...SOMERTON PARK LISTENING STATION WAS A 24/7 OPERATION...
Our latest member of the group, known here as '73', not only has a strong connection to the Somerton Man case, but he is also an experienced radio man. In this post, he provides us with valuable information regarding the operation of the Somerton Park Listening Post and shows how and when they became involved with Australian Security Services.
The following is an extract from a document, it contains the names of those involved but I have obscured them to maintain their and their descendant's privacy.
Somerton Park Monitoring Operations:
Under the auspices of Australian Security Services, operating 24/7, a specialist team of four men started monitoring operations in 1942, using Hallicrafters receivers. Their duty was to listen to specific frequencies, record stations, and report any suspicious activities. Messages with five-letter ciphers were forwarded for decoding by experts.Unusual Message Intercepted:
In the summer of 1942, the team intercepted a message that didn't conform to the usual five-letter groups. After decoding, it turned out to be the names of boats in Port Adelaide and Outer Harbour spelled backward. The purpose behind this message remained unclear.Contribution to the Sydney Harbour Attack:
The team also detected an unusual signal resembling a homing signal in May 1942. This signal coincided with a subsequent attack on Sydney Harbour by three midget submarines. The team's reports contributed to understanding the events.
Understanding High Frequencies:
This article highlights the importance of understanding high frequencies, skip distances, and ground waves in monitoring activities. The Adelaide team was instructed to listen on specific frequencies during certain time slots covering the 24/7 operations
Diplomatic Messages:
The team intercepted diplomatic messages originating in Berlin and destined for Tokyo but relayed via a delayed relay in Burma. The Melbourne authorities commended the team's work, recognizing its significance.
Secrecy of War:
Detailed stories of such operations were not shared during the secrecy of war. Recollections, documented years later, provide valuable insights into the team's contributions to monitoring illicit transmissions and enemy signals. Some events remain unpublished.
It is not known when the installation ceased it's monitoring operations.
It is hoped that we will be able to provide more information on this subject, please check in again over the coming weeks.
Of note is that the operators at the listening station in Somerton Park, were all volunteers, amateur radio enthusiasts.
ReplyDeleteThey had these volunteer listening posts in each capital city and the military had their own listening posts,
ReplyDeleteWrong thread but couldn't find the right one. What's the story on the secret fob pocket in the man's trousers?
ReplyDeleteOK, it's a never ending story for some. The first post on the subject was made here in 2016, in fact it may have been earlier. But here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttps://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2022/06/somerton-man-mystery-secret-fob-pocket.html
Most of the material came from Gerry Feltus's book the Unknown Man and also from a pdf document you'll find linked to the post above.
The pocket itself was in the inside waistband of the trousers. According to Gerry that was common place but according to Professor Cleland it was hard to find, he makes a specific point of that in his documents. So we have two comments both from respected individuals and whilst they appear to conflict, they actually don't. Gerry says that pockets on the inside of of trousers waistbands were common. Professor Cleland says that this fob pocket was a hard to find one, therefore two different types of pockets. The answer probably lies in the pages of the ebook link where it is mentioned that some pockets were made to specific customer orders. Such pockets were sometimes referred to as 'secret pockets' and given that the professor refers to it as a hard to find pocket the term is understandable.
This is a question that's been brought up before and the answer remains the same, it won't be changing.
DAVID MORGAN Have you seen this link? It gives the correct date of the sinking of the Rohna: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/sinking-hmt-rohna
ReplyDelete