novascotian
Member
It is coming into the prime travel months, and I was thinking of how I often listen to NOAA Weather radio when I travel in the US, so thought I would post some comments for those doing the opposite and coming to Canada.. If you are planning to visit Canada and monitor Weather radio, you probably already realize that the same frequencies are used as in the US, but there are some thnings to keep in mind.
One of them is that while there are many transmitters, most of them are in groups of rebroadcasters with all of the stations in the group transmitting the same thing, so you might get 6 or a dozen covering a large region all with the same message. Also in some areas of Canada they are bilingual so there will be English for a while and then repeated in French. Some places in Quebec have separate French transmitters.
The other thing is that usage of some of the 7 freqeuncies is pretty limited. In most areas the three traditional frequencies are used over and over again... I am meaning 162.4, 162.55, 162.475. This is because the weather frequencies are superimposed over the regular frequency allocation plan for 162 to 174 MHz in Canada, which is completely different from the US plan. So you will find that there are other users such as businesses and so on on frequencies really close or the same as the weather ones. In my area the Power Corporation (electric utility) uses 162.45 as that is a valid business type frequency in Canada.... so when I scan for weather broadcasts (I like to listen for distant ones), the radio stops on the data bursts from the power company... and of course it means that weather radio cannot use that frequency.
Also one other thing is that in Canada there is a second set of continuous broadcasts, done by the Coast Guard, with strictly marine weather and related things. Most of these are on 161.65 and 161.775 MHz, but there are some other marine channels they use, and the really weird thing is that on the Pacific coast some of these broadcasts are on the NOAA type weather channels... so if you visit British Columbia and scan for Weather radio you will get that but you will also get Coast Guard broadcasts.
One of them is that while there are many transmitters, most of them are in groups of rebroadcasters with all of the stations in the group transmitting the same thing, so you might get 6 or a dozen covering a large region all with the same message. Also in some areas of Canada they are bilingual so there will be English for a while and then repeated in French. Some places in Quebec have separate French transmitters.
The other thing is that usage of some of the 7 freqeuncies is pretty limited. In most areas the three traditional frequencies are used over and over again... I am meaning 162.4, 162.55, 162.475. This is because the weather frequencies are superimposed over the regular frequency allocation plan for 162 to 174 MHz in Canada, which is completely different from the US plan. So you will find that there are other users such as businesses and so on on frequencies really close or the same as the weather ones. In my area the Power Corporation (electric utility) uses 162.45 as that is a valid business type frequency in Canada.... so when I scan for weather broadcasts (I like to listen for distant ones), the radio stops on the data bursts from the power company... and of course it means that weather radio cannot use that frequency.
Also one other thing is that in Canada there is a second set of continuous broadcasts, done by the Coast Guard, with strictly marine weather and related things. Most of these are on 161.65 and 161.775 MHz, but there are some other marine channels they use, and the really weird thing is that on the Pacific coast some of these broadcasts are on the NOAA type weather channels... so if you visit British Columbia and scan for Weather radio you will get that but you will also get Coast Guard broadcasts.
