Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Current one- Moreton stretch- large metal frame/

Just to the left of Moreton stretch- there is a large metal frame with lights attatched.

Never moves, its on google maps,but can be seen from Hoylake Rd..

is it a flight beacon type thing.

Ta
Paul

Not entirely sure what Moreton Stretch is,

but I think you are refering to the VOR/DME Beacon between Moreton and Meols? At the end of Barnacre Lane, next to Carr Farm? On the left as you head towards Meols?

This is the Nav Beacon for transatlantic flights. There are two or three (I forget which) corridors over the atlantic. One departs at Hoylake, and another over Scotland. I think theres another goes from the south west some where. I am a little rusty on that bit!

cool cheers, thought as much.
but wondered why it has so many lights on. ???


or why it wasnt built closer to a power source.

It replaced the one in the field opposite Leasowe Hospital all transatlantic flights flew over it to make their turns to their destination. It emited a radio signal which repeated W A L for Wallasey over and over again. You could tune in the radio on short wave and listen to it.

Yes it is an aircraft beacon, it is on land on my mates farm.
Cheers Chris.

This is the Wallasey VOR beacon, everyone used to say it was a radar, then I was told (and stupidly believed) it was just a sewage treatment works.

It still transmits, WAL in morse code, at 114.1 Mhz AM. very faint from the ground as the signal is directed up..
I'll just go and take my anorak off now

Although I haven't seen it at night, I don't think they are lights.

VOR/ DME or Vector and Range /Distance Measuring Equipment emit various signals WAL being one so you can fly towards or away from the beacon or intercept a bearing from the beacon. The array transmits a cone in 1 degree steps. Using an instrument on the aircraft dash, you can set it to say 206 degrees and a needle on the instument tells you if you are flying towards or away from that heading with that beam to your left or right.

I haven't worked on Beacons themselves so I am not sure of the construction, but I am guessing the lights are the radial emitters for creating the angular beams.



They don't need their own nuclear power source! They do not use THAT much power. IIRC the beacons don't reach across the pond. I have heard that there are dead areas (remember the Air France flight from Brazil to Paris that disappeared last year?).

Tried to upload a picture of it. Compuyer says NO. Exeeds 1 meg, but it's only 44KB ???

Am I mistaking this with what I could see a few weeks ago but seems to have gone recently. A large must be a mast with red lights going down the mast. From Wallasey village station it looks like it is in Wales, it must be high and the red lights don't half stick out. Not seen the lights in a while now, just wondered wether this was what the post was about.

Sounds like you were looking at the Moel-y-Parc TV transmitter mast in Wales. This is roughly a 800ft mast with the lights at every 100ft.

Clicky

It wasn't visible the other day because the cloud level was so low.

Where would I be without Wikiwirral