The Quarter Century Amateur Radio Club owns and operates five long-range VHF repeaters in the 2m band to provide reliable communications among fixed, mobile and portable stations in their service areas. VE6QCR and VE6PP are linked full time via an RF link in the 70cm band.
Our repeater team is comprised of the following people:
- Neil, VE6TCK (lead)
- Jim, VA6JC
- Tom, VA6WT
- Hubert, VE6AMY
- Terry, VE6EM
VE6QCR (Stony Plain)
The club’s first repeater was VE6QCR providing VHF coverage northwest of Edmonton and in the city of Edmonton. The repeater has been operational since June of 1986 with the exception of a short period in 1998 when an aircraft collision damaged the tower. VE6QCR provides a wide coverage area from its location in the Glory Hills north of Stony Plain. VE6QCR is linked full time to VE6PP.
- Frequency: TX 146.64 MHz, RX 146.04 MHz
- CTCSS: 100 Hz (encode and decode)
- Repeater: Vertex VXR-7000
- UHF Link radio: Vertex VX-2100
- Antenna (VHF coverage and UHF link): Sinclair 210-C4 with NW pattern.
- Duplexer: Sinclair Res-Lok Q2330E
- Antenna Height: 62m AGL
- Site Elevation: 710m AMSL
- Controller: Arcom RC210
- Location (lat./long.): 53.651333 N, 113.999819 W
- Coverage map
DTMF control codes:
- 55: ID and time announcement
- 56: Inside temperature
- 57: Relative signal strength report
- 58: Voice record/playback (transmit test message after the ‘Ready’ announcement)
VE6PP (Whitecourt)
The Amateur Radio League of Alberta (ARLA) received approval to build the VE6PP repeater on Whitecourt Mountain in October 1980. ARLA operated the repeater until June of 1987 when the Quarter Century Amateur Radio Club (QCARC) took over operation of VE6PP. The next year QCARC upgraded the facilities by moving the repeater from the diesel room to a separate shack provided by the club. At that time a Micor base station was put into service. The Micor provided service until 2009 when the club installed the current package (see below). The repeater provides a wide coverage area from its new antenna location on Whitecourt mountain. VE6PP provides coverage from Onoway to Smoky River along highway 43 and from Lake Wabamun to Edson along Highway 16. VE6PP is linked full time to VE6QCR.
- Frequency: TX 146.82 MHz, RX 146.22 MHz
- CTCSS: 100Hz (encode and decode)
- Repeater: Vertex VXR-7000
- VHF coverage antenna: Sinclair 210-C4
- VHF coverage antenna height: 33m AGL
- UHF rink radio: Vertex VX-2100
- UHF link antenna: Tram 1480 dual band, also used for the VHF APRS system
- UHF link antenna height: 18m AGL
- Controller: Arcom RC210
- Site Elevation: 1160m AMSL
- Emergency power: battery back-up
- Location (lat./long.): 54.0363 N, 115.7172 W
- Coverage Map
DTMF control codes:
- Time & temperature: 55*
VE6SS (Pigeon Lake)
VE6SS went into service on April 28, 1975. The Amateur Radio League of Alberta built VE6SS and operated it until they turned it over to QCARC in 1987. VE6SS is located near the southeast end of Pigeon Lake. VE6SS provides a large coverage area which includes highway 2 from Red Deer to the greater Edmonton area.
- Frequency: TX 146.88 MHz, RX 146.28 MHz
- CTCSS: 100Hz (encode and decode)
- Repeater: Vertex VXR-7000
- Antenna: Sinclair 210-C8
- Antenna Height: 61m
- Ground Elevation: 886 m. AMSL
- Controller: Arcom RC210
- Emergency power: Battery Backup
- Location (lat./long.): 52.930225 N, 113.853119 W
- Coverage Map
DTMF control codes:
- 55: time announcement
- 56: Relative indication of signal strength
- 58: Voice record/playback (transmit test message after ‘Ready’ announcement)
VE6BOX (Athabasca)
The Whispering Hills Amateur Radio Club built the repeater in 1984 and agreed to merge their assets with the QCARC in 1998 to simplify the operation. VE6BOX provides coverage along highways 2, 44, and north toward Fort McMurray. In March 2012 the club installed an APRS digipeater to support the APRS community and its use for emergency preparedness. VE6BOX is linked to the SARA repeater system but that link is presently out of service.
- Frequency: TX 146.73 MHz, RX 146.13 MHz
- CTCSS: 100 Hz encoded only
- Repeater:
- Controller: LinkComm RLC-2
- VHF coverage antenna: Sinclair 210-C8
- VHF coverage antenna height: 61m AGL
- VHF duplexer: four cavity reject
- UHF link antenna: Jaybeam MBM-48
- UHF link antenna height: 29m AGL
- Location (lat./long.): 54.666775 N, 113.533953 W
- Site elevation: 596m AMSL
- Coverage Map
APRS Digipeater:
- Radio: Alinco DR-135T
- TNC: Argent Data T2-135
- Antenna: Sinclair 210-C2 at 29m AGL
VA6RJK (Eagle Hill)
- Frequency: TX: 146.79 MHz, RX: 146.19 MHz
- CTCSS: 100 Hz (encode and decode)
- Repeater:
- Controller:
- Antenna:
- Antenna height:
- Location (lat./long.): 53.878675 N, 112.00835 W
- Site elevation: