On The Airbands

Chances are the channels you have are out of service now, or perhaps your set was desensitised during an electrical storm near your home while it was in use. Direct lightning strikes are not necessary to cause damage if you are using outside antenna structures. Lightning has an immense amount of destructive energy around operational radios and damage ranging from desensitising to total melting with a direct strike is quite common. Many of our fraternities using outside antennas prefer to use lightning arrestors to alleviate potential equipment damage. Some of the best airband chatter is monitored during electrical storms, so arrestors have got to be the way to fly!

If you get a UHF capable scanner, try 360. 6, 319. 8, 335. 5, 385. 5, 317. 5, 319. 9, 381. 5, 269. 1, 342. 9, 306. 1, 384. 5, 363. 8, 328. 5, 269. 0, 306. 0, 253. 5, 350. 3, 314. 6, 307. 8, 281. 5, 285. 6, 263. 6, 279. 5, 257. 3, 264. 6, 259. 8, 316. 3, 289. 4, 322. 6 and 285. 4 MHz.

* * *

Frank Howard of Kalamunda in WA reflects on the days when, as he puts it, “real people manned the communication units”. Frank was flying a Cessna 210 calling VH-AOJ from Paraburdoo over Geraldton and then down the coast to Jandakot, via the light aircraft corridor. The upper limit of the corridor on this track, south from Lancelin, is 1,500ft.

VH-AOJ: “Geraldton, Alpha Oscar Juliet! is ten DME northeast of Romeo 7500, for Jandakot, request update on military notam. ” GERALDTON: “Alpha Oscar Juliet!, Geraldton, there are F-18s and F-111s operating RottnesVFremantle/Lancelin, from zero feet to 5,000ft. ”

VH-AOJ: “Thanks very much Geraldton, I had planned to fly at 1,500!”

GERALDTON: “If you do, you’d b-e-t-t-e-r keep your eyes open1”

Understandably, our hero Frank elected to request 6. 000 for

the remainder of his flight and, sure enough overflying

Lancelin, there they were, whistling over the sand dunes and the sea at the altitude Frank would have been flying. Quite a sight, he tells me, when viewed from above’

Geraldton is unmanned now. One talks to Perth by relay. That’s progress!

* * * Ross Dunlop, former TEN-10 reporter, now running his own publicity machine known as Dunlop and Associates, has always been fairly close to aviation. Ross had cause to monitor Richmond Approach 119. 7 and overheard a 37 Squadron C-130E calling up Richmond.

HERCULES: “Richmond Approach, Trojan 119er, POB is two-six and we have Information Kilo. ” (. . . A few seconds later) “. . . ah, Trojan 119, POB is two-seven'”

RICHMOND APPROACH: “Trojan 119er Richmond Approach, it’s a boy . . . right!”

Thank you Ross. Write back anytime.

* * *

John Hutteroth of West Preston in Victoria is a regular reader of ‘On the Airbands’ and a regular listener, using a Realistic PRO-32 handheld radio. John recently visited the UK and noticed UK pilots do a full readback of all ATC transmissions. Some good frequencies John copied on his scanner are Aberdeen Tower/SMC on 118. 1, Scottish Control 135. 85, Scottish TMA on 128. 5, Glasgow Approach 119. 1, Aberdeen Radar (equivalent to our FIS) on 121. 25, Transatlantic Flight Clearance on 127. 65, Norwich Approach 119. 35, Anglia Radar 128. 925, Coltishall Approach 125. 9, London Control 133. 45 and Heathrow Approach 119. 5.

Other very interesting frequencies monitored by John included the Airways dedicated channels for ‘Blue 1’, Flamborough Head to Amsterdam 134. 25 and ‘Blue 3’ Brookmans Park to Dover on 127. 1. Actually John, I myself have a collection of several hundred VHF frequencies for the UK and know what you mean when you say it never gets boring!

John noticed Bristow Helicopters servicing the oil rigs identifying on the air as ‘Bravo 26’, ‘Bravo 59’ and so on. Military callsigns were extremely different to our ‘Stingray’, ‘Striker’, ‘Maple’ and were all combinations of alpha-numerics such as ‘Foxtrot Foxtrot Alpha 20’ and the like.

* * *

Peter Kustagianni from Victoria was recently monitoring Melbourne Tower on 120. 5 MHz late on a Monday evening, when he encountered this conversation between Qantas 2, a Boeing 767 and the Tower. QFA 2 (yes, designators are now officially three letters!) had just landed on RW 34.

That particular night it was very windy, with gusts up to 70kts.

QFA 2: “Tower, Qantas 2. ”

TOWER: “Qantas 2 go ahead. ”

QFA 2: “Qantas 2, the wind at 3,000 feet was 360 diagonal 70

knots, at 2,000 feet it was 360 diagonal 65, 1,500 was 010 degrees diagonal 60 knots, 1,000 feet 020 diagonal 65, 500 feet 020 diagonal 55 knots, and . . . standby!”

TOWER: “Standing by. ”

(A couple of seconds pass by . . . then . . . ) QFA 2: “Arr, . . . that’s about itl”

TOWER: “Qantas 2, Melbourne Tower, thanks very much for the timely information, I’ll pass it on to following aircraft. ”

QFA 2: “Nice gadgets, these First Officers1″ (followed by instant

laughter from OFA 2).

* * *

An anonymous Victorian, I suspect perhaps a Flight Service Officer, sent an offering which may upset some CAA personnel, but I don’t intend for that to happen, ifs just something that was said on the air and overheard by our correspondent and. probably, countless others. . . ‘

The scene: Hamilton Airport and a Departmental Gulfstream was taxying.

VH-LTM: ”Melbourne. Lima Tango Mike taxying Hamilton. runway one-seven for Essendon. ”

MEL FIS: “Lima Tango Mike, roger, Melbourne. no traffic. · VH-LTM: “Lima Tango Mike”

UNKNOWN “Departmental Officers are dopers

VH-LTM: “Would the aircraft that said that kindly identify and also provide your position?” UNKNOWN: “See what I mean!”

Whoops! Somebody’s obviously trodden on someone else’s toes!

* * *

For those who have begged me for the remainder of the Sydney Skycom HF frequencies, here is the whole family.

4666 KHz, 8930, 11342, 13300, 17940, 30007, 6532, 8903, 8936, 10072 and finally 17934 KHz. Okay! But just by-the-by, I will mention that any conversation which either in part or wholly takes place using a telephone comes under the auspices of the Telecommunications Interception Act and the interception of such transmissions is illegal.

The legislation is, perhaps, almost unenforceable.

* * *

Peter Hillcoat is a member of the Rescue Firefighting Service at Mt Isa Airport and he was not all that long ago test driving one of the fire and rescue vehicles. At the time Peter was putting the giant through its paces, the pilot of a light aircraft called the Tower and asked for the ETA of the afternoon RPT jet aircraft.

Peter had at this stage just cleared the runway and informed the Tower by simply speaking his callsign.

PETER: “Tender four. ”

TOWER: “Tender four. ” LIGHT A/C: “Thanks very much!”

TOWER: “Negative . . . that was not Ten to Four, it was our fire and rescue truck, Tender Four!”

* * *

Ted Fletcher of Woodlands in WA is very grateful for some assistance I was able to give him. Glad your Cobra SR-15 handheld scanner is up and running and bringing you all the airband action in your area Ted.

Ted heard Concorde during a brief refuelling stop at Perth in April. The sleek airliner departed with a reciprocal takeoff on RW 03 instead of the duty RW 21.

There was a large crowd at the Airport, just as there was in Sydney as the aircraft departed, with diehards like myself, John Vogel and many other regular devotees amongst them!

In Perth, Ted monitored This on the FAC channel: “Can we stand over here?”

“Yeah, but keep away from the radio antennae. ”

“Why . . . if we go too close to them, will it make us sterile?” “No, if you tread of them and break them, we’ll all be made sterile!”

* * *

DATELINE: 31,000 feet, on board a Qantas flight, traversing Australia, en route to London.

QANTAS 1: (believing he’s on intercom, but he’s actually hit the wrong button and is on the air on 128. 2) “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard your Qantas service to London Heathrow, I’m your First Officer and I’d like to alert you that in about two minutes, you should be able to look out of the windows and see the rabbit fence, the border between New South Wales and South Australia!”

ANSETT 727: “Excuse me Sir, what time are the movies again?”

QANTAS 1: “Oh my God, what have I done!”

CONTROL: “Qantas 1, Sydney Control, don’t worry about it. But at the big rabbit fence, call Adelaide Control on 128 decimal 1!”

* * *

A quickie just heard by your writer on Sydney Control 118. 5.

Australian Airlines DC-9, VH-TJR, asking for a radio check. CONTROL: “Read you six. ”

VH-TJR: “Tango Juliette Romeo, I thought it only went up to 5?” CONTROL: “It does . . . but you’re the best I’ve heard all day!”

* * * Stamped SAE for reply mail please. Here’s our installment of World HF.

INDIAN OCEAN HF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS:

KATHMANDU: sea-1 6556, 10066 CALCUTTA: sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318 DHAKA: sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318 BANGKOK: sea-2 3485, 5655, 8942, 13309 VIENTIANE: sea-2 5655, 8942

HOCHIMINH: sea-2 5655, 8942, 11396, 13309

HONG KONG: cwp 6532, 8903, 13300; sea-2 3485, 5655, 8942,

13309

BOMBAY: afi-1 11300, 13288; ino-1 5634, 8879

RANGOON: sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318

COLOMBO: ino-1 8879, 13306; sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318

MADRAS: sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318

MANILA: cwp 2998, 6532, 6562, 8903, 13300, 17904; sea-2 3485, 5655, 8942, 11396, 13309

MALE: sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318, 17907; ino-1 5634, 8879, 13306, 17961

LUMPUR: sea-1 3470, 6556, 10066, 13318; sea-2 5655, 8942, 11396

BALI (Den Pasar): sea-3 3470, 6556, 11396

UJUNG (Ujung Pandang): sea-3 3470, 6556, 11396

SINGAPORE: sea-1 6556, 10066, 13318; sea-2 5655, 8942, 11396; sea-3 6556, 11396, 13318

COCOS: ino-1 3476, 5634, 8879, 13306, 17961; sea-1 6556, 10066, 13318

JAKARTA: sea-3 3470, 10066, 13318, 6556, 11396, 17907

DARWIN: sea-3 3470, 6556, 11396, 13318, 17907

PERTH: ino-1 3476, 5634, 8879, 13306, 17961; sea-3 3470, 6556, 11396, 13318, 17907

SYDNEY: sp 3467, 5643, 8867, 13261, 17904

Abbreviations: afi -Africa and Indian Ocean; cwf-Central West Pacific; ino – Indian Ocean; sea -Southeast Asia; sp – South Pacific.