On the Airbands

SYDNEY TOWER: “Asiana two one four, clear to land Runway three four Left, wind currently swinging to zero seven five degrees at six knots.”

ASIANA 214: “Ahh … you keep me informed of changes in wind please.”

(About 20 seconds later)

ASIANA 214: “Ahh … Sydney Tower, Asiana two-one-four, windcheck please.”

SYDNEY TOWER: “The wind is zero seven nine at eight knots sir.”

UNKNOWN: “If you can’t handle eight knots of crosswind in that bloody thing friend, you shouldn’t be flying!”

(Whether or not ASIANA 214 or Sydney Tower heard this, they both did not let on, and both did not say a word in reply. A couple of minutes later, the aircraft landed normally.)

Then …

ASIANA 214: “Sydney Ground, this is Asiana two one four service on 126.5 for taxi help.”

SYDNEY GROUND: “Asiana two one four, take first taxiway right, then first left onto the southern apron, your bay is Bay 53.”

ASIANA 214: “Bay three, first taxiway right onto the southern apron, roger.”

SYDNEY GROUND: “You got part of it sir. First right, then first left for the south apron, Bay is not three, but 53!”

ASIANA 214: “Bay 53, first right, then first left. Oh, thank you.”

UNKNOWN: “Where do they get them from?”

Yes, the airwaves get spicy and spirited some days. I’ve heard some fairly lively conversations between aircraft and Tower and Ground controllers from time to time. Wherever you live, if it’s not far from a major airport, keep listening, it’s only a matter of time before you hear something like this exchange that is well out of the mundane and ordinary.

In the June 96 Issue, I Enquired if Anybody Could Enlightenus as to the Type of Aircraft and Route Being Flown By “qantas 7580” at 07:30 Zulu One Evening on 5643 Khz Talking Withhonolulu.

A Qantas operations man, who wishes to remain anonymous, and also John Ruming, one of my fellow AA compatriots both contacted me with the answer. Qantas 7580 is in fact a Southern Air Transport DC-8-73CF freighter, which Qantas apparently leases to cover the space lost after converting its two 747-200 Combis last year. Two other companies also provide freighters on lease to Qantas, Evergreen International and Polar Air, with Polar using its own callsign “POLAR” or “POLAR TIGER”. Evergreen uses Qantas callsigns. Southern Air Transport’s flight callsigned “Qantas 7580” operates twice weekly, arriving on Mondays and Thursdays at 06:05 local, and departs on the same days at 19:00 local as “Qantas 7581”. The aircraft is wet leased, and is maintained in the USA. The route flown is LAX/NAN/SYD and return. I can’t tell you any more about our Qantas Operations correspondent, who rang me, but I can fill you in on John Ruming. John is an aviation photographer from Engadine in NSW, who operates Photoplane. He supplies photographs of aircraft operating in Sydney airspace to AA magazine. Keep up the good work John!

And by the Way … Peter Shakells From Qantas Also Advisesthat Generally Speaking, All Qantas “75” Flight Numbers Are either Charters or Special Flights. Some Examples of the “special Flights” Category Are the Qantas 75th Anniversary,mainly to Japan. When Vh-Ebx (The Blue Artwork 747) Flewto Japan Last Year, the Callsign Was Apparently Qantas 7580.thank You Peter for Taking the Time to Call.

Duncan Evans is Lucky Enough to Live in a South Pacificparadise, Norfolk Island. The Following Story Was Related tohim by a 787 Pilot.

First up … the background! As you would probably know the Airbus A320 flight computers have various protected modes in which the computers take over control of the aircraft and fly it out of trouble, such as an aborted landing, followed by an overshoot. Now … the scene … Manchester in the United Kingdom. The aircraft is an Airbus A320, airline unknown to us, doing an overshoot under the command of its flight computers.

MANCHESTER TOWER: “Please advise intentions!”

A320: “We honestly don’t know, we’re just following the aircraft!”

From Bradley Field of Hobart, a Letter Requesting Frequencies for the Us Navy Blue Angels. Bradley is Going Statesidesoon, and is Visiting Some Locations Where He Expects to Seethe “angels” Performing. Here They Are:

142.025 Ground Support, 142.0, 142.625, 143.0, 141.460, 143.6 (all of these from outside of the aviation bands!), plus UHF 250.8, 263.350, 263.5, 275.3, 275.35, 251.6, 241.4, 250.8, 302.15, 307.7, 360.4, 363.350, 363.5, 384.4, 391.9, and 395.9, which is the air-to-air primary channel. These are about all of the frequencies utilised by the Blue Angels team at all its airshow displays over the past 15 years. They are all still current and active from time to time.

Now That the Us Air Force Has Lost Clark Air Base in Thephilippines, Due to Cory Aquino and Most of the Locals Notwanting the Americans Around Any More, Rumours Are Rifethat a Giant Replacement Base is to be Set up in Australia,near to Raaf Tindal. For Airband Monitors, This Rumouredsituation About the Americans Moving in is Terrific. It Couldwell Result in Some Very Exotic Aircraft Being Monitored andseen Locally. Let’s Hope It’s Not Just a Rumour.

I like asking questions and finding out if any one of you has an answer. Try this one for size:

Numerous monitors around the northern NSW area have reported to me some strange transmissions on 250.2 MHz. An American sounding voice, apparently in an aircraft, appears to be involved in some exceptionally high speed tests. The aircraft does not identify with a callsign, and talks to an unheard ground station. Could the transmissions be a downlink from a satellite similar to FltSatCom? The aircraft reports passing various Mach numbers, and has been heard up to Mach 20 on occasions! Yes, Mach 20! What sort of aircraft could be hitting those sorts of speeds? My previous information was that the so-called Aurora was capable of hitting speeds of Mach 4 to Mach 6, but Mach 20? Yeah, right!

Regardless of my cynicism, hypersonic flight is most assuredly being experimented with “big time” by the Americans. The only information I have been able to glean so far is that there are some special high speed aircraft (highly secret) operating out of Edwards Air Force Base, and also Beale Air Force Base in California.

Steve Douglass from Amarillo in Texas, a devoted Aurora chaser, states that he and his father-in-law Ellwood have monitored similar transmissions to the Aussie monitors who have contacted me. The frequencies used when Steve and Ellwood monitored them were: 119.25, 319.9, and 316.1 MHz. And Steve tells me that since the word “Aurora” has been bandied around in publications like this one, the codename has been changed to another top secret one. Very intriguing!

Greg Stammers, an Amateur Radio Operator Vk7zbt Fromburnie in Tasmania Has Written to Advise Me That He Isorganising Himself and Equipping for Inmarsat Reception Ofaviation Traffic, and is in the Process of Designing His Ownhelix Antenna for 1530 to 1545 Mhz. He is Thinking of Usingpvc Tubing for the Boom, and 3/16 Inch (5mm) Aluminiumwire for the Helix.

Speaking of satellite equipment, I notice VH-TAD, the Qantas Airbus A300 is sporting a “surfboard” satellite antenna, well aft along the fuselage. There are some blade antennas, and then comes the fairly long satellite “surfboard” low profile antenna.

Singapore Airlines is also currently asking manufacturers of inflight entertainment and satellite communications equipment to bid for the contract to fit SatComs to the airline’s Boeing 777s. Relating to the airline’s Airbus A340s, Canadian Marconi’s CMA-2102 high gain satellite antennas have been ordered for the initial seven aircraft, with further options for ten aircraft on firm order, and another twenty on option. South African Airlines is ordering four SatCom equipped 777s, and two SatCom equipped 747-400s, for delivery in December 1997. The aircraft will operate services to Europe and the Middle East. British Airways first 777 is flying the Dubai, Muscat, Cairo, Paris routes, and is SatCom-equipped, and Swissair are fitting SatComs to a total of 29 A319s, A320s, and A321s.

IATA (International Air Transport Association) has recently stated that airlines have the power to make passengers fully aware of how to make full use of all onboard SatCom services.

How Do We Keep the Radio Techs Off the Air?

While performing regular maintenance of airline aircraft, radio technicians frequently test HF radios with ground stations, and delight in making distant contacts as opposed to getting the nearest local station to do the job. For example, as monitored by Doug Di Manzi recently from Adelaide in SA, on 8867 kHz (USB), in the middle of the day:

VH-RMF: “Honolulu Radio, Honolulu Radio, Romeo Mike Foxtrot, Romeo Mike Foxtrot for a radio and selcal check. My selcal is Alpha Delta Foxtrot Juliet.”

BRISBANE RADIO: “Romeo Mike Foxtrot, Brisbane Radio, standby for selcal.”

VH-RME: “Honolulu Radio, Romeo Mike Foxtrot, Romeo Mike Foxtrot for a selcal check on Alpha Delta Foxtrot Juliet.”

BRISBANE: “Aren’t we good enough for you?”

VH-RMF: “Arrr … was that Brisbane Radio?”

BRISBANE: “Romeo Mike Foxtrot, affirmative, it was Brisbane, stand by for your selcal check.”

(SELCAL CHIMES RING)

VH-RMF: “Thank you Brisbane, Romeo Mike Foxtrot, copy selcal, thank you, and good day sir.”

HONOLULU RADIO: “Romeo Mike Foxtrot, this is Honolulu, were you requiring a radio check sir? We’re reading you five. Go ahead with your selcal.”

VH-RMF: “Err, Honolulu, Victor Hotel Romeo Mike Foxtrot, we’ve just copied selcal from Sydney … err, ahh … that is, Brisbane Radio, but thank you for getting back to me sir.”

HONOLULU: “Where are you sir? And what aircraft type are you?”

VH-RMF: “Melbourne Australia sir, on the ground in maintenance, and we’re an Ansett Boeing 767-200 series.”

HONOLULU: “Romeo Mike Foxtrot, this is Honolulu, roger that, You have a nice day sir. Thank you for calling.”

The long haul trans oceanic HF calls sure do test out the radio, but I’m suspecting that the Ansett and other airline radio technicians get quite a buzz out of testing the radio with a far distant aeronautical station. I wonder if any of them ever write away for verification reports?

Kelly Sabo is a Keen Aeronautical Monitor Soon to Go Overseas to London Through Heathrow International Airport. Kelly Wants to Take Her Scanner, But Says:

1. Is it legal in England to use a scanner?
2. What frequencies to dial up for Heathrow?

Actually, no, it isn’t quite legal in the United Kingdom. But when you are doing no harm, authorities turn a blind eye. Even at airports all over the UK, you’ll see dozens of people with aircraft capable scanners in hand, listening in on airport activity. So don’t worry about it, go ahead and take the radio. Only countries like Greece are a real problem with a scanner. You’re likely to be arrested for having one in that country!

At Heathrow, MET is on 135.375, 125.725, 126.2, 127.8, 126.0, and 127.0, also 128.6, and 126.6 MHz.

HF Volmet broadcasts are heard on 3413, 5505, 8957, and 13264 kHz (USB) from Shannon Volmet Station in Ireland.

The RAF operates a Volmet including London area information, on 4722, and 11200 kHz.

FIS is heard on 124.75, 124.6, and 134.7. The Airport ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) on 115.1, 118.75, and 133.075 MHz.

Military Radar is heard on 135.15, 250.6, 128.7, and 262.8 MHz. Area Control can be monitored on 127.1, 127.7, 128.05, 129.6, 131.050, 131.2, 132.6, 133.6, 133.7, 134.25, 121.025, 123.9, 124.725, 125.95, 126.3, 126.45, 126.825, 127.95, 128.125, 129.1, 129.2, 132.3, 132.45, 132.8, 133.45, 133.525, 134.425, 134.45, 134.9, 135.050, 135.250, 125.8, 128.4, 128.9, and 132.050 MHz.

The Approach Control cell is heard on 119.2, 120.4, 119.5, 127.55 MHz. The Heathrow Tower is on two frequencies, 118.7, and 124.475. Ground is on 121.9, with Clearances on 121.7 MHz. Radar services are confined to 119.2, 119.5, 127.550, 120.4, 119.9 MHz, and helicopters always come up on 119.2 (one of the Heathrow Radar channels).

Nearby Gatwick Airport Kelly has these channels for Tower, Ground, Clearances, and ATIS. Tower is 124.225, and 134.225, Ground 121.8, Clearances 121.95, and ATIS 128.475 MHz.

Hope the information will be of use to you. Kelly comes from Brisbane, and uses a Uniden Bearcat UBC3000XLT hand held portable scanner. They are not only good Kelly, they are an excellent radio. I highly recommend the Bearcat 3000XLT!

Keep Your Contributions Coming in to “on the Airbands”. And Remember, My Book Climb Into the Cockpit by Radiosells for $22.95 Including Postage Anywhere in Australiafrom Airband Communications, Po Box 16 Georges Hallnsw 2198. Cheques, Money Orders, Bankcard, Mastercardand Visa Welcome. But Mail Orders Only Please, No Phoneorders Able to be Taken.

Time to climb out of this airspace. Catch you on approach frequency in October.