Honeysuckle Creek: Installation footage

Honeysuckle Creek Equipment Installation

In addition to the erection of the Honeysuckle Creek antenna, the Operations Building and the Powerhouse, much equipment needed to be installed.

Here’s the beginnings of a page on the installation.

The Collins Radio team

Collins Radio had the contract to build and install the stations of the Manned Space Flight Network.

Ray Cox, supervisor of the Collins Radio team that installed all the USB equipment, with his left hand on the ball tracker that controls the antenna movements. The station staff worked and trained with the Collins men.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay.

Collins Radio team leader Ray Cox at the Servo console.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2023 negative scan: Colin Mackellar.

Collins Radio team leader Ray Cox is presented with a (parting?) gift by Honeysuckle’s Charlie Howe.

Honeysuckle’s Bruce Cameron and Bernard Smith are at right.

Is this in the Test Equipment Workshop? If so, the USB area is through the window, and the wall on the right through the window divides USB from Telemetry. (That wall was later removed.)

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2023 negative scan: Colin Mackellar.

Bruce Cameron apparently proposes a toast.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2023 negative scan: Colin Mackellar.

Ray Cox’s gift appears to be a carving.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2023 negative scan: Colin Mackellar.

Collins Radio team member Gene Crouse.

Polaroid photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2023 scan by Colin Mackellar.

Collins Radio RF Engineer Steve Randles – part of the Collins Radio installation team – relaxing in front of the Tracking Data Processor.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan: Colin Mackellar.

See Hamish’s “Early scenes” for the other photos on that roll.

112A Intercom

The 112A Key Intercom system was a key part of the in-station equipment.

Frank Barrow directed the AWA 112A Intercom equipment installation team at Honeysuckle (as well as at Carnarvon and the upgrade at Tidbinbilla).

Frank Barrow at Honeysuckle Creek.

He is standing in the car park of the Powerhouse. The lawn behind him is yet to be established, and the temporary water supply tank is on the stand at right. The mast of the WWV antenna is visible on this side of the 85 foot (26 metre) dish.

The photo looks to have been taken not too long after Ian Hahn’s photo, which does not show the WWV antenna.

112A key relays.

Photo: Frank Barrow.

The painstaking work of wiring the 112A system.

Large, Larger.

Photo: Frank Barrow.

The Honeysuckle antenna during construction.

Photo: Frank Barrow.