Over the years Time Team has come up with some interesting tasks for 'Geofizz' - and I sometimes wonder if, when they are planning the programmes, the researchers stage competitions to see who can cause us most grief.
Memorable instances spring to mind - such as at Piercebridge, the sight of our radar kit floating down the Tees in a rather less-than-seaworthy boat; and the dense woodland at Bedford Purlieus - where machetes might have facilitated the use of our equipment. But if we're talking about real challenges - then we need look no further than the survey at Cunetio in Wiltshire. Ground conditions were ideal - an open, gently sloping field with no obstructions - BUT, at over 11 hectares (equivalent to 14 football pitches) we knew we had our work cut out - with just three days to complete, and under the watchful eye of English Heritage. The opportunity to survey an entire Roman town, however, was an exciting challenge.
Faced with such a large survey area, we decided to conduct a magnetic survey over the whole site, followed by selective radar - using a new piece of kit (known as MIRA) which has recently become available in the UK. The Swedish manufacturers, Mala, had been making great claims about its capabilities and we were keen to see it in practice. Jimmy, our resident radar expert, joined forces with colleagues from Manchester and Sweden to put it through its paces.
First impressions were favourable; the four-wheel drive mower, on which the kit sits, was soon racing up and down the field, being tracked to the nearest centimetre by a robotic theodolite. The 16 antennae/receivers log readings at 8cm intervals - and thus collect a huge amount of data in a very short time. This innovative technology will clearly revolutionise some radar surveys - but we're hopeful that the £250k price tag will ensure that we're not redundant overnight!
Second impressions, however, were governed by the inopportune weather. A short torrential shower brought proceedings to a swift halt. The radar kit was still functioning - but the specially purchased 'ruggedised and waterproofed' portable computer had malfunctioned. Rainwater had penetrated through the 'sealed' keyboard and rendered the hard-drive inoperable. Sadly, that was that - but I have no doubts that the MIRA system will raise its head to fight another day. Jimmy is looking forward to the day when he can 'sit down on the job' (radar collection, that is...), rather than having to push his cart around.
The magnetometer team, undaunted by the elements, carried out their usual sterling work and completed the survey with spectacular results - collecting and processing more data in three days than ever before. Their only worry being what the researchers would come up with next.
