Repeaters

ADRCS operates two 900 MHz repeaters, VE6NHM at 927.25MHz on Nose Hill in Calgary, and VE6CQM at 927.95MHz in High River. Both are open repeaters, but require 100Hz and 110.9Hz PL tones to operate them. The two are linked together over the AREDN network, and can also be operated remotely by Meshphone. A third repeater, VE6IPR, will be added to the fold in the coming months at Cochrane, Alberta.

Planned network upgrades are to increase the power output to 100 Watts, and support both analog and M17 data modes on all three. Following developments in our IP400 project, they will be subsequently upgraded to become an IP400 supernodes and also be our hubs for digital linking.

Dynamic Digital Linking

Our repeaters are linked together using the AREDN network, and a specialized driver for Allstar. DDL divides capabilities into specific ‘talk groups’, which are installed as local nodes on the controller. By connecting to one of the nodes, a repeater user can enable remote links and facilities, including transcoding to DMR and connecting to a hotspot network.

Telemetry

Using the PUTSI encoder, our repeater are constantly monitored for battery voltage, temperature, PA current, and other critical factors for operation. All data is reported back to our servers on the AREDN mesh network, which can alert local personnel when attention is needed.