ARES Edmonton

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is a volunteer organization of amateur radio operators. Since 1935, ARES has provided radio communications in North America in times of need.

In these modern times of cellular phones and the Internet, we take instant communications for granted. We forget how fragile our communications systems are. We forget that only one critical piece of communications infrastructure has to fail or become overloaded to render it unusable in times of emergency!

ARES Edmonton 2M NET for May 13th is in need of a controller.  Please contact Melanie VE6MSH if you'd like to practise your Net Controller skills.

There will be no sheduled nets for the 20th of May due to the long weekend.

VE6TNC expected mobile and handheld coverageWith many thanks to Ray VE6RHS NARC Operations Director and Randy VA6RC & Dave VA6TK NARC's Intrepid Repeater Team, NARC is pleased to announce a new VHF repeater location near Chapman, Alberta.  Thanks also go to Curtis VE6AEW and Kiernan VA6IP for scoping out the site.  VE6TNC will be our new "Elk Island" repeater and will be going on-air in the coming weeks (sometime around April-May).

The map to the right shows the expected mobile and handheld coverage for the new repeater.  Yellow is mobile coverage at 25W and green is handheld coverage at 5W. Please click on the image for a full-sized view.

VE6TNC will be on 146.610 (-)  with 100Hz CTCSS

NARC Repeater System Total CoverageNARC Repeater Coverage

With the addition of the new Elk Island repeater, VE6TNC, this brings a total of five linked repeaters to the NARC repeater system.  Providing remarkable coverage around the Edmonton region, these repeaters are VE6PLP about 70 klms to the SSW of Edmonton, VE6JN about 15 klms to the west, VE6HM at aproximately 15 klms to the east and VE6UV just a kilometre or two to the south of downtown Edmonton.  The NARC repeater system also has an on-demand link to the SARA system, extending coverage to a large portion of Alberta when needed.

The map to the left shows the NARC repeater mobile and handheld coverage from south of Red Deer, west of Seba Beach, north of Newbrook and east of Innisfree.  Yellow is mobile coverage at 25W and green is handheld coverage at 5W. Please click on the image for a full-sized view.

Edmonton .... The most comprehensive distracted driving legislation in Canada will soon be implemented in our province. Alberta’s new distracted driving law will come into effect on September 1.

“This legislation is another step forward in our traffic safety efforts and an important addition to our overall traffic safety strategy,” said Minister of Transportation Luke Ouellette. “I am confident this new law, which is practical and enforceable, will help to keep Albertans safer while on the road and that’s something we can all support. We all have a role to play in traffic safety and I encourage Albertans to start practising safer driving habits today.”

Licenced Radio Amateurs have partial exemption in the Regulation as follows:

"Exempt classes of individuals
3(1) Pursuant to section 115.1(1) of the Act, an individual who
holds a radio operator certificate issued under the
Radiocommunication Act (Canada) may drive or operate a vehicle
on a highway while holding, viewing or manipulating a 2-way
radio communication device."

Further resources:

http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/distracteddriving.htm

The Ammendment Act: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/570.cfm?frm_isbn=9780779755011&search_by=link

The Regulation: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/570.cfm?frm_isbn=9780779758609&search_by=link

* ARES Edmonton is providing this information for the interest of licenced Amateur Radio Operators only.  None of the information provided here should be considered legal advice from ARES Edmonton.