Wildrose Network News Archives from 2013

Nov.15.13 I have added a few pictures of Walter and some of his friends in the photo gallery. Have a look... Walter passed away on Oct 21.
Nov.13.13 Update on our 900 Meg repeater: There have been some amateurs that have expressed interest in our 900 MHz project. The initial team responsible for the first 900 repeater (the group of five) in Calgary has decided that all users contribute a donation of $50/yr to support the new on-going costs at the radio site, and help cover hardware/software costs of the entire project. We are a privately funded group and do NOT receive monies from government agencies. We are looking for a sponsor'(s) who may be able to assist us, and we will review the contribution if and when successful. The repeater is a high end surplus commercial repeater, and the performance to date has been stellar. If you plan to use our 900 MHz repeater, (please read note#2 above) please support us with the minimum $50 donation for costs. We will in turn support you with providing assistance getting on the band, and setting up a good station. Please note radio equipment must be set properly. True narrow band only. We do have radios for sale to support the repeater project. Please contact Mike VE6AMC or Dale VE6CPK for more information. “One foot is where it’s at.”

Nov.01.13 Welcome to the new Wildrose Amateur Radio web page. Most of the links that were here before are still here, most of which are under the pull down tabs above. So have a look around as there are lots to look at. The photo gallery will be updated from time to time so check it out. This page is still undergoing lots of work so be sure to come back and have a look. If you have any comments please feel free to leave a message as I would like to hear from you. You can leave me a message under the pull down tab CONTACTS and click on VE6CPK. Enjoy!!!
Oct.23.13 A few quick notes, VE6WRT 220 repeater on Hailstone Butte has been put into winter mode. As you will recall last winter the repeater was producing a howlling sound when keyed which echoed through the network. Temperature had to be just below the freezing mark for this to occurr. Much of the winter at that altitude is below freezing so we decided this year to put the repeater into safe mode. This had to be done before it did get cold. You will hear it but will not be able to key it. We were planning to do something about it this summer but with the roads all washed out in the area it never happened. Maybe next year.

The DStar repeater package in Banff has been removed. The ongoing cost was getting a bit much for us so it was decided to have it removed. Not sure at this time what the future plans are for this package. The local Banff FM repeater VE6BNF will continue to run for now and can be worked in Calgary via VE6AMP. The Park repeaters all continue to work well, voltages at mountain sites are good.

Dstar in Calgary will continue to work at this time although at some point we do have plans to re-install the Icom gateway software along with Dplus. With all the issues we had with FreeStar we have decided not to install it at this time.

I'm also working on a new web page for the Wildrose Network. It should be implemented shortly. Once I feel comfortable with the web page I will put up the new link to it here as this page will probably disappear.

Also Walter Isaacson VA7ANI passed away late last night (Tuesday Oct 21/13) formerly VE6ANI. Walter did a lot for the ham community here in the Calgary area and worked on many projects with the Wildrose Group in Calgary. Walter retired a few years back and then moved to Nanaimo BC with family. I'm sure he will be missed by all hams.

Any comments I liked to hear from you. You can email me: VE6CPK

Sep.12.13 We recently have had some issues with the DStar Registry Page and Dashboard on both VE6WRN and VE6WRO. VE6WRN is now working but there is still a bug that needs to be sorted out. Will keep and eye on this and wait for a software update. The big guys have been informed. Thanks to Eric VE3EI for his help on this.
Sep.11.13 Dennis VE6BGZ was able to work VE6AMP from Calgary to Bowden, a minor dropout to Innisfail then good to Antler Ridge. Beyond is hit and miss. The repeater is running about 5 watts at an altitude of 10,300 feet. Antler Ridge to the repeater is 160 km.
Sep.05.13 Please note that with the new installation of our 900 meg repeater (VA6TWO co-existing with VE6WRN DStar repeaters) we have removed the 1200 Digital Data module at VE6WRN. To our knowledge it was not being used and with our group implementing the 900 repeater the space was required. The DStar VHF, UHF, and 23cm voice modules continue to operate as normal. For more information on our 900 repeater and 900 in general please click here.
Aug.16.13 VE6AMP is now back up and running although at a different site however we believe the coverage will be similar to what it was at Barrier Mtn (maybe not as far north as before) but coverage should drastically improve in other areas especially in Calgary, Canmore, Banff, maybe even Lake Louise. K-country and Spray Lakes should also enjoy solid coverage. This site is just over 10,300 feet and is located in a really good location giving RF coverage to many areas. We thought we had it good with Barrier but this site will even be better. VE6AMP is still linked into the park repeaters and 220 on Hailstone Butte. We really have to thank Mike VE6AMC for acquiring this site and putting the package together. Probably the highest and longest range and most covered usable area possible by any one repeater. Lets hope mother nature will take a liking to what we have done. Enjoy!!!
Aug.12.13 Just an update for VE6WRT repeater site on Hailstone Butte. The DStar package has been down since July 21. We have reason to believe it is a minor issue as the 220 repeater and link are still functional. Due to flooding in the area this year we have not been able to make it to the site. We hope to before the snow begins to fly. Watch here for further details.
July.19.13 The DStar gateway at VE6WRN is back online. All modules are working. Thanks to Mike VE6AMC and Dale VE6CPK for getting the package back up and running.
July.07.13 The DStar gateway at VE6WRN is currently offline. At this time were thinking that we have a computer failure. Until we get to the site the gateway looks to be down for now. Watch here for details. You can check the gateway status by clicking here. Local and cross-band use continue to work as normal.
July.01.13 Mike VE6AMC and Dale VE6CPK were up at Barrier Mtn today where the VE6AMP repeater had been acting strangely over the past couple of weeks. It looks like the controller and repeater had been taking on water from recent rainfall. The package has been pulled and will require closer look to determine the overall damage. VE6AMP has been running at Barrier Mtn for almost two years now and has shown to be one of Canada's highest and longest range repeater. However the cost to maintain this repeater at this site is high and with very little support / donations, it may not return. You can check here for further details as we learn more. If you would like to make any comments we would like to hear from you. You can send an email to Dale VE6CPK.
May.12.13 VA6TRE in Banff (224.96 Rpt) has been taken down. Plans are to relocate it so watch here for details.
May.03.13 Here is an interesting article about the Boston bombing and Amateur Radio.

Boston Marathon 2013 – Bombs, Carnage and Amateur Radio Operators

Posted on April 17, 2013

by: Tim Carter, W3ATB
Apr.28.13 For those of you using your DVAP with the raspberry pi please take note...There has been a recall. If you have the following Raspberry Pi you should take it back to where you bought it and either get a refund or have it replaced with a new one. My preference would be to have a new one. Take a look here, this may help you make a better decision. Rasberry Pi #1
Apr.02.13 Just to let everyone that Pierre VE6PTE has been working on the DStar Remote Gateway to VE6WRT on Hailstone Butte and now has it up and running. For now I believe that VE6WRT is linked to XRF21B full time. You can check the LastHeard list on VE6WRT here or check the status of XRF021 here. Watch here for further updates.
Jan.15.13 This item looks interesting from Icom. Although it does not work on any amateur radios it is interesting, who knows may it will work on amateur radio in the future. Have a look here. More info here and here.
Jan.14.13 There has been enough battery recovery at Hailstone to bring the DStar repeater VE6WRT back online. Enjoy!!!
Jan.13.13 Are we getting closer to a release date. Check it out here.
Jan.09.13 The Support page has a new look and there are a number of users that have expired. Please check it out and help us keep the system up and running. You can check your status here.