While testing on Sunday Richard Hollineshead spotted the DFDS Seaways Ferry doing a sail past and was quick to radio the captain, who honked his horns. They were sufficiently loud, especially since we installed extra Kockum Sonics Horns on the ferry a few weeks ago
One of the Kockum Sonics Horns installed on the Princess Seaways
The Kockum Sonics Horns were lifted on to the Svitzer Redbridge tug and air systems installed in preparation of the testing
On Sunday we tested sound levels at Souter with some of the brass band members and the vessels Svitzer Redbrige, St Oswald (Northumberland Inshore Fisheries Commission), The Princess Royal (Newcastle University's Research Vessel) and the Latin Lady, a wreck diving boat, based at Royal Quay Marina. It was a beautiful day. Unfortunately the horn on the Svitzer Redbridge was so powerful that it shattered a window on the tug's bridge.
So there's two days to go until the first proper test where we'll see how well all the technology works with the live musicians. For the first time I'm building the final versions of the microcontrollers that will control the horns and I'm sitting in the middle of a huge pile of electronic bits and pieces wondering where to start. It's taking several hours to build each one - longer than I thought. Hopefully, I'll still have at least 4 or 5 ready for Sunday.
The prototype controller
Some assembly required....
