Interesting skip condition in Alberta

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Jay911

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So a couple times over the past 3 or so weeks I've heard unusual activity on the Tsuu T'ina FD repeater. They are "60 Station" in the Foothills Regional Emergency Service Communications center's numbering system. One day a few weeks ago I thought I heard a "54" station call (and confirmed with Crossfield it was not them), and today, I caught - on professional radio gear, on the Tsuu T'ina Nation, a dispatch to Range Road 31 and Township Road 470.

It turns out that the repeater output for Wetaskiwin County FD (Paging, according to the RRDB) happens to be the same as the input for Tsuu T'ina FD, right down to the tone.

Interesting situation..
 

kayn1n32008

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Hmmm quite the haul. Funny I spend a lot of time in 27/28-47/48-W4M, very close by that intersection!
 

robertmac

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Grimshaw on 146.82

In Calgary I heard talk on 146.82 today, 2012 Feb 2 at 2300 which I thought was the Delia/Hanna repeater. But the call sign was from Grimshaw which also has a repeater on 146.82. He talked about going to 146.64 but did not hear anything on that frequency. There is also a repeater in the Whitecourt area on 146.82.
 

kayn1n32008

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In Calgary I heard talk on 146.82 today, 2012 Feb 2 at 2300 which I thought was the Delia/Hanna repeater. But the call sign was from Grimshaw which also has a repeater on 146.82. He talked about going to 146.64 but did not hear anything on that frequency. There is also a repeater in the Whitecourt area on 146.82.

Thats a good catch. Suprised that you heard the Grimshaw repeater and not the Whitecourt repeater. That repeater in Whitecourt is at an amazing location. I can work it mobile from around 100km. and can hear it from well over that distance. it is a great machine that is very well balanced.

I was talking to a Glentel field tech yesterday and he was also commenting about the enhanced propagation as well, he was listening to one of their commercial repeaters at Elk Point while driving on hiway 14 coming back to Edmonton that day as well.
 

Jay911

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I believe this is affecting APRS as well (no reason why it shouldn't). JXJ has digipeated some interesting hits, such as ELKPNT (Elk Point). This was apparently direct.. unlike the WIDE7 path I saw someone from Wyoming using a couple weeks ago.
 

kayn1n32008

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I believe this is affecting APRS as well (no reason why it shouldn't). JXJ has digipeated some interesting hits, such as ELKPNT (Elk Point). This was apparently direct.. unlike the WIDE7 path I saw someone from Wyoming using a couple weeks ago.

Funny you mention ELKPNT. that digi is at the Glentel site that I was refering to in my last post.
 

Jay911

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More ridiculous skip early this morning on the APRS net. VE6YK > WHTCRT > VE6JXJ-1 > VE6SRT-9 (on Highway 8 west of Calgary). Also got a position report from someone hitting CHPMAN > JXJ > me.

I opened up my HP1's range to max this afternoon to see what I can pick up in the non-ham bands. Nothing earth-shattering yet (Nanton FD from NW Calgary, but that's far from surprising), but I'll keep my ears open.
 

robertmac

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Inversion

While at work this AM 2012 Feb. 8, was listening to the IRLP interprovinical net. One ham checked in on the Red Deer repeater from Coronation this morning around 0930 and commented that it is rate that he can hear the repeater so he thought there must have been an "inversion". Did not really listen for longer distance stations as work is a little isolated. There is this ham link that I found somewhere but think it is more related to APRS reports but does indicate some VHF propagation: VHF Propagation Map. And another one http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo_wam.html#day4
 
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Jay911

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Skip has been good for a few weeks now but it went right off the map today (literally).

APRS - picked up VE5BBZ-3 with one hop thru VE5XW-1, total of a stupidly long 709 km run. XW appears to be hitting all the area digis pretty well right this moment.

Got a position report from FARS-2 while on Stoney Trail in Calgary, albeit with JXJ in between. Also while on Stoney Trail, picking up both the Linden ATCO P25 (VHF) site and the Rockyford AFRRCS P25 (700) site at 3-4 out of 5 bars on the HP1.

All the northern digis and gates are showing up in Calgary quite well via either JXJ or CALGRY usually. kayn1n, I saw you just before I shut my car off but I'm heading to bed after work - I'll try to get to your PMs/email tonight.
 

robertmac

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Inversion, thermal ducting

On the FARS repeaters this AM [2012 July 9], Lloydminister and Regina coming in. And 155.805 sounded like it had inversion interference on as usuall not that loud in Calgary. VHF map I looked at last night did show some ducting on VHF towards Medicine Hat. With this heat in the past, similar effects have been noted. Wish I was not working to listen for DX on VHF/UHF. Just looked at APRS Map it is shows propagation up to 750 kms.. Thus reason for Regina and NE and NW Alberta.
 
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Jay911

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RCMP A15 (perhaps via B2 or B10, or even the link channels) had some serious interference earlier today. I'm going to throw out a suggestion that may be completely wrong, but it was a semi-quiet droning sound like a trunk control channel was heterodyning with the voice traffic. At the same time as this, I was picking up the AFRRCS Rockyford control channel on my other scanner (multicoupled into the same antenna at my home) - which I've never done before.
 

kayn1n32008

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Nice Bidulock heard the QE repeater in morinville this morning.
 

beeperboy

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I'm going to throw out a suggestion that may be completely wrong, but it was a semi-quiet droning sound like a trunk control channel was heterodyning with the voice traffic.

The trunk frequencies are reused all over the province. The heterodyning you heard was the CTCSS on the trunks beating. Big problem on VHF this time of year.

BB
 

kayn1n32008

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08:30MDT Worked VE5JM through the Vermillion repeater with 5w I was 202.3Km from the repeater, sitting west of Edmonton. There is not a repeater with in 200+Km that I can not key with 20w or less using a Larsen NMO2/70.
 

kayn1n32008

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Hearing VE6QE on Whyte Ave in rdmonton, looks like we are probably going to have another nice opening.
 
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