HF/VHF Comms Streaming for S2H, M2D and M2H 2015 - Done For another Year

Guys,

This year we had an additional member on the team "VK7ZCR" (Hobart, TAS) who help provide for the first time streaming of VHF Ch 81. This allowed us to monitor and provide coverage of the yachts as they reported rounding Tasman Island, passing Iron Pots and after they had crossed finished line. We loved the feed and are very much grateful for the coverage.

I've tried to compile as many of the Skeds audio recordings from each stream as I could and have linked them into my earlier post Australia Ocean Racing S2H, M2D and M2H 2015 - HF Comm Monitoring which contains the list of scheduled Skeds.

Big thanks to both "VK3VIM" (Melbourne, VIC) and "VK7VKT" (Hobart, TAS), the audio / signals that thier streams provided were once again great and very much appreciated and I would consider the heart of our coverage. We were able to hear most if not all of the allocated #S2H skeds via these streams.

However we definitely still have gaps in our coverage during the race during the daytime hours 0800 - 1600. To remedy this we are always looking for new members (both Amateur Operators and SWL's) to join the team and help provide streaming coverage of the HF and if possible VHF coverage from their location. If you are located in near any of the following areas and would like to participate next year please contact me via email (ozidrifterATgmail.com)

• Sydney, NSW - We'd really appreciate help providing VHF coverage of the start of the Race. As well as overage of HF coverage for the duration of race.
• Nowra, NSW
• Bateman Bay, NSW
• Eden, NSW
• St Helens, Tas

Beside the above listed areas, if you have been monitoring the S2H yacht race yourselves and know from your location you recieve good signals for some or part of the race, please still contact me if you are interested in participating as the more the merrier.

Most of the fleet bar 1 (Myuan 3) has rounded Tasman Island and completed the race. They really got a battering on the first evening / night and ~30% fleet retired within the first 36 hrs.

Once again big thanks to Clayton "VK7ZCR, Tony "VK7VKT" and Grant "VK3VIM" for providing hardware (Radios, antenna, computer etc), resources (Broadband bandwidth, their time and effort to manage their streams) and I look forward to working and covering the S2H race next year with all you.

That's all Folks!!! Have a Happy New Year and all the best for 2016!!!!

Mark (AussieDrifter)

Australia Ocean Racing S2H, M2D and M2H 2015 - HF Comm Monitoring

G'day All,

This year we are please to announce that the team has grown to 4 and together we'll be providing 6 audio streams monitoring HF Communication audio from the 4 Yacht Races held between Sydney/Melbourne and Hobart. The main communications which occur during the races are the scheduled Yacht Position Reports (a.k.a Skeds). You can find details of the scheduled position reports and HF Frequencies used below. One the new streams we'll be providing this year will be the monitoring of Marine VHF Ch 81. As the yachts round Tasman Island you'll be able to hear the VHF traffic as they approach the finishing line and dock.

The Audio Streams will only be available during the Racing events, so the first to kick us off will be Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race starting (26-Dec-2014 1300 AEDT) followed by the Other 3 races starting (27-Dec-2014 1230 AEDT). As the Skeds finish I'll provide feedback on the signals each station / location received as well as link to audio if the quality if of good standard. So please bookmark this page / blog and keep and eye on the latest communications we may receive.

The streams are as follows:

Who	Location	Audio Links	Frequencies Covered (kHz)
AussieDrifter (Me)	Brisbane, QLD	Stream 1 - via ICOM R75 Web Player 1 Web Player 2 SHOUTCast Stream 2 - via SDR Web Player 1 Web Player 2 SHOUTCast Main Blog Site	Stream 1 - S2H 4483 and 6516 Stream 2 - M2H/M2D Skeds: 12305, 6218, 8210, 4483 Other: 12290, 6215, 8291, 4125
VK7ZCR	Hobart, TAS	Stream 3 - HF Web Player 1 Web Player 2 SHOUTCast	Stream 3 - S2H 4483 and 6516 until the Fleet nears Tasman Island stream will switch from HF to VHF 81.
VK7VKT	Hobart, TAS	Stream 4 - HF Web Player 1 Web Player 2 SHOUTCast	Stream 4 - S2H 4483 and 6516
VK3VIM	Melbourne, VIC	Stream 5 & 6 - HF Web Player 1 SHOUTCast Main Blog Site	Stream 5 - 4483 (Left Audio Channel) Stream 6 - 6516 (Right Audio Channel)

Race Sailing Instructions

• Sydney To Hobart (S2H)
• Melbourne to Devonport(M2D)
• Melbourne to Hobart
  • Eastcoaster (M2HEC) - Cancelled
  • Westcoaster (M2HWC)

Race Frequencies

Event	Time (AEDT)	Primary (kHz)	Secondary (kHz)
S2H	Day (0700-2000)	6516	4483
S2H	Night (2000-0700)	4483	6516
M2D & M2H	Day (0700-1800)	12305	8210
M2D & M2H	Night (1800-0700)	6218	4483

Note:
^1. M2D and M2H yachts needing to make contact with Kordia (Charleville Radio) between schedules should do so on the standard calling channels listed below. These frequencies are also distress frequencies. For longer communications, a switch to one of the race frequencies may be required once communications have been established.

Frequency Period

4125 Night
6215 Day or Night
8291 Day
12290 Day

Race Schedules (aka Skeds)

	Schedules (AEDT)
Event	Day	Night
S2H	0735, 12051, 1705	0005
M2D	0105, 0605	1205, 1805
M2HWC - Westcoaster	0135, 0635	1235, 1835
M2HEC - Eastcoaster	Cancelled This Year

Note
¹ - Listening schedules will be conducted on 6516 kHz at 1205 hrs each day from 27th December until 2nd January 2014 on 6516 kHz.

Recorded Race Skeds Comms

Below is the full list of expected skeds. As each sked completes I'll provide a review of RF signal and audio quality which was received at each location and if the audio is of reasonable quality I'll provide a link to the extracted audio for the sked.

Date	Time (AEDT)	Event	Frequency (khz)	Audio Recording Link	Description
26-Dec-2014	1130-1230	S2H	6516	All streams received weak to no copy of the Prerace checkins. Brisbane: Listen Here to Weak Signal of JBW and Cougar 2.	Prerace Sign on
26-Dec-2014	1905	S2H	6516	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 1 and Stream 2 Hobart - Good Copy - Listen VK7VKT and VK7ZCR Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
27-Dec-2014	0005	S2H	4483	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 1 Hobart - Good Copy - Listen VK7VKT and VK7ZCR Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
27-Dec-2014	0735	S2H	6516	Brisbane - Poor Copy Hobart - Poor Copy Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
27-Dec-2014	1205	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - No Copy Melbourne - Very Weak Copy	Listening Sked
27-Dec-2014	1335-1435	M2D M2HWC M2HEC	12305	Brisbane - Poor to No Copy	Prerace - CheckinSked
27-Dec-2014	1705	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Fair Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne -Poor Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
27-Dec-2014	2005	M2D	12305	Brisbane - Fair Copy - Listen Stream 2 Melbourne - Fair Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
27-Dec-2014	2035	M2HWC	12305	Brisbane - Fair to Good Copy - Listen Stream 2 Melbourne - Fair to Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
28-Dec-2014	0005	S2H	4483	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 1 Hobart - Excellent Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
28-Dec-2014	0105	M2D	6218	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2 Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
28-Dec-2014	0135	M2HWC	6218	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2 Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
28-Dec-2014	0605	M2D	6218	Brisbane - Wrong Frequency was on 6215 khz (slept in).	Sked
28-Dec-2014	0635	M2HWC	6218	Brisbane - Wrong Frequency was on 6215 khz (slept in).	Sked
28-Dec-2014	0735	S2H	6516	Brisbane - Weak to no Copy Hobart - Good Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - First 10/15min weak, then becomes are fairly Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
28-Dec-2014	1205	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Weak Copy Melbourne - Fair copy	Listening Sked
28-Dec-2014	1205	M2D	12305	Brisbane - Weak Copy	Sked
28-Dec-2014	1235	M2HWC	12305	Brisbane - Weak Copy	Sked
28-Dec-2014	1705	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Poor Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - Fair - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
28-Dec-2014	1805	M2D	12305	Brisbane - missed first 2 minutes - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2	Sked
28-Dec-2014	1835	M2HWC	12305	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2	Sked
29-Dec-2014	0005	S2H	4483	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 1 Hobart - Excellent Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
29-Dec-2014	0105	M2D	6218	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2	Sked
29-Dec-2014	0135	M2HWC	6218	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2	Sked
29-Dec-2014	0605	M2D	6218	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 2 Note: Most yachts have completed. Charleville Radio tried to raise the remaining yacht on both 6518 and 4483 no success.	Sked
29-Dec-2014	0635	M2HWC	6218	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream2	Sked
29-Dec-2014	0735	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Fair Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
29-Dec-2014	1205	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Fair Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - Weak Copy	Listening Sked
29-Dec-2014	1235	M2HWC	12305	Brisbane - No Copy Melbourne - Fair Copy - Listen VK7VKT	Sked
29-Dec-2014	1705	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Started ok but faded to very poor to no copy Melbourne - Most poor copy, also suffered fade.	Sked
29-Dec-2014	1835	M2HWC	12305	Did not Monitor	Sked
30-Dec-2014	0005	S2H	4483	Brisbane - Good Copy - Listen Stream 1 Hobart - Good Copy - Listen VK7VKT Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
30-Dec-2014	0135	M2HWC	6218	Did not Monitor	Sked
30-Dec-2014	0635	M2HWC	6218	Did not Monitor	Sked
30-Dec-2014	0735	S2H	6516	Brisbane - No Copy Hobart - Started weak but become Fair Copy - Listen VK7VKT Hobart - Started Fair Copy but faded a end - Listen VK7ZCR Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
30-Dec-2014	1205	S2H	6516	Did not Monitor	Listening Sked
30-Dec-2014	1235	M2HWC	12305	Did not Monitor	Sked
30-Dec-2014	1705	S2H	6516	Brisbane - Did not Monitor Hobart - Good Copy - Listen VK7VKT Hobart - Good Copy - Listen VK7ZCR Melbourne - Good Copy - Listen VK3VIM	Sked
30-Dec-2014	1835	M2HWC	12305	Did not Monitor	Sked
31-Dec-2014	0005	S2H	4483	Note: Most of the fleet except for2 yachts have rounded Tasman Is last night @ ~2130 AEDT so the sked should be fairly short and sweet and considered to the the last we'll stream / monitor for 2015.. Sked started via HF - Listen VK7VKT Sked completed via VHF - Listen VK7ZCR	Sked
31-Dec-2014	0135	M2HWC	6218	Did not Monitor	Sked
31-Dec-2014	0635	M2HWC	6218	Did not Monitor	Sked
31-Dec-2014	0735	S2H	6516	Sked started via HF - Listen VK7VKT Sked completed via VHF - Listen VK7ZCR	Sked

Recorded Race Audio - NON-Sked Comms

Date	Time (AEDT)	Stream	Frequency (khz)	Audio Recording Link	Description
DD-MMM-YYYY	HHMMSS	Location	Frequency	Link to Audio	Description
DD-MMM-YYYY	HHMMSS	Location	Frequency	Link to Audio	Description
DD-MMM-YYYY	HHMMSS	Location	Frequency	Link to Audio	Description
DD-MMM-YYYY	HHMMSS	Location	Frequency	Link to Audio	Description

Twitter Feeds

You can monitor the following twitter for latest news regarding the events.

• @OceanRacingClub
• @rshyr
• #oceanracing
• #orcv
• #s2h
• #sydhob
• #rshyr