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Huge VLF Transmission Site at Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:11 pm
by slipknot
Hi all
Ive noticed up at exmouth theres a giant HF transmit site. looking on google maps i managed to see at least hf broadcast towers and looking on the ACMA database I saw about 70 HF freqnecies regitered. The amount of towers they would need to transmitt that many frequencies simutainiusly is amazing. But im not sure what its for, all i know is its oned by the department of defence and its mainly transmitting telemetry.

Anyone else heard of this place?

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:16 pm
by yorky
Do you have a link to the database or the google link?

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:35 pm
by Blinky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Comm ... ld_E._Holt

The Exmouth 2 metre repeater use to be located up near the top of Tower Zero at around the 1000ft level. No longer there, the repeater I mean, the tower is still there.

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:38 pm
by slipknot
Gee thats unbeliveable, the towers are even taller then the one up at the NBS site in hamersly.
But im sure i saw another site somewhere else even bigger, still trying to find it.

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 4:26 pm
by meg
This one is still the tallest in the southern hemisphere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLF_Transmitter_Woodside

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:02 pm
by slipknot
meg wrote:This one is still the tallest in the southern hemisphere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLF_Transmitter_Woodside
ahh thanks meg.
wow, now thats huge

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:28 pm
by Nick
Some of the towers are upside down and bigger. It is primarily a base to talk to submarines on VLF

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:50 pm
by slipknot
Makes sense now, cheers Nick, I guess there would need to be alot of power to be able to talk under water, actuly that wikipedia article suggests it also enables them to talk to the US or something.

http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/site_ ... pOFFSET=50


if you type this in to google maps youl see it too -22 20 0 114 3 0

in fact ive found multiple huge sites around the exmouth area, the on el iated above oviously dosnt llok as big from google maps as big as the zero tower milatary base blinky mentioned but has much more freqencies ??? I could be mistaken

Theres alot of sites named after harrold holt as well, that wikipedia article mentions a little bit about it too. apparatnly one of the transmitters is 1000kw , they say its the most powerful transmitter in the sothern hemisphere.

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:46 pm
by auntys_eyes
Formerly the 'Harold E Holt' military communications base. Set up as a joint Australian/United States communications facility primarily for submarine communications. Operated by the US until 1993 when control was handed to Australia. In 2002 the facilty was sold to a private contractor operated under the Department of Defence.

Re: Huge HF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:08 pm
by VK6ZMS
The towers in a circle around the main one help form a capacity hat.

Re: Huge LF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:21 pm
by WPXZBP
Thread title has been edited to ensure correctness.

Re: Huge LF Transmition Site Exmouth

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:25 pm
by Nafenn
Note to Self: Don't hit that on the way back from Broome :)

Re: Huge VLF Transmission Site at Exmouth

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:46 pm
by dlcat1
Slipknot,

I know almost nothing about radio, but if Mr Clancy can be believed, the signal is picked up by a trailing floating wire on the submarines.

Re: Huge VLF Transmission Site at Exmouth

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:46 pm
by auntys_eyes
dlcat1 wrote:...the signal is picked up by a trailing floating wire on the submarines.
A 'Bouyant Wire Antenna System' is one of the many antennas installed on modern submarines. This document from Lockheed Martin Sippican explains the Bouyant Wire Antenna;

http://www.sippican.com/stuff/contentmg ... system.pdf

Re: Huge VLF Transmission Site at Exmouth

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:29 pm
by dlcat1
auntys_eyes wrote:.... This document from Lockheed Martin explains the Bouyant Wire Antenna;

http://www.sippican.com/stuff/contentmg ... system.pdf

Thanks :)