On the Airbands

Telstra Mobile Satellite and Radio Services’ Niamh Guerin has written to me, pointing out that there was little publicity given to the fact that Aussie adventurer Steve Griffin, who became the first person to fly solo in a hot air balloon across the continent, used Telstra’s Mobile Satellite and Radio Service SATCOM-C. When contacted, Steve stated “he would never have attempted the flight without the security of guaranteed communications”. He added that “flying a balloon across the desert at 25,000 feet, and battling falling sheets of ice, minus 35°C temperatures, and constant burner system failure, was a frightening experience, but I could communicate by satellite with my control crew at all times.” Steve took 56 hours to fly 3452 kilometres across Australia, from Carnarvon on the Western Australia coast, to Clermont in Queensland. In doing so he broke a world altitude record, attaining 25,994 feet, or 7863 metres. Unaffected by distance, atmospheric conditions, or interference, Steve’s SATCOM-C terminal provided two-way digital messaging between Steve and his control centre in Sydney. Messages of up to 32 Kbytes were exchanged at 600 bits per second via X.25 packet data. Connected to a satellite-based Global Positioning System, or GPS, via Satcom-C, Steve and his team were able to access accurate data at all times on the status of the balloon’s altitude and position, with the system updating four times per second. Steve says that “Satcom-C was critical for my survival. On the last night, after I had been in the air some 45 hours, with less than two hours sleep, the crew at mission control, and through mission control, my friends from across the world, kept me going with a constant stream of messages to me.” It’s interesting to note that SATCOM-C terminals have also been used by Kay Cottee (first woman to sail solo nonstop around the world), and Gaby Kennard (the first woman to fly solo across the world in an aeroplane). When we last spoke to Steve Griffin, he was already well advanced in the planning stages to become the first person to fly a balloon solo across the Pacific Ocean.

David Maybrow from Fremantle, WA, writes with a few good intercepts of aircraft he has made on HF lately. Namely “Northwest 2”, calling company and having them patch through to a medical clinic in Minneapolis. There was a passenger on board suffering severe abdominal pains, and a doctor at the medical clinic on the ground passed sufficient information to enable the crew to settle the passenger down and make him more comfortable. The captain requested attendance of paramedics at LA International Airport, which was the destination. This conversation took place on 6640kHz USB, and was followed up on 11347 with a second call from Northwest 2 advising that the passenger was again getting bad pains, and had gone into some form of fit or seizure. There was nothing much the company could do except say to keep doing what the doctor had advised, and assure the crew that Paramedics would meet the aircraft on arrival at LAX. David also copied “United 816” on 8141 calling Sydney Maintenance Watch through a phone patch and advising that the circuit breakers for the aft galley heating had popped, and there were in excess of 180 cold meals to be heated. The engineers, ever mindful of the passengers’ rumbling tummies, suggested resetting each breaker one at a time. Apparently, this was successful and the tummies were successfully filled with hot food after all! Thanks for taking the time to write David.

Brian Cartledge of Rozelle, in Sydney is a regular correspondent to “On the Airbands”. He uses an external Mobile One M120.1 fibreglass whip antenna, which he had professionally installed on the roof of his house by an antenna installer. Actually, that’s not a bad idea, Brian. You’ve reminded me of something here which I meant to raise in earlier columns. Not everyone is technically minded. If you would like an external antenna mounted and connected to your scanner, and you just don’t have the capability to do the job yourself, why not contact your local radio repairman, or even your TV antenna installer? Whether your scanner or receiver requires a BNC or PL-259, or whatever, the antenna installer or radio repairman will be able to handle the job. And you don’t have to climb on the roof, or get dirty installing the gear. Just pay the man, and fire up the receiver, and enjoy your vastly expanded listening horizons. From Brian, with his outside antenna and Sony ICF-2001D receiver, this story, which has had to wait a fair while to get into the column. A United 747 during a very hectic early morning at Sydney was on short final to RW 16 (prior to the opening of the parallel runway). The aircraft crew was told to “continue approach”.

SYD TWR: “Martinair 263, line up Runway 16, maintain runway heading, climb to and maintain three thousand, clear for immediate takeoff.” MARTINAIR: “Ahh … the Martinair 263 is clear to takeoff, we maintain three thousand, and maintain runway heading” UNITED 815: “Err … Sydney Tower, United 815, we’re on very short final now … ” SYD TWR: “Martinair, clear for immediate takeoff!” MARTINAIR: “Tower, we have a problem, can we take next taxiway right?” SYD TWR: “United 815, go round …. go round, and Martinair, take taxiway right!”

From then on, for what seemed to listeners like hours, poor old United 815 was shunted around on a scenic low level tour of Sydney’s suburbs, with the passengers getting a lovely view of the harbour, the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Manly Beach, Pittwater etc, etc. Eventually, it got back into the pattern, and found itself happily at the West Pymble locator, with half a dozen other aircraft having landed on Runway 16 in the meantime.

SYD TWR: “United 815, report short final.”

The female United Airlines pilot using the radio had become progressively more peeved as this saga continued, until she audibly sighed with disbelief at what she no doubt saw at the Runway 16 holding point, over her 747’s nose. Suddenly Brian heard the dreaded words from Sydney Tower: “Martinair 263, line up Runway 16, clear for immediate takeoff”. Brian Cartledge is pleased to report Martinair 263 did exactly as it was expected to do this time, and United 815 eventually landed after its “Sydney Explorer” tour! Thanks for contributing Brian.

Andrej Michalski lives in Mulgrave, Victoria, and listens to the airbands utilising his WIN-108 aircraft only scanner. The frequency being monitored was 118.1MHz, Moorabbin Tower. The Tower was talking to a first time instructional flight, with a female instructor, and male student on board. The conversation which was monitored took place when the aircraft was overhead the Holden plant at Fishermen’s Bend, and occurred on a Saturday afternoon of the weekend just before last year’s AFL grand final. The conversation from Air to Ground went like this:

VH-FYA: “Moorabbin Tower, Foxtrot Yankee Alpha, ready for the training area Runway 35 Right”

A couple of seconds go by, and then the instructor in the aircraft calls in with the aircraft’s real position, and that they’re inbound to Moorabbin. It goes like this:

VH-FYA: “Moorabbin Tower, Cessna Foxtrot Yankee Alpha is GMH, one thousand five hundred, inbound, with information Tango. Request one circuit.”

Now, as that original little mess made by the Student has been cleaned up expertly by the Instructor, the Tower controller replies:

MMB TWR: “Foxtrot Yankee Alpha, that’s a relief!”

Thanks are due to Andrej Michalski for his letter.

From the “Dukes of Enmore” in Sydney. They somehow met one day, all live in Enmore, and all have the same interest … aircraft radio. They were monitoring Sydney Approach, when aircraft VH-XKX, a Piper Cherokee Archer II, called Approach and asked for an Airways Clearance direct to Bankstown. The controller gave him his clearance, then, a few minutes later, advised the aircraft that ATC wished to test the new radar and its ability to identify and display transponder emergency codes. The controller stated he wanted the aircraft’s pilot to “squawk”, in sequence, codes 7500, 7600, and 7700. These represent hijack, communications failure and unstipulated emergency on board. The testing was duly complied with, after which the pilot enquired of the not too busy controller what happens when these codes are activated “for real” by aircraft crews. The controller explained that on top of the radar display, over the callsign readout, an “H”, “M” or “R” appears on screen, indicating the type of emergency situation, and a very loud audible alarm activates in the ATC building. The controller also explained that since installing the new equipment, it is difficult to test it any other way, and they required an “actual” aircraft to come up and squawk the codes for them. Thanks to the Dukes of Enmore.

Dave Ward lives in Kaiapoi, New Zealand, and is a long term subscriber to Australian Aviation. Dave is also a Passenger Service Officer with Ansett New Zealand at Christchurch Airport, and his fine listening stable includes a great Kenwood R2000, on which he frequently monitors British Airways Flight Operations from London. He also is partial to monitoring Cathay Pacific Operations and Engineering in Hong Kong, plus nearer to home, Air New Zealand and Qantas on HF. Some of the frequencies Dave monitors for Company LDOC (long distance operational control) are as follows:

Cathay Hong Kong (Dragon)

3007, 6637, 8921, 13333, 17940, 21970 (all USB expressed in kHz).

British Airways (Speedbird London)

5535, 8921, 10072, 13333, 17922, 21946.

Air New Zealand Operations

6637, 10072, 13333, 17940, 21970.

Qantas Control

4687, 6637, 10078, 13342, 17922, 21970.

It should be noted that for phone patches, Qantas frequently uses Sydney Skycoms, on a large number of frequencies, including 5160, 8140, 9040, 11132, 17440, 20160, 23070. Some great monitoring here! There are monitors who never ever listen to anything else!

In Dave’s words, “the arrival of satcoms will indeed be a sad occasion … for the monitoring fraternity”. Dave also uses a handheld Realistic PRO-34 aircraft capable scanner, plus the now superseded Realistic PRO-2006 desktop scanner. The 2006 is arguably one of the finest radios yet released, from any manufacturer. He has bought our first aviation monitoring book back in 1989, The Australian Airband Guide, and then in 1992 he purchased Listening In to Aircraft Radio. Now, Dave wants to know the name and a little bit about our latest book, Climb into the Cockpit by Radio. Well Dave, anyone who has bought the first two books will find this one completely different, with lots more information, about lots more things of interest to aircraft monitors, within the framework of lots more pages. And all for the same price as our earlier book – $19.95 + $3.00 p&p. One of the highlights is a South Pacific selcal list, which any serious monitor will want to get hold of. Just write to Airband Communications, PO Box 16, Georges Hall, 2198. Payment by Bankcard, Mastercard or Visa is welcomed. Listening In 1995 magazine, with four aero related columns, is available from the same address at $8.00 post free. See you all in August.