Riedel Provides Extensive Real-Time A/V and Comms Network for Australia’s International Fleet Review

Riedel Communications provided Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) Government and the City of Sydney with a citywide TETRA system and MediorNet real-time network, as well as Artist intercom systems, to enable flexible, reliable signal transport throughout the International Fleet Review. Commemorating the arrival of the original Royal Australian Navy fleet in Sydney Harbour a century ago, the event drew around 40 warships, 16 tall ships, more than 60 aircraft, 10 military bands, and 8,000 sailors from 17 nations around the world.

“We provided an exceptionally flexible and comprehensive solution for mission-critical signal transport throughout the International Fleet Review, helping to make it a spectacular event worthy of the occasion,” said Jason Owen, senior project engineer for Riedel Communications.

As thousands of spectators watched from shore, seven ships — HMA Ships Sydney, Darwin, Perth, Parramatta, Bundaberg, Diamontina, and Huon — entered the harbor in line, just as the first Australian navy fleet of seven cruisers and destroyers did for the first time on Oct. 4, 1913. This time around, their arrival was met by a Navy helicopter display at Bradley’s Head and a 21-gun salute. Other nations participating in this striking maritime display included Brunei, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Tonga, the U. K., and the U.S.

Over a long weekend of celebrations that also included fireworks and an evening light show, nine MediorNet frames were employed across five locations to enable the transport of HD-SDI, audio, and Ethernet over 13 kilometers of fiber extending through the city and harbor. A Riedel Artist intercom system deployed on this network made hard-wired talkback facilities available at key vantage points. To facilitate complete coverage at harbor sites and in multiple control rooms for production, site management, Workplace Health and Safety (WHS), and creative teams, Riedel provided a hybrid system comprising both TETRA and analog Motorola products. In total, the Riedel installation supported 250 radios across 20 channels. The Motorola system provided redundancy not only for the TETRA system, but also for the FireOne system used to trigger fireworks during the Fireworks and Lightshow Spectacular directed by Trevor Smith of Imagination Australia along with Chameleon Touring Systems and Fori Fireworks.

A hybrid UHF/IP system also provided by Riedel delivered MA-NET lighting control signals to approximately 30 lighting locations, including all land-based and naval warship locations across the harbor. The UHF transmission service delivered SMPTE time code, and the wireless IP network converted the time code to IP and transmitted it to adjacent locations. Riedel separated the IP system into six geo-tagged zones so that each lighting location could be accessed only within its designated zone. A second FM transmission service delivered stereo audio program content to multiple live sites across Sydney.