May 13
23
DMR Coverage Expands in Toronto
Toronto just got larger folks! As on May 22, 2013, a new Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) repeater came on the air under the call sign VE3URU from the community of Ballantrae, ON, which is about 25 km north of the City of Toronto. This new repeater, which is owned by Chris Gaylor, VE3BNI, will improve DMR coverage in the north end of Toronto and also, extend DMR coverage to areas north of Barrie, ON. In addition the VE3URU DMR repeater will be linked via it’s local talkgroup with VE3BNI in Milton and VA3XPR in Toronto, thereby increasing the local talkgroup coverage area in the greater Toronto area.
To access the VE3URU DMR repeater, enter the following details into your DMR radio:
Frequency: 443.3875 MHz
Offset: +5.0 MHz
Colour Code: 1
For more information about DMR, please check out the VA3XPR Digital DMR Repeater Page.
The VA3XPR repeater sponsor, Don, VA3XFT, is supporting the 2013 Walk so Kids Can Talk fundraiser for the Kids Help Phone, Canada’s only toll-free, 24-hour, bilingual and anonymous phone counseling, web counseling and referral service for children and youth. Walk so Kids Can Talk is Canada’s largest walk in support of child and youth mental health and well-being. Funds raised by Walk participants go to help kids in over 2,500 communities across Canada.
All cash donations to the VA3XPR repeater received over the past 12 months will be donated to the Kids Help Phone. If you enjoy using the VA3XPR repeater, then please consider a pledge so that kids have a place to turn when they need someone.
Posted in Community by .
Great news for the Canadian ham radio community! On April 25, 2013, the VE3UUU DMR repeater in Windsor, ON, was officially connected to the Canadian arm of the DMR-MARC network, otherwise known as DMR-MARC Canada, thereby providing hams in the Windsor area with full access to the DMR-MARC worldwide network.
To access this system, hams will need a DMR capable radio, which are built by several manufacturers, including Motorola, Vertex Standard, Harris and Hytera, to name a few. Any hams in the Windsor area with a DMR capable radios will be able to use the VE3UUU DMR repeater to communicate with other hams using any of the following virtual channels, otherwise known as “talk-groups”:
- World Wide talk-group;
- North America talk-group;
- Canadian national talk-group;
- Ontario provincial talk-group;
- Local Windsor area talk-group;
To access the VE3UUU DMR repeater, the frequency is 444.4000 MHz, with a +5.0 MHz offset.
For more information about DMR, please check out the VA3XPR Digital DMR Repeater Page.
For anyone planning on making the pilgrimage to Dayton, OH for Dayton Hamvention 2013 on May 17-19, 2013, there are several must haves for this event, including a good pair of walking shoes, a ball cap, lots of sunscreen, a sturdy backpack and most importantly, your DMR radio. By using your DMR radio, you can keep on constant communications with your peeps back in Toronto for the entire event by simply tuning into the W8AK DMR repeater located in Dayton, OH, and having your ham buddies back home tune into the VA3XPR DMR repeater in downtown Toronto. By tuning into the North American talkgroup on either DMR repeater, you will have immediate access to the other repeater, with no complicated IRLP or EchoLink codes to dial or remember – just key up your radio and you will be heard in both Toronto, ON and Dayton, OH.
So when you need your friends back in Toronto to look up some radio specification on-line or some prices on eBay, your DMR radio will become your hotline to information.
Posted in Dayton Hamvention DMR Events MOTOTRBO Repeaters by .
Learning to use Amateur Radio can help people prepare for any disaster, including a Zombie Apocalypse. Photo credit: Daniel Hollister – http://www.thatzombiephoto.com
The threat of a zombie pandemic, commonly known as a zombie apocalypse, is ever present in today’s world of widespread genetic engineering and frequent international travel. Fortunately, Amateur Radio can help minimize the impact of such a catastrophe and as such, the Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club (aka CenTor) will be offering an Amateur Radio licensing course starting May 1, 2013.
Posted in CenTor ARC Clubs Emergency Communications by .