RAYDIST
RAYDIST INSTALLATION
AT BROOME IN 1965
Photo: Maurie Miller (MM19)
Dave
Bland recalls the Raydist system as follows:
"The job we were doing was for an American company by the name of
(I think) 'Offshore Raydist'. They had three ground radio stations, one
up the Fly River in New Guinea, one on an island about half way to New
Guinea and one at the top of Cape York. We had receiving equipment in
the Hudson, operated by two technicians from the American company. The
idea of all this was to fly low over a ship out at sea that was doing
a seismic survey of the ocean bed, I suspect looking for oil. When we
were overhead the ship, the gear in the aircraft then gave the ship's
position very accurately. We did this, I seem to remember, about twice
a day."
The above illustration was provided by Maurie Miller. It depicts a Raydist
installation at Broome in 1965 in support of offshore operations by DC-3
VH-AGU. There were apparently two antennae at each of three stations which
enabled precise navigation by triangulation methods. Raydist was evidently
a forerunner of Aerodist which was an aircraft
based system.
The following additional notes were contributed by Trevor Sheffield:
"I was the only trained Raydist Technician working for Adastra (and
I was Advance Scout in WA). I was trained by Jess Boots Wilkins. The Americans
had ship based Raydist up in the Islands but Adastra was the only airborne
unit (DC-3 VH-AGU). The equipment was leased from Hastings Raydist Corp
for some enormous sum (over $1000 per month) and consisted of transmitters
and 110 foot aerials at each of two ground stations. The aircraft received
the signals from both ground stations and via some wonderful valve operated
gear was able to determine exactly where it was when the magnetometer
readings were taken. The aircraft flew out 200 mile, down half a mile
(I think) and back 200 miles so forming boxes 200 miles by 200 miles.
I could go on and on about the siting via trig points, the power via little
four stroke alternators and the battery charging systems and the fact
that we used dacron rope and the Americans used stainless cable which
is why our ground station aerials didn't fall over during cyclones - well,
not too far."
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