fv1609 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Not so much of a mystery object but a mystery entry. Many owners of postwar British military vehicles have made use of the Freedom of Information Act to obtain a basic history from a MERLIN printout. Of all the entries of their various kinds, it seems by looking at forums, that the entry below is something that nobody has yet found the answer to. I am pleased to say that I believe I have found the answer. I just wonder if anyway else can? Google is you wish but I don't think it will help. You may get some fishy answers that don't seem be in the swim of the vehicle's history. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 l get the fish connection BARBELL is that battered and with chips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Could it be barbus indicator, to show if or any heavy metals are contained in the vehicle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 l get the fish connection BARBELL is that battered and with chips Well Wally you have obviously volunteered for another battering of minds. I hadn't come across the Barbell fish, that wasn't the one I had in mind, but I think Richard is onto it as I type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 Could it be barbus indicator, to show if or any heavy metals are contained in the vehicle? Ah yes Richard the Barbus barbus fish seems a good indicator of that. Good thinking, for some while I thought it might be a discrete way to indicate if the vehicle was contaminated by NBC or other toxic things. But it ain't that at all :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 l wont wade in but the BARBEL is a bottom feeder and a good indicator of toxins in water so is to do with the quality of drinking water carried in the vehicle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 l wont wade in but the BARBEL is a bottom feeder and a good indicator of toxins in water so is to do with the qualityof drinking water carried in the vehicle Hmm well I better refrain from commenting on the fish's feeding habits, sounds none too savoury. Not to do with drinking water Wally, The printout relates to a vehicle (my Wolf actually) at a vehicle storage depot although units were required to make annual returns into MERLIN on the vehicles they hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Child Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Does it stand for, "Broken and Recovered, Busted Independently" for those "we don't know who broke it but there it is" moments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Isn't that the bar code attached to high value items? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 Does it stand for, "Broken and Recovered, Busted Independently" for those "we don't know who broke it but there it is" moments? Igneous Lauren I think you are working along the lines of "Piston broke" but its not that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 Isn't that the bar code attached to high value items? Nope not a checkout code Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Clue: There is a spelling mistake But the spoken word sounds the same. The IT programmer perhaps knew nothing about the parameters of the individual items that were being programmed into the search. So perhaps what was said was misheard or was misread. Or maybe the person giving the programmer the information verbally or written couldn't spell or was a dyslexic (sorry must be PC, mustn't say that. The person was blessed with the gift of dyslexia - absolute tosh! It isn't I do know, which is why I have had to rewrite this simple post several times) So once the error is corrected it reveals the true meaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Busbar, but that doesn't really make sense? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Busbar, but that doesn't really make sense? Andy No it doesn't Andy.:-) But good try, the word order BARBUS is correct but one letter is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 is it the barbas team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 is it the barbas team Yes Wally very very good! Even googling the correct answer didn't give the correct answer of what I could see but there were 2.1 million responses though! "Ind" I take to mean "Indicate" as with many other answers needs only a YES or NO entry. So who can explain BARBAS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 BRITISH ARMY REGISTRATION B VEHICLE ACCOUNTING SYSTEM its the registration of assets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 just found my file on the merlin system l think this says it all MERRY CHRISTMAS CLIVE and ALL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 BRITISH ARMY REGISTRATION B VEHICLE ACCOUNTING SYSTEMits the registration of assets Yes well done Wally excellent that's two prizes then:D I wrestled with "Barbus" for quite a while myself until I happened to be reading a logistics JSP & realised what MERLIN was trying to say to me! I should have asked you! I wonder what your take is on ERN further down? There are obvious ones like Equipment Reference Number but means nothing because ERM, Asset Code, NSN, chassis no etc are already taken care of. I do have one theory but I'll see if you have an explanation before I make a fool of myself.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Yes we cross posts. Although I see there is a typo in that one even. They say Equipment Registration Numbers (ERMs) !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally dugan Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 CLIVE the one l found on MERLIN is titled merlin one in the amendments at the end it refers to DATA ACCURACY l need to find merlin 2 to see if that gives you your answer if you call up merlin which l have done and ask for details on BUSBAR it still comes up but states no results so they have not amended the system and corrected the spelling mistake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Well this is my theory. Perhaps ERN is Export Reference Number if vehicle is to be exported to comply with CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import & Export Freight) It fits in immediately above "Cast: YES" & there is no other provision on the form for export of the vehicle. But might it still be something to do still will BARBAS & that sort of thing? I think not because we have it separated by "Comments: N" If there are comments it is on page RP10504 & the main RP105 is marked "COMMENTS: Y" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 CLIVE the one l found on MERLIN is titled merlin one in the amendments at the end it refers to DATA ACCURACYl need to find merlin 2 to see if that gives you your answer if you call up merlin which l have done and ask for details on BUSBAR it still comes up but states no results so they have not amended the system and corrected the spelling mistake Crossed in the post again I expect it costs a lot to get the IT contractor to come & change it & anyone who cares what it is knows what it is meant to mean. I thought of making a FOI request concerning the entries I wasn't sure about! I have a RN stores catalogue in xls & that is full of howlers eg sewage disposal equipment appears as "sew edge" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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