Clearing trees on a quiet day and spooky!
Moored Widmead Lock, Kennet & Avon Canal
Our radio keeps turning itself on! Three times it has done that tonight, very spooky! In the end I disconnected it, pulling out the wires from the back as I couldn’t see enough to see where the fuse was. That will do until tomorrow.
Now then, does anybody know why it keeps turning itself on? Is the radio doomed to the bin or can it be fixed? It is one of those car radio thingies.
Apart from the usual walking and a bit of work in the office we have been clearing two trees for BW which have fallen over the bywater. Heh, the wood burns well on the stove, and the area looks good for the clean up. Win, win situation! 
No pics today, well there wasn’t anything to take a picture of that was any different to the pics I have already got, so I thought I would carry on with the Wassat? pics. You seemed to enjoy those when we were stuck at Bedwyn.
Here we go then..
Wassat?
Easy one to get you back in to it. Sprocky is in the lead at the moment (see the scores in the left hand column of the blog) with Tom in second place, and I am third with 6 points as you couldn’t guess a couple of them. So 3 points for the first person to guess, 2 for the second etc etc.
Just been round to check all the smoke alarms and the carbon monoxide alarm, all working just fine. Don’t forget to check yours from time to time, it is very important.
A reminder too that you can get free smoke alarms from any fire station, ask for the optical one as this doesn’t go off if you burn the toast!
Hope someone knows how to fix the radio.. 
Sue
Updated 23rd January 2012
January 20th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
Guess on the pic………….. is it the lid/hatch for the gas bottles at the front?
Fix for the radio………..give it a right good talking to, and if that doesn’t work, find a branch from a local tree and start thrashing it, Basil Faulty style!!
January 20th, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Hi Sue,
We’ve got a Roberts portable DAB radio which does that.
I thought it was the switch but the Roberts technical people told me that modern radios have processors, just like computers and that this was the most likely culprit.
Their solution was to send it back to them for a £35 service. I’ve never got round to doing it so don’t know if it works
Graham
January 20th, 2012 at 11:42 pm
Kidlington Fire Station doesn’t
January 20th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
Wends,
Nope! Tee hee, I think I might just do that if nobody comes up with an answer!
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Graham,
Well it isn’t a DAB radio, dunno if that makes a difference. We have had trouble with the volume too over the last nine months or so, you keep having to spin the knob to make it go up, even then it goes down and up. I think the radio has lost it’s marbles!
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Maffi,
Well they should do! I would complain!
January 20th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
Easy my left foot!
As far as I can tell that blue looks more like a BW workboat blue rather than th NP shade of blue, so that’s me with no idea and ZERO POINTS today then…
January 20th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Sprocky,
Oh dear! You must try harder!
January 21st, 2012 at 12:45 am
Is it the lid of a ventilation box on a narrowboat roof – I think it may be called a pigeon box?
January 21st, 2012 at 8:07 am
Hi Sue
Mike is right it is the pigeon/dog box.
Reference the radio, if the volume and on,off switch are the same bit then a replacement of that part will probably solve the problem.
January 21st, 2012 at 9:28 am
Hi Sue – doing your good deed for the day were you? Putting yourself to a lot of trouble clearing those trees for BW!! hehe! Carol
Hi Sue, The on/off volume switch seems to have a little dirt on the inside of it. Keep switching it on and off and rotating it up and down for a couple of minutes and it should clear the dirt from the potentiometer. Do this about 4 times a day for a couple of days and that should cure it. If it doesn’t then you need a new on/off switch like Keith says. If that’s the case, I would either take the switch to Maplins or buy a new radio! George
January 21st, 2012 at 11:05 am
Re the radio:
The on/off switch is on it’s own from the volume controll which is on a twirly knob. In the picture the on/off is under the twirly knob on the left.. http://www.inest.co.uk/images/XL2237.jpg
Do you think the problem with the volume, ie, having to spin in and spin it to get it to go up or down is connected to the problem with the radio randomly coming on?
January 21st, 2012 at 2:18 pm
As they are separate I doubt they are connected but the twirling the knob, it is possible that the knob may be remote from the volume potentiometer, they may be linked by a rubber/cotton drive belt and that has worn and slipping.
The on off switch is probably a micro switch and again is worn, tired and will need replacing.
January 21st, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Its the hinge of a doggie poo bin
January 21st, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Mike and Keith,
Well done you two!
Keith, seems the radio is doomed! 
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Carol,
Yes for sure, always willing to help especially for any benefit!
George.
Thanks for that, yes that must have been the problem. Cleaned the contacts, but now we have another problem as you can see by today’s blog!
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Rodney,
That is a good guess, I can see what you mean!