Sydney Airport Frequencies

[Mark Skip]

I have the following frequencies for Sydney Airport YSSY. How come you only hear domestic flights, does anyone know the other frequencies for International?

Frequency (MHz) Use notes
120.500 Tower Clearance for all but the 3rd runway (16L/34R)
124.700 Tower 3rd Runway (16L/34R)
124.400 Approach This is a repeater: input is 128.3 Sometimes it workes the opposite way (ie.input is 124.4), sometimes they are completely independant.
The aircraft make contact when they about 65 miles distant.
126.100 Approach director The controller on 124.4 will send them here or to 125.3 when they have about 10 miles to go.
125.300 Approach Director The controller on 124.4 will send them here or to 126.1 when they have about 10 miles to go.
126.500 Ground Ground controls the planes whenever they are not flying or taking off or landing.
122.300 Ground
121.700 Ground
123.000 Departures North of the airport. All the controlled airspace in Sydney is controlled by Departures. Eg, Helicopters above Sydney Harbour, Planes flying North.
129.700 Departures South of the airport. Some exceptions may arise. Refer to the frequency that the controller assigns to the pilot as to what frequency they will be using.
126.250 Information Beacon Gives details of runways in use, weather and time checks (in Universal Time Coordinated), and landing and takeoff conditions. See below for more details.
121.500 International distress frequency Any mayday calls or general assistance requests will be made on this frequency. (anywhere in the world)

[ChrisG.]

126.250 Information Beacon Gives details of runways in use, weather and time checks (in Universal Time Coordinated), and landing and takeoff conditions

Otherwise known as the ATIS, ;)

And international aircraft use the exact same frequencies. You probably just aren't listening hard enough.

Chris

[Grahame Hutchison]

Mark,

The frequency list I have is at www.16Right.com in the Spotting / Frequencies menu item (includes Bankstown and Richmond).

[Nigel C]

122.300 Ground ?

Can't say I've heard this used in my nearly 10 years of listening to Syd Gnd for a living.

They do occasionally use 127.6 for the occasions where a start clearance is required, or if they want to speak to someone on a 'discreet' frequency without clogging up one of the normal Ground frequencies.
131.000 is used for ARFF to aircraft comms during an emergency.

[James Smith]

Frequency 122.3 was used many years ago for the international terminal movements, including start and pushback clearances. The controller was located in the small tower that used to be located in the "Y" intersection of the finger before the southern extension with Pier C was built.

This was when 121.7 was the only other ground frequency at Sydney and 126.5 took over all ground movements to the west of 16R. When Pier C was built the controller would not have had vision around to International 6 which must have led to its demise.

This must have been over 10 years ago as Pier C was built in the mid 1990s and operated for a few years before being revamped from a finger into a triangle shape prior to the 2000 Olympic Games.

I remember well standing at either end of the observation deck twiddling the dial of my manually operated Sony VHF radio trying to catch the start and pushback call on 122.3 of usually a 747. It used to wear out my right hand index finger and thumb! Thank goodness for digital scanners.

[Nigel C]

Ah, ok. That would have been the old SMCA or 'smacka' tower, as it was called. It was out of service before I started in 1999, although Ansett used a similar set-up at Sydney not long before their demise.

Thanks for the clarification James!

[Mark Skip]

Thanks for the responses. Much appreciated

[Mark D]

Frequency 122.3 was used many years ago for the international terminal movements, including start and pushback clearances. The controller was located in the small tower that used to be located in the "Y" intersection of the finger before the southern extension with Pier C was built.

Gawd I've been there longer than Nigel!

I used to work 122.3 a long long time ago. As has been said it was the SMCA (SMC(Apron)) or Smacka Tower, with jurisdiction only over the international aprons.
Access was fun as they wouldn't let us go out the finger on the arrival or departure levels so we went out on foot over the apron, dodging tugs and safety officers. Much more secure than walking through the departures level I'm sure....