Plain Bob Doubles

The next thing is to call another bell unaffected…
If you are not making long 5ths at a bob there are three options for what you might do: run in, run out, make two blows in fourths (known as making the bob). Calling another bell unaffected is equivalent to calling yourself to do each of these things once, cycling round in the order I typed them above.

In → Out → Make → In → Out → Make → In → … etc etc

This means either:
You can call yourself to run in (when you would have dodged 3-4 down), then run out (when you would have made 2nds) and finally make the bob (when you would have dodged 3-4 up). These can be remembered as “In, Out, Make” or with words to remember “IOM” such as “Isle of Man”.

Or:
You can run out (when you would have made 2nds), make the bob (when you would have dodged 3-4 up) and finally run in (when you would have dodged 3-4 down). This is “Out, Make, In”

Or:
You can make the bob, run in and then run out. "Make, In, Out".

The exact placement of these calls...
Calls in Plain Bob come when the treble pulls off in 2nds place, so when she is just about to lead.
This means that:
If you are going to run in at a bob the call comes when you are in 4ths place, just before you dodge.
If you are going to run out then the call comes at your second blow in lead.
If you are going to make the bob then the call comes when you are in 3rds place, just before you dodge.
The calls come at backstroke and they always come at backstroke for Plain Bob on any number of bells.

Just as for the 120 when you call yourself unaffected, you need to call three bobs with these touches. The four 120’s this gives are the only ones possible for Plain Bob Doubles. They are the standard length to call at a practice night and before a service and last about 5 mins.

An example...
Say you are ringing the 3 and decide you are going to call yourself to do Out, Make, In.

You first hunt to the back and then down to the front, you are about to make 2nds. So the first call is at this lead end. You will be running out so the call will come at your second blow at lead. (As soon as I start hunting down to the front I start preparing myself for the call.)
Then you have a small break before the next call. Having run out you make 2nds next time. Once I've done this I start thinking about where the next call will be. You want to make the bob next time, so this will be when you were about to dodge 3-4 up. So you dodge 3-4 down, then do long 5ths, then you hunt up and are about to dodge 3-4 up. "Bob" comes at your blow in 3rds place. You make 4ths.
Then you have another break. You go up and make long 5ths as you always do after making a bob. Once I've got to here I think about the next call. This time you want to run in, so this will be when you were about to dodge 3-4 down. So you dodge 3-4 up, make 2nds and then you are about to dodge 3-4 down. But you don't quite get this far because you call the third and last bob when you get to 4ths place and so you run in.
Now you are almost done. You will need to call "that's all" at the blow before you get rounds. This is when the 3rd has just dodged 3-4 up so after the last bob you dodge 3-4 down next time, then make long 5ths and put the "that's all" in when you strike in 4ths place at handstroke before you dodge back to 3rds place.

You may be asked to call a particular bell unaffected...
Say my tower captain asks me to call the 3 to be unaffected and I am ringing the 5.
I have a little think before we start and before I call "Go, Plain Bob Doubles". I know the first work of the 3 is to make 2nds, then he dodges 3-4 down, then (at the end of the third lead and as his third piece of work) he makes long 5ths. This is where the bob needs to be for him to be unaffected and ring only plain courses. So the bob will be at the third lead. Then I work out that from the 5 I first dodge 3-4 up, then make 2nds and as my third piece of work I would dodge 3-4 down. However this is where the bob is going to be so instead I will want to run in. Since this first bob makes me run in I know that I need to call myself to do In, Out, Make. Now I start the touch and call myself to do that.

Keeping things right...
You may like to look at the page on Coursing Orders if you are interested in learning to keep people right in addition to putting the calls in.

You can use these touches for other methods too…
For any method where you make long 5ths behind you can call yourself unaffected. Examples are Reverse Canterbury Pleasure Place Doubles, St Simon’s Bob Doubles, St Martin’s Bob Doubles. You can also call “In, Out, Make” as you are about to dodge 3-4 down, make 2nds, or dodge 3-4 up for the methods in which this happens.

On to Plain Bob Doubles - Calling a quarter peal.

Back to Plain Bob Doubles - Calling yourself unaffected.

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