LMEHUK Moved

I have now moved over to Wordpress to continue this blog. Please use the following link:

http://lmehuk.wordpress.com/

See you there!

Stormy Nights

Just returned to the hotel following the second of two very stormy nights. Managed to miss the rain last night but we were not so lucky tonight. Mind you we had a very good laugh this evening about a programme on TY last night. I just cannot say what it was because it is not very PC but boy did we laugh. Boys together I guess.

Progressing nicely this week and on course to complete the job by Thursday night. Back to days next week on the M49. A new motorway for me so it will be interesting to see if there are any major differences between a new motorway and the old ones.

Back to nights

Following a lovely Easter and a week at home processing site data I am now back in Taunton for some more night shifts on the A303.

Went out last night to the Wiltshire area and quite frankly I though that winter was once again with us. Temperature was down to -2 and it felt so cold, especially after the nice weather we have been experiencing.

We did quite well last night. We are on traffic lights so the Traffic Management Crew have to work very extra hard if we want to move our cones to another section once we complete. We managed to get 1.6km done which is excellent for working on traffic lights.

This is not connectivity any more, but full Highways spec CCTV, jetting and GPS. This takes a little longer but our crew is good so we get it done. We are working to very tight time-scales as we have to get the work completed and sent off before the end of the BBMM contract. Its going to be busy!

Saw this cartoon on LinkedIn and though it was rather good.

Its an Easter Update

Apologies for the lack of posts. Quite frankly I have been very tired due to night surveying on the M5. Now in the office in Taunton this week although we did visit the A303 to finish a job we started at Christmas. We needed to get to drainage we knew was there but is far too dangerous to get to at night. So today has been rummaging about in the undergrowth and up and down embankments. Damn you brambles!

The previous two weeks on the M5 went well. Struggled a bit with nights this time but I think it was because I knew it was short term and would be back on days. It does really throw your body out of sync but I guess you must get used to it after a number of years.

As The Highways Area 2 contract is changing ownership, Upstream do not know whether they will get a new contract from the new owners. I am therefore guaranteed work until the end of June. After that, nobody knows, so worrying times ahead.

Connectivity surveys have now been stopped and it looks as though we will start surveying drainage at risk of flooding in a couple of week’s time. Should be interesting for us.

Looking forward to the gold this weekend. Wondering if Tiger can win a big one again. Going to be very excited. For those with a 3D TV it is going to be superb to see the balls rolling down the greens. Mike and I will also be having our own tournament on the Wii. Best keep the stakes low.

Have a great Easter.

M5 again

Note to self - must blog more often. On the M5 working nights. Late one tonight so must go to bed.Will do a full update by the end of the week.

I'm Back!

Following a month of sitting on my backside in my home office and processing highways drainage data I didn't feel I had a lot to say or much was happening. Well that is apart from the sun reminding us all who is the boss of the universe, The Barclay's boss earning over £6 million (great job if you can get it), oh and Wales beating England, winning the triple crown and have a chance on their third grand slam in 6 years. Amazing stuff.

Back at the office for a week now before once again performing motorway night surveying. This time a small matter of a 60km stretch on the M5.

On a disappointing note, it looks as though my contract will come to a finish by the end of July. Will have to start thinking of my next adventure. If you have any ideas then please share them with me.

What a week

Been a long week since my last post. Major issues during processing of some M4 data. When I first submitted a job to the master database it found 400 errors. Most turned out to be a snapping issue caused by the software not quite snapping on the correct point. Its been a major headache to make minuscule geometry changes to the data.

However, finally got it sorted today and accepted by the database checking system. Phew! Also finished another job so gradually catching up with the surveys.

Mind you, started another stretch on the M4 on Monday. I know 3 jobs going at once. No wonder my mind is slightly fried. The new job is 18km long each side so I guess that ties me up for the next couple of weeks.

This job is going to be mixed in with surveying on the M5 and M4 as construction jobs get completed. This job certainly involves multitasking at a new level.

Looking forward to the Brits tonight so happy viewing everyone.

Lack of Posts

Apologies for the lack of posts last week. Was stuck in the TravelLodge in Taunton and the internet connection was extremely poor. Plus, they charged £20 for the week too. Yet another rip off from a corporate I am afraid.

When I did get on, I did a speed check and it was less than 1Mb. Disgusting for the price. Hopefully won't stay there again.

More posts tomorrow as I best give my wife some loving this evening!

Topcon GRS-1 versus ProMark 200

I took a GRS-1 and ProMark 200 to a job on the M5 yesterday for a test. The reason for the test was a colleague had visited the area the day before and found mobile phone signal to be an issue. Both devices were using Vodafone and all I needed to do was capture x,y,z coordinates. I was using Digiterra software to allow us to capture additional attribute data if required. Should not be a problem but for the ProMark 200 it was a difficult day.

The PM200 struggled all day to maintain a signal. This resulted in us seeing errors of 10-12m at times. Obviously not what we wanted. In addition to this, the device seemed to get stuck in an auto-dial loop that resulted in the only option being to turn the unit off. Most annoying!

The GRS-1 performed outstanding all day and only once lost its signal which was a huge surprise given the other device problems. The GRS-1 even allowed me to still operate under bridges which again was a surprise.

Having sold both of these solutions over the last few years I would say the GRS-1 is worth the extra money. The major benefit is the device having Glonass but from yesterday's test, it also boasts a very strong modem for maintaining the all important OS-NET corrections. I have to say I was disappointed with the PM200 as I have previously said it was one of the best devices I had used. I am hoping for a firmware update soon to resolve the loss of connection issues.

Wet and Windy on the M5

Just got in from a very wet and windy M5. There were 3 of us hiding in the middle of the van at one stage as it was raining that hard. Mind you there were still maniacs shooting by at 90mph in the opposite carriageway. They wonder why they crash!

The Promark 200 continues to impress as it just works in the harsh conditions. Making sure I dry it off at the end of the night. Especially as its on hire.

Walked the 2km tonight for the first time in a while as we had to hunt for buried drainage, Shattered now so bed is calling.

Messenjah Youth Mix - Click this to Play - Right Click and saveas to Save

If you like your music dub style or reggae then download my tribute mix to Messenjah Youth from Swindon. It is a mix from when they were on a radio show in Bristol last year. It's my first attempt at this so I would appreciate any feedback.

Another week before the office

Back on the M4 this week. Mind you it was a short shift last night as we were waiting for our closure to go on the motorway when we had a call to say the shift was cancelled due to another closure already in place. Not good but a short night for me. Back to try again tonight before switching to the M5 for the rest of the week. Well thats the idea but the suspicion is it will be cancelled due to no road space being available. So it will be data processing for me for the rest of the week it seems. Next week is also confirmed as processing so best get my typing fingers ready. Wondering whether I will see any auroras tonight as the earth is currently experiencing a barrage of solar storms. Would be lovely to see some but expect I am too far south. Will just have to see!

Feels Like Tropical Surveying

Been out on the M4 for the last couple of nights. Last night I had to scrape the ice off the car before leaving. Then during the night the temperature rose and the thermals caused the sweating to begin. Boy did I feel hot. I haven't felt too vulnerable on the motorway in a while but tonight on the central res I certainly did. With only a wire barrier between me and lane 3 of the opposite side of the motorway, I really did feel uneasy at cars hurtling by me. This was made worse when the barrier repair team turned up to repair the barrier caused by a serious accident yesterday morning. I think it is good that the motorway still scares me because when it doesn't it means I don't respect the danger that I'm in. When you are working just 2 metres away from cars doing 90-100mph its best not to think too much. You are not going to know much if the worse happens. Still, worse things happen at sea. Or on cruises so it seems! You'r just not safe whatever you do so enjoy life to the max while you are here. Well thats my motto anyway. Be back soon. Stay safe!

Still sub zero

Back in from another night on the M4 central res. Still sub zero temperatures. It was -4 again tonight but a warmer pair of gloves mean't by fingers were ok. The ProMark 200 is working well in the cold weather which is excellent. The Topnet OSNET service is also working well so means no irritating issues for me to sort. Just surveying. Had a good weekend with Nic & Ash and went to Mum & Dads for dinner. Met up with James and his girlfriend Becky. Seems a nice girl and keeping him in order. Mind you he has just started an army application process. Apparently he wants to drive a tank. When asked why he said "I want to blow shit up!". At least he is honest!!

Sub Zero Surveying

Just got back from my fifth night surveying on the M4. Well, fourth if you take the first night fiasco into account. The thing about night time surveying is you become a bit of a weatherman. So, in my best Michael Fish jumper I am here to tell you, its bloody cold out there. When I got back to my car it was registering -4 and it was very icy. I was wrapped up warm but there is nothing you can do about your hands. Simply freezing. Surveying going well and the mopping up of jobs is progressing nicely. Had to fix the ProMark 500 for the boss while waiting for our traffic management. It wasn't auto-dialling for some reason but got it sorted in the end. Looking forward to a quiet weekend. Ash is here and off to Mum & Dads for lunch on Sunday. Oh, and meeting James girlfriend for the first time to.. Sure going to eventful. More next week. Stay warm folks.