Tidbinbilla

Tidbinbilla – DSS-43

The 64 m antenna (which became the 70m antenna)

DSS-43 (“Ballima”) at Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex.
This huge 70 metre antenna began life as a 64 metre dish.

Photo: Bill Wood, July 2004.

The commencement of construction – 2nd December 1969

A ceremony was held and plaque unveiled to mark the start of construction.

(This set of photos, taken on the day, was kept by Clive Jones and was passed on by John Heath.
They were scanned by Mike Dinn. Clive was the station’s first Facilities Engineer)

Dr. William Pickering, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (front) and Dr George E. Mueller, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight (left), with the plaque.
The Australian Minister for Supply, Ken Anderson, is in the background.

The plaque.

The gathering addressed by Dr. William Pickering.

In the front row (second from left) is Dr George E. Mueller, on his left is the US Ambassador, then Allan Cooley (the Secretary of the Department of Supply).

Ian Homewood (Dept of Supply, Projects Branch) is standing just behind the man in the front row on the right hand side.

Don Gray (Station Director) is standing at the right in the dark suit, and Bob Cudmore is at the far right hand edge of the picture.

The Apollo wing is in the background.

At a meeting at Tidbinbilla the same day –

From left to right:
Eric Donnelly (Support Services Manager) is just visible through the door; Frank Northey leaning next to the door (Frank was Tid Deputy Director responsible for DSS43, ex Cooby Creek Deputy Director); Walt Larkin (seated. Walt was the first Manager of the Goldstone complex), Bob Leslie (seated).

Willam Pickering (addressing the meeting) and Don Gray – both standing.

With his back to the camera – between Bob Leslie and William Pickering – is Jeff Newnham (Senior Instrumentation Engineer).

(with thanks to Mike Dinn for help in identifying.)

The new Tidbinbilla 64m antenna during construction.

Photo taken by Tom Sheehan, April 1971.

Construction has progressed in this photo taken in October 1971.

Photo: Colin Mackellar.

A longer view, with the Tidbinbilla operations building and the 26 metre DSS-42 antenna in the distance.

Photo: Colin Mackellar, October 1971.

DSS-43 during construction.

Aerial photo – scanned by Mike Dinn.
Click image for a larger photo, of here for the largest image.

DSS-43 during construction.

Aerial photo – scanned by Mike Dinn.
Click image for a larger photo, of here for the largest image.

DSS-43 was constructed by Collins Radio between 1969 and 1972 as a 64m (210 foot) antenna.

Although it was designed to be a deep space antenna, its first operational role was to support Apollo 17 in December 1972. (See Mike Dinn’s DSS43 Support Plan – 190kb PDF)

The antenna was extended to 70m diameter in 1987, to support the Voyager II encounter with Neptune. It is now the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere.

The antenna weighs more than 3000 tonnes and has a surface area of 4180 square metres on a Azimuth—Elevation mount. The surface of the reflector is accurate to 0.5mm, and the antenna has a pointing accuracy of 0.005°.

Transmitting frequencies are: X band (7145–7190 MHz) S band (2025–2120 MHz)
Receiving frequencies are: X band (8400–8500 MHz) S band (2270–2300 MHz) L band (1626–1708 MHz) K band (12.5 GHz) Ku band (18–26 GHz).

The antenna was opened by Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in April 1973.

Mike Dinn’s invitation to the official opening of DSS-43.

Scan: Mike Dinn.

When it was built, it was decided to give each antenna at Tid an Aboriginal name. The 64m was named “Ballima”, meaning “very far away”, and the original 26m antenna was called “Weemala”, meaning “a distant view”.

DSS-43 at left, and DSS-42 behind the Operations Building in the mid 1970s.

The building at right is what is now the Visitors Centre. The guard house and boom gate are where they are today. The soggy field in the foreground is now the visitors’ car park, and the Honeysuckle antenna was moved to a point just out of view to the left of the camera in 1982 (becoming DSS-46).

Scan by Keith Aldworth, from the cover of a Canberra telephone book.

In the early 1980s, DSS-42 (left) and 43 featured (for about 2 seconds) in the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s nightly playing of the national anthem at the close of transmission.


DSS-43 today – now a magnificent 70 metre antenna. Photo: John Saxon, July 2004.

DSS-43 tracking the Phoenix lander as it approaches Mars.

Photo: Colin Mackellar, 12 May 2008.