It wasn’t just VHF and UHF airbands that enthusiasts listened to during the 1950’s and 1960’s but also the HF Aeronautical bands

This Nova-Tech advert from Flying Magazine December 1961 says their 4 band aircraft radio ‘Receives L.F. aircraft transmissions on 3023.5’

This Model 102 (Actually a Perdio Multiband 102) was advertised in 1964 as having Short Wave which received the Aeronautical band

Autocar Magazine Oct 23 1964 – Model 102

Frequency guides were not available in the 1960’s instead enthusiasts used RAF and USAF En-Route supplements. These are the HF frequencies published in the January 1965 United Kingdom RAF En-Route

U.S. Military Air Transport Service (MATS)

Popular Electronics Communications Handbook 1963

USAF Croughton Air-Ground Station was listed in USAF and RAF En-Route Supplements

In the RAF En-Route United Kingdom Oct 1959 edition it listed the following: Croughton Airways – 6730.5 (Weather Information), 13215.5

These articles from a US magazine called ‘Popular Electronics’ provide details on monitoring aircrafts on HF in the 1950’s

December 1955

August 1958

Guides from the 1980’s

Waters and Stanton Electronics (18-20 Main Road, Hockley, Essex)

HF Oceanic Airband Radio Supplement (No date)

HF Oceanic Airband Communications – 2nd Edition 1986

HF Oceanic Airband Communications – 3rd Edition 1987

HF Oceanic Airband Communications – 4th Edition 1989

Short Wave International Frequency Handbook – 1st Edition May 1993

Short Wave International Frequency Handbook – 2nd Edition Oct 1994

Short Wave International Frequency Handbook – 3rd Edition Oct 1997

In the 1993 Edition of the Short Wave International Frequency Handbook the author Bill Laver states ‘This replaces the eighth edition of the old titled “Short Wave Listener’s Confidential Frequency List” ‘

Peter Rouse (GU1DKD)

DPR Marketing & Sales (The World Of Transport, 37 Heath Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 4AW)

The Worldwide Aeronautical HF Radio Handbook – 1991

Cambridge Airadio Services (89 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 486, Boston, MA 02115

Worldwide Air Traffic Control – 2nd Edition 1984

Robert E. Evans

The Aeronautical Communications Handbook – 1st Edition May 1989

Worldwide Aeronautical Communications Frequency Directory – 1st Edition 1991

Worldwide Aeronautical Communications Frequency Directory – 2nd Edition 1994

Robert B. Grove

History of Shannon Radio

Aviation Communications Service 1936 – 1986

For a personal retrospective view please check out Colin McKeeman’s post here – https://swling.com/blog/2017/02/guest-post-colins-retrospective-on-monitoring-aeronautical-communications and Colin’s historical aeronautical HF logs https://banterops-aerohflog.blogspot.com/

Colin has also produced an excellent book called ‘A History Of The Birdlip Aeronautical Communication Complex 1940 – 2015’. You can order it directly from Colin by sending an email to downrange@eircom.net – The book costs £30 (including P&P to U.K. mainland addresses)

darren@airband-radio.co.uk