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Bill's Site
This page is
intended to share with others my interests in radio and other things.
After having begun radio listening as a hobby back in the early 60's my
actual listening now has shrunk to a very low amount. My active radio
interests are aeronautical and TV/FM broadcast DX as well as limited
miscellaneous VHF scanning, but even these interests are sporadic. For every
topic here there are people here in the Maritimes who are more active and
knowledgeable than I am. But I hope that my pages are of interest,
especially for those new to these aspects of the radio hobby. Thank you to so many of you for your contributions to the Maritimes Scanning Site over the past ten years, with the highest honours in the formative years going to Al and Matt, and later Nick in particular but with quite a few others that were steady correspondents and contributors for at least a while. Sorry I cannot name you all, and some of you would not want to be named! The project was a great source of enjoyment to me and I hope useful to you. I remain interested in scanning in general but now do not listen much, and and am no longer able to maintain up-to-date informational pages. I still welcome questions and comments re any aspect of the hobby via: marscan1 AT canada.com
HMCS Restigouche: Now lying
at the bottom of the ocean off Acapulco, Mexico. |
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Search Industry Canada's TAFL |
Hepburn's DX Information Centre, including predictions for tropospheric ducting. If you are looking for a lift, this is where to go! |
Halifax weather Halifax Radar from Environment Canada |
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Bill's Aeronautical Listening Pages I have the double interest of radio and aircraft! During my long daily commute I pass by Halifax airport and this band is my most-listened aspect of radio. Others in the Halifax area are even more into this than I am! Start here: General outline of the Aero Scene in the Halifax area and the Maritimes.
Aero
Frequency List for the Maritimes compiled by Bill Aero Call Signs List What airline is Jetlink 2851 and other questions answered. Timetable of scheduled flights in and out of Halifax Stanfield International. Current March 2010. compiled by Bill. Out of date the minute it is compiled but mostly accurate! Steep and Fast: Departures from Halifax Learn about the sequence of events on departure, about reporting points, and see the frequency maps of the Maritimes.
Approaches to Halifax. (Read the departures page first) A basic guide to inbound flights and those weird clearances such as to ODKAS and VOKIL, and what is ILS and a localizer back course?? Also includes a map of major reporting points. With more to follow.
Runway designations. What does Runway 35 really mean? and why did the designations at Halifax change a while back? Read all about runways here.
Civil registration marks such as C-GBDF and N234TF. Favourite Aero Links www.flightaware.com Flightaware is wonderful. You can check on flights in and out of any airport in various ways. Check it out. I use it a lot!
Canadian Aeronautical Communications Website, which covers the country with frequency information, along with airline fleet lists, and a log of unusual aircraft movements in the Ontario area.
YYZ News. Despite its YYZ (Toronto) title, this approximately weekly digest covers aeronatautical news from across Canada. Keep in touch with what airlines serving Canada are planning and doing, and as other air industry news
VATCAN Moncton This is one of many sites from around the world established for the benefit of serious flight simulation enthusiasts. This site provides airport maps, along with diagrams of standard approaches and departures at the major airports in the Maritimes, all of which originate in Nav Canada publications and reproduced superbly at the simulator site. Nav Canada's Airport Diagram Site. See a chart of practically any significant airport in Canada.
Link to LiveATC.net (aero) live streaming many areas of the world
Airliners.net This site is a fantastic treasure trove of aircraft photos. I visit it frequently. Search on it by entering CYHZ and you will be rewarded by photos taken at Halifax. New ones by great local photographers are frequently added. U.S. Military Aerial Refueling Track over Nova Scotia. Aircraft are routinely refueled over Nova Scotia. Tankers from throughout the NE USA rendezvous with military aircraft in this area, and can be heard on civil low and high ATC frequencies, and on their own UHF air-to-air frequencies as shown on this chart. This chart shows track AR-20 commencing in the SW; however this could be reversed.
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Bill's VHF Marine Band and Weatheradio Listening Pages I don't really listen a lot to the marine band these days, except when I am near the ocean, but when I am it is a must! Start here for a description of the VHF marine band, especially in relation to Canada, and a channel by channel guide to this region.
Marine and Weather Radio Links
CCG Radio Aids to Marine Navigation
now called "All Hazards Radio"
NOAA's
Charts of the US Coasts,
Port of Halifax website, with daily berthing and sailing reports
Shipfax - shipping news blog from Halifax Tugfax - tugs blog from Halifax Armchair Captain - another Halifax shipping blog Shipspotting.com a worldwide ship photo site Hurricane Havens Handbook - descriptions of many ports along the Atlantic coast including an interesting description of Halifax |
Bill's Broadcast Listening
Pages I have just recently installed a UB-33 High VHF/UHF television antenna and amp, aimed at the US eastern seaboard, and hope to catch some American digital signals DX. The nearest station is over 300 km away from me. A long shot but let's see what happens! So far zippo! You ought to see Bill Hepburn's shots of tv signals he has received.. fantastic.. see link at top centre. AM, FM, TV Start here
Sorry,
I do not cover international shortwave broadcasting!
Current
list of FM broadcast stations in the
Maritimes and
Broadcast Links
TVFool. See what the closest tv stations to you are, with distances and azimuth, and more. Meant as an aid to DTV reception but great for DX'ers
Northeast Radio Watch. Scott Fybush's weekly roundup of all happenings in NE USA and in Ontario and east in Canada. Excellent!
Recent Broadcast Decisions from the CRTC Northwest Broadcasters (AM, FM, TV developments and Lists from the Seattle/Vancouver area) (I am from there, that's why!)
Ontario DX Association. The #1 Canada-oriented shortwave
listeners club, but there may be some AM and VHF info here too. Worldwide TV-FM DX Association (WTFDA) This is the top club for those interested in TV, FM and related DX'ing...including up to the minute forums on ducting and other skip phenomena)
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Amateur Radio in the Halifax and Surrounding area I am not very active in
amateur radio but there is always the hope for the future. Some Links of Interest (most of these in turn link to other sites) Halifax Amateur Radio Club (HARC) Paul's VE1DY Website with its own links Ron's VE1CRA website, again with many useful links |
Sections on VHF systems of interest to me NS IMRS Nova Scotia's obsolescent VHF grid. This is mostly a historical page, but parts of the system still operate. NS Fire Dept frequencies and systems
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Webcams of particular interest to me Highway Conditions and Weather
NS
Highway Webcams index page
Lake Charlotte Webcam Highway 7 Bedford/Sackville Interchange Highway 102 close to home
Halifax Harbour: Harbour and Halifax from Dartmouth side Pier 21 showing cruise ships (if any) Harbour..looking out to entrance
Halifax Stanfield International Airport: Halifax Aiport: a view from the terminal towards jct 05 and 14
Close to where grew up: Parksville Beach, Vancouver Island:
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Bill's Miscellaneous Radio and Other Interests Links and Pages Canada's VHF bandplan Bill's Atlas of NS showing radio sites Calculating bearings and distances Bill's Call Letters page. A peculiar fascination of mine Codes used in radio.. ten, Q, CW etc Historical about the old Mobile Telephone Service and the introduction of the cell phone Listening to the Railways of the Maritimes Non-radio: Bill's links for non-radio hobbies Bill's Driving Instruction Website Where I currently work.. DMHS
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