This is a post I was going to make in an old thread in the Amateur forum which probably is better served here. Hopefully we can use this thread as an anchor for discussion about APRS usage.
Calgary is fairly well covered by digipeaters and igates, but it seems to be sized more for mobiles than handhelds. I've had some people in the local area say that the Yaesu (mine and the others I've heard about are the 8DR or 8GR model) work well in the region, including having a particularly strong GPS receiver working even indoors. In my experience, the GPS receiver does work if you still have a view of the sky, i.e. if you are near a window; in a metal structure, though, you might have trouble. As for the APRS signal itself, you have to get pretty close to a digi or gate for the handheld to work.
If you look at VE6SRT-7 on aprs.fi over the past couple days, you'll see that there were only a few times where I was going right to a digi or gate (not including when I'm digi'ing through my car, VE6SRT-9). One particular example recently was 2012-03-04 12:30:24 (MT) when I was only able to hit MEO from a few blocks away (max about 1 kilometer). Now, this may only be because my car shields the signal well (I was inside my vehicle all the time) and I am using the stock Yaesu antenna. I have an SRH-77CA I may try out and see how it behaves. (Even as I type this message, it seems to have dramatically improved reception at least from my home.)
There is a concerted effort, I believe, to increase the proliferation of digipeaters in the Calgary and surrounding area. If you look at aprs.fi, the "D", "S", "I", and "G" icons indicate digipeaters and igates. Here are some of the ones in operation in Calgary and area:
VE6JXJ-1 - this digi is up on a huge cell tower near Highway 567 and Symons Valley Road. It has some serious range.
MKGBRD - this digi is on the Mockingbird Lookout radio tower (where VE6GAB is co-located) in the Ghost Wilderness area, up Highway 40 from Highway 1A west of Cochrane. (This is sometimes incorrectly labeled "Sundre"). It's another wide area digi.
VE6QLT - the icon indicates an HF gateway, but I believe this is a standard igate.
VE6WDM - Not too far from QLT but seems to be the primary igate in north Calgary.
VE6MEO - This combo digi/igate covers south Calgary quite well.
VE6RYC - RYC has a digi as of very recently but it seems that most of the transmissions it would pick up are already relayed by JXJ. Once in a rare while I will see RYC pick up my packet first, when I am closer to Nose Hill than any other place.
VE6RCB - this is a gate northeast of Calgary in Kneehill County, near Carbon. Covers what JXJ doesn't.
CARSTR - digi in Carstairs, about as far again from JXJ as JXJ is to the center core of Calgary.
VE6EAW - igate very close to Carstairs.
VE6FAR-1 - digi southwest of Nanton. It can see JXJ and covers the south fairly well down to FARS-2 (just outside of Lethbridge).
Known areas (to me) that have gaps/holes:
- Bragg Creek/Redwood Meadows area, basically as soon as you get inside the treed area south of Highway 8 on 22. You might hit JXJ or MKGBRD on occasion. I have set up my home computer in west Bragg Creek to be a rx-only gate, and will see later today if it helps at all. I do have plans to set up a digi on the firehall tower at Redwood Meadows later this year.
- Highway 22 between Bragg Creek and Highway 22X. (Highway 22/22X intersection is where the road switches from 4 lanes to 2, near Priddis.) The planned digi at Redwood may help with this... not sure.
- Some parts of Highway 1 west between Cochrane and Canmore are shadowed from receiving both JXJ and MKGBRD. Highway 1A is even worse despite being closer to MKGBRD. There may be plans in the works by various groups to sprinkle digis around the area to rectify this.
Calgary is fairly well covered by digipeaters and igates, but it seems to be sized more for mobiles than handhelds. I've had some people in the local area say that the Yaesu (mine and the others I've heard about are the 8DR or 8GR model) work well in the region, including having a particularly strong GPS receiver working even indoors. In my experience, the GPS receiver does work if you still have a view of the sky, i.e. if you are near a window; in a metal structure, though, you might have trouble. As for the APRS signal itself, you have to get pretty close to a digi or gate for the handheld to work.
If you look at VE6SRT-7 on aprs.fi over the past couple days, you'll see that there were only a few times where I was going right to a digi or gate (not including when I'm digi'ing through my car, VE6SRT-9). One particular example recently was 2012-03-04 12:30:24 (MT) when I was only able to hit MEO from a few blocks away (max about 1 kilometer). Now, this may only be because my car shields the signal well (I was inside my vehicle all the time) and I am using the stock Yaesu antenna. I have an SRH-77CA I may try out and see how it behaves. (Even as I type this message, it seems to have dramatically improved reception at least from my home.)
There is a concerted effort, I believe, to increase the proliferation of digipeaters in the Calgary and surrounding area. If you look at aprs.fi, the "D", "S", "I", and "G" icons indicate digipeaters and igates. Here are some of the ones in operation in Calgary and area:
VE6JXJ-1 - this digi is up on a huge cell tower near Highway 567 and Symons Valley Road. It has some serious range.
MKGBRD - this digi is on the Mockingbird Lookout radio tower (where VE6GAB is co-located) in the Ghost Wilderness area, up Highway 40 from Highway 1A west of Cochrane. (This is sometimes incorrectly labeled "Sundre"). It's another wide area digi.
VE6QLT - the icon indicates an HF gateway, but I believe this is a standard igate.
VE6WDM - Not too far from QLT but seems to be the primary igate in north Calgary.
VE6MEO - This combo digi/igate covers south Calgary quite well.
VE6RYC - RYC has a digi as of very recently but it seems that most of the transmissions it would pick up are already relayed by JXJ. Once in a rare while I will see RYC pick up my packet first, when I am closer to Nose Hill than any other place.
VE6RCB - this is a gate northeast of Calgary in Kneehill County, near Carbon. Covers what JXJ doesn't.
CARSTR - digi in Carstairs, about as far again from JXJ as JXJ is to the center core of Calgary.
VE6EAW - igate very close to Carstairs.
VE6FAR-1 - digi southwest of Nanton. It can see JXJ and covers the south fairly well down to FARS-2 (just outside of Lethbridge).
Known areas (to me) that have gaps/holes:
- Bragg Creek/Redwood Meadows area, basically as soon as you get inside the treed area south of Highway 8 on 22. You might hit JXJ or MKGBRD on occasion. I have set up my home computer in west Bragg Creek to be a rx-only gate, and will see later today if it helps at all. I do have plans to set up a digi on the firehall tower at Redwood Meadows later this year.
- Highway 22 between Bragg Creek and Highway 22X. (Highway 22/22X intersection is where the road switches from 4 lanes to 2, near Priddis.) The planned digi at Redwood may help with this... not sure.
- Some parts of Highway 1 west between Cochrane and Canmore are shadowed from receiving both JXJ and MKGBRD. Highway 1A is even worse despite being closer to MKGBRD. There may be plans in the works by various groups to sprinkle digis around the area to rectify this.