"SKED" is a standard abbreviation for a scheduled radio contact at a specific time (i.e. every day at the same time). Austravel Safety Net sked operators make voice calls on 30 frequency/base combinations every day ensuring great coverage across Australia. 

Skeds will change each summer and winter seasons as daylight effects the best channels to use around sked times as we cater for solar activity increases. These progressive changes are needed to keep providing the best HF radio coverage of Australia at sked times. Our bases and sked time selection are designed to provide strong signals to the travelling members, improving reception by overcoming potential local noise problems. Please stay up to date and check on the changes as each new selcall list comes out. Get a current copy before you head "outback".  Of course, if you are travelling and out of email range, as a regular caller on the skeds the operators will let you know in advance of any pending sked changes.

The new summer time table is available from the timetable at the left which gives detailed information on base frequencies (channels) and times of operation.  There are two skeds per day - morning and afternoon.  Please note that UTC (universal time / GMT+0) and actual sked times stay the same summer to winter but local times may vary with daylight savings.

The Summer Sked timetable is active when daylight saving time is operating in NSW, ACT, Vic, SA and Tas.

You can also check out the Space Weather web site (click on link located at the top left labelled “HF Radio Conditions”) which provides HAP charts for our bases. This information provides a guide to the predicted transmit and receive range within Australia of each channel, current to within the hour or look at the past 24 Hr history.

Would you like to become a sked operator?

Austravel SafetyNet is always looking for new sked operators.  Perhaps you are house bound, maybe you have some previous history operating radios in military or marine activities or are just very interested in general.   You do not need a HF radio, just some spare time and internet access.

Our base station equipment that allows members to make a phone calls from their vehicle mounted radios, can be used in the reverse direction. i.e  Trained sked operators  can dial into any Austravel  base with a phone or computer, enabling remote access to the Austravel HF radio network.  With an internet connection this allows skeds to be run from a anywhere in the world.

This allows anybody with a little spare time, an interest in HF radio and a gregarious nature to become a sked operator.   Training assistance is available and we have a sked operator guide book to help you through  the process.  It is easier than you may think.