HELICOPTERS BUZZING LOWER BLUE MOUNTAINS

Hello and welcome back.... My morning was awash with the sound of Helicopters buzzing, if fact their was 2 of them. Both the same type of Helicopter.

They are McDonnell Douglas 500N type Helicopters, Rego No = VH-INY & VH-EPZ (may be more).

They are on loan by Endeavour Energy to check power lines in areas including Blue Mountains, South Coast, Sydney West, Hawkesbury (NSW to the Vic border).

These Helicopters are owned by Gunn Resources Pty Ltd according to Regosearch.com.

What makes these helicopters unique is the fact they don't have a tail rotor and sound similar to a washing machine or a strange vacuum cleaner (well, i think they do).


FREQUENCIES

Chatter between 2 pilots on 123.450Mhz

Air Clearance - 135.100

PLEASE, Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner).. Any amount big or small is much appreciated and it keeps this site happening :)

SOUNDS LIKE A VACUUM CLEANER?    WHAT DO YOU THINK?


LINKS

Endeavour Energy info

https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/content/aerial-inspection

http://www.ausgrid.com.au/bushfirepatrols


Images/video taken by Michael Bailey

#BlueMountains
#EndeavourEnergy
#HelicopterSurvey

MARINE RESCUE NSW

Hello and welcome back... Might be quiet now but once the weather warms up, these guys and gals from Marine Rescue are flat out.

Volunteer Marine Rescue cover between Tweed Heads (North) to Bermagui in the South as shown below..

From their website =

Marine Rescue NSW is our State’s official volunteer marine rescue service, committed to our mission of saving lives on the water.

The State’s newest rescue service was established in July 2009 and officially took to the water on New Year’s Day in 2010, backed by our volunteers’ decades of experience in three former rescue organisations: the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association, Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol and the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association marine fleet.

Unlike most emergency services, we are not a Government agency but an independent not-for-profit organisation. We receive generous support from the NSW Government and the boating community of NSW through a levy on boat licence and registration fees.

MRNSW has more than 3,000 volunteers in 45 strategically-located units on the NSW coastline and inland on the Alpine Lakes in the Snowy Mountains and the Murray River at Moama.

Our members are our greatest strength. Recognized for their marine knowledge, courage and community service, they are dedicated to helping boaters stay safe on NSW waterways.

MRNSW is a Registered Training Organisation and our members are professionally trained to national standards for their roles, both on and off the water.

Marine Rescue NSW saves lives on the water through our key services
1. Swift, coordinated 24/7 emergency response
2. The State’s only Log On and vessel tracking service for recreational boaters
3. A marine radio safety net, monitoring traffic along the NSW coastline around the clock
4. Boating safety education, including boat and jet ski licence and marine radio courses for local boaters

FREQUENCIES

Ch 16 VHF Marine radio = 156.800 (Distress, Safety and Calling)
Ch 88 (27mhz Radio) = 27.880

HF (Transmitts from Port Macquarie, Cottage Point (Hawkesbury river)
2.0334
2.182
2.1834
2.5254
3.7055 - Cronulla
4.1264
4.1474
6.2164
7.4055 - Cronulla

154.4125 - NSW Wide
154.450 = State Wide Simplex (ctcss 162.2)
154.575 = State Wide Simplex
154.625 = State Wide Simplex (ctcss 162.2)

156.575 - Various (Ch 15/71)
157.025 - NSW Wide (Ch 80)
161.450 - NSW Wide
161.550 - Various
164.650 - Bateman Bay, Barrenjoey (ctcss 162.2)
164.1875 - NSW Wide (ctcss 162.2)
165.025 - Maddens Plains
165.100 - Coffs, Bomaderry (ctcss 162.2)
168.300 - NSW Wide

461.80625 - Point Perpendicular 463.275 - Byron Bay


LINKS

http://www.marinerescuensw.com.au/

http://members.iinet.net.au/~mrnsw-bb/

http://www.marinetraffic.com/

http://www.marinerescuensw.com.au/component/content?id=79/


PLEASE, Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner).. Any amount big or small is much appreciated and it keeps this site happening :)

#Marine Rescue NSW
#NSW Radio & Communications

Thanks to Marine Rescue NSW for photos, info, ect

SHORTWAVE SCHEDULES ONLINE

Hello and welcome back... A few posts back i featured the shortwave schedules app. Now you can use a website if you don't want to use an app.

Called http://shortwaveschedule.com/ you can find out who's transmitting now and on what frequency.

There are 4 tabs across the top with drop down access which includes... Find Frequencies, Top 40 Frequencies, Whats on this Frequency and On Air Now.

Check it out at = http://shortwaveschedule.com/

PLEASE, Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner).. Any amount big or small is much appreciated and it keeps this site happening :)

#NSWRadio&Communications

ACCIDENT AT FAULCONBRIDGE NSW

Hello and welcome back... Bad accident at Faulconbridge, NSW. I heard the sirens and thought it must have been nasty... I was right.

Driver and a little one escaped injury with the road rail stopping the car from being crushed.

Photos courtesy of Facebook / Blue Mountains Gazette

AHHH, Thats Better... Up the right way

PLEASE, Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner).. Any amount big or small is much appreciated and it keeps this site happening :)

SHORTWAVE SCHEDULES - A WORTHY APP

Hello and welcome back... Ive had this on my Ipad / Ipod / Iphone for a while now and its pretty good. Highly recommend it.

From 'Black Cat Systems' website =
Are you a shortwave radio listener (SWL) in need of an up to date set of schedules for international broadcast stations?
Shortwave Broadcast Schedules is a handy app that displays broadcast schedules of over 10,000 longwave, mediumwave, and shortwave broadcast stations.

The stations are initially listed in order by frequency. You can tap a button to see which stations are on the air right now, as well as search for stations by name, frequency, time of day that they are on, or country.

Stations currently on the air are displayed in bold, making it quick and easy to see which stations are on right now.

Tap on a station to bring up more information about the station, such as the country of origin, target area, and programming language.

You can keep track of favorite broadcasts, as well as set reminders.

Updated schedules can be downloaded for free.

Get your copy of Shortwave Broadcast Schedules, and never miss another of your favorite stations again.

If you look at the photo below you can see who is on the air right now (in bold print)

LINKS

https://itunes.apple.com/app/shortwave-broadcast-schedules/id476090163?mt=8  (For Apple Users)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blackcatsystems.swbc (For Android Users)

http://www.blackcatsystems.com/iphone/SWBC_FAQ.html  (More Information)


#Shortwave App
#shortwave
#shortwave app

PLEASE, Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner)... Keeps this site happening :)

FLY INSIDE A SKYCRANE HELICOPTER

Hello and welcome back... Interesting video.

Flying inside a Skycrane helicopter using a go-pro camera... A once in a lifetime opportunity for some people. Sadly its got bloody music in the background, some people like this, i don't.. I think it ruins the atmosphere but that's just me..Enjoy the ride...

Make sure you set video to 720p :)


Thanks to Earl Watters for the video

Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner)... Keeps this site happening :)

SKYNET fREQUENCIES

Hello and welcome back... Listening to Military frequencies is an exciting hobby but its hard to know if its actually active.
The Military often changes equipment more often than you and i change our underwear. So it was interesting when i read in the media that a new antenna based in South Australia (Adelaide) for Airbus Defence and Space’s Skynet secure military satellite communications is up and running (and active).

This new beast of an antenna (pic above) will connect with other country's including France, Germany, Norway, the UK and the USA.

From Airbus website = Skynet supports military satcom operations across the globe, especially in remote areas with little or no communication infrastructure and in mid-ocean, distanced from land and shipping lanes – making it ideal for naval and airborne platforms, as well as land operations.

Airbus Defence and Space completed the move of the Skynet 5A military communications satellite to 95° East over the Asia Pacific region in September 2015. The relocation was initiated to extend the Skynet constellation’s coverage and services from 178 West to 163 East, including the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific region.

FREQUENCIES

245.800 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A
249.480 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A       
249.530 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A       
249.850 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A       
250.130 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A       
250.200 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A           
253.925 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A           
257.700 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A
261.200 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A       
261.275 MHz    NFM     Skynet 5A
 

BUILD A ANTENNA FOR SKYNET

HOW TO BUILD A OMNI SATCOM ANTENNA - CLICK HERE

ANOTHER INTERESTING SATCOM ANTENNA TO BUILD - CLICK HERE

SKYNET SPECS

Each Skynet 5 satellite is equipped with:

• High power 160W TWTAs on all transponders, giving 56 dBW peak EIRP in each transmit spot beam and 41 dBW peak EIRP in each global beam per transponder.
• 15 active transponders ranging in bandwidth from 20 MHz to 40 MHz
• Up to 9 UHF channels
• Multiple fully steerable downlink spot beams
• On Board Active Receive Antenna (OBARA) capable of generating multiple shaped uplink beams
• Flexible switching capability allowing connectivity between any uplink beam and at least two downlink beams
• Nuclear hardening, anti-jamming countermeasures and laser protection

NOTICE = As with all military communications, if you do hear something, keep it to yourself.
With the ever changing world we live in, certain comms are not for public ears... so don't be stupid and enjoy military monitoring as a hobby before it becomes something we can no longer do.

Don't forget to shout me a coffee (see link top right corner)... Keeps this site happening :)