Can't make it this year? Did you work us and want to see what we look like?

This year we will attempt a full time SD live stream from our Field Day location. We are using a free Ustream feed, so you may see an ad or two, and Field Day radio activities take precedent over the stream, so if a problem arises, it may take a while before someone fixes it. Internet bandwidth is via a Clear 4g WiMax modem. The stream will start sometime Saturday morning, follow @kb2bsl to be notified via Twitter.

Click here to RSVP for the stream

I have received a few emails asking how this is going to be done. Basically three USB webcams will be connected to an i3 windows 7 laptop, due to the low CPU, the streams will be 640 x 480 not in high definition. The streaming software used will be Telestreams "Wirecast Pro", basically it's a complete production system for multiple cameras. It's expensive though, fortunately Ustream offers a free striped down version called "Ustream Producer" that will work with a single camera source. Wirecast then sends a single encoded stream to the Ustream content delivery network (where anyone can sign up for a free streaming account with ads) using a very capable 4G Clear WiMax modem. When a user watches the stream, it comes from Ustream and not directly from the "camera" or this website, doing this alleviates the amount of bandwidth and CPU resources required to do a live stream, although it does add a bit of a delay.