THE HISTORY OF SHORTWAVE RADIO IN AUSTRALIA

1926 - RAAF Communications - Laverton (Vic)

Home
Project Overview
1800s - Land Telegraphy
1874 - Guglielmo Marconi - a Tribute
1895 - Wireless Telegraphy
1901 - Wireless Telegraphy
1902 - Wireless Telegraphy in Australia
1904 - Australian Coastal Radio
1906 - Wireless Telephony
1912 - Melbourne Radio - VIM
1914 - Shortwave Wireless Telephony
1920s - Commercial Shortwave Telephony Development
1920s - Receivers
1920 - The huge RCA Longwave Station in New York
1920 - Wireless broadcasting in Australia
1920s - First shortwave stations in Victoria
1921 - Discovery of Shortwave Propagation
1921 - Koo Wee Rup (Victoria) Experimental Wireless Receiving Station
1923- Longwave Broadcasting in Australia
1923 - Evolution of Australian Domestic Radio
1924 - 3LO - Melbourne's Second Broadcaster
1924 - 3AR - Melbourne's first broadcaster
1924 - The Braybrook (Melbourne) Transmitting Site
1925 - First Shortwave Stations in Western Australia
1926 - First Shortwave Stations in New South Wales
1926 - RAAF Communications - Laverton (Vic)
1927 - Beam Wireless Worldwide
1927 - Beam Wireless from Australia
1928 - ABC Lyndhurst (Victoria)
1930 - AWA Receiving Station at La Perouse (Sydney)
1930 - AWA Radio Centre at Pennant Hills
1933 (to 1969) - Shortwave Radio Clubs in Australia
1936 - Ship Broadcaster - the MS Kanimbla
1939 - Belconnen Communications Station (Canberra)
1940 - RAAF Receiving Station at Werribee (Victoria)
1941 - RAAF Frognall (Melbourne)
1941 - ABC Brisbane
1942 - Army Wireless Chain - west of Melbourne
1942 - Dutch Stations in Australia
1943 - ABC Radio Australia - Shepparton (Victoria)
1943 - Army Shortwave HF Stations in Melbourne
1944 - ABC - Radio Australia - Looking Back
1945 - PMG Receiving Station - Highpark (Victoria)
1945 - Radio Australia - DXers Calling
1946 - Radio Australia - Communications Programs
1946 - VNG Time Signal Station
1948 - Radio Australia QSL Cards
1948 - ABC Sydney
1966 - ABC Cox Peninsula (Darwin)
1970 (to 2012) - Shortwave Radio Clubs in Australia
1975 - ABC Gnangara (Western Australia)
1975 - ABC Carnarvon (Western Australia)
1978 - Omega Navigation Station - Woodside (Victoria)
1985 - ABC Northern Territory
1989 - ABC Brandon (Queensland)
2003 - Private Shortwave Broadcasters
Timeline - Part One - 1839 to 1927
Timeline - Part Two - 1928 to 2012
SPECIAL - Licencing of Shortwave Broadcasters
SPECIAL - Radio Receivers for Shortwave
SPECIAL - Radio Monitoring as a Hobby
Epilogue
Bibliography, References and Resources
Links to the author's personal websites

lavertonnodate.jpg
Aerial view of Laverton base, 1950s

laverton1944freqcheckoftxer.jpg
1944 - checking transmitter

Background
In 1926, the RAAF(Williams) base at Laverton, in Melbourne's west, commenced. It was home to many RAAF operations, until its closure in 1994.
 
Thousands of visitors flocked to the base for the many Airshows held there.
 
Many of the buildings and hangers still stand, but a large part of the runway area land is now high densiity residential development in a new suburb called Williams Landing.
 
During WW2, the base was used as the Headquarters of the the RAAF's Melbourne Radio System, linked to other communications centres in Victoria, including "Frognall" in Canterbury and the Point Cook and Werribee bases.

Facilities at the base which were intoduced during WW2 included radio transmission, monitoring, interception, telegraphy, and  teletype.

In 1961, the base became home for the RAAF School of Radio.

Closure
On closure in 1994, much of the equipment was sold at public auction - some was transferred to the RAAF Museum at nearby Point Cook Base.

(The equipment photos are acknowledged to the Australian War Memorial)
 
 

lavertonraaf1944transmittingsection.jpg
1944 - transmitting section

laverton1944transmitters.jpg
1944 - transmitters

lavertonraaf1944radioequipment.jpg
1944 - radio equipment

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