On the Airbands

Several frequencies now occupied by Melbourne and Brisbane can be monitored with the ground stations audible in Sydney suburbs. For example, 133.5 (Melbourne) is loud and clear in most Sydney suburbs, both ground and airborne stations audible. Brisbane Control 128.6 is the same. My suggestion is If you live in Sydney, put your scanner radio in search mode occasionally on the VHF air band. You never know what you’re going to discover next … and you never know where you are going to find it!

While we’re in Sydney, I’ll just mention an incident monitored by this writer on Christmas Eve on Sydney Ground frequency 121.7 MHz and Tower 120.5. Qantas 153 was the “star” of the session along with Ground and Tower Controllers. Here’s how it went:

GROUND (121.7): “Qantas 153, contact me now on Tower frequency 120.5” QANTAS 153: “Call you 120.5, roger that” QANTAS 153: “Sydney Tower, Qantas 153″ TOWER (120.5): “Qantas 153, line up” QANTAS 153: “Line up, for the Qantas 153″ TOWER: “Qantas 153, clear for takeoff, on departure, maintain three thousand, maintain runway heading until advised. Call Departures airborne. See ya” QANTAS 153: “The Qantas 153 is clear for takeoff, and we’ll maintain three thousand, maintain runway heading and call Departures in the air” TOWER: “Qantas 153, hold position, hold position, takeoff clearance is cancelled, I repeat takeoff clearance is cancelled, exit and return to Gate 33. Your dispensation to operate in the jet curfew hours has been revoked” QANTAS 153: “Qantas 153, copied the cancelled takeoff clearance, returning to our Bay 33″ QANTAS 153: “Tower, Qantas 153, I’d like to thank you for your assistance tonight, and wish you and the other guys and girls in the Tower a very Merry Christmas!” TOWER (embarrassed): “Well … err, thanks very much” QANTAS 153 (laughing): “However, there’s about one hundred and eleven people up the back of this aeroplane who most likely wouldn’t agree with us, but that’s neither here nor there”

The good news amongst the “bad” is that Qantas very much (as it always does!) looked after the 111 passengers who had their trip to Brisbane postponed until Christmas Day. The pax were put up in style at a top hotel, and given the full VIP service you hear about when operational circumstances cause schedules to be disrupted.

Rod, Sandy, Alex and Kim Brown are a family who live in St Georges, South Australia. From Rod, this story, with a dateline in the UK at London’s Heathrow Airport. A British Airways 747 is on finals to land after conducting an ILS approach. After landing, the Controller passes the following information:

TOWER: “Just for your information Sir, on that approach, you appeared to be slightly left of the centreline” BA CAPTAIN: “That’s correct Sir, and for your information, my First Officer was just slightly off to my right!”

Bankstown Airport, with what sounded like a trainee Controller while under a fairly heavy workload. TWR: “Delta Uniform Mike, Tiger formation on final, line up between those aircraft!”

Another GA story, this time from Jandakot. The person who told me this one wishes to be credited simply as “Phil”. The Tower Controller checks with the aid of binoculars a Mini Mustang’s undercarriage. The aircraft is on final approach for Jandakot. TOWER: “Mike Mike Uniform, go round … go round, check your undercarriage, the nosegear hasn’t extended!” VH-MMU: “Going round … but the Mini Mustang doesn’t have a nosewheel!”

All those who had been in earshot of an aircraft radio on Tower frequency were desperately trying to keep their composure. Finally … VH-MMU: “Mike Mike Uniform, final, two greens”? TOWER: “Mike Mike Uniform, clear to land, one red … ace!”

And from John Pearce, who also writes in relating to Jandakot, a Cessna 172 was departing there for Rottnest Island, but it was climbing like the proverbial “brick”. As a result, the pilot requests a return to Jandakot due to a “negative rate of climb”. The aircraft has this request granted by the Tower, and it flies a low level circuit and lands safely. On taxi back to the apron, the Tower Controller asks the pilot whether he wishes to “keep his flightplan open”. The response: “Yeah … I’ll just drop my mother-in-law off and then have another try!”

A needle can indeed be found in a haystack. This is what we feel, after hearing about the excellent service provided by a Qantas Security Officer, and his dedication to duty, in an incident occurring late last year. A Qantas passenger, Mrs Van Gelderen, reported her wedding ring lost, after visiting the ladies room at the International Terminal in Sydney. A search by cleaning staff failed to find any trace of the ring. However, the following morning, a team of Security staffers, headed up by Senior Guard Paul Mollison, removed 15 bags of rubbish from an airside dumpmaster, and during a quiet period, ran them through an x-ray unit. You guessed it. The missing ring was located in Bag No. 15! Well done Qantas Security.

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The question I require answered is: “What was the previous Sydney ATIS (comms) frequency, prior to its recent change to 133.8 MHz. (I am not talking about the VOR frequency of 115.4 which also carries ATIS.) The answer is to be found within this issue of “On the Airbands”. The three neatest correct entries will win a Longreach Antenna, from Oztennas, 465 Balcombe Rd, Beaumaris, 3193. All entries must be sent to Longreach Contest, “On the Airbands”, PO Box 16 Georges Hall, 2198. No correspondence will be entered into, but all winners will be announced in “On the Airbands”.

A Scanning Antenna Designe! Specifically for the Airbandslongreachairband Antenna+ Non-corrosive Aluminium Bodyat Last /* Stainless Steel Elementsuv Resistant Insulatorpperformance119 Mhz to 135 Mhzswar. 1.4 or Less+ Transmit and Receive + 3 Step Easy Assembly- Pl 259 Iector$130.00tax Includedsignature Gard No.62 Australian Aviation April 1995

For HF monitoring enthusiasts, Rockwell’s HF radio station is now available to commercial aircraft. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA facility is now providing long range communications services for business and airline aircraft operations, via a unique joint project between Rockwell and ARINC. Callsign of the station is “CEDAR RAPIDS”, and the services are available to any aircraft with a contractual agreement with ARINC for LDOC HF voice services. Messages are transmitted via the aircraft’s HF communications equipment to Comm Central at Cedar Rapids, where they are then relayed as per normal to its company’s facilities via either the telephone system or a ground data network.

Rockwell has a large range of HF frequencies available for aircraft to utilise. Here is the full list for your information: 5571, 5760, 5841, 5912, 5960, 6060, 6151, 6154, 6171, 6174, 7300, 7433, 7657, 9238, 9497, 9655, 9668, 9802, 10200, 10400, 10600, 10800, 11073, 11076, 11288, 11306, 11761, 12138, 12222, 13312, 13658, 14350, 14686, 14690, 15341, 15344, 15406, 15760, 15860, 15955, 15960, 16060, 16160, 16376, 17601, 17964, 18666, 19131, 20348, 21725, 21728, 21931, 23098, 23101, 23402, 25230, 25343, 27738, and 29931.

Boy oh boy … if an airline crew couldn’t find a good HF frequency to get through to Company with out of that lot, I don’t think they would ever locate one! Rockwell’s station clearly must be one of the largest LDOC stations in the world, frequency wise! All frequencies are USB, or Upper Sideband mode.

Some Letters Have Come in From Sydney Readers of Aa Asking: “Where Is Rivet, Wattle, Caper and Letti?”

RIVET is an inbound STARS track, about 80nm (150km) SSW of Sydney, on the 230 degree radial. Oakdale, near The Oaks, is on the 242 degree radial at 80nm (150km), with WATTLE on the 261 degree radial inbound to Bankstown. CAPER is also a Bankstown inbound track, on the 328 degree radial, LETTI on the 338 degree radial inbound, and Calga is on the 352 degree radial inbound.

Jason Bordujenko from Townsville writes to let us know that Brisbane FIS 1993 is now 119.4 in the Townsville area. Another change is the PAL (Pilot Operated Lighting) system on 119.6, which has been changed to 123.4 MHz. This allows pilots to turn airport lights on by dialling up the PAL frequency and keying up the handmike. The lights come on remotely due to the pilot’s actions. Townsville Control 128.85 is no longer operating in the Townsville area, Jason advises, and is now Brisbane Control, having been relocated, and being carried on the CAA Ku-band satellite services. Townsville Tower is powering in again on 257.8 MHz, and Jason states he is copying what appears to be “STUD 10” on 398.65 MHz, but in narrow FM mode.

Jason is utilising a newly acquired JIM M-75 pre-amplifier, which has in the last couple of months been subjected to an eventful “baptism to fire”. Jason also points out that the United States Fifth Air Division is travelling to Townsville for the “Victory in the Pacific” celebrations 50th Anniversary in August. Lots of “REACH” Galaxies and other exciting aircraft will apparently be arriving! Thanks for the rundown Jason. You’re more than welcome to write again with that sort of quality information.

Time to fly out. Our flight bag is packed with maps and receivers. Catch you next month in “On the Airbands”.