Great Aust Bight Beacon ???

[VK2KRR]

Have to ask, what is the possibility of building a floating, solar beacon, to be placed in the middle of the Great Australian Bight ??

Location, about 250 Km south of Eucla would be good.

Firstly, if we could get a floating bouy, and install a beacon, antenna etc, is it legal to place it in the Great Australian Bight? How can we organise permission if it is possible?

If its not legal to place it out there, then there is no point asking any further questions.

[VK3AIF]

I dunno about the legalities it may even be outside Australian territorial waters at that distance but some of the things to consider would be:-

How you gunna get it there?

How you gunna hold it there?

It would be an expensive exercise yeah?

How you going to maintain it?

It would need a flashing light and a radar target at least and it still might get run over.

On the up side, license fees might be cheap and it would be a handy jigger no doubt. I wonder if there are any Amateur floating buoys elsewhere in the world?

[VK1MA]

I dunno about the legalities it may even be outside Australian territorial waters at that distance but some of the things to consider would be:-

How you gunna get it there?

How you gunna hold it there?

It would be an expensive exercise yeah?

How you going to maintain it?

It would need a flashing light and a radar target at least and it still might get run over.

On the up side, license fees might be cheap and it would be a handy jigger no doubt. I wonder if there are any Amateur floating buoys elsewhere in the world?

Territorial waters is only 12 nautical miles from the territorial baseline (essentially the coastline), so yes it would be way outside Australian terittorial waters - although it would be within our EEZ - whatever impact that may have on the legal aspects (I think it owuld mean it would be outside of the legal side, but not totally sure).

It has been a long time since I have looked at a chart for that area, but looking at google earth, 250km south of Eucla is on the edge of the continental shelf, with a depth of almost 3000 metres (yes 3km). This would mean that it is not a simple evolution to put a bouy with a couple of batteries, a couple of panels, some low powered transmitters and some antennas out there. And yes, I expect that there would need to be warning lights, radar reflectors, about 4000m of metres of anchor cable, a sizeable mooring point (would probably need to be in the tens of tons at a minimum given the need to hold it against the drag effect of the beacon and the anchor cable) and a variety of other costs.

Seas in that area can get extremely rough (really really unpleasant) and would mean that any beacon bouy would be fairly expensive as it would need to be be heavily overengineered to stand a reasonable chance of surviving more than a couple of months. Periodical servicing may be needed - and would need to be factored in. The most significant costs here are transport to get out there - sounds easy I mean it is only 250km? - well you would be looking at a reasonable sized vessel (particularly to conduct the initial deployment of the rather heavy anchor point), thousands of dollars in fuel alone - let alone charter costs and the like.

Conceptually a nice idea, but just not practical unfortunately (unless you win tattslotto tomorrow night!).



Matt
VK1MA

[VK2KRR]

Matt & 3AIF

Thanks your for your response. Matt thats the kind of answers im looking for, thank you. Interesting.
Be a great group project........

[VK2KRR]

Just thinking again. If its to hard/expensive to get a Bouy Beacon in the water, I wonder if it would be possible to install a beacon/s at Eucla on land?
Again there is the travelling aspect for maintenance etc I know.

Why I was intersted in the Bouy Beacon, was that it would be unique and also as its in the middle of the Bight Path (approx) from Adeialde to Esp/Alb, would be really interesting to see how often it would be heard.

[VK1MA]

Just thinking again. If its to hard/expensive to get a Bouy Beacon in the water, I wonder if it would be possible to install a beacon/s at Eucla on land?
Again there is the travelling aspect for maintenance etc I know.

Why I was intersted in the Bouy Beacon, was that it would be unique and also as its in the middle of the Bight Path (approx) from Adeialde to Esp/Alb, would be really interesting to see how often it would be heard.

Hi Leigh, now that would be a much easier alternative to an oddshore beacon! If there is an amateur already in the Eucla area then all easy (well that is if they are willing to help out). If not, getting a site, then installation, servicing and maintenance become issues - probably not an insignificant cost unless one of the participants in the beacon plan regularly drives through that area.

Apart from curiosity, is there a significant benefit to be gained from such a beacon project? Are you thinking about being able to figure out that there is half way propagation more frequently (would make sense I guess) or more as an indication that propagation in that direction is on the improve before it makes it all the way across. My thoughts on beacons are that they should be sited where there are operators (I think we all hate being able to hear a beacon yet nobody in its locality is active!).


Matt
VK1MA

[VK2KRR]

Well this dream has pretty much now come true with the advent and discovery of the Marine AIS ship tracking beacons

The ships transmit either a 12 or 2 watt signal depending on the ship size as to which type of transponder they require.
Most of us use http://www.marinetraffic.com to monitor what other stations are hearing, such as from VK5AKK and VK6DZ and others.

The information is proving quite interesting.

VK5AKK past 3 hour AIS - http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/defaul ... points=146

VK6DZ past 3 hour AIS - http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/defaul ... points=874