Exciting development!

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Great Eastern comes out of retirement for a new adventure!

 

There is a very strong possibillity that my Great Eastern will appear on a famous television programme later this year!

 

At the moment I can`t say too much…..Even though I`m dying to spill the beans!

No doubt. more info will be revealed shortly

 

So in the meantime, it`s time for a Spring clean, thorough dustdown and get the batteries charged up etc

 

Sorry to be a tease, but all will be revealed in due course

 

Capt Bobrunel

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

The Great Eastern Saga!

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

here comes your 15 minutes of fame bob……….enjoy it matey and well done,

 

neil.

 

 

http://www.justgiving.com/lochnessscalesail

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx7mdBIp3mM&feature=youtu.be

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks Neil

 

Just like to mention that my donation to the Loch Ness caper does not appear in your list of donations?

 

Bob

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

sorry bob…you mean on just giving………….

 

that’s because any i have received by cheque in the post are on a seperate sponsor form that the RNLI sent me.

i also have sponsor forms in different shops, pubs etc…..which with the cash raised are then sent to the manchester branch of the RNLI.

 

Only those that have donated on line are listed on the just giving list.

 

rest assured matey that your donation is registered on an official sheet, and we have now topped the £1000.00p rung in the ladder when all contributions are added up.

 

many thanks,

 

neil.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Spoke to the Television people today and was advised not to release too much detail at the moment

 

I can reveal that the model will be used to demonstrate laying the Trans-atlantic cable.

 

A drum of wire will be housed inside the hull and connected to a shore based terminal and transported across the lake to the opposite side, where the wire will be connected to a second terminal.

Power will be applied down the wire and a message will be sent back to shore, probably through Morse code.

The final test will be an attempt to overload the wire to destruction!……..Simulating an actual event!

The waterway to be used, (they hoped) would be the River Mersey!………But I shied away from that idea and at the moment, the lake location has not been selected.

 

In the meantime, I`m searching for information showing where the cable emerged from the hull……..if no info is found, then I can safely invent something!

 

Hope you find this thread interesting, chaps?

 

Capt Bobrunel

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

very much so, bob…..tell ’em that loch ness is available for cable laying on july 2nd, lol

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

For the benefit of the new members

 

The Great Eastern build is here……

 

http://www.modelboats.co.uk/albums/member_album.asp?a=422

 

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

You could have a look here Bob, shows the GE as a cable laying ship:

Great Eastern Link

 

and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmaritimemuseum/5092775547/

 

In fact if you Google ‘Great Eastern cable laying’ there are quite a few illiustraions online. It looks like the cable was coiled inside the hull and then led up on deck through all that complicated looking machinery before being paid out from a platform mounted on the stern.

 

Colin

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks a lot, Colin!

 

The photos are just what we need……How complicated and well built, the equipment was?

It just goes to show, how clever and inventive the Victorians were!

 

Can you imagine manufacturing and storing on board ship…..2500 miles of electrical cabling!….in 1866!

It seams that the cable was a sort of armoured single core…..but can an electrical signal be sent down a single core?…..Did they use the sea to complete the circuit?

 

Going to need a paying out sheave at the rear and a winchy looking device, midships.

There`s not much time left, as they are filming in May!

 

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

And some very flexible cable Bob!

 

Colin

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you, Colin

 

The silicone coated wire would do the trick, but it`s quite expensive?

But for the TV boys……No expense will be spared!

 

Bob

[Mark Beard 1Participant @markbeard1]

Silicone coated wire for test leads is just what I was thinking too. But be careful because silicone tends to grab and you may have problems paying it out easily. You could try plenty of talc, or French chalk.

 

Otherwise, if you have enough beam to keep the coil diameter on board large enough, then PVC coated stranded wire may do well, and would be far less expensive for testing, and actual running. You could use something as small as 24awg (7×0.2).

 

As for the wire being single core, it is more likely that it was a coaxial cable with the signal sent down the core and returned along an outer sheath, with an insulator between. You can get small flexible screened wire which will replicate this. But if it twists along its length as it’s coiled or uncoiled below decks, it will kink.

 

If you do want to use a single conductor, this is indeed possible. You can drive an earthing rod into the ground at each end to use as a reference. Then a low-current a.c. signal can be sent down the wire. I’m assuming the TV crew will come up with the sending/receiving equipment. So long as they are aware that you will be laying a single conductor, then this can be accommodated.

 

If you want help sourcing any of these wires, or discussing sending/receiving equipment, drop me a PM.

This is a fascinating project, and I look forward to learning more.

 

Mark

[Mark Beard 1Participant @markbeard1]

Yes, taking another look at the photo Colin linked to, there is a central core of seven strands (the rusted brown colour), surrounded by a thick black insulating layer, then plenty of steel armouring strands outside which could also be used as a ground return conductor. The text refers to faults whereby wires penetrated the insulation, grounding the inner conductor, so I think we can be certain that this was a 2-conductor steel armoured coaxial cable.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you, SillyB

You are probably right, regarding the co-axial cable and thank you for contributing to this very important thread…(to me)

Just had a novel suggestion….why have the coil of wire on the boat at all?…..Why not have the drum of wire on the shore?….and simply unwind the drum?

Hmmmmmm!……Why didn’t the victorians think of that?

It’s getting late and after two tins of strong lager…..I’m ready for bed!

Night chaps!…..Bob

[Mark Beard 1Participant @markbeard1]

Because the further the line pays out, the greater the drag along the bottom until the vessel stops moving forward. Plus, on the full size thing, the wear would destroy the cable.

 

How big a lake do you plan to span?

 

Me too, ZZzz..

 

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Billy

 

In real life, it definitely would be incorrect, as the sea bed must be like the Mountains of Snowdonia in parts!

 

My daft suggestion may be ok on a small pond, as I don`t wish to install a winding drum inside the model.

It`s all about kiddology and we may resort to some “sleight of hand stuff”, but it`s up to the TV chaps in the end.

 

I`ve recieved no proper instructions yet, but will start work today, on the big winch and payout sheaves……..Just in case

 

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Urgent info needed!

 

Can a useful electrical signal be sent down a single core cable?

 

Some people seem to think that it can!………Where`s 60Watt when you need him?

 

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Urgent info needed!

 

Can a useful electrical signal be sent down a single core cable?

 

Some people seem to think that it can!………Where`s 60Watt when you need him?

 

Bob

[Mark Beard 1Participant @markbeard1]

Private message sent.

Edited By Billysugger on 28/04/2011 14:09:52

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello again, Billy

Searching the archives, it mentions that an instrument was used to monitor the integrity of the cable.

So the cable was a multicore after all….and that is that!

The original single core suggestion came from a third party source

The plan now is to visit Maplins and see how big the drums of wire are and what will fit the hold.
This may decide the size of pond!

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Forget to mention chaps, that the cable integrity was carried out by a galvanometer, during the entire Atlantic crossing, so that they knew when the cable broke!

 

The cable snapped several times, but the engineers were prepared for it.

They had a grappling device at the bows and managed to catch the cable by drifting across the area by sail power!

 

They managed to retrieve a broken cable from a depth of 2000 fathoms!…..thats 13000 feet in real money! Can you imagine drifting along in a heavy swell in mid Atlantic, trying to find a needle in a haystack……with a bent pin at a relative depth of 350 feet!

 

How they knew the cable was actually grappled is a mystery. The recovery wire was made up of 100 fathom lengths, joined with shackles. Can you again imagine 12000 feet of wire with shackles every 600 feet…..needless to say….the recovery wire was also prone to snapping.

The engineers must have been very strong willed competent men, full of grit and determination…….and very brave

 

Great Eastern did not work alone…….there were navy ships involved…eg…..HMS Sphinx and HMS Terrible on the first trip, plus a six colliers…..one was lost without trace…..ships with extra cable and recovery wire…….and they were all in contact with each other by flag waving and pilot boats

 

It must have been a great undertaking…….because of the final goal…..International communication!

 

There were about four cables to America and several to Gibralter. Aden and India and beyond!

 

So despite Great Eastern`s so called failure…….It did the job successfully for Great Britain!

 

Let`s have a fifty gun salute and three cheers for our boys?……Hip Hip Hip Hooray…..Followed by a roll of drums and trumpet fanfare!

 

Now let`s get back to work!

 

Capt Bob

[Mark Beard 1Participant @markbeard1]

Posted by Bob Abell on 29/04/2011 05:48:22:
The plan now is to visit Maplins and see how big the drums of wire are and what will fit the hold.

The cable I had in mind when I mentioned a coax screened cable was very small and flexible from Maplin. I’m not sure which one it is by looking at the website, but if you PM a postal address I will pop a sample in the post to you. If it’s suitable, you could take it along and ask for more of that!

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Further thoughts on cable laying

 

Think of the load pulling on the winch mechanism with the cable at 12000 feet! There must be hundreds of tons involved!

 

No wonder the winch had enormous gears and double brake drums!……If the lake we sail on is very deep…..we might have a similar problem?

 

I`ve fitted twin brake drums to my winch for appearance…….. and just in case!

 

BTW….The TV people are reading this thread, to keep themselves up to date with progress

 

Bob

[Mark Beard 1Participant @markbeard1]

Bob, that very much depends on whether the chosen cable floats or sinks!

 

The screened cable I was thinking of is 2mm in diameter, is very flexible and actually sinks in tap water!

 

Mark

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