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On the Airbands
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Numerous avid readers of Airbands in NSW have written to me requesting the frequencies used by Balloon Aloft who fly from Camden Airport.
Flying is conducted very early while temperatures are low and conditions calm, with inflations usually taking place around 6am local. If the Tower is not open by the time the Aeronauts take to the air, communications are limited to balloon-to-balloon and balloon-to-chase vehicle on 123. 45 MHz. Hand-held portables are used in all cases, ICOM A20s I’m told, which have a transmit frequency range of 118 to 135. 975 MHz. When the Tower is open, calls are made by balloons to obtain clearance for takeoff in the normal manner. Prior to Tower opening, all takeoffs are made with an all stations call on FIS area frequency 121. 1 MHz.
Two other companies also operate from Camden, Balloon Sunrise and Balloon Flights Australia. Standard operational procedure appears to show pilots preferring to take two portables in each basket aloft with the passengers to avoid losing contact in case one radio goes U/S. Due to the low altitudes usually flown and the low output power (5 watts maximum) of the ICOM portables, don’t expect to hear too much activity many kilometres from the action. If you want to listen to the balloons, go and have a look as well. It makes for a very enjoyable early morning start. 27 Megahertz CB equipment is also carried by chase cars, so if you have a 27 MHz set in your vehicle, switch across the channels and you should be able to zero in on the frequency in use that day! * * * Enquiries continue regarding my own personal vehicular setup for airband reception. I have had numerous scanners in the car, some mounted, some hand-held. My RV Tarago is equipped with magnetic base antenna, cigarette lighter power cord and two hand-helds, a Cobra SR-15 and a Realistic PRO-34. If I’m venturing near military airfields, I slip in my Realistic PRO-2004 base type scanner which has the extra frequencies. Performance from all three is excellent. At home, a Saiko SC-7000 scanner and Yaesu FAG-7700 with tuning unit sets off the station nicely. Write to me and tell me about your receivers and include a photo if you wish. We can perhaps run the better ones in these pages.
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