driver of a fire/fireplace delivery lorry which departed the site early in the morning (one assume it wasn't Wookey who locked us in when he left!).

Anyway, not long since back. Enjoyed the cycle back more than the journey yesterday - no rain, and better to have the b*stard 'mountains' of Rutland in the first 15 miles rather than the last. We don't have anything like that over here in Cambs.

Thanks to Navitron for everything. Good to meet you all.

P.S. Meant to ask what power the not-yet-up large wind turbine was going to be, what's afoot with it (think I missed some discussion on it), and are those humongous tower-sections down the bottom of the field anything to do with it? Those look huge lying on the ground when you're up next to them.

[wookey]

Definately not me that locked the gate - that would have been most unhelpful. It was fully open when we left (and there was someone at the fireplace place, so your guess seems correct).

Tess says I have to say 'thank you for having us' to the nice Navitron people, (and especially Steve number 2 for services to gate-unlocking :-) It was indeed a very pleasant and relaxed event. I was impressed with Ivan's solar curry, Navitron's spacious (if slightly leaky) facility, and Wyleu's vesatility (very fancy synthesisers, amusing magnet-game, cogent discussion - he's a lot more sensible in person than you might guess from his postings :-)

And of course good to meet various people in person, sorry to those I didn't get round to properly meeting.

Chug - you want the http://www.sbmcc.co.uk/forum/ for campervan fettling. (sending that poor child out barefoot in the morning to collect vital info as we left!)

(I was very impressed with the quality of forum's members' kids - very well-behaved, and apprently tolerant of their parents' tedious mates)

On the other hand it would appear we are all too old and sensible to stay up late drinking. Everyone was in bed by 11 and most people were dead sober and drove home about 9:30.

[Mike N.]

Back from an eventful and enjoyable 400 mile weekend with the Navitron party sandwiched between niece's wedding and meeting up with friends from bike club camping days.

Good to put faces to some names and find out how they do that smoke thing when electing Popes. Thanks to all for the organisation and to Steve K for the veggie burgers and fulfilling what must be the smallest Navitron order ever, and not even charging me! The long suffering ladies did indeed discuss why we always start another project before finishing off the last but Mrs Gus struggled to list a dozen unfinished tasks in 10 seconds when challenged to do so. Clare was impressed at how closely their lists matched  . Those of you who have never met Wyleu will be relieved to know that his picture bears only a passing resemblance to him. (It's actually quite flattering )

Mike