When we didn't have Comm. Satellites what did we have?

[4bee]

We had Beam Wireless. A fascinating look at a lesser known Communications Method.

TETNEY BEAM STATION (http://tetneybeamstation.blogspot.com/)

[Saitch]

171719

[travelrover]

171719

Loved that show…

[p38arover]

We had Beam Wireless. A fascinating look at a lesser known Communications Method.

TETNEY BEAM STATION (http://tetneybeamstation.blogspot.com/)

OTC, the company I worked for, had beam wireless (HF radio stations in Sydney (Doonside transmit - now Sydney Zoo) and receive at Bringelly), Melbourne (Fiskville (Ballan) - named after AWA's Sir Ernest Fisk - became the CFA site) and Rockbank(it was in the movie, On the Beach); Perth (Applecross and Bassendean). Transmit and receive stations were well separated.

I have worked at Doonside and Bringelly

There were also submarine telegraph (no voice) cables out of Oz, e.g., out of Cottesloe, Surfers Paradise, Sydney, Darwin, etc.

In the early Sixties, we brought analogue submarine cables that could handle voice calls and data into service, e.g., Compac Cable (Sydney (Paddington)-Auckland-Fiji-Hawaii-Vancouver). Later there was SEACOM Cairns-Madang-Guam-Hong Kong-Malaysia-Singapore, then TASMAN Cable (Sydney (Broadway)-Norfolk Island-Auckland (I was manager Norfolk 1990-93) but had also worked on COMPAC and TASMAN.

In 1966, Carnarvon Satellite Earth Station opened to provide comms for NASA ( I worked there 1971-72)
In 1968, Moree Satellite Earth Station opened (I worked there 1968-69)
In 1969, Ceduna Satellite Earth Station opened (I worked there 1969-71)
Oxford Falls (Sydney) and Gnangara (Perth) came later - I never worked there.

[4bee]

OTC, the company I worked for, had beam wireless (HF radio stations in Sydney (Doonside transmit - now Sydney Zoo) and receive at Bringelly), Melbourne (Fiskville (Ballan) - named after AWA's Sir Ernest Fisk - became the CFA site) and Rockbank(it was in the movie, On the Beach); Perth (Applecross and Bassendean). Transmit and receive stations were well separated.

I have worked at Doonside and Bringelly

There were also submarine telegraph (no voice) cables out of Oz, e.g., out of Cottesloe, Surfers Paradise, Sydney, Darwin, etc.

In the early Sixties, we brought analogue submarine cables that could handle voice calls and data into service, e.g., Compac Cable (Sydney (Paddington)-Auckland-Fiji-Hawaii-Vancouver). Later there was SEACOM Cairns-Madang-Guam-Hong Kong-Malaysia-Singapore, then TASMAN Cable (Sydney (Broadway)-Norfolk Island-Auckland (I was manager Norfolk 1990-93) but had also worked on COMPAC and TASMAN.

In 1966, Carnarvon Satellite Earth Station opened to provide comms for NASA ( I worked there 1971-72)
In 1968, Moree Satellite Earth Station opened (I worked there 1968-69)
In 1969, Ceduna Satellite Earth Station opened (I worked there 1969-71)
Oxford Falls (Sydney) and Gnangara (Perth) came later - I never worked there.


I recall reading about another Beam Station in from Sydney towards the Blue Mountains which was previously a WW2 Emergency Landing Ground but taken over at War's End for the Beam Station. Can't recall whether it was Receive or a Transmit Site.

Like most things, technology moves on & your gear was preferred, less costly, speed of transmitting & much clearer to view etc.

When as a Kid I also recall Newspaper Photos being labeling their method of Transmission & usually something like "By Wireless from Britain" or wherever else. Trying to imagine how a photo could be sent around the world was not understood back then & certainly not by me. I mean a photo is an actual solid thing, right? Wrong. Of course nowadays we do it all the time with equipment that would fit into a Schoolbag or smaller & normally we don't think too much about how it is Sent or Received so long as it is.

[ramblingboy42]

What were the microwave tx/rx towers connected across Australia used for?

[Tote]

Double post...

[Tote]

Later generation of transmission of telephone and other data including analogue television (and Telstra porn on occasion I believe). I'm sure Ron will chip in with more accurate info

Regards,
Tote

[4bee]

Later generation of transmission of telephone and other data including analogue television (and Telstra porn on occasion I believe). I'm sure Ron will chip in with more accurate info

Regards,
Tote


That is what I understood they were used for. Line of sight locations across & around Australia. TELSTRA still have a Micro Tower up the hill from us from where the "dishes' point across to Murray Bridge where the signal is directed in both directions but always to high points.


North Dish either goes to Port Wakefield or Port Augusta South/East Dish points to Vic. & or NSW They are usually in multiples of 2 or 3 dishes.

This post for instance, could be very well be transmitted through the Towers to one near Inc's. Server. & then on to you & everybody else. Maybe Satellite is involved as well.

Some years ago a contractor ran an underground Fibre Optic cable through our back garden & over the hills to around Australia --------- Perth to Brisvegas I think I was told it was for Banks but reading between the lines I got the impression it was also for Defence & Govt. use but obviously nobody was saying owt. About the time the Fibre Optic was laid a huge Satt.dish was removed from the TELSTRA site on the Mount nearby which one reasonably assumed was the forerunner of the FO & therefore redundant.

[PhilipA]

In Saudi Arabia in the 80's we used LORAN for navigation.
The trip organiser in Riyadh had a system in his car and it worked off a number of beacons .
It was a USA installed defence system.

loran navigation - Google Search (https://www.google.com/search?q=loran+navigation&sxsrf=ALeKk03kJ93B-oYeGtu2xSxxIPld5uxwYw%3A1624670022036&source=hp&ei=Rn_WYMUH0bjxA_bCgMgM&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYNaNVjXSzkVV_RoNL9vrTDqr9pxEofT J&oq=LORAN+navigation&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBgg AEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeM gYIABAWEB46BAgjECc6BQguEJECOgsILhDHARCvARCRAjoICAA QsQMQgwE6BQgAELEDOg4ILhCxAxCDARDHARCjAjoICC4QsQMQg wE6CAguEMcBEKMCOgsILhCxAxDHARCjAjoFCC4QsQM6DQguELE DEMcBEKMCEAo6CAguEMcBEK8BOgIILjoECC4QCjoQCC4QsQMQx wEQowIQChCTAjoICAAQFhAKEB5QjwVYkzxgnHloAHAAeAGAAc0 FiAG2K5IBDTAuMy41LjMuMi4yLjGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=gws-wiz)

Regards PhilipA

[JDNSW]

Pretty well covered above. Prior to 1872 communications with the rest of the world (and within Australia, pretty much, was by letter, carried by ship, or within Australia by horse, coach, river steamer, or later railway). From 1872 direct telegrams were possible from all capital cities to most parts of the world.

Telegrams became available within much of Australia from the 1850s, and remained the long distance instant messaging system of choice into the 1950s. They were supplemented by telex from the 1920s. Telephones came to Australia around 1900, but were primarily local services only until the 1920s when long distance (trunk) calls became possible, but expensive. Few homes had telephones until after WW2.

Overseas telephone calls became possible (using HF radio) in the 1920s, but were hugely expensive, poor quality and had to be booked in advance.

In the 1960s direct dialling of long distance calls became possible, at least for some people, and I think the last manual phone exchange was closed in 1973(?), although I can remember having to book long distance calls from Surat in Qld in 1978.

As noted above, voice capable cables were introduced from the 1960s, and good quality overseas calls became possible, if expensive. From the 1970s, cheaper long distance phone calls and the proliferation of home phones led rapidly to the eclipse of telegrams, and they died altogether by the 1990s.

Satellite communications meant affordable overseas phone calls from the 1990s, around the same time as the internet came to Australia, helped by the fibre optic cables being laid which rapidly replaced satellites for both telecommunications and internet.

[Tote]

The last manual exchange was Wanaaring and it was closed in December 1991

Regards,
Tote

[JDNSW]

Thanks, I think the 1973 must have been the exchange here!